LISBON - The school district has a new assistant treasurer following action taken at this week's board meeting to name Vickie Browning-Prowitt to the position.
Browning-Prowitt was hired to replace Assistant Treasurer Jennifer Stalnaker, who quit in May after her husband accepted a job offer in North Carolina. She has a bachelor's degree in business administration from Kent State University and is finishing a master's degree from Westminster College in Pennsylvania.
Browning-Prowitt has worked most recently as a fiscal consultant for the Youngstown City School District before being promoted last year to accountant. She will be paid a base salary of $45,833, plus an additional $3,000 for having a treasurer's license.
"You can tell by her resume ... she comes in with skills. I'm happy to have her," superintendent Don Thompson said.
In other action, the board moved ahead with plans to officially create an online school in an effort to woo back students lost to online "community" schools and keep others from leaving in the future.
The district currently has 61 students who left for online schools - 33 who are home-schooled and 28 attending community schools. The district lost $137,760 in state funding last year because the funding follows the students to the school they attend.
"We can now offer everything a community school can offer" through a partnership with the Columbiana County Educational Service Center, he said, adding the program will continue to evolve.
Parents of online students will receive a letter informing them of Lisbon's online school and the course offerings in the hope of persuading them to return.
The board also renewed the following varsity coaching contracts for the fall sports season: Jim Tsilimos, head football coach; Kathy Randolph, head cross country coach; Jason Thompson, head golf coach; Cara Hardenbrook, head volleyball coach; and Lindsey Sechrist and Missy Andric, co-cheerleading advisors.
The board also:
-Hired Melody Allison of Wellsville as the new high school guidance counselor for $34,304, replacing Matt Giambattista, who is retiring. Allison has a master's degree on counseling from Wright State University and spent the past year working as a year-long substitute teacher in the Beaver Local school district.
- Accepted the resignation of social studies teacher Bobbie Weikart, who is retiring.
- Hired the following people to work as summer janitors for $8.50 an hour: Jeannie Butream, Rick Cox, Patty Boyd, Valerie Hochman, Charles Dawson and Brandon Hull. Most of Dawson and Hull's wages are being paid through a federal summer youth employment program.
