Board hears report on student safety

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PIQUA – School safety was highlighted during the Upper Valley Career Center’s Board of Education meeting in October.

Joe Davis provided board members with an overview of the District’s safety plan. Davis focused on the safety improvements that have been implemented over the past decade. He gave an overview of the upgrades that are in-process and answered board members’ questions.

Board Member Bill Ankney provided the board with a summary of the Facilities Committee Meeting. Ankney reported the District has upgraded the van fleet by adding two vans this summer and plans to add a new bus to the fleet later this year. He also shared that the district will be advertising for bids for a renovation to the Adult Technology Center, allowing all administration that is housed at the Garby Conference Center to be moved into the Adult Technology Center.

Superintendent Jason Haak reported James Metz, Upper Valley Career Center Landscape and Environmental Occupations instructor, has been reappointed by Gov. Mike DeWine to the Ohio Environmental Education Council for a term beginning Oct. 7, 2022, and ending Oct. 1, 2024.

Haak shared the Cornerstone @8811 Restaurant is now open to the public Wednesday through Thursday from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.

Haak shared the staff of Upper Valley Career Center pledged $13,392 to the United Way and the non-profit organizations they support. The amount well exceeded the committee’s goal of $10,000 and sets a new Upper Valley Career Center giving record .

Haak informed the Board that Apprentice Ohio and the Department of Labor have approved the Standards of Apprenticeship for Upper Valley Career Center. The approval makes the Adult Division an approved registered apprenticeships training site that can lead to Journeyman status for students completing the program. Four programs have been approved including Mechatronics Technician, CNC Operator and Programmer, Welder, and Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning. The apprenticeships can be completed in three to four years and the Adult Division of Upper Valley Career Center will administer the related instruction for the apprenticeship.

Haak announced Upper Valley Career Center was one of three finalists in the Pitch Piqua grant competition. Winners will be announced in March.

He shared that Upper Valley Career Center students have been participating in manufacturing month. This year 495 students have had the opportunity to visit numerous businesses in order to expose them to the opportunities available in manufacturing. Businesses participating this year include: Unibilt, Detailed Machining, Brown Industrial, Panel Control Inc, Wells Brothers, DRT Aerospace, Isaiah Industries, Evenflo, Miami Valley Steel, ARCH, Winan’s, IDC Spring, Industry Products. Tony Trapp, Apprenticeship coordinator, organized the tours for Upper Valley Career Center this year.

Haak congratulated the group of Landscape & Natural Resources students who participated in the seventh annual Ohio High School Landscape Olympics in Wooster, bringing home the second place team trophy. Individuals taking home top three medals were Brock Smith – Piqua High School: first place Plant Installation Team, first place Truck & Trailer Operations Team, and third place Irrigation Assembly Team; Cooper Gambrell – Troy High School: first place Truck & Trailer Operations Team, first place Construction Cost Estimating, and third place Sales Presentation; Wyatt Clark – Sidney High School: second place Construction Cost Estimating and third place Turfgrass; Michael Hohenstein – Miami East High School: third place Hardscape Installation & third place Irrigation Installation Team; Connor Pence – Fort Loramie High School: third place Hardscape Installation; Boston Sherman- Piqua High School: first place Plant Installation Team; Jackson Hemmert – Piqua High School: first place Plant Installation Team; Tommy Grise – Piqua High School: third place Turfgrass.

Haak updated the Board that minimum wage in the State of Ohio is moving from the current rate of $9.30 to $10.10 on Jan. 1, 2023. This will require a change on a few of the salary schedules before the end of the calendar year.

The board learned the OSBA Capital Conference will be held Nov. 13-15, 2022; the Board Holiday Dinner will be Dec. 13, 2022 at 5:30 p.m.; and the next board meeting will be Monday, Nov. 28, at 6 p.m.

Pat Gibson, director of Business Operations, said he will be asking for authority to seek bids for the renovation of existing space in the Adult Technology Center. This renovation is part of the Adult Division Strategic Planning and will allow for all Adult administrative staff to be housed in one centralized location.

The board approved donations:

• 1,700 pounds of scrap mild steel, ⅛-foot to ¼-inch in size donated by Hartzell Air Movement to be used by the Welding Technologies/SkillsUSA program

• Energy Star Weil-Mclain water heater and indirect fired heating boiler and tank donated by Lochard Inc. to be used by the Adult Division HVAC-R program

The board authorized Gibson to advertise for bids for the renovation of the Adult Technology Center.

In other business, the board:

• Aproved the insurance rates for 2023 for Health Insurance, an increase of 7.0%; Dental Insurance, and increase of 1.5%; and Vision Insurance, no increase.

• Approved the Adult LPN/RN Clinical Affiliation Agreement with Kettering Health.

• Approved the agreement with RT Industries for job coaching services for the Launch program in the amount not to exceed $39,274.38 for the 2022-23 school year.

• Approved Mary “Missy” Courtright as a certificated substitute on an “as needed” basis, for the 2022-23 school year:

• Approved classified employment for Shelley Cohee, cafeteria worker, prorated at $17,383022, and Amber Pfister, Amber, cafeteria worker prorated at $17,383.

• Approved classified employment of Ryan Bennett, student helper, at $9.95 per hour from Oct. 24, 2022 to June 30, 2023.

• Approved Adult Education intermittent/hourly employment for Joel Baden,in=house instructor-industrial, at $22 per hourl and as off-site instructor-industrial, at $30 per hour.

• Accepted the resignation of Angeal Carroll, cafeteria worker, and Ashleigh Radick, Intermittent Nursing Instructor/Clinical Nursing Instructor

• Approved Avery Allison as a high school volunteer for the 2022-23.

• Approved a salary modificationa for Zachary Friend from $53,307 to $54,400 for his position as career tech instructor, building maintenance; Samuel Green, Samuel from $58,656 to $65,099 for his position as Career Tech Instructor – Pre-Engineering Technologies – Fort Loramie Satellite; Audrey Gutman from $73,148 to $83,616 for her position as District Public Relations coordinator; Drew Ihle from $58,738 to $59,829 for his position as Career Tech Instructor – Certifications; Aaron Johnson from $78,588 to $90,557 for his position as Academic Instructor – Mathematics; and Konner Keller from $54,400 to $56,845 for his position as Career Tech Instructor – Robotics and Automation Technologies

The next meeting of the Upper Valley Career Center Board of Education will be held on Nov. 28, 2022, at 6 p.m. in the Adams Board Room- Main Instructional Building.

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