Free sporting events, a new logo and what to do about preschool needs were some of the topics tackled by the Benjamin Logan Local School District (BL) Board of Education at their regular meeting on Monday, Nov. 18.
To get things started, Superintendent John Scheu gave the board an update on how their free student admission policy for home sports, which they ran on a trial basis for the fall season, went.
Even though Beau Harmon, district athletic director, said they would probably end up losing close to $13,000 during that trial period, he noted that’s the highest number they’ll see this school year due mostly to football. Winter sports will be the second biggest hit, but they shouldn’t see any loss from spring activities.
Board member Deb Johnson joked that middle school principal Todd Shadley will “have to sell more candy bars.”
For his part, Scheu said it went “relatively well.”
“I feel it was a much-appreciated move,” Scheu later stated, “and thought it shows we’re serious about increasing school spirit.”
The board approved continuing the policy for the rest of the school year.
Next, the board adopted the Benjamin Logan Brand Standards Guide, which includes the district’s new and improved logo. With input from 480 staff, students, parents, alumni and community members, Harmon and director of administrative services Sally Stolly worked with West Liberty company Elle A. Design to create something new.
According to Stolly, they started the project in mid-September by gathering feedback from parents, staff and students. The overwhelming response was the need to update and modernize the image while remaining true to the district’s history.
“I needed the structure of Benjamin Logan to stay the same, so we pulled from the school’s first logo and original color scheme,” Harmon said. “It’s a new design with an old-school feel.”
Another lengthy discussion emerged from treasurer/CFO Leah Baker’s presentation of the district’s five-year financial forecast. While the forecast itself was pretty straightforward, Scheu stated the preschool costs they will be “incurring very shortly will be a challenge, not this year, but in the near future.”
Currently, children ages 3 to 5 are being served in the school’s discovery center and through the CORS Head Start program. Unfortunately, they don’t have enough space or teachers.
“Kids are coming to preschool,” Scheu said. “The numbers have increased significantly and by law we have to serve them.”
Special education director Colleen Bodin told the board they currently have 30 preschoolers on an IEP (23 being served now with seven listed as needing educational services) and 100 percent of those are speech-related.
The issue of finding space and qualified teachers makes this a complicated problem, but one BL must address.
“It falls back on the district of residence so it’s our responsibility,” Bodin said. “We’ll have to handle the overflow.”
On the positive side of the five-year forecast, Scheu pointed out that when the current fiscal year ends on June 30, 2025, the district will have a carry-over balance in the black of $309,000.
In addition, their permanent improvement loan will be paid off in 2027, which will have a significant impact on their expenditures by making about $300,000 more available.
“It’s not the answer, but it will help,” Scheu admitted.
The school also faced difficulties this fall in filling out their JV cheerleading squad, mostly because, according to Harmon, there was a “no show for tryouts,” and, he added, “It wasn’t a great scenario.”
In addition, they’re struggling to find someone to coach the squad.
“There’s no one beating down the door,” Scott Spriggs, board member, stated. Harmon agreed, saying it can be hard to get volunteers in a small community.
“The days of people doing that have gone by the wayside,” Harmon continued. “It’s not easy finding coaches. Sports have gotten bigger and more labor-intensive. It’s a full-time job.”
In other board action:
- November Seniors of the Month Paityn Anspach and Hunter Andrix were recognized for their school achievements.
- Scheu congratulated Indian Lake and West Liberty-Salem high school football teams on their recent wins—and wished them luck at their upcoming match-up in the regional finals on Friday night. He also noted that BL put in a bid to host the game, but that went to Piqua.
- The district will recognize their substitute teachers on Friday, Nov. 22.
- A second “Let’s Talk School” event will take place at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 5, in the hall behind Firehouse Pizza, Zanesfield. Firehouse owner Amber Eirich will provide pizza for the attendees. “It’s a way to reach out to our community and give an update on what’s happening in our school,” Scheu said.
- Scheu gave the board a heads-up regarding Senate bill 104, which requires students in Ohio K-12 schools and colleges to use the bathroom or locker room that aligns with the gender they were assigned at birth. It has passed the Senate and has now gone to Gov. Mike DeWine to sign into law or veto. If he does pass it, the law will go into effect 90 days later.
- Besides the five-year forecast, Baker’s October 2024 financial report included a $295 grant from Google.org for middle school FIRST team registration and confirmation that all October expenses served proper public purposes.
- In personnel, the board approved:
- The ESC substitute list at a rate of $115 per day.
- Deduct days for Kandie Brown after she used all personal and sick leave, as per district policy.
- Supplemental contracts for 2024-2025 to Sage Caughenbaugh, high school student council advisor; Jaycee Murray, transportation substitute; and Nikki King, substitute education assistant. King’s is effective Nov. 6, 2024, to work on an as-needed basis at her current hourly rate.
- Volunteer positions for Kerri Sullivan, boys bowling coach, and Deb Ward, girls bowling coach.
- Early graduation for Isabella Cavallini in January 2025, with her diploma awarded in May.
- The supplemental contract for JV basketball cheer coach Kristen Hale was terminated for the 2024-2025 school year.
- The board approved the following overnight trips for students, parents and chaperones:
- FFA—Ohio FFA Camp, Carrollton, Ohio, June 2-6, 2025; and the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, Ind., Oct. 28-Nov. 1, 2025
- Wrestling events—GMVWA tournament, Vandalia, Ohio, Dec. 26-27, 2024; OHSAA district tournament, Wilmington, Ohio, March 1-2, 2025; OHSAA state tournament, Columbus, Ohio, March 8-10, 2025
- A $2,000 donation from the Mental Health Drug/Alcohol Service Board to purchase rolls of tickets for school events was accepted. Harmon stated this large bulk ticket order should last them many years.
The next meeting is 6 p.m. Monday, Dec. 16.