GALION — The Galion Board of Education voted unanimously to accept a donation of $35,250 from the Crawford County Partnership for Education and Economic Development Tuesday night at its monthly meeting.

The donation is a partial reimbursement for the school’s Leader in Me program, according to Galion Superintendent Jim Grubbs.

“We couldn’t run this program properly without these funds,” Grubbs said.

Grubbs said that the program is one that affects Galion students for the entire time they are in the system.

“It’s a Franklin County program that teaches students leadership skills,” Grubbs said. “And we start those leadership skills in kindergarten.”

Grubbs said students from kindergarten through fifth grade, are involved in the Leader in Me program, while students in grades six, seven and eight, are in the lead program.

“It covers seven habits of leadership,” Grubbs said. “So, one of the things I really take pride in to have leadership day in our buildings.

Five Galion Middle School students Jaxson Oehler, Jackson Hart, Emma Ross, Cooper Kent and Steven Glew gave a presentation to the board showing what the students do during the course of the school year.

Ross said that it’s easier for students to learn from other students more so than teachers, because “students will pay attention more to us.”

“One of the things I really take pride in to have leadership day in our buildings,” Grubbs said. “We’ve had many community leaders come to me and tell me that ‘your students look me in the eye better than people that interview with me.’ So, we want to give these students, at a very young age, leadership skills, as we saw in the presentation tonight.”

Grubbs added that the program is extremely important to the students.

“It’s very important to do this for the overall outlook for our community and the future,” Grubbs said. “Many of these kids are going to grow up and be leaders and we want them to grow up and be future leaders for us.”

In other business, the board approved:

– an update on the budget from Charlene Parkinson. She said that the district has an existing balance of $8,925,521.61.

– a recommendation to approve a pay scale, per negotiated agreement, for Aleta Rowe, Galion Primary teacher, from Masters to Masters + 15, effective Feb. 4.

– to approve the extension of a long-term substitute teacher contract for Olivia Fox through Feb. 28.

– a recommendation to accept the resignation of assistant softball coach Todd Galownia, effective Jan. 14. Galownia took the head softball coaching position at Lexington.

– a recommendation to accept the resignation of middle school track coach Kevin Williams, effective Feb. 11.

– a recommendation to accept the following athletic extra-duty assignments for the 2018-19 school year. They are, Kevin Williams, freshman track; Elizabeth Volz, middle school track; Calli Bauer, assistant varsity softball; Darin Bright, volunteer assistant varsity track; Colton Moore, volunteer assistant varsity track; Amy Keller, volunteer assistant softball.

The board then moved into executive session to consider the appointment, dismissal, discipline, demotion, promotion or compensation of a public employee, or official, or to consider the investigations of charges or complaints against a public employee, official, licensee or regulated individual, unless the person being investigated of charges or complaints requests a public hearing.

No action would be considered after the executive session.