Tax draws help schools

FORT RECOVERY — The balance sheet turned out a bit better than expected.
Fort Recovery Local Schools brought in about $90,000 more than it spent during the 2013-14 school year, treasurer Lori Koch told the school board at its meeting Monday.
The board also heard updates from its school principals, who said they are in the final preparations for the first day of school.
The school system was expected to break even for the year, Koch said, but property tax draws were higher than expected. That led to excess revenue of $88,776.
Fort Recovery Local Schools brought in $9,558,583 in 2013-14, about $4 million of which came from local sources. It had $9,117,282 in expenditures and $352,525 in encumbrances. The general fund balance, after encumbrances, is nearly $2.8 million.
Koch also reported that FRLS made nearly $12,000 during the last year on money it invested through Fort Recovery Community Foundation. The schools invested $563,025.19 donated from 1943 graduate Barbara Althoff.
Fort Recovery Elementary School principal Tracy Hein Evers and middle school principal Matt Triplett reported that preparations are on track for the first day of school Tuesday. An open building is scheduled for 5 to 8 p.m. Monday.
“I think all the big things are taken care of,” said middle school principal Matt Triplett. “Now it’s a lot of little things.”
Fort Recovery High School principal Jeff Hobbs told the board freshman and new student orientation is scheduled for Friday. He also noted that students taking the summer Ohio Graduation Test passed seven of the 10 required sections.
“We’ve just had great success over the summer time in the last three years,” said Hobbs. “To only have three students that have to take the fall OGT, that’s pretty impressive.”
In other business, school board members Jose Faller, Ginny Fortkamp, Aaron Guggenbiller, Amy Bihn and Dave Hull:
•Voted to employ Nancy Abels, Barbara Alig, Janelle Braun, Molly Briner, Denise Bruns, Lisa Grieshop, Sheri Grover, Janet Hummel, Bonnie Kaiser, Sandra Kaiser, Lisa Lennartz, Toby Metzger, Charlene Pearson, Norma Pottkotter, Nancy Reinhard, Barb Sautbine, Peggy Siefring, Jill Walter and Eileen Wendel as classified substitutes on an as-needed basis for the 2014-15 school year. Also granted permission to superintendent Shelly Vaughn to employ substitute teachers as needed at a salary of $80 per day.
•Heard from Vaughn that Cincinnati Floor is in the process of installing the floor in the new student activity center. They also agreed to delay an open house, which had been tentatively scheduled for this month, to early October.
•Appointed Julie Wuebker to the Fort Recovery Public Library Board. She will replace Marcia Staugler.
•Approved temporary appropriations totaling $567,236.74 for the 2015 budget. Of that total, $200,000 is for the high school renovation project and $191,231.21 is for a Title VIB grant.
Also approved were advances from the general fund of $10,000 to Public School Preschool, $10,000 to Title I Disadvantaged Children and $7,000 to Improving Teacher Quality.
•Accepted a donation of $7,000 from Psi Iota Xi for the preschool.
•Selected Hull as delegate and Fortkamp as alternate for the Ohio School Board Association Capital Conference in November.