BOE approves lease agreement with commissioners

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SIDNEY — A longstanding lease between the Sidney City Schools Board of Education and Shelby County Board of Commissioners was extended during Monday’s board of education meeting.

The lease, which covers the land where the grandstand and track is located at the Shelby County Fairgrounds, is for five years at a rate of $1 per year.

“We’re looking at potential improvements at the fairgrounds and that’s hard to do without a signed agreement,” Commissioner Tony Bornhorst told the board of education.

Bornhorst told the BOE that there are no plans in the immediate future to move the fairgrounds.

“The Pork Producers have made a lot of improvements the last three years,” said Bornhorst. “Horse racing is coming back and it’s important to maintain the track.”

He said there will be two days of horse racing during the 2016 Shelby County Fair. The grandstand needs improvements and the addition of lights is needed for evening racing.

“We have to notify the school board what are intentions are (for improvements),” said Bornhorst. “Right now, we just waiting on the dollars. The legislation had put in $500,000 for grants. When the budget came out on July 1, they had knocked off one of the zeros so the grants are now for $50,000.”

Bornhorst said he just received the parameters for the 2016 capital budget. He’s hoping there will be money in the budget for the county can receive for the construction of a new grandstand or improvements to the current one.

“We’re going to see if we can get some of the tax money to come back to the county,” said Bornhorst.

Sidney High School Principal John Geuy and Assistant Principal Doug Zimmer reported on how the first weeks of school have gone at the high school. Zimmer said attendance is a 95-plus percent. He said they are working on chronic absences and tardiness.

Geuy said disciplinary actions are down from last year at the same time. He said the transition for the freshmen to the high school seems to have been a little easier this year.

He said the school collected 6,000 pounds of clothes for Goodwill for one of the football challenges. The district’s used football equipment has been donated and sent to Serbia. During homecoming activities, students bashed and smashed up a car to benefit the United Way.

Executives from Ross Castings, said Geuy, visited the RCI and Workforce Partnership classrooms. The officials were pleased with the presentation given by the students, he said. High school students also participated in the Manufacturing Day events, which included tours of Honda Transmission facility in Russells Point, Sidney Tool and Die and Detailed Machinery.

In the athletic programs, he said, the football program got off to a good start; volleyball team is improving; the soccer teams are maintaining their success and the cross country teams are doing a “great job.”

Academically, he said, the Academica Team is doing well. The district received the OGT scores from the summer testing and the students did very well. OGT intervention will be starting soon for the students who still need to pass a section of the test.

In other business, the board:

• Heard a review of the salaries and benefits portions of the five-year forecast presented by Treasurer Mike Watkins.

• Accepted the resignation of Joyce Motsinger, Sidney High School cook, effective Oct. 2.

• Amended appropriations to include a Healthy Cuisine for Kids fund in the amount of $2,400.

• Awarded one-year limited contracts to Jennifer Burns and Amy Schroeder, who will be cooks in the district. They will be paid $10.61 per hour.

• Employed Chet Brewster, Greg Ward and Roxanne Chivington as substitute teachers at $90 per day.

• Employed Roxanne Chivington as a home instruction tutor on an as-needed contract at $24.43 per hour.

• Employed Jennifer Burns as substitute cook at $9.14 per hour and substitute aide at $10.61 per hour; Amanda Kindle, substitute cook at $9.14 per hour and substitute aide at $10.61 per hour; and Penny Raterman as substitute bus driver at $14.62 per hour.

• Awarded supplemental contracts to Mandy Gutman, 11th-grade class adviser, $703; Allison Zimmerman, 10th-grade class adviser, $703; Christian Taylor, Key Club adviser, $703; Chris Adams, pep band director, $2,637; and Greg Snyder, Academia assistant adviser, $703.

• Went into executive session to consider the appointment or employment of an employee. No action was taken.

The board’s next meeting will be Monday, Oct. 19, at 6 p.m. at the board of education building.

By Melanie Speicher

[email protected]

Reach the writer at 937-538-4822; follow her on Twitter @MelSpeicherSDN. Follow the SDN on Facebook, www.facebook.com/SidneyDailyNews.

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