MANSFIELD — District Treasurer Robert Kuehnle announced Tuesday the district has paid off its debt to the Ohio Department of Education in its entirety.
To celebrate, the treasurer passed out cookies decorated with a slash through “ODE Debt.”
“This is obviously a very good thing for the district,” Kuehnle said, adding the board’s regularly scheduled meeting on June 30 to wrap up the district’s fiscal year will not be held. “It’s already been sent to ODE.”
Kuehnle’s announcement was met with applause from those attending Tuesday’s meeting.
The treasurer said the district continues to invest $10 million through Richland Bank in an effort to create nearly $100,000 in revenue each year.
New contracts, agreements
Mansfield’s board of education approved a resolution Tuesday evening allowing the district to move into a contract with OHM Advisors of Columbus.
Principal in Charge Daniel Obrynba said Tuesday the project will not exceed $30,000 and the compensation will be distributed to OHM — $16,050 — and Lawhon and Associates — $13,950 — an environmental engineering firm of Columbus.
However, he said, making an exact budget is still difficult.
“We’re not sure what you have there (at Newman Elementary) so it’s hard to make a budget yet,” Obrynba said.
Lawhon and Associates will be taking care of the asbestos removal.
“Everything is moving smoothly,” Obrynba added. “The asbestos abatement is what’s going to be the most complicated.”
Superintendent Brian Garverick added that the project will begin in the fall and last approximately 17 weeks.
In other news, the board entered into a three-year contract with MT Business Technologies in an effort to cut unnecessary printing costs to the district.
District treasurer Robert Kuehnle said the new contract enables the district to add new machines while saving money.
But the addition of new machines comes with retiring around 350 printers and copiers, said Business Development Manager Tim Kissinger. He said he and his team from MTBT found that the district had 11 printers per copier machine.
“Our industry says having four to five printers to every copier is good,” he said.
The new contract, effective Aug. 1, will bring in 10 new copiers and 17 new printers. It also includes an umbrella maintenance service.
Kissinger said the new contract will save the district $13,000 over the next 36 months.
The district also entered into a one-year agreement with Third Street Community Clinic Inc. As part of the agreement, Third Street Community Clinic will provide one nurse practitioner to set up a clinic inside Mansfield Senior High School.
The clinic will be open to Mansfield City School students and staff. Its services include medical, dental screening and behavior health — including medical screenings for staff members.
The high school’s nurse will also be paid a stipend by Third Street Community Clinic Inc. for the 2016-17 school year to help out in the in-school clinic.
According to the district’s memorandum of understanding with Third Street Community Clinic Inc., the agreement will automatically renew each year until either entity wishes to not renew.
“I’m very excited to see this happen,” board president Renda Cline said. “It’s not a secret that our school, some of our kids live in poverty. So many young people don’t get regular (health) care.”
Termination and welcoming
Before voting on contracts, the board spent one hour in executive session to discuss “the dismissal, discipline or the investigation of charges of a public employee.”
Before adjourning, the board approved the termination of custodian Raymond Duncan. According to the agenda, Duncan will be terminated “on the grounds of excessive and unexcused absenteeism and for other acts of misfeasance, malfeasance or nonfeasance.”
Garverick declined to comment on Duncan’s termination. Cline and newly appointed board member Gary Feagin abstained from voting for the resolution.
Also, Feagin was sworn in as the district’s newest board member. Feagin was hired Monday night after the board interviewed five candidates during a special meeting. The process of hiring a new board member followed Dina Davis’ resignation earlier in June.
Davis served the board since 2010 and was reappointed recently. Her resignation also left a vacancy for the vice presidency, which was filled Tuesday evening by board member Monica Hubbard.
