ASHLAND — Officials at the Ashland County-West Holmes Career Center and its member school districts say there were few problems with the start of classes this school year despite COVID-19 pandemic related restrictions.
Career Center Superintendent Rod Cheyney and district representatives reported at the Career Center Board of Education’s regular meeting Sept. 17 that both students and staff have cooperated very well with all the requirements for getting classes started again, particularly with the use of masks.
“The students have done a good job with it and the staff has done a good job policing it. They’ve been consistent and they know what they have to do about it,” Cheyney said. “The great part about it is I’ve been called out twice since this started.”
Cheyney said both incidents happened during the first few days of classes. In one instance, a student caught him going the wrong way in the hallway outside the auto related labs. The other call out came when a student saw him leave his office without a mask.
Cheyney also reported that renovations and upgrades to the school’s welding lab have been completed within budget and that students recently started using the welding equipment. One of the biggest changes was the removal of the old exhaust hoods.
“By taking those hoods out, they can see better and with the new snorkels they’re using a light that comes on when they’re working,” Cheyney said.
He also noted that the remodeled welding lab has 16 stations with room for 40 if the program needs to expand in the future.
On a separate job-related issue, Cheyney told the board that the business supporting the “Girls with Goggles” program still sent in donated items, even though the event was cancelled this spring because of the COVID crisis. The items were taken to the home schools and distributed.
Cheney also said that Spherion has put together a voluntary questionnaire about jobs and real world experiences. Students who complete the questionnaire will be eligible for a drawing for a gift card.
Girls with Goggles introduces sixth grade girls to non-traditional career opportunities. Cheyney and Adult Education director Nancy Hall told the Career Center board the school will be using COVID relief CARES Act funds to buy three chairs for the adult education dental lab. The Career Center has been renting three chairs at the Ninth Street Dental Clinic in Ashland at a cost of $2,500 per year for student hands on training.
“We’re looking at putting some flooring down and putting some chairs in down here. That way it won’t be off site and students will be able to come here,” Cheyney explained.
Hall said the school is allowed to use CARES funds to deal with programs being interrupted and changed, including reducing the student ratio to equipment. “Places that provide internships aren’t interested in having our students come around so that’s our justification for keeping our lab here,” she said. “It benefits us because no one else is going to have a lab that looks like that.”
During the treasurer’s agenda, Julie Smith reported that an enterprise zone property tax abatement of 75 percent for 10 years that was approved last year for Rex Holdings, LLC is being downsized. The change reduces the project to one 104,000 building for Primary Colors on a site on Commerce Parkway in Ashland and reduces the value of the construction from $22.9 million to $13.6 million. Job creation and retention number projections for Primary Colors remain the same as the original agreement.
The Career Center board also held an executive session to review and discuss contract negotiations with the Ashland Vocational Teachers Association and to discuss personnel matters. No board action was taken after the session.
