BELLVILLE – The Clear Fork Board of Education elected Thursday night to move their sports programs to the Mid Ohio Athletic Conference (MOAC) by a 4-1 vote. The recommendation pulls them out of the Ohio Cardinal Conference (OCC) after the 2016-17 season.
Clear Fork board members then weighed health risks for a summer FFA trip. The district also took another step forward regarding two elementary school buildings if voters approve a renewal levy on March 15.
Superintendent Janice Wyckoff asked High School principal Brian Brown to present a recommendation to the board for joining MOAC. Brown explained that Clear Fork had joined the Ohio Cardinal Conference with an understanding that a big school and a small school division would be created in the OCC. “That didn’t happen,” Brown said, adding that Clear Fork has struggled to be competitive in that conference.
Brown said MOAC has given tentative approval for Clear Fork to join. “The seat is out, all we need to do is sit down,” he said. Brown explained the difficulties finding a conference that is competitive, with similar school size, and a reasonable driving distance.
In a Feb. 26 press release MOAC Commissioner Terry Williams said their superintendents, principals, and athletic directors met to consider the future of the school. While several schools have left MOAC, Williams said they expect “to stay together as a conference and seek additional members.” They are currently forming an eight-school conference with hopes to increase to 10 schools. Current members of MOAC include: Buckeye Valley, Galion, Marion Harding, North Union, Pleasant, and River Valley. Ontario’s board voted Tuesday night to join the MOAC beginning in the 2017-2018 school year
Brown said he believes MOAC has the sports programs Clear Fork needs and that all sports would move to that division. He feels that school size is balanced and will be competitive.
Board member Jim Klenk said he opposes the move because of increased travel distance. He said he is concerned about boys and girls basketball teams travelling in the winter. Klenk, who voted against the recommendation, said he also fears MOAC will change in the next few years.
Jason Snyder raised concerns about diminished gate receipts due to the longer distances and the associated fuel costs. Brown countered that he believes a more competitive conference would increase attendance. He noted MOAC’s desire to increase to 10 schools, suggesting that could improve the travel situation if closer schools are added. He said that other schools, including Shelby, had at one time expressed interest in joining.
Carl Gonzalez said that going independent would further increase travel times. That would be Clear Fork’s only other choice. That’s because Brown said that while the OCC understands their concerns about competitiveness, they “had to move on” and voted Clear Fork out of their conference.
“It’s not perfect, but it’s the best option,” said board president Jim DeSanto. “Instead of playing five schools much bigger than we are in the OCC, there will only be one in MOAC.”
FFA trip health concerns addressed
For the second year, Clear Fork’s FFA program is hoping to send students to Honduras in the summer. However, the Zika virus has caused schools to look at foreign travel by students.
The board approved the overseas trip but left the option for administrators to pull the plug if the situation with the Zika virus worsens, or the liability is deemed excessive.
Wyckoff said the matter has been discussed and FFA advisor Adam Staley has been in touch with the national FFA to determine the risk. While the trip requires parental permission, the district is also checking with their insurance to determine liability.
The project includes an Ohio State agricultural program and students from Clear Fork. They analyze farming techniques in Honduras and suggest practical alternatives to improve agriculture in that country.
Clear Fork awaits voters’ decision
If voters in Clear Fork pass a 1 percent earned income tax renewal levy on Tuesday, the district will move forward with the construction of two elementary schools. As previously reported, both the Bellville and Butler elementary buildings will be replaced with structures expected to be built near the same sites.
The district voted to utilize a project delivery method called “Construction Management at Risk.” The delivery method is being used more widely by public building projects. Descriptions of the CMR method state that it provides a “higher level of cost control” and requires a construction manager to “deliver the project within a guaranteed maximum price.” This method allows the owner to be selective on bids, instead of only taking the low bid.
“The benefits to us are that we have the most say for the project,” Wyckoff said. She added that this method allows local sub contractors to bid on the project.
Wyckoff said she has spoken with other school districts that used this method and said they viewed it favorably. Snyder added that schools using a “single prime” method “regret losing control.”
