OTTOVILLE — School board members here tabled a resolution declaring it necessary to raise an annual amount for the school through an 0.75-percent Continuous Income Tax to be placed on the ballot in November due to the unexpected absence of board members Mark Honigford and Barb Hoersten at Monday’s meeting.
The board earlier agreed to pursue the income tax at May’s meeting after reviewing the district’s 5-year forecast with a projected ending cash balance of a negative $1,605,147 on June 30, 2012.
Ottoville is the only school in Putnam County without an income tax on the books. The district has not received new operating money since 1988.
The income tax, if passed, will generate approximately $492,000 per year.
With school funding uncertain, the district could lose up to $400,000 per year in “held-harmless” funding put in place while tangible personal property taxes are phased out in 2009. The receipts will be gone in 2010.
The resolution needs to be presented to the county and state auditors in August to be eligible for the November ballot.
District resident Virginia Wannemacher addressed the board and asked if something could be done to help school parents with book bills through the income tax.
Wannemacher said that with the economy the way it is, an increase in income tax would be hard on parents who have to buy books for their school-aged children. She added that she thought the idea might give some incentive to pass an income tax.
Board President Kevin Landin told Wannemacher that nothing like that could be built into an income tax because it would be unfair to those paying the tax that don’t have students in the district.
“The book fees are levied to those who are directly affected or benefit from them,” Landin said.
Board member Mary Jo Horstman thanked Wannemacher for coming to the board with a positive comment.
“It’s good to hear someone with a suggestion instead of a problem,” Horstman said.
The board also heard a proposal from Mark Wannemacher and Alan Niemeyer, parents of senior baseball players, on forming a new group called the Ottoville Diamond Club to raise money for scoreboards for the boys baseball field and the girls softball field in the athletic complex.
The pair said that the 12 senior boys and girls on the teams and their parents will be helping with the fundraising for the 9-inning girls board and 10-inning boys board. The boards would be placed in left-center field of the boys diamond and in right-center field on the girls diamond.
Both added they hoped to raise approximately $23,000 and have the boards installed by mid-October. The group would be active for a year with the hopes that next year’s senior players and parents would pick it up.
A “250 Club” with 50 weekly drawings with monetary prizes; selling permanent advertising on the scoreboards; and a chicken BBQ were some of the fundraising plans of the group.
Boy Scout David Wurst gave an update on his proposal to the board for his Eagle Scout project.
Wurst would like to erect a 4×8-foot “welcome” sign near the entrance path to the athletic complex and install landscaping to hide two power boxes at the signage site.
Estimates for the signage are $300 for an aluminum sign and $384 for an aluminite sign, which is stronger. The district would pick up the tab for the sign and landscaping materials, with Wurst providing the labor.
The board asked Wurst to confer with custodian Tim Kimmet to see where electrical lines may cause problems and to bring the board more details about the project at a future meeting.
Treasurer Bob Weber brought bad news to the board Monday, reporting that the estimated grants received by the district for the upcoming school year have declined. In the 2007-08 school year, the district received $78,813.32 in state grant funding; in 2008-09, Weber expected to receive $68,958.53. The grants are used for Title I reading, staff development and drug-free initiatives.
The board also congratulated the following student-athletes for their spring sports achievements: Baseball — Colbey Basinger, First Team PCL; David Wurst; Second Team PCL; and Alex Odenweller, Andrew Koch and Jordan Schimmoeller, Honorable Mention PCL; Softball — Jill Hohlbein, Amy Hohlbein and Sami Modica, Second Team PCL; Adrian Wannemacher, Abby Krouskop and Brooke Koester, Honorable Mention PCL; and Gina Beining, Scholastic Team Honors; and Track — Phil Sargent, Logan Klima, Travis Eickholt, Kari Beining, Holly Heitmeyer, Molly Maag, Shayla Siefker and Melissa Turnwald, Regional Qualifiers. Maag placed 6th in the 800-meter dash at state; the 4×800 team of Beining, Heitmeyer, Maag and Turnwald also placed 6th at state.
In other business, the board:
• Approved student activity/athletic budgets for the 2008-09 school year;
• Increased mileage reimbursement from 42 cents per mile to 44 cents per mile;
• Entered into an agreement to renew the Schools of Ohio Risk Sharing Authority (SORSA) Insurance Program through Fawcett, Lammon, Recker & Assoc. Insurance Agency for property, fleet, liability and excess insurance needs for July 1 through June 30, 2009, for $23,028. Last year’s cost was $24,072. Treasurer Bob Weber noted that the district’s insurance premiums have gone down each of the last six years through SORSA;
• Renewed membership in the Ohio School Boards Association Workers Compensation Group Rating Program effective Jan. 1, 2009. The school’s administrator is Gates McDonald & Co.;
• Issued a 1-year, limited non-teaching staff contract to Rhonda Hilvers for educational aide to assist in the library and as a special-needs student aide;
• Issued a 1-year, limited non-teaching staff contract to Sharon Relinger for media center aide. She will also assist in the library and serve as a special-needs student aide;
• Approved the high school and elementary book bills for the upcoming school year;
• Acknowledged the second grade for their donation of blankets to the Oncology Department at St. Rita’s. The class used their Snack Shack proceeds to purchase the materials for the blankets;
• Issued a teacher supplemental contract to Darlene Hanneman as teacher mentor for the 2008-09 school year;
• Accepted the resignation of Sara Owens as head varsity volleyball coach effective May 14;
• Accepted the resignation of Susan Gertsen as junior varsity head volleyball coach and issued her a 1-year limited contract as head varsity volleyball coach;
• Issued the following 1-year limited athletic supplemental spring sports contracts: Tony Castronova, head baseball coach; Ryan Horstman, head boys track coach; Vaughn Horstman, head girls track coach; Chris Kemper, junior varsity baseball coach; Shawn Knodell, junior high girls track coach; Joe Modica, head softball coach; Connie Rhodes, junior varsity softball coach; and Tim Turnwald, volunteer tennis coach;
• Issued Sara Eickholt a 2-year limited contract as part-time custodian; and
• Approved the Ottoville Local Schools Student/Parent Handbook as presented by High School Principal Jon Thorbahn.