Despite disagreement, board creates new position

by Natalie Morales
Staff Writer

Following a two-hour executive session, the Nelsonville-York City School District Board of Education implemented a maintenance supervisor position despite board disagreement.

In a 3-2 vote following the executive session, the board approved Ron Mash to become the new maintenance and cafeteria personnel supervisor, a position created at the meeting. Mash will start around March 1 and have a salary of $45,000.

Board members Miles Wolf and Roberta Bunting voted no on the issue.

“I would like to say that I have no problem with the applicant,” Bunting said. “I just oppose the position because I feel there is not a need for it in this school district.”

The district recently has run into problems with outside printing companies persuading faculty and staff members to let companies send them supposedly free products, including seating cushions and small plastic basketballs and footballs for sporting events.

The companies claim the products will be sent to the school for free and suggest the teams and organizations use them in fundraising efforts.

The companies then call local businesses to sell advertisements on the products. The companies claim to be working on behalf of fundraising efforts for the school district and associate themselves with the team or organization. In trying to assist local students, many local businesses pay these companies for the advertisements.

When the companies send the products to the school, the school then resells or distributes them to community members.

Though the school does not seem to be losing money through the trade, board member Tim Maiden said it would be more beneficial if the district and local businesses worked together to make sure no one lost money.

He said the district is encouraging local businesses to call if contacted by any outside companies to make sure the companies are supporting a legitimate fundraiser.

“We have a very supportive community that supports our district very well and we don’t want to over burden them,” Maiden said.

The board took no action as it plans to look into the issue further.

The board also approved the purchase of one new school bus from Marietta Truck Sales — the lowest bidder — for $50,345.

This purchase is part of the beginning steps of the districts’ plan for eventually replacing about 16 buses, 14 of which run daily routes. Maiden said the district is trying to create a plan involving a constant turnover to replace a couple buses a year.

“This is so the district will not reach a point where all the buses are worn out at the same time,” board president Bill Hill said.

The Ohio Department of Education gave the district an excellent rating in special education services and programs. Anita Reliford, director of special programs, said the department evaluated the district between January and early February.

She said it checks all statewide regulations and makes sure the district is meeting all policy and procedure guidelines.

“They check regularly every two years, and they check very intensively every five to seven years,” Reliford said. “It was just our time.”