ASHLAND – James Wolfe and Lindsey Saffle will lead the Ashland City Schools board of education in 2019 as president and vice president, respectively.
Saffle and Wolfe were the sole nominees for the roles and were chosen unanimously by their fellow board members during the board’s organizational meeting Monday.
Wolfe was the board’s vice president in 2018 until board president Will Gravitt resigned in September. At that time, Wolfe became president and the board selected Saffle as interim vice president.
Wolfe has been a board member since 2005, and Saffle has served on the board since 2013.
Board members established meeting dates and times for the coming year. The board will continue to hold a work session on the second Monday of each month and a regular meeting on the fourth Monday of each month, but the meeting time has been changed from 6 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
The board plans to forgo work sessions in May, July and November. The regular May meeting is scheduled for May 15. Dates and times are subject to change and can be found on the district’s website.
At the suggestion of board member Bryan Lefelhoc, the board began a discussion about whether board members should be compensated for attending committee meetings. Currently, board members receive $125 per meeting for work sessions, regular meetings and special meetings but not for committee meetings.
“I will say that some of our committee meetings, especially buildings and grounds, do take a long time. That is time away from my employer,” Lefelhoc said. “It’s not something I would argue over, and I’m not trying to get rich here on the public dime, but it is time that I’ve realized over the last 12 years is expensive time.”
Wolfe said while he does not take board payment himself, he is “100 percent in favor” of allowing board members to make that choice for each meeting, whether it be a committee meeting or a meeting of the full board.
Board member Mike Heimann also expressed support for the idea, adding that many of the committee meetings are longer than the regular meetings and are held during the work day.
Treasurer Sue Guthrie said while a sitting board cannot vote to increase their own pay rate, she does believe board members may opt to fill out a form to be reimbursed for committee meetings.
The board plans to continue the discussion at its next meeting Jan. 28.
Another discussion the board intends to continue is a consideration of substitute pay.
Lefelhoc said he would like the board to hear more about how the administration sets pay for classified and certified substitutes and to consider whether the pay is adequate.
Wolfe agreed, saying he wants to see specific figures showing how much it would cost the district to raise pay for minimum wage employees from $8.55 per hour to $9 or $10 per hour.
The board is considering letting lapse the district’s membership in the Ohio School Boards Association. Board members questioned the value of OSBA membership and are weighing that with the $6,000 cost.
Board members also reviewed a draft of proposed calendars for the 2019-20 and 2020-21 school years. The calendars are available on the district’s website for public comment until the board’s next meeting January 28, when they will be considered for approval.
