Shelby School Board
The Board of Education for the Shelby City Schools received a construction update for the PK-8 building going up behind the current middle school building during its monthly meeting Monday at the high school lecture hall.
Superintendent Tim Tarvin said “we’ve known from the get go the schedule would be tight” as the local school district plans to be in the building for the opening of classes for the 2022-23 school year on September 6.
Despite supply chain issues in getting materials for the new building, general contractor Adena Corporation out of Mansfield is very hopeful the work will be completed on schedule, noted Tarvin.
“We’re cautiously optimistic,” said the superintendent.
“We’re planning to get in there September 6. We ask Adena the same question all the time — ‘can we make it?’ There’s a lot of work to do.”
Scott Harvey, building and grounds supervisor for the school district, said things “were moving along” at the construction site.
“Things are moving but it’s going to be tight as Tim said,” Harvey added.
Besides a new school building going up, work also continues on athletic facilities.
The field turf for the new baseball field has been put down and work continues on the site. The dugouts, press box and fencing from the old baseball field have been demolished as preparation continues for the new stadium at the current track. Also, a new surface is being laid down at the tennis courts.
The goal is to play a final football game at W.W. Skiles Field at Williams J. Wilkins Stadium on August 19 and then christen the new field on September 3.
Although the athletic facilities project was fast tracked a year ahead of schedule, Harvey said “things are moving ahead.”
Following the yearly inspec
tion of the stadium downtown and with the engineering firm deeming sections of the north and south ends of the home stands to not be used because of structural issues, Tarvin said the remaining sections of the home side bleachers were still safe enough to be used.
“If there was danger, we wouldn’t play at Skiles Field,” said the superintendent.
High winds in the last month on two occasions have knocked down the scoreboard at Skiles Field twice and its unknown if it will still operate.
“If the scoreboard is not working we’ll have (athletic director) Pat (Lewis) hold up numbers,” said Tarvin with a smile.
Board member Carl Ridenour had been asked by people in the community about parking with some feeling there wouldn’t be enough.
Harvey said right around the current stadium there are 300 parking spots and the available lots on the school campus will have upwards of 900 spaces.
The board voted to participate in the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program also heard from Shelby City School food service director Kelly Stanford.
Stanford said the United State Department of Agriculture (USDA) has not announced what the reimbursement rates will be and that information is expected in mid July.
“It’s been a couple of years since we charged for meals and my hope is there is some kind of grace period for the first thirty days of school.
It will allow time for families to get their paperwork turned in,” said Stanford.
“The demand we’ve had, especially the last year, is like nothing I’ve seen in my 23 years of school food service. Three meals across the board for every kid in the country if they were in the school lunch program,” noted the food service director.
Under new business, the board approved a contract with North Central Ohio ESC for educational services and membership in the Ohio Coalition for Equity and Adequacy of school funding for fiscal year 2023.
Tarvin then spoke about Ohio House Bill 290, also known as the back pack bill.
The legislation was co-sponsored by State Representatives Marilyn John of Shelby and Riordan Mcclain of Upper Sandusky.
According to www. backpackbill.com, the house bill is labeled as education reform because it allows families to use taxpayer money,
traditionally earmarked for public schools, to pay for tuition to nonpublic/private schools. However, Tarvin is not in favor of the bill and described it as a ‘voucher system’ that “clears the path for students to go to private schools that operate under an entirely different set of standards than public schools. Ultimately, this bill uses taxpayer money to send kids to schools that taxpayers have no oversight of, which in turn, will serve to undercut Ohio’s public education system.”
When asked, Tarvin added that Representative John met with Richland County superintendents to get their perspective on the proposed legislation, although the bill had already been sponsored.
The board of education also approved the budget for Marvin Memorial Library and okayed a number of personnel items which included some retirements, resignations and hirings.