Tweaks made to staffing at FRLS

A few tweaks have been made to Fort Recovery Local School’s staffing next year.

Fort Recovery School Board approved the district’s staffing plan Monday for the 2025-26 school year.

Fort Recovery superintendent Tony Stahl pointed out the staffing plan is based on estimates from the five-year financial forecast prepared and presented by treasurer Deanna Knapke in November 2024. Other factors such as enrollment, budgetary needs for non-personnel funds and staff members’ licensure are also taken into consideration.

Per the forecast, the school district is expected to finish the current fiscal year on June 30 with a budget surplus of more than $2.73 million, bringing its year-end cash balance before encumbrances to $14.7 million.

Enrollment is projected at nearly the same — down by one student — from the current year to next school year at 897 students. (Elementary principal Laura Brandt noted 70 students are registered for preschool in the fall.)

(Another 76 students are enrolled for kindergarten so far.) Open enrollment trends show projections at 56 students outside of Fort Recovery registering for classes in the village with 14 students living in Fort Recovery enrolling in classes elsewhere.

Other considerations included a projected high retention among staff members — Stahl noted two staff members are retiring with plans to fill one of those positions — and a 37% participate rate among juniors and seniors in Tri Star Career Compact programs.

The current plan is to maintain a 1 to 16 teacher-to-student ratio for kindergarten through fifth grade, utilizing four teachers for each grade level between kindergarten through fourth grade and three teachers for fifth grade. 

The staffing plan suggests reassigning two elementary and middle school personnel — Kristy Keller from elementary intervention specialist to second grade teacher and Breanna Madaj from fifth grade to fourth grade — based on grade level enrollment for next year. (The school board approved Keller’s reassignment at its January meeting and, later in the meeting Monday, also approved Madaj’s reassignment, effective Aug. 1.) 

Per the plan, the school board will also need to hire a new third grade teacher. (It also needed to hire a new elementary middle school intervention specialist. In February, school board hired Wes Wenning for the role. He’s also serving as head high school football coach.)

School board members approved the staffing plan.

Also Monday, Stahl noted plans to open bids Tuesday with Garmann Miller architects for the heating, ventilation and air conditioning project at Fort Recovery Elementary/ Middle School. The district hosted an open house for contractors to conduct a site review at the building March 6. 

Stahl shared hopes for school board to approve a contract for the project before its next regular meeting, potentially at a special meeting at 7 a.m. Friday.

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

•Learned Fort Recovery FFA hosted the district FFA agriculture mechanics contest March 4. High school principal Ryan Steinbrunner noted 15 schools competed, with Fort Recovery placing first. Individually, Fort Recovery students Kyle Huntsman, Riley Grieshop and Clete Timmerman placed first, third and seventh, respectively. The team qualified for state competition on April 3. Steinbrunner also noted Fort Recovery’s FFA banquet is Tuesday, March 25.

•Were reminded Fort Recovery High School’s prom is slated for April 25, with promenade to begin at 6 p.m. at the high school gymnasium with the dinner and dance to follow at Romer’s Catering and Entertainment Facilities in St. Henry, Ohio.

•Heard from Knapke that per ongoing state biennial budgetary discussions the school’s funding could decrease by $680,000 over the next two years with Ohio’s Fair School Funding plan.

•Made a few annual approvals, including a resolution adopting special education policies and procedures and an open enrollment policy for Fort Recovery Local Schools to accept students from all of Ohio.

•Approved a one-year contract for mowing and trimming services with Jutte’s Landscaping. Mowing services are $800 per week, with mowing at athletic facilities set at $215 per mow as needed.

•Hired volunteer junior high track coach Abby Ashbaugh for the current school year.

•Accepted $250 for middle school activities and $250 for high school activities from Fort Recovery Academic Booster Club.