By Gary Ogle
gogle@wbcowqel.com
The Colonel Crawford Board of Education’s final meeting of the 2015-2016 school year was full of good news, including the latest five-year forecast for the district.
“For us, this is a good forecast,” said Colonel Crawford Superintendent Todd Martin after the latest projection of district finances was presented to the board by Treasurer Vicki Stump.
Although Stump issued caution about the forecast that projects a $2.4 million carryover after fiscal year 2016 and a $3.2 million balance after 2017, she did say, “We’re growing healthy.”
Deficit spending does begin in 2018 and depletes carryover amounts for the next three years, but the district is forecast to remain in the black overall with nearly a $1.9 million balance at the end of 2020.
Emphasizing the need to continually look at minimizing or cutting costs where possible, Stump said, “We don’t want to go back to the voters for more money. We want to live within our means.”
Several staff members were specially recognized during public comments to the board and a former superintendent came back to make a presentation about the latest edition to the Colonel Crawford campus.
Ted Bruner gave a detailed account of the Dapper Cabin which was reconstructed in front of the Hannah Crawford Elementary School by the woods. The cabin is the subject of a public open house this Saturday and Sunday.
Bruner credited all those individuals and businesses in the district who volunteered countless hours and even tools to deconstructing not only the Dapper Cabin, but the Finnegan Cabin from which replacement logs were taken, as well as the extensive job of reconstructing the cabin in its current location.
The Dapper Cabin was built in 1842 and gifted to the district by Carolyn Knable whose family came into possession of the cabin in the 1930s.
Bruner’s presentation included a background of the Dapper and Tracht families who immigrated to the United States from Germany. Johann Dapper and Eve Tracht were married in Crawford County and built the cabin.
Bruner, who will actually conduct classes this week in the cabin, also explained the many ways the cabin can be used as an educational tool – reading, writing, history and even the center of an outdoor learning lab.
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William Crawford Intermediate School Principal April Bond was cited by the State Board of Education and that letter was read to board members. William Crawford Intermediate School is the recipient of one of the State Board of Education’s first-ever Momentum Awards. The award recognizes schools that have received A’s on every value-added measure included on the Ohio School Report Cards.
Cafeteria supervisor Kerri Wilhite recognized her staff for the job they have performed in turning around the food services of the district. Wilhite noted that although the figure does not include a $70,000 payback to the district, the food services at Colonel Crawford had a $21,000 fund balance this year.
“I gave them a task and they far exceeded expectations,” Wilhite said. “We have quite a few goals for next year.”
In addition to Wilhite, the food service staff is comprised of Jenny Shull, Dawn Lutz, Nikki Dyer, Paula Bogard, Trudy Ray, Sherry Strouse, Maggie Sulser and Tonya Geiger.
In the past nine months the staff has served nearly 59,000 lunches and more than 49,000 ala carte items.
The board also accepted the gift of a 48-star flag from the family of Marge Gledhill.
In business conducted by the board, a bid of $73,000 from P.C.R. Restorations and Lehr Awning Company was accepted to construct a covered walkway connecting the K-12 building and the old high school.