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PEPPER PIKE, Ohio – The Orange Board of Education is considering a retire-rehire deal for Superintendent Lynn Campbell. On Monday (Nov. 10), a public hearing was held regarding the re-employment of both Campbell and Nancy Caldwell, longtime administrative assistant to the superintendent. There were no comments during the hearing by anyone from the public or board members. The board will vote on the retire-rehire deals for both staff members at a future date that was not disclosed. Campbell has served as the district’s superintendent since 2018. The board approved a four-year contract extension for him in April of last year. He previously had a four-year contract that was due to expire July 31 of this year. The new contract runs through July 31, 2029, at an annual salary of more than $150,000. Lou DeVincentis, the district’s director of communications, said Campbell’s intention is to have a new contract replace the existing one, keeping the terms and duration of the contract the same through July 31, 2029. Ohio law permits a board of education to rehire employees who have retired from the district. The board is required to hold a public meeting on the issue of rehiring a retired employee between 15 and 30 days before the date the board will act to rehire the individual. Campbell has led the district to achieve the highest level from the state on the Ohio School Report Card since 2019, including a five-star rating under the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce’s ranking system that was put in place two years ago. Campbell came to Orange City Schools after 11 years with Kirtland Local Schools, including seven years as principal of Kirtland High School. He also taught for 11 years before becoming a school administrator. Auditorium enhancements In other action, the board reviewed a contract with Hughie’s Event Production Services of Cleveland to provide various enhancements at the Orange High School auditorium in the amount of $135,101. The enhancements include the replacement of audio equipment in the auditorium, along with installation of a fixed lens projection system, rigging and a cyclorama. A cyclorama is a large, often curved, backdrop used in theaters to serve as a surface for projections and lighting effects. The project is being funded entirely by Orange Community Education and Recreation, OCER Director Jill Korsok said. That includes money that was raised via a fundraiser for Stagecrafters Youth Theatre on the occasion of the theater’s 50th anniversary last year. Stagecrafters is OCER’s dramatic arts program for students. Board member Angela Arnold asked how much of the funding will be defrayed from the fundraiser for Stagecrafters. “After we paid expenses, the fundraiser made about $64,000,” Korsok said. “We are making a commitment with that money to invest in equipment and in the things that support Stagecrafters directly, specifically during performances.” Korsok said there are currently only two speakers in the speaker system for the entire auditorium. “It was designed more as an auditorium than as a performance stage, hence the two speakers,” she said. “They’re old, they’re outdated and they’re facing the wrong way.” This proposal calls for eight speakers, which would be positioned throughout the auditorium, Korsok said. “So you’ll get full sound throughout the auditorium during any performance,” she said. “Any time the system is engaged, you’ll get the same high quality.” Korsok said it’s not likely the two existing speakers would be able to be repurposed, due to their age and “technological issues.” The projection screen of the cyclorama would be behind where the performers would be on the stage, Korsok said. “The projector is mounted high and will kind of come down onto that screen, so it’s not a rear projection and you’re not projecting onto any humans or props that may be in the way,” she said. “The projection comes behind them. “It’s very customizable to the shows that are being performed, and it also eliminates or greatly reduces our need to rent the big, gigantic backdrops that we rent for a lot of the community productions, so it will defer some costs.” Korsok said OCER would probably recoup the $64,231 it would be spending on this projection system within three to four years “because of the amount that we invest in the props and backdrops.” “It will also take away from us having to store those (items),” she said. “It will eliminate the big trucks having to come onto campus with those things. So it’s a good investment.” Korsok said both the audio and projection system enhancements would be available to anyone in the district. “(The systems) will require some training and some technical knowledge to be used,” she said. Board member Scott Bilsky asked for a realistic estimate of how long this equipment should last. Korsok said she wasn’t sure, but she would get an answer for the board. Board President Jeffrey Leikin said he believes the current audio system in the auditorium was installed about 11 years ago. Arnold asked if the district would be getting a new sound board as well. “I understand that does not need to be replaced right now,” Korsok said. “The lighting is also a key issue, and that is a much heavier price tag and something that we’re going to need to look at. “The lighting board and the lighting outlets are problematic,” she continued. “But I understand that the lights are the next important thing. “So that will come next, maybe in the spring.” Board Vice President Beth Wilson-Fish expressed “a huge thank you” to OCER and Stagecrafters for helping this project come to fruition. “I know that was the goal at the fundraiser event, and the fact that it’s going to be utilized by every child and performer at the auditorium … it’s a gift to the school district,” Wilson-Fish said. The board is expected to vote on the contract at its next meeting at 6 p.m. Nov. 24.
