CLAYTON — During visitors’ comments during the Feb. 12 Northmont School Board meeting held at Kleptz Early Learning Center, one spoke in opposition to LifeWise Academy (https://lifewise.org/), which has expressed interest in coming to Northmont Schools.

She said students should be in school the entire day.

“If you want religious education, do it off of school time or get a voucher for a religious school. Just because it is legal doesn’t make it in the student’s best interests.”

She said she’s not opposed to religious education but felt a policy already in place should be followed.

Erica Robinson spoke in favor of LifeWise, pointing out that lunch and recess are viable options to avoid taking students out of class. She suggested setting up a pilot at one elementary school and that she had consulted the principal at Northmoor Elementary and that he would welcome it if the board wanted it.

Board President Linda Blum noted that a time period of 50 to 60 minutes for the program creates a problem, since recess and lunch aren’t always in conjunction and even when they are, it’s only 40 minutes.

“We’ve been given a lot of information,” Blum said, but added that more is needed.

A presentation of Strategy 4 of the district’s overall 2024 Strategy Plan was explained by Director of Human Resources Amy Sipes, Kleptz Assistant Principal Noelle Leingang, CIT Supervisor Amy Mangen and Dottie Woodard.

They covered the four areas of Strategy Four: recruitment, retention, professional growth and staff wellness.

Recruitment: This will be a way to try to increase diversity so staff looks more like the student body. Positions are posted on Linked-In social media. Participants will talk with personnel at black colleges and with other universities in this area.

Retention: Leingang explained there would be one-on-one teaming and an employee satisfaction survey. They will also recognize excellence and establish mentors for each job classification, with hopes of having every employee placed with a mentor.

Professional Growth: This area is to increase the opportunities for the staff to pursue goals and interests. Participants need to figure out how people can have opportunities that are not mandated. And the district is developing a comprehensive survey.

Staff Wellness program: This part of Strategy 4 was presented by Woodard, who said,“Looking at the whole person is important.”

This area is designed to assess professional growth opportunities and to increase opportunities for personal professional pursuits.

School personnel presented views that the Miami Valley in general is a good place to live.

The programs have received a two-year grant from the Ohio Board of Education for diversity, to be used for recruitment videos.

In his monthly report of what’s going on in the district, Northmont Superintendent Tony Thomas said two cameras and a server are undergoing updates. Grant money from the state of Ohio is used to help offset the cost of the expense.

For professional development — teachers will continue on the pathway chosen at the beginning of the year and this could include focus on literacy, math, STEM and family engagement, to name a few.

“We are also providing professional development to the classified staff. Examples of recent food services professional development included sessions on coping skills, food safety and a corporate chef sharing ideas,” Thomas said.

“Bus inspections will start this week and will extend throughout the rest of the year. We have an impeccable history of safe bus inspections,” he said.

Flood repairs at the high school are projected to be complete on Friday. A big thank-you to all involved in getting this resolved as quickly as they did, Thomas said.

The Academic Challenge team competed in Illinois recently and won its 11th tournament of the season.

Treasurer Anne Ferraro reported that the district will receive more in tax money due to property tax increases, but state money will decrease. The board approved payment to restore water-damaged areas at Northmont High School.

The Northmont Education Foundation, which is holding an auction on March 1, is still looking for donations and sponsors.

The High School Drama Club is working on a production of “The Addams Family,” a production that involves the entire Fine Arts Department.

The next regular meeting of Northmont School Board will be at 6 p.m. on Feb. 26, at the Kleptz Early Learning Center, 1100 National Road, Englewood.