The Benjamin Logan school board held its annual organizational meeting Monday night and welcomed a new board member. District Treasurer and CFO Leah Baker administered the oath to Nikki Yelton, who will replace longtime board member Karen Dill, who retired in December. Yelton was elected as a write-in candidate in the November election.
Additionally, the board approved the appointment of Deron King to fill a vacancy for an unexpired term that will end January 1, 2028.
Mark Himmeger was re-elected as board president, and Deb Johnson was re-elected as vice president. The board also approved the following committee and representative roles:
- Building, Grounds & Equipment (Deron King)
- Curriculum/Technology (Deb Johnson and Scott Spriggs)
- Extracurricular (Nikki Yelton and Spriggs)
- Finance/Personnel (King and Himmeger)
- Legislative/Policy (Johnson and Himmeger)
- Public Relations (Johnson and King)
- Transportation (Spriggs and Yelton)
The board also voted to keep their regular meetings on the third Monday of the month at 6:00 PM, approved the establishment of a Service Fund in the amount of $5,000.00, approved Board member compensation at $125 per meeting, with a maximum of 24 meetings per year, and retained legal council including Scott Scriven LLP (John Podgurski), Bricker Graydon, Ennis Britton Co., L.P.A., and Squire Patton Boggs (US) LLP.
At the conclusion of the organizational meeting, the board moved to its regular meeting.
In his opening remarks, District Superintendent John Scheu, in honor of School Board Appreciation Month, thanked the board for its dedication to the district’s students and parents. Superintendent Scheu talks about the board:
The board also approved the retirement of Superintendent Scheu effective July 31, 2026.
High School Principal Annette Alatore updated the board on activities at the Elementary School. She said recent testing showed that 87% of elementary students were graded as proficient on the i-Ready assessment. She also noted that 80% of parents of high school students have used the district’s Parent Square app, which improves communication.
Middle School Principal Todd Shadley informed the board that testing indicated several students could be advanced in their grade-level assignments. He said that the dedication of the teachers and input from the district’s consultant are vital.
He also said that several old signs have been replaced throughout the school.
The board also approved several personnel changes:
- Salary advancement for Natalie Hays and Sage Rausch.
- The hiring of Sngie Hildreth in Raider Care.
- The hiring of substitute custodian Abdallah Saba.
- The employment of Sharyn Kopf as co-musical director.
- The resignation of Joe Webb as Weight Room Head Coordinator, effective January 1, 2026.
The next meeting will be held on February 23, 2026, at 6:00 PM.
Sally Stolly contributed to this report.
