CARDINGTON — Superintendent Brian Petrie shared with members of the Cardington-Lincoln Board of Education, several points of his State of the District during the board’s regular meeting Monday, March 11.

Petrie, scheduled to speak on the state of the district during two parent conferences the latter part of the week and again Tuesday, March 19, shared some of that speech focusing on the financial turnaround the past two years with the “guidance of Jon Mason (treasurer) who gave us the best information possible.”

He noted, “In 2012 we were spending more money than coming in and moving through the passage of the earned income tax and its renewal has put us in a position where we are projecting a $2 million carryover for this fiscal year.”

He thanked the community for passing the earned income tax “which saved us and pulled us out of this distress.”

Petrie said there had been strategic reductions in certain areas and commended the dedicated staff who had forgone salary increases for a number of years.

He noted the ODE recommends a carryover of about 60 days of operating that is in the $2 to $2.5 million range which doesn’t mean we can spend it all — if something catastrophic happens we have something that will keep us from ‘falling off a cliff.”

“We are in a very good spot for 2020, 2021 and 2022 where we will not be in deficit spending; but in 2023 the cost of utilities and health insurance will be a factor.” He said it is unknown what the state will be doing.

In 2023 even with some deficit spending, “we will still be in a position where our carryover will be in a zone where we’re comfortable I want the public to see there really has been a recovery and transformation that’s happened and believe it shows we’ve been good stewards of the money.”

Petrie also discussed parts of Gov. Mike DeWine’s State of the State address, saying he was pleased to hear him speak about the state’s infrastructure, noting the condition of local roads that the school buses travel. He is also pleased to learn there will be a bigger investment in early childhood learning and children’s services.

In other business, the board:

• Approved the rate increase for substitute teachers. Earlier the board raised the daily rate of pay for a substitute teacher from $78.82 to $85 a day. The board’s new policy, recommended by Petrie is when a substitute teacher serves here for ten days at $85 a day on the 11th day the rate will rise to $100 for the remainder of the school year. It will start over the next school year and is not retroactive. The designation he said for someone in this class is a “super sub.”

• Accepted an anonymous donation to the National Honor Society in the amount of $2,500 for their 2018 NHS Trip and also approved as a donation from the Cardington Farm Association to the FFA in the amount of $13,685 for the FFA Spring banquet and FFA jackets

• Accepted the resignation/retirement effective May 29, 2019, of Troy King, junior high teacher who has given 32 years of service to the district. Accepted was the resignation of Caroline Denzer, effective March 29, 2019, of Caroline Denzer, junior high guidance counselor.

• A supplemental contract was approved for John Brehm, Show Choir, effective with the current school year.

• The board approved the financial report submitted by Mason, who said he is waiting on the real estate settlements to come in. The board approved eight additional federal grants.

• Jillian Kaufman reported on activities of the “Pals of Pirates.”

• The board will meet next on April 15.

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By Evelyn Long

The Sentinel