The Pilot News - Credit recovery program position questioned

Former school board member Sherry Rensberger questioned why the program was necessary when the school has guidance counselors. She said, “We were talking about bad counselors when I was on the board.” Another patron, Wayne Spaich, also questioned the effectiveness of the counselors as he cited instances where he believed students were not told they did not have the credits to graduate until it was too late.
Board President Larry Ort and Laville Jr.-Sr. High School Principal John Arnett explained that the program was designed to help students recover credits in core classes that are necessary for graduation. Ort said, “Our whole emphasis is trying to get our scores (graduation rate) up.”
Rensberger also questioned the timing of starting the program. She said, “This position was created be-cause we want him (Edison) as a basketball coach.” After learning that Edison would be paid as a certified teacher, Rensberger said, “That makes him an awfully expensive basketball coach.”
Edison was hired earlier this year as the head varsity basketball coach for the school.
Rensberger also quizzed the board members on how there is money in the budget for the program.
Arnett said that they have some teachers retiring. He said, “We are not paying as much for new teachers as retired ones.”
Superintendent Larry Phillips said they would be applying for a grant from the state for the credit recovery program after the first of the year. Ort said, “If we don’t get the grant, we will have to find the money somewhere else.”
After the meeting, Rens-berger said. “I agree totally with the concept (credit recovery program), but not how they (board) did it.”
In other school board business:
The board approved the resignation of Lori Bettcher as a math teacher at the Jr.-Sr.High School and the resignations of Shawn Forsythe and Bob Forsythe as co-head golf coaches and junior high golf coaches for both boys and girls programs.
They also approved the retirement of John Dietrich effective June 30, 2009.
Appointments approved in addition to Edison included Cyndy Keeling, agriculture teacher; Zach Sipe, scien-ce/math teacher; Bob Kens-berger, volunteer assistant junior high football coach; Bill Slayton, volunteer assistant football coach; and Robert Listenberger, volunteer assistant volleyball coach.
In other matters, Scott Cheery of The Skillman Corporation advised the board on the necessity to have a land survey and soil borings performed on the potential site of the proposed new school building.
The corporation has plans to build a new facility east of the existing elementary school to house grades 5-8.
Cheery said the land survey would cost approximately $26,000 and the the soil borings, $3,893. He said the survey and the borings were needed to provide information to the DLGF (Department of Local Government Fin-ancing) concerning the proposed project.
Cheery said, “We have some incentive to give this job out to bid before December,” Patron Wayne Spaich responded to the request saying, “Why didn’t we get this before we even thought about building a building?” Spaich then asked why they would have a land survey done before the borings.
Cheery said. “Sometimes the state puts the cart before the horse.”
Board member Don Berger said, “Mr. Spaich makes a good point. Maybe we should spend $4,000 on soil borings before spending $26,000.”
The board approved proceeding with soil borings.
Cheery indicated that he would speak with others at The Skillman Corporation and Hebard and Hebard Architects to see how the survey and borings could be paid for prior to the issuance of bonds for the project.