Stahl lays out new goals for schools

Fort Recovery Local Schools has new goals for the district moving forward.

Superintendent Tony Stahl shared updated plans Monday with Fort Recovery School Board for the next three years.

Stahl explained the school district created its last culture and commitment guide in 2021. The guide’s timeline expired fall 2024, leading to an assessment of Fort Recovery Local Schools.

The district met two of its four goals for the three-year plan. Fort Recovery Local Schools met a 98% success rate for employment, enlistment or college enrollment for high school graduates and maintained at least 90 days of operating expenditures in its budget. 

It did not, however, maintain the first place ranking for school safety in Mercer County at review website niche.com — currently, Fort Recovery Local Schools ranks third out of six schools — or make a 106.5 performance index score and meet 85% of indicators per state standards. (This past school year the district earned a 102.4 performance index score and met 80% of indicators, as compared to the 2020-21 school year when the district earned a 99.7 performance index score and met 60% of indicators.)

“There’s certainly growth there, it just wasn’t what we had put in there as our original goal,” said high school principal Ryan Steinbrunner.

Stahl explained updates to the guide have come from multiple planning phases over the last nine months, starting with a school board work session in January. Staff members completed surveys and met in February to help determine focus areas for the guide. Between March and August, the district leadership team met and reviewed information to compile into goals for the next three years.

Goals were broken into four categories and are summarized as follows: academic achievement, to achieve and maintain an overall 5-star Ohio School Report Card; climate/culture, to foster a safe and positive atmosphere for everyone; student engagement, to align and strengthen student engagement activities; and fiscal accountability, to provide high quality learning environments and operational excellence in all aspects.

Hopes for academic achievement are to maintain a 5-star rating in achievement and gap closing components, increase the ratings of early literacy, graduation and progress components to 5 stars and identify data contributing to the new rating for the new college, career, workforce and military readiness component.

Plans for climate/culture include building self-advocacy and leadership skills among students and staff, promoting common practices and language for the district character development curriculum and increasing opportunities for positive staff, student, family and community interactions.

Goals for student engagement include promoting student engagement in relevant co-curricular and extracurricular activities and fostering connections and community involvement that promote real world experiences. Another goal is to monitor and evaluate student engagement at the end of each school year. 

Addressing fiscal accountability, the district aims to maintain at least 80% of projected capital outlay funds needed to address identified areas on 2024 facility assessment, develop an accurate transportation purchasing plan based on fleet, driver and student needs, and increase fiscal awareness among all stakeholders through transparency and communication.

Also Monday, school board members heard about efforts to repair damage after a water leak at Fort Recovery Elementary and Middle School on Sept. 5. Fort Recovery Local Schools closed operations the following day, Sept. 6, as a result of the leak. 

Treasurer Deanna Knapke explained ServiceMaster of Wapakoneta cleaned and sanitized the area, testing carpet and removing damaged carpet Sept. 6. She noted the school district will pay the first $1,000 of the service cost to meet its deductible, but the remaining $7,000 will be covered by insurance.

Also, Stahl shared hopes to host a dedication ceremony for the new putting green at Fort Recovery Middle School in October. Work on the new space created in memory of late golf coach Joe Bruns wrapped up Aug. 1.

Stahl publicly thanked Wabash Telephone Company — Bruns was on its board of directors for 10 years — for donating electrical work services related to the project.

In other business, school board members Mitch Fullenkamp, Sean Kahlig, Greg LeFevre, Nick Wehrkamp and Don Wendel:

•Heard about the new “Lunch and Learn” series coordinated by career exploration teacher Brian Reichert. He explained the lunchtime event brings business professionals to Fort Recovery High School for students to learn more about their occupations.

•Learned about a new incentive program at the high school to encourage students to be involved in at least one club or sport throughout the school year.

•Accepted the resignation of girls varsity basketball assistant coach Kourtney Diller and hired Brent Niekamp in the position.

•Rescinded a motion (Wehrkamp abstaining) to hire Kristy Wehrkamp and re-approved her employment as a long-term substitute for the upcoming school year. Kristy Wehrkamp will be paid $110 per day for the first 10 days and then $120 until her 60th day, after which she will be placed on the preschool teacher salary schedule and earn full benefits.

•Accepted the resignation of part-time cook and custodian Lindsey Bruggeman effective Aug. 16.

•Hired Lacy Tipton and Kelly Whitacre as non-teaching employees with one-year contracts and Kimberly Wendel as a substitute for the current school year.

•OK’d FFA members to attend National FFA Convention from Oct. 22 to Oct. 25 in Indianapolis.

•Accepted donations, including $625 for high school student council and $375 for art club from Fort Recovery Athletic Boosters Win on the Wabash Raffle.