OLIVESBURG — Debbie Reidy and Bill Bolin have combined for more than three decades worth of service on the Crestview Board of Education.
Reidy, who currently serves as board president, has spent the past 10 years on the board. Bolin, who has served 21 years on the board, decided to step down at the end of the year.
This past Monday was his final meeting.
A representative from the Ohio School Boards Association was present at Monday’s board meeting to recognize Reidy and Bolin for their years of dedicated service to public education.
“Both individuals have made exceptional contributions to our school community and their service deserves recognition beyond our district,” said Jim Grubbs, superintendent of Crestview Local Schools.
During an interview Friday with Richland Source, Bolin said the school district is a central focus of the community — something that motivated him to serve for more than two decades.
“I got to work with a lot of really good people over the years,” he said. “Different superintendents, principals and teachers, you build relationships.”
Reidy shared a similar sentiment when asked what’s kept her involved in education.
“People,” Reidy responded Friday morning.
After working as a teacher in southeastern Ohio, Reidy served three years as Crestview’s middle school principal from 1995 to 1998. She spent the following 13 years as high school principal until retiring in 2011.
Reidy reaches 10-year milestone of school board service
With years of experience in multiple positions within education, Reidy was an ideal candidate to serve on a school board. Paired with a desire to help the district continue to succeed, she said she saw it is an opportunity to give back to the community.
Throughout her career in Crestview, Reidy made it a priority to actively attend student events and interact with the student population.
“It is a family,” she said of the district. “Even though there have been changes in staff and certainly in what is required in education, there is a definite team feel to things.”
Reidy said she’s proud of the board’s commitment to being fiscally responsible during her years of service.
“I feel very fortunate because we have had a lot of community support. We have not had to go to the voters to ask for more money,” she said. “I think we have tried very hard to use our finances wisely.”
Bolin agreed.
“There were years 15 to 18 years ago that we weren’t as financially solvent as we are now,” he said. “But we always kept an eye on that budget and tried to keep our spending within check to be fair to our voters and community members.”
Reidy’s current term has two years remaining, but she is not looking too far ahead. She said she’ll evaluate seeking another term when the time comes.
Spending the past decade serving alongside Bolin, Reidy said he has been an asset to the board. She said his background in construction has been critical to district projects.
The district is currently in the early stages of exploring the possibility of building a multi-purpose facility to support both its students and the Crestview community. It may include a wrestling room, an indoor walking track, additional practice space for athletic teams and community youth sports programs and a community room for birthday and graduation parties, alumni events and meetings.
Reidy said Bolin’s knowledge may still be requested as the project progresses.
“He will be an excellent resource for us and I’m sure we won’t hesitate to do that (reach out to Bolin),” she said.
Bolin proud of time serving Crestview
Bolin has worked most of his life in the construction industry, particularly operating excavators and completing roadwork and paving projects.
While his expertise has brought valuable insight to the board when planning projects, it’s also part of the reason Bolin said he’s decided to step down.
“I always felt as a board member that you needed to have enough time to give back and prepare yourself,” he said. “There are a lot of things going on in education that we need to look into and study up on as a board member in order to make good decisions.
“You just start getting to the point that you just don’t feel there’s enough time left for everything.”
Although he is stepping away from his role on the board, Bolin has no plans to leave the Crestview community. His two sons recently graduated from the district in 2020 and 2024.
He said he’ll miss the interactions with district staff and administrators.
“We’ve had a lot of good people I’ve been able to work with. I can stay and touch and still go to events, but just not quite the same,” he said. “I told them I don’t plan on going anywhere. We try to stay involved as much as we can.”