R. Todd Schmutz, Superintendent
At the January regular Board meeting, the Board of Education approved the strategic plan which outlines goals for the years 2022-2025. One of the goals included in the strategic plan involves the district asking the voters of the Pandora-Gilboa school district to replace the current building bond levy that expires on December 31, 2022, with a replacement levy in order to build new and/or additional athletic facilities. The proposed replacement levy will be on the November 2022 general election ballot for your consideration. This replacement levy would not increase your tax obligation; it would simply continue what you are currently paying. One project of the replacement levy would be to build a new auxiliary gymnasium; this gym would be located on the south side of the current building. The new gym would be utilized for middle school sports contests, provide additional practice space for all athletic teams, and serve as additional space for special events as needed. The current locker rooms were designed in order to facilitate this location as they have exterior doors which would be used to connect to the new gym. A second project of the replacement levy would be to construct a new locker room/weight room facility located near the current football field complex. Our preferred location for this facility is located on the corner of Jefferson St. and the entrance to the football field (Park St.); the village of Pandora owns this property, this will require discussion/negotiations between the district and village to determine if this location can be acquired by the district. We do have an alternative option on land that is district owned on the hill behind the home grand stands. A third project would be the construction of a concession/restroom/storage building located near the current softball and baseball fields. A fourth project, construction of a concession/restroom/meet manager building located at the current all-weather track. The project would also include the building of a new bus barn located perpendicular to the current storage shed on the northwest side of the school building. One bay of this bus barn would be dedicated to the storage of track equipment. Finally, we are going to obtain outside opinions/recommendations on the condition of the high school gym floor and of the roadways that the district owns. Potential repairs and/or replacements of these two areas would depend on the recommendations that we receive.
The current bond levy has provided the Pandora-Gilboa Local School district with a beautiful facility that has been well maintained for over twenty years and served our students well; however, our athletic facilities are lagging and need to be addressed. The district and residents have the opportunity to address these needs without increasing your tax rate. The current building bond levy generates approximately $315,000 per year; based on a property valuation of $100,000, the cost of this levy is approximately $105.00 per year. Again, a replacement levy would not increase your tax responsibility, it would just continue the current rate that you are presently paying.
The District’s next steps will involve contacting architecture firms in order to begin planning and designing the above outlined projects. Once these plans are finalized and ready to be presented; they will be posted on our website for your review. I realize that this is a lot of information; at some point before the November election we will hold a community meeting to present the information and plans for these projects, as well as offer opportunity for questions. I will also keep you up to date with our progress and any other updates with either additional newsletters or postings to our website; as always you are welcome to contact me with any questions or concerns. I believe that this is an opportune time to bring our athletic facilities up to par and make other necessary improvements, thank you for your support of the Pandora-Gilboa Local School District.
As a result of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and in accordance with the passage of Senate Bill 1 of the 134th General Assembly, the Ohio Department of Education has been granted the authority to issue a one-time, non-renewable 1 Year Temporary Non-Bachelor’s Substitute Teaching License for the 2021-2022 school year to applicants who do not hold a post-secondary degree but meet the employing school or district’s set of educational requirements. Pandora-Gilboa Local Schools are accepting applications for temporary substitute teachers with a minimum education level of an Associate’s Degree.Applicants must have a current background check on file with the Department of Education, P-G Schools will pay for the FBI/BCI background check. The District will also reimburse the temporary substitute license fee ($25) for applicants chosen for employment. Compensation for substitute teaching is $100.00 per day ($50.00 for half day). Interested applicants should submit the application and transcripts to Ms. Shelly Guthrie at: guthries@pgrockets.org. For questions, please contact Ms. Shelly Guthrie at 419-384-3227.
PGHS is looking to honor its current students and alumni by creating academic recognition boards that will be on display in our high school hallway. If you are a PG alumni who scored a 32 or higher on the ACT, please email your name and graduation year to Dr. Wise at wisej@pgrockets.org. Thank you!
Parents
All parents of enrolled students will be automatically added to school building and district alerts based on contact information submitted during student registration.
Community Members
All community members interested in signing up for district alerts (delays, closing, etc.) can do so in one of the following ways:
- Use the code @pgrockets in the Remind app on your smartphone
- Text the message @pgrockets to 81010
- Visit https://www.remind.com/join/pgrockets on your computer
When you are asked what your role is, select "Parent".
Please contact Mr. Vennekotter if you have any questions.