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VIENNA -- The new Mathews Elementary Gymnasium is nearing completion, Superintendent Russell McQuaide reported at last week's regular board meeting.
"They're pouring the floor, which is about the last spot for the last step; today, I received the permission to occupy from the county's building department," he said.
McQuaide said it appears that the district will be able to start moving items over the break and added he would like a ribbon-cutting ceremony to take place during the semester.
The gymnasium's completion will wrap up a $1.9 million project, which was revealed in September 2024 and separates the elementary school's gymnasium and cafeteria. The school operations were originally part of a multipurpose room in one space, said McQuaide during its announcement.
McQuaide said then that the new gymnasium also will benefit high school students who use a gym dubbed "the shoe box," due to its reputation as one of the smallest regulation gyms in the state.
Ground was broken for the project in April, months after the Mathews Board of Education selected C. Tucker Cope and Associates as its design-builder.
In other action, the board:
• Approved an unpaid day of leave on Nov. 24 for Jailynne Cronin.
• Approved employing Scott Dotson as a long-term, fourth grade substitute teacher, effective Jan. 5, at a rate of $130 per day.
• Approved employing Nicholas Komara as a long-term elementary music substitute teacher, effective Jan. 20, at a rate of $130 per day.
• Approved the board's membership with the Ohio School Boards Association, at an annual fee of $6,008, effective Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, 2026.
• Approved the board's participation in the Ohio School Boards Association Legal Assistance Fund for 2026 and authorized Treasurer Bradley Panak to pay the $250 fee.
• Approved a resolution authorizing the district to administer 2026-27 state tests in English / language arts and / or mathematics for students in the third grade.