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BLOOMINGDALE -- The Jefferson County Joint Vocational School Board of Education started anew with a blend of new and returning faces at its first meeting of the year.
The board reorganized in a special session on Tuesday and returned Larry George and Steve Bezak III as president and vice president, respectively, while Ruth Ann Bruzzese and William Hendricks were re-appointed and Ron Smyth replaced longtime member John Prokopakis. Prokopakis, who was not in attendance, was later recognized with a resolution of appreciation by the board for seven years of dedication to the school and its students.
Talks turned to COVID-related matters and the board conducted a brief executive session before approving a resolution to extend Family First Coronavirus Response Act benefits to employees to March 31.
"It ensures that staff get 80 hours' (leave) if they are affected by the coronavirus," Superintendent Todd Phillipson later said. "We're extending it to March 31 and it's a real benefit to them."
He said the FFCRA benefit was in addition to personal sick time the employees currently receive and only remains available to those who have not already used it. Additionally, officials learned the BroadbandOhio grant was also extended for another year for schools and the funding has supplied the JVS with hotspots and related technology to assist during the pandemic.
The board also discussed distributing vaccine to employees and Phillipson said the state health department was eyeing plans for the week of Feb. 1, although no specifics were available yet.
"They want to try to use in-service staff if we have a school nurse and if we have EMT's or paramedics onsite," he added. "School employees don't need to register online."
Board member Kim Mark, who is a nurse, also offered to assist with the distribution.
Meanwhile, the board approved the purchase of bi-polar ionizers for the building's HVAC equipment to help clean the air and reduce the spread of germs and viruses. Phillipson said Cattrell Companies Inc. will install the $14,800 items in another effort to protect staff and students. The equipment is being funded through a Governor's Emergency Education Relief grant for COVID-related relief.
Among other action, the board:
¯ Heard from Principal Dan Hartman, who said end-of-course exam retakes were wrapping up and more testing was planned for spring. Assistant Principal Andrew Long added that the annual Spotlight on Skills competition was set for Jan. 27-28 with an altered judging format. Judges will either conduct reviews online through Google Meets or visit the school after hours in light of COVID restrictions. Awards will be announced that Friday with medals distributed in the labs;
¯ Passed a resolution designating January as School Board Recognition Month and members received gift bags as tokens of appreciation for their service;
¯ Approved committees for the board, including Barry Gullen, Ruth Ann Bruzzese and Barbara Cunningham, buildings and grounds; Bruzzese, Bezak and Hendricks, curriculum; Cunningham, Gullen and Bezak, finance; Mark, Smyth and Randy Henry, negotiations; Bruzzese, Smyth and Hendricks, personnel; and Mark, Gullen and Bezak, public relations; Mark, Hendricks and Henry, board policies; and all members on the safety committee. Gullen was also named delegate for the Ohio School Board Association's annual Capital Conference with Bezak as alternate and Hendricks as a legislative liaison. Additionally, Bezak returned as representative to Enterprise Zone Tax Incentive Review Council.
¯ Heard about plans to recognize Career Technical Education Month in February with activities and promotions;
¯ Passed a resolution recognizing February as Black History Month.