By Jordan Green
COVINGTON — The Covington Board of Education met Wednesday, March 16, for their monthly regular meeting.
The meeting began with the district’s monthly student and staff spotlights. Gavin Hoying, a third grader at Covington Elementary, was March’s honoree. Gavin’s teachers praised him as a model student, and he recently placed fifth in a state-level basketball shooting competition.
March’s staff spotlight was for Deb Clason, an aide for Covington Schools.
“Debbie is one of our most dedicated and caring professionals that I have ever worked with,” said Special Education Teacher Heidi Hedges. Amy Burns, another special education teacher, said, “The dedication and commitment that Debbie Clason has for our school and community is unparalleled.”
Commendations were given to school wrestlers, Jericho Quinter, Michael Hagan, Chase Vanderhorst, and Scott Blumenstock, who competed in the state wrestling tournament. Further commendations were given to FFA members Mic Barhorst, who will be awarded a FFA degree in May, and Connor Sindelir, who was named a state finalist for the Agricultural Services Proficiency Award. Ella Ramley was the Americansim and Government District Test Champion. Lastly, Emily Schafer and Sydney Richards placed first and second respectively in the Covington Optimist Club Oratorical Contest.
Also on Wednesday, the board, by a vote of 5-0, gratefully accepted donations to the district totaling to $7,075.
The board also approved a proposal from the Mercer Group, a landscaping company in Troy, to provide maintenance and treatment for all district, competition fields for a sum of $18,250.20.
A service agreement with META Solutions, an Ohio-based information technology company, was approved. META provides the district with software used in schools like GradeBook and Virtual Classroom. Two separate service packages for the 2022-2023 school year were approved for a total of $15,508.80.
An agreement with Mobiletek Services, headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, was approved for the purchase of replacement Chromebook laptops for the district. The total cost was $37,200 and will be paid for using federal COVID relief funds known as ESSER III (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief).
The final approval of the Administrative Consent section was for the proposal with the Cincinnati Floor Company. The company will be replacing and repairing the gym floor for $42,000. The work done should allow the floor to remain in good condition for another 10-15 years.
A discussion on the continuation of last year’s summer school program was held. The district is seeking to start the program earlier in the summer while continuing to offer bus services.
The district will not be expanding its sports offering for the 2022-2023 year. This discussion was prompted by a Covington High School Student, Drew Gessner, who currently swims at the club level for the Miami County YMCA Marlins and has been pushing for a swim team at the high school. Had Gessner been competing in the OHSAA this past year for Covington, he would have qualified for the district swim meet based on time.
“In order for us to add a new sport at CHS, we would insist on doing things in a manner befitting Covington. That includes fully supporting the athletes and parents by hiring high quality coaches, providing safe transportation to and from events, purchasing equipment and uniforms, and managing and operating our contests and practices at the same high level that we do for all other sports. Unfortunately, this is simply not the right time for this school district to expand our athletic offerings,” said Superintendent Gene Gooding.
He also noted that student safety concerns would arise in offering sports through the school in another manner in addition to a greater financial burden that would be placed on parents who wanted to have their children compete.
The meeting adjourned to executive session. No further action was taken. The next Covington School Board meeting is Wednesday, April 20, at 5:30 p.m.
