The Bellefontaine Board of Education hired a familiar face for an administrative position during their monthly meeting Monday night, June 10.
Christy Garver was named the new BCS director of special education and was extended a three-year contract, effective Aug. 1.
She started her teaching career at Bellefontaine City Schools in 2007, previously teaching fourth-, fifth- and seventh-graders, and then left the district to start her administrative career in 2015.
Garver has been the elementary principal at Mechanicsburg Schools for the last nine years.
Garver’s husband, Aaron, is a longtime teacher at Bellefontaine High School. Their family attended the board meeting.
The new director of special education is succeeding Pat Martz, who was recently named the principal at Bellefontaine Intermediate School.
The BCS Board also recognized academic excellence during their meeting. The board announced the recipients of the 14 Bellefontaine Board of Education Scholarships. See all of the scholarship recipients in the Bellefontaine Examiner’s upcoming graduation tab.
The board approved the cafeteria rates for the 2024-25 school year. The district will offer free breakfast to all students.
Here is a breakdown of lunch prices: High School/Middle School, Lunch – $2.50; Reduced Lunch – 40 cents; Intermediate School/Elementary School, Lunch – $2.25, Reduced Lunch – 40 cents. Extra milk will cost 55 cents for students in grades K-12 and for adults.
Adult prices are: Breakfast – $2; Lunch – $4.
Board members approved the BHS Symphonic Choir trip to perform in New York City in May 2025. Upcoming fundraisers will help offset the cost for each student.
The board also approved a $10,000 advancement to the BHS Marching Band. The band must return the funds within 5 years.
In other action, the board:
• accepted the following resignations: Tia Brenning – Middle School Electives; Joseph Gengler – 8th Grade; Chelsea Johnson and Melanie Strittmatter – Intervention Specialists; Brian LeCrone – 5th Grade; Raechel Noble – High School Intervention; Robert Wolf – 8th Grade Social Studies; and Alex Burton and Tami Hardin, Educational Aides; and Bob Hill – Bus Driver;
• approved the following new hires: Natasha Anderson – 8th Grade ELA; Aidan Comstock – School Liaison; Jacqueline Godsey – Middle School STEM; Kellie Lemley – Elementary School Intervention; Mikael Neeley – 6th Grade; Hailee Price – 1st Grade; Courtney Salyer – 5th Grade;
• approved six extended days for high school guidance secretary Deborah Sheehan; and
• extended the following supplemental contracts: Morgan Brugler – High School Color Guard Adviser; Russ Hogue – Site Manager (Fall); James Howell – High School Boys Tennis Head Coach; April Jameson – FCCLA Advisor; Jake Kennedy – Site Manager (Winter); and Daulton Mosbarger – High School Chieftain Backers.
The board will meet in special session at the board office at 1 p.m. June 17. The board will go into executive session to discuss the annual evaluations of the superintendent and treasurer.
The next regular board meeting is 6:30 p.m. July 17 in the Distance Learning Center at BHS.