Regular Meeting

September 15, 2021

The Lexington Board of Education met in regular session in the Lexington High School auditorium on Wednesday, September 15, 2021. Mr. Robert Whitney, President, called the meeting to order.

Roll was called by the Treasurer.

Roll Call – Members present: Dr. Martin Gottschling, Mr. Dave Roberts, Mr. Keith Stoner, Mr.

Rob Schuster, Mr. Robert Whitney ---------------------------------------------------------5

VISITORS / COMMUNICATIONS / RECOGNITIONS

Mr. Whitney welcomed visitors to the meeting and asked if any visitors would like to be recognized. A number of visitors indicated a desire to address the Board. Mr. Whitney noted that visitors would be recognized after the Student Rep Report and Administrator Reports, and asked all visitors to remain respectful of others and not interrupt anyone who wishes to address the Board.

Student Representative Report

Student Representative Evan Matney provided the Board with an update regarding various activities throughout the District, including the following:

Clubs and Student Activities

• LEO Club – LEO Club is gearing up for an eventful year and hopeful to have fall activities of Face Painting and Haunted Library that they’ve done in past years. After our High School Club Fair, they had numerous students request to become a member of Lex LEO’s. They are hopeful to give back and serve our community as they have done in the past.

• Informed Teens – Informed Teens also had many new students sign up at the Club Fair and are planning to have a bowling party in September to welcome everyone to Informed Teens.

• Key Club – Key Club is planning to have a mentoring program with our students and younger children at the Friendly House, through Mid-Ohio Youth Mentoring. They also plan to help with Haunted Hallways in October, have Breakfast with Santa in December, conduct a potential fundraiser of selling baked goods, and hope to complete another pop tab collection for Ronald McDonald House this year.

• Math Club – Math Club will meet Tuesday, October 12th, to take the first of a series of Math League tests. Lexington will be in competition with dozens of other Ohio high schools for rankings based on correct answers. Points and rankings can be viewed on mathleague.com. Lexington’s two leaders in points will receive awards at the end of the year. Math Club students can receive credit for their academic letter, extra credit in their math class based on participation, and an end of the year pizza party.

• National Honor Society – NHS kicked off our fall sports season with a Purple Reign Tailgate Party before the first football game vs. Ontario on August 19, 2021. The event included music, corn hole, cheers lead by the cheerleading squad, a performance by the Band of Gold, free hot dogs, etc. NHS sold over 260 t-shirts in three days and the student body, Lex families, and fans really enjoyed the fun. NHS will also be having a holiday plant sale again this year.

• Academic Challenge – Academic Challenge tryouts will be held at the end of September.

• Music – Concert band, symphonic band, orchestra, and the choirs are all working on their music for the winter concerts. The Band of Gold has been working on getting their show set and improving it while supporting the football team. Competitions for the Band of Gold will begin in October.

Athletics

• Boys’ Soccer is State ranked and has a record of 3-1-2.

• Girls’ soccer is 2-5 and will be hosting Madison Thursday, September 16th.

• Volleyball is 3-6 and will be hosting Wooster Thursday, September 16th.

• Girls’ Cross Country finished 2nd at the Seneca East Stars, Stripes & Lights and Boys’ • Cross Country finished 3rd place.

• Boys’ Golf is hosting the Lex Shootout on Monday, September 20th.

• Girls’ Golf has been playing very well and are gearing up for tournament play at the end of September.

• Girls’ Tennis is hosting the Lexington Tennis Invitation on Saturday, September 18th, which is a huge 8-team event.

• Varsity Football won this past Friday and are now 2-2 and will travel to Wooster on Friday, September 17th.

Food Service – Admin Report

Food Service Supervisor Tricia Volz provided the Board with an administrative report of the District’s food service operations. Ms. Volz shared an update on free lunches/breakfasts through the 2021-2022 school year, remote lunches served, department staffing and cross training, menu updates, and supply chain issues. She also noted that she has the best food service staff in the country and the Board thanked her and her staff for their hard work and service to the students.

Transportation – Admin Report

Transportation Supervisor Brenda Welsh and Head Mechanic Adam Smith provided the Board with an update on District transportation. Ms. Welsh provided an update on remote learning, not transporting all students, meal deliveries, and changes caused by the shortage of drivers. She also shared the hiring of additional mechanic and that we are down 8 drivers from last year due to various reasons. She also provided the Board with an update on various routes run by the District. She noted they continue to monitor routes and will continue to make sure everything is covered and runs as efficiently as possible. Mr. Smith provided the Board with an update on the District bus fleet and inspection schedules. He also shared thoughts with the Board on considerations moving forward when it comes to the District bus fleet. The Board expressed appreciation to Ms. Welsh and Mr. Smith for their hard work and flexibility during these times and thanked them and their staff for their service to the students.

Public Comments

Visitors, family and friends of District students shared with the Board that there have been various incidents of racial slurs and other activities throughout the District. They expressed concern about the environment and feel the District needs to do more to educate and address the situation, noting the District should have a zero tolerance policy for such behavior. Another visitor shared that her student with dwarfism has experienced similar incidents and comments and agreed that more needs to be done to educate students and staff. Mr. Whitney indicated that he and Mr. Secrist have had an opportunity to discuss and noted the District needs to implement training to address racial, sexist, special needs, and other various insensitivities.

Various visitors addressed the return to in-person school for the District and the potential requirement of wearing masks upon return. Everyone who spoke agreed that having students back in the classroom is the best learning environment for the students, but opinions varied on requiring masks. Eight visitors spoke in favor of a mask requirement while seven visitors spoke against any such requirement.

Another visitor asked the Board to come up with a solution to deal with Critical Race Theory, noting that he is against Critical Race Theory and does not want his kids, who are not white, to be taught to be victims but to be the leaders they are meant to be. He asked the Board to come up with a policy to address this moving forward.

DISCUSSION:

1. Return to School – Mr.Secrist shared that it was the wish of every Richland County Superintendent and this community to have a school year as close to normal as possible. The start of the school year was discussed with all school Superintendents. He noted that we did start the school year with protocols in place, indicated that we traced 551 cases the first three weeks of school. He noted that families are notified and we wait for letters to come from Richland Health Department. He also noted that we had kids coming to school that were sick despite urging families to keep students home if sick.

This year the State also made it much more difficult to have an online program, resulting in 500 more students in school this year. Having an online school became much harder and required a separate IRN.

Mr. Secrist shared that we wanted a normal year similar to 2019 but that COVID has evolved and we need to evolve with it. Mr. Secrist shared that teachers have heard we need to be willing to try, to fail, and to learn, and if we’re not willing to do that, how will our kids. He indicated that we had 155 cases all of last year and in just 3 weeks we were approaching that number, causing administrators to cover classes, classrooms that couldn’t be covered needing to be combined, and insufficient staff to appropriately support our children. Mr. Secrist noted that we had to get our students and staff healthy. He also noted that while we continue to get better at online learning, it is a sub-optimal environment and doesn’t work for families. He also noted that teachers work harder during the day and do not get the same return as they do in person. Mr. Secrist shared that he has a responsibility and students, staff and parents deserve more so whatever it takes to have kids back in school, we ought to be willing to do it. He shared that he was hired to run a school and can’t do that when we’re remote or when staff are sick. Mr. Secrist noted that he wants to have students back in school, wants to have homecoming, wants to have athletics, and if we are unwilling to evolve to keep students in school, we need to step back and look in the mirror to see if we are who we think we are. Mr. Secrist asked the Board to consider masks so we can get the students back in the buildings, noting that we can revisit the issue moving forward as we assess the trend of cases.

Mr. Whitney indicated that we need to do what’s right and in the best interest for the students.

We have no control over what happens at home or outside of the school, but we have to do what is best for the students and what’s safe when they are here at school. Mr. Whitney noted that regardless of the Board’s decision, the decision will not be well received by some and will be well received by others. He shared his belief that we need to have all students in the classroom wearing masks and believes that’s our responsibility.

2. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Training – Mr. Whitney shared that he also believes tonight the Board needs to pass a motion to educate our staff and students dealing with racism, sexism, disabilities, bullying, etc. Mr. Whitney discussed tasking the curriculum coordinators with developing a training. Mr. Secrist shared he’s thinking of a multi-pronged approach using Public School Works, Curriculum Directors, and Student Services. Mr. Roberts asked if Mid-Ohio could assist with this, especially if there are potential grants available for such training.

TRAINING

50-21 Motion by Mr. Stoner, seconded by Mr. Schuster to develop and implement expanded diversity, equity, and including training for all District staff and students.

Roll Call – Yea: Mr. Stoner, Mr. Schuster, Dr. Gottschling, Mr. Roberts, Mr. Whitney-----------5 Nay: None --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------0
Motion adopted.

IN-PERSON LEARNING

51-21 Motion by Mr. Stoner, seconded by Mr. Roberts, to return to in-person learning, beginning September 20, 2021, with a mask requirement for indoor spaces for all District students, faculty, and staff subject to future review on a regular basis.

Roll Call: Mr. Stoner, Mr. Roberts, Mr. Whitney --------------------------------------------------------3 Nay: Dr. Gottschling, Mr. Schuster ------------------------------------------------------------2
Motion adopted.

FINANCIAL ITEMS

52-21 Motion by Mr. Schuster, seconded by Dr. Gottschling to approve the following financial items: 1. The minutes from the August regular meeting were approved.

2. The monthly financial report for August 2021 was presented.

3. Approved permanent appropriations for Fiscal Year 2022 at the fund level.

4. Accepted a donation from VFW Post 5101 in the amount of $1,000 for school supplies.

Roll Call – Yea: Mr. Schuster, Dr. Gottschling, Mr. Roberts, Mr. Stoner, Mr. Whitney----------5 Nay: None -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------0
Motion adopted.

PERSONNEL

53-21 Motion by Mr. Roberts, seconded by Mr. Stoner to approve the following personnel items:

Certified:

Maternity Leave: Accepted Jennifer Verspoor’s request for maternity leave from approximately January 3, 2022 – February 28, 2022.

Salary Adustment: Approved the following salary adjustments:

Michael Schwechheimer - MA to MA + 10

Alyssa McCready - ME to ME + 10

Michelle Olecki - ME + 10 to ME + 20

Gretchen Winner - BA + 10 to BA + 20

Employment: Approved the employment of the following:

Julia Pilla - ETR Chairperson for Western Elementary for 2021-2022 school year

Mallory Westerheide - Substitute teacher 2021-2022

Classified:

Resignation: Accepted Rick Vestal’s resignation from Transportation, effective September 5, 2021.

Employment: Approved Harry Meyers and Bob Ball as substitute van drivers.

OTHER BUSINESS:

Coaching Recommendations: Approved the following coaches for the 2021-2022 winter season:

Roger Long - Varsity bowling

Jason Whitesel - Volunteer assistant, bowling

Jeff Stehle - Volunteer assistant, bowling

Scott Hamilton - Varsity boys’ basketball

Tad Davis - JV boys’ basketball

Kevin Morrow - Freshman boys’ basketball

Jay Guth - Volunteer assistant, boys’ basketball

Mason Willeke - Volunteer assistant, boys’ basketball

Derrick Shelenberger - 7th grade boys’ basketball

Buck Morton - 8th grade boys’ basketball

Heidi Roush - JV girls’ basketball

Jay Schmidt - 7th grade girls’ basketball

Kevin Young - 8th grade girls’ basketball

Doug Boyd - Junior High Volunteer assistant

Brock Spurling - Varsity swimming

Rob Roth - Assistant swim – diving

Pat Cannon - Assistant swim – swimming

Melisa Watters - Junior High swim

Libby Nickoli - Junior High swim

Janelle Wyant - Volunteer assistant – swim

Jeff Meyer - Varsity wrestling

John Watkins - Junior High wrestling

Jonathan Watkins - Junior High wrestling

Van Driver: Approved Jason Whitesel as a van driver, as needed as a coach.

Substitute List: Approved the revised Lexington substitute list for July and August as presented By MOESC.

In Lieu of Transportation: Approved payment for “In Lieu of Transportation” for Lexington students attending Discovery School, Foundation Academy and Gilead Christian.

Career Advising: Approved the Career Advising Policy for 2021-2022.

Roll Call – Yea: Mr. Roberts, Mr. Stoner, Dr. Gottschling, Mr. Schuster, Mr. Whitney ----------5 Nay: None -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------0
Motion adopted.

DISCUSSION:

1. Happy House Liquor Permit – Mr. Secrist shared with the Board that the Ohio Department of Commerce visited the District and indicated The Happy House is attempting to get their liquor permit. Due to the proximity to Eastern Elementary, this requires a signature from Mr. Secrist, and he wanted to ensure the Board had no issue with this prior to signing. The Board indicated no issues with moving forward with signature.

2. Special Education Audit – Mr. Secrist shared with the Board that the Special Education audit being conducted by Mid-Ohio ESC has begun. Various interviews have already occurred and will continue as the audit progresses.

EXECUTIVE SESSION:

54-21 Motion by Mr. Stoner, seconded by Dr. Gottschling to enter into executive session to consider the appointment, employment, dismissal, discipline, promotion, demotion, or compensation of a public employee or official, or the investigation of charges or complaints against a public employee, official, licensee, or regulated individual unless the public employee, official, licensee, or regulated individual requests a public hearing and negotiations.

Roll Call – Yea: Mr. Stoner, Dr. Gottschling, Mr. Schuster, Mr. Stoner, Mr. Whitney------------5 Nay: None ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------0
Motion adopted.

Time entered: 9:45 p.m.

Returned to regular session: 10:23 p.m.

ADJOURNMENT

55-21 Motion by Mr. Stoner, seconded by Mr. Schuster to adjourn. 10:24 p.m.

Roll Call – Yea: Mr. Roberts, Dr. Gottschling, Mr. Schuster, Mr. Stoner, Mr. Whitney -----------5 Nay: None ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------0
Motion adopted.

Certificate Section 5705.412, Ohio Revised Code

It is hereby certified that the Lexington Local School District Board of Education, Richland County, Ohio, has sufficient funds to meet the contract agreement, obligation, payment or expenditure for the above, and has in effect for the remainder of the fiscal year and succeeding fiscal year the authorization to levy taxes which, when combined with the estimated revenue from all other sources available to the district at the time of certification, are sufficient to provide operating revenues necessary to enable the district to operate an adequate educational program on all days set forth in its adopted school calendar for the current fiscal year and for a number of days in the succeeding fiscal year equal to the number of day’s instruction was or is scheduled for the current fiscal year.

Treasurer_________________________________

President_________________________________

Superintendent ___________________________