Kahlig resigns from board of education

FORT RECOVERY - Veteran board of education member Dan Kahlig will resign from the board Aug. 1 to spend more time with his family and focus on the increasing demands of his job.

Board members on Tuesday night officially accepted the resignation of Kahlig, who has served on the board for more than 14 years. After being presented with a farewell cake and gift, Kahlig thanked his fellow board members and school administrators.

Kahlig, an engineering product manager at Crown Equipment Corp., said his kids are getting older and he would like to watch his daughter play basketball at college next year. He said he needs to step down because he can't commit 100 percent to the job.

Board members intend to appoint Aaron Guggenbiller to fill Kahlig's unexpired seat at the next regular board meeting, 7:30 p.m. Aug. 14 in the high school boardroom. Kahlig's term expires Dec. 31, 2013.

Guggenbiller, 37, and his wife Beth have four children, three of whom are enrolled at Fort Recovery schools.

Superintendent Shelly Vaughn said during a recent brain-storming session board members discussed possible replacements for Kahlig. Guggenbiller and his wife participated in the school levy campaign, which was a big factor when considering him as a potential board member, she said.

Board members on Tuesday night also hired a new Spanish teacher.

Both high school foreign language teachers left the district after the school year, and officials have scrambled to fill the voids.

Fort Recovery High School graduate and recent college graduate Julie Backs was hired on Monday as the Spanish teacher and Spanish Club adviser.

"You hire local kids first if they're the right candidate," high school principal Jeff Hobbs said. "I'm pretty excited."

Hobbs said Backs comes from a close-knit family.

"It's pretty exciting for her whole family," he said.

Board president Dave Hull quipped that Backs will have the challenge of having her brother as a student.

Backs said she had no idea the opportunity to teach at Fort Recovery would come so fast and feels blessed to be selected.

Board members are still considering adding a blended learning option - an alternative language to Spanish instructed through online courses.

School officials had been phasing out German instruction - students in German 3 and 4 were lumped together last year - knowing German teacher Angelika Schade-Hein intended to retire.

"We're being very thorough and doing a lot of research," Vaughn said.

Board members on Tuesday night also,

• accepted the resignation of music teacher Lori Hart Lentz effective July 13 and gave one-year limited, non-teaching contracts to Marie Osterholt, Molly Briner and Denise Bruns.

• employed Ryan Thien and Toby Metzger as junior high football coaches.

• accepted the resignation of assistant high school football coach A.J. Kremer and employed Kirk Link as an assistant high school football coach.

• employed Barbara Alig, Molly Briner, Denise Bruns, Christa Fullenkamp, Janet Hummel, Cynthia Link, Chad Miller, Charlene Pearson, Nancy Reinhard, Kris Vogel, Eileen Wendel and Karen Schwieterman as classified substitutes on an as-needed basis.