BUCYRUS–On Wednesday evening, the Wynford Board of Education held its monthly meeting.
To begin the meeting, the cast and crew of Mamma Mia! were recognized for their performance the weekend prior.
Nate Rabun, a senior, was also recognized for qualifying for districts in swimming. As an individual swimmer, Nate scored almost 75 points throughout the season. It is hard to score individual points; you have to score in the top 5 every time you swim. Before Rabun, it had been seventeen years since the last district qualifier for the Royals.
“For a swimmer from Wynford who just practices at the Bucyrus Y and swims locally at some of the local high schools and some of the Ys, to be able to go to a college pool, swim in a college pool, and at the end of the season after you’ve tapered – which means you kind of just like give those muscles time to relax and not really push yourself – and still come out with a personal best time, is phenomenal,” head coach Leah Hatschuh said. Rabun plans to swim in college.
The last individual to be recognized was Adison Stucky, who qualified for the Indoor State Track & Field Championship in the 400-meter dash.
The public participation section was busier than usual, with three individuals speaking on heavier topics within the district.
Dawson Pelter, a junior at Wynford, spoke to the board in support of current varsity boys’ basketball coach Mike Smith and the entire coaching staff.
“I’m here to express our team’s strong support for our coaches, particularly our head coach, Mike Smith. For those who have not heard, it has been rumored that if a vote was conducted, there’d be a good chance our coaches would not be renewed for next season. I, along with almost all of my teammates, many parents and community members, and all of our head administrators, strongly disagree with even the thought of this, especially my fellow seniors who face our last year of basketball here at Wynford. When hearing this information, I decided to self-organize an effort to alter this potential decision and speak the truth about what the coaches mean to me and the rest of our players who are here or signed the paper I provided to each of you,” Pelter said.
Pelter gave board members a paper with signatures from twenty of the players: Dawson Pelter, Weston Prenger, Jaxon Vance, Landon Miller, Gavin Koehler, Jesse Whitmeyer, Hayden Langenderfer, Keegan Elchert, Bradley Emler, Brennen Westrick, Joshua Rindfuss, Hunter Routson, Deegan Lutz, Micah Greene, Anthony Evans, Ashton Warren, Jace Stuckman, Drew Pope, Seth Pope, and Evan Stacklin.
“Starting with the state of our program, it has done nothing but grow under their guidance. Numbers are up throughout the entire program, morale and a sense of family are high, and engagement spans from elementary to high school, with even the elementary teams having to divide into two teams for each grade level and the high school level having over 30 players next year. Our coaches go beyond the call of duty, supporting us not just on the court but in life, too, which is apparent with how many people have joined. The way they coach and care about us speaks volumes about them, but so do their backgrounds. All the coaches from 7-12, with the exception of one who is and has been heavily involved, are entirely Wynford-bred. They have deep roots in our community and a passion for basketball and, above all else, Wynford. Their qualifications are undeniable, with notable achievements both as players and coaches, like Coach Smith, who, as a player, was a college national champion and as a coach, has now had two back-to-back winning seasons,” Pelter said.
“So, with all this, I look to see where the criticism comes from. Yes, we haven’t always met expectations in some aspects, but we’ve faced various challenges and also have seen significant success. Back-to-back winning seasons, top rankings in our league, especially in offense, and individual player honors showcase our progress. Change for the sake of change isn’t the answer. Continuity and stability are crucial for growth, as it is impossible to build anything and get our program back to where it should be without it. Other successful teams in our league, for example, have had longstanding coaches which emphasize the importance of consistency and building a program. These coaches we have now have already made tremendous changes and, with continued time, will continue to return Wynford basketball to where it should be. To the board members, we urge you to consider the impact of your decision on our lives and community. This isn’t about personal agendas but about what’s best for our team and school. Please make the right choice based on the facts and the support from my teammates, parents, community members, and administration, Pelter said.
Sandra Koehler, mother of current freshman player Gavin Koehler, also spoke on the coaching situation.
“I also support the Smith family and their coaching abilities, and I speak on personal reference with my son. This is the first time since he was playing Wynford basketball in the fourth grade that he’s been a part of a winning program. He flourished this year; he was allowed to do things he wasn’t typically allowed to do in prior coaching regimes. I owe that to the Smith family, especially Nate. Nate really took a liking to my son and really encouraged him and supported him, I feel that’s priceless and shaping him for the future. Winning seasons and losing seasons build character, so you take the good with the bad. You know, sometimes it doesn’t go the way that everyone expects, but how you handle yourself and how you handle your program speaks volumes. I feel the Smith family has all good intentions and have the best interest of our boys as they are shaping them to be young men,” Koehler said.
The last to speak was high school science teacher Kelly Wheeler, who spoke to the board about multiple issues.
“First and foremost, let me express my disappointment regarding the recent outcome of one of our renewals that failed. This levy was not just about funding; it was about ensuring that our schools have the necessary resources to provide a quality education to our children. Its failure is indicative of a disconnect between our school board and the community it serves; what I find even more concerning was the inherent lack of foresight and planning for the passage of that renewal,” Wheeler began. “I believe it’s the responsibility of the school board and the superintendent to inform our public, our electorate, that we did have renewals on the ballot. Why were there no signs anywhere that said no new taxes or even explained to the public that the elementary building is now paid off, so there is a small reprieve in those taxes? I feel we failed our kids. I know hindsight is 20/20, and now I have heard stories, as this day has progressed, of Wynford residents that did not even know we had renewals on the ballot. A lot of people don’t like to go to the primary; they decide to sit those out, but they said that if they would have known that they were on the ballot or seen something around our community – one sign that said no new taxes. I feel bad about not being there to vote, and I find that unacceptable.”
Moving on from the levy, Wheeler spoke about other recent significant issues within the school.
“I found that the board agenda was very concerning because we are now facing a tremendous loss of revenue; I saw where all of the supplementals were crossed through, and to focus on our superintendent’s contract, it doesn’t even expire at the end of this year, we do have some time to sit and figure this out, especially after they riffed our athletic director today at 7:30 in the morning. We need our administrators. I don’t know if people realize kids come to us with so many problems; it’s nice to have extra sets of eyes, our administrators, helping us teachers out,” Wheeler said. “I have, too, heard about all of the basketball drama contracts; that’s ridiculous. It’s very unsettling. I think the board now needs to focus on our academics, stop with the athletic stuff, listen to your peoples, and you’re going to have to find ways to fund our district. I’m highly concerned. Students are the ones that are going to lose out on valuable educational opportunities because of the failure to let our electorate know of our educational needs.”
In the new business portion of the meeting, the line item to approve Superintendent Forrest Trisler’s contract for August 1, 2025, to July 31, 2028, was pulled aside to vote on and attempted to be tabled; however, there were not enough votes to table it. Trisler’s contract was approved by the board 3-1.
Hartschuh, who requested the contract be tabled, stated that his purpose was solely to use the evening’s meeting and the work session in April to figure out how the money would be spent due to the levy failure before moving forward with the contract.
In the open discussion portion of the meeting, board president Scott Langenderfer thanked community members for the 1.9 mill levy that passed. The 6.9 mill levy, worth 954,658 dollars, failed by 13 votes. The levy is expected to be back on the ballot in November.
Other notable events from the meeting include the district being awarded the Auditor of State award, a noteworthy accomplishment due to the efforts of Leesa Smith, Julie Schoenfelt, and Dana Rausch. Less than ten percent of school districts in Ohio receive this award.
The board accepted the donation of softball diamond dirt, estimated at 3,000 dollars, sand for the long jump pit by Smith Material Supply Inc., valued at 275 dollars, and 16 batting helmets to the Wynford Softball Team by Kyle Laipply and Ryan Lutz, owners of Committed Builders, valued at 1,108.21 dollars.
The next board meeting is April 15 at 5:30 p.m. in the Media Center.