The regular meeting for the Continental School Board was held at 5:00 p.m. on December 19, 2018 in the administrative office. The meeting was called to order by president Dean Bidlack. Treasurer Bev Sabo was absent from the meeting. Interim Treasurer Ann Lamb was present.
Mrs. Tracy Potts, Elementary Principal, reported:
•The elementary had a scheduled lock down on Wednesday, December 12. The lock down was a success and
suggestions were made on how to improve our safety plan.
•Table Top Exercise for Safety Plan. On December 17, the administration (Mr. Kissell, Mrs. Potts, and
Mr. Eding) along with Mr. Damon Schmidt, Mrs. Erin Schmidt, and Mr. Brian Stegbauer met with local
emergency personnel to review our safety plan.
•The elementary students enjoyed buying Christmas gifts at Candy Cane Lane Shop. The shop was sponsored
by P.O.P. (Parents of Pirates).
•Third grade reading guarantee results are in. We have one student who did not meet the requirements for the
Third Grade Reading Guarantee. He will meet the criteria via other measures.
•The elementary building received the Momentum Award for 2017-2018 for receiving all A’s on the value-added
Portion of the Ohio Report Card. I would like to commend the teachers for their efforts in achieving this award.
•Thanks to the generous gift from the POP group, all elementary students traveled to the Shannon Theatre in
Bluffton on December 17 to see the new “Grinch” movie. Students were also treated to popcorn and drinks from the
POP group.
Upcoming Events:
December 22-January 2 No School
January 7 and 8 DIBELS screening for Grades K-3
January 11 End of the Quarter
January 21 No School, Martin Luther King Jr. Day
January 26 All A’s Night
Mr. Tim Eding, JH/HS Principal, reported:
•The fall EOC retakes are complete; we should have results from this round of testing in early February.
•The assembly with Mr. Kevin Hines that was to be held last month (cancelled due to weather) has been
rescheduled for January 16th at Fort Jennings.
•The JH/HS Student Councils sponsored a penny war this week to help needy families in the community.
As a reward for meeting the goal, we have an afternoon of activities for students planned for Thursday.
•Update on graduation requirements: On December 6th, the legislature granted an extension to the graduation
options that were passed for the Class of 2018. As a result, the Classes of 2019 and 2020 (there are slight
modifications for 2020) will have these same options to earn a high school diploma that does not require
completion of one of the three “pathways” that were in the original law. The law also requires the Department
of Education to present recommendations for long-term solution to the graduation pathway structure that
reduces the reliance on state testing by April 1st.
•The installation of the new camera system is progressing in the JH/HS and should be completed this week.
Treasurer’s Report:
The Board:
•Approved the transfer from the General Fund (001) to the Cafeteria Fund (006) for $5,946.25.
•Approved the addition of Fund 499 Miscellaneous Restricted Grants-In-Aid Received Directly from State Government.
•Approved the following appropriation changes:
Increase 018 Public School Support, $6,916.43
Establish and Increase 499, $2,536.85
•Approved payment of janitor salaries for all Saturday basketball games from the Athletic Fund (300).
•Set 2019 compensation for board members at $100 per meeting held locally, not to exceed 16 meetings, plus $100
for one county meeting per year.
•Appointed Robin Etter as President Pro Tem for the January Organizational meeting.
•Approved the following donations:
•$100 from the Jason Stauffer family to the Art Department
•$200 from the Defiance Lions Club to the Music Fund for participation in the Halloween Parade
•$1,000 from the American Legion Post 541 to the Athletic Dept for the Boys Basketball Team
•$1,000 from Mike Walls to the Walls Scholarship Fund
•$2,000 from POP (Parents of Pirates) to be used toward the purchase of the Elementary School digital sign
•Approved the purchase of the following subscriptions:
OSBA Annual Membership (Based upon ADM), $3,916
Briefcase (Electronic Subscription), Free
School Management News (Electronic Subscription), $150
•Approved the resolution to accept the amounts and rates as determined by the budget commission and authorizing
the necessary tax levies and certifying them to the county auditor.
•Approved a Memorandum of Agreement for Deposit of Public Funds with First National Bank.
•Approved third reading and adoption of NEOLA policies.
Superintendent’s Report:
•The transportation report was heard.
•Recognized high school librarian Maria Martinez for receiving a special grant of $1462 from the Library Services and Technology Act. This grant is to help support costs associated with the Celebrating Ohio Book Awards and Authors initiative. Thank you Mrs. Martinez!
•Ron Bradford gave the Vantage Career Center report.
The Board:
•Increased applicable substitute rates to reflect the new 2019 minimum wage of $8.55 per hour, effective January 1,
2019.
•Increased the hours of part-time cook Jeff Prowant from 2.5 hours per day to 4.0 hours per day.
•Approved a Memorandum of Understanding between the Continental Board of Education and the Continental
Education Association.
The meeting adjourned at 5:31 pm. The next regular meeting will be held on January 9, 2019 at 7:30pm in the administrative office.
