By Dr. Jason Inkrott, Superintendent
As the 2025-2026 school year comes to an end with this Sunday’s graduation ceremony celebrating the achievements of the Class of 2026, the levels of success we have achieved this year would not have been possible without the work of many people across our district. Whether it was bus drivers picking up students to start the day, teachers and staff working with students to reach academic excellence, or coaches arriving back at school with their athletes late at night, it has truly been a group effort, but the group aspect of our success doesn’t stop there.
We also have community members who play a large part in the success we have achieved as members of our strategic plan subcommittees. Our strategic plan focuses on four strategies: Learning, Finances, Stakeholder Engagement, and Facilities. Each of those strategies has a subcommittee of district staff and community members that meets multiple times throughout the year to work toward excellence in the focus areas. Additionally, the Strategic Plan Advisory Committee meets yearly in August to review the annual report from the previous year and plan for the upcoming year.
While I am a part of all of these committees, it is truly a team effort that has allowed us to make the progress we have made this year. Together, we are achieving our mission of Building Thinkers, Building Connections, and Building Experiences, and I want to take this opportunity to share the accomplishments of these committees so everyone can see the impact of their work.
Learning Committee
The focus of this committee is to ensure our students are provided with the appropriate academic opportunities leading to their continued growth. Led by Director of Teaching and Learning Cassie Schaffer and including community members Jessica Nichols and Krista Wachtman and board members Michael Leifheit and Lauren Logan, this committee met five times during the 2025-2026 school year. Across multiple meetings, Cassie and I provided an in-depth look at the results of our state report card to the members of the committee. One area where we have spent a great deal of time is on the College, Career, Workforce, and Military Readiness (CCWMR) portion of the report card.
In addition to reviewing the state report card, the committee discusses learning opportunities and shares ideas on educational programming and supports for not only students but also families. An example of a support that was created based on feedback from this committee was an ACT Guide for Students and Families to help parents better understand how they can support their students’ success on the ACT.
Finance Committee
Finances play an important role in every Ohio school district. Whether it is applying for and receiving grants, receiving funding through property and income taxes, or updating the latest five-year forecast, Treasurer Cathy Schuller wants to educate our district residents about our finances and their impact on our school district.
At the finance committee meetings, she shares information about how the state legislature’s decisions could affect us both now and in the future and provides updates about our finances using the board-approved forecasts. Additionally, since the committee includes district residents, she has started to utilize the committee to review upcoming financial communications so members can provide insights from a resident’s perspective, allowing communications to be refined to achieve maximum clarity upon publication.
In addition to Schuller, the committee, which met quarterly during the 2025-2026 school year, consists of community members Matt Harrington, Ed May, Dick Stephens, Jeff Winkle, and board members Michael Leifheit and Lauren Logan.
Stakeholder Engagement Committee
One of the suggestions we heard repeatedly several years ago was to increase district communications, and that process was started during the 2024-2025 school year. When the Strategic Plan Advisory Committee met for its annual review in August 2025, one year after the Stakeholder Engagement Committee had been created to focus on district communications, the advisory committee voiced its appreciation for the resulting increase in communications; however, they also identified one area for improvement: financial communications.
When that feedback was shared with the Stakeholder Engagement Committee, the committee agreed that financial communications could be improved, and they decided to use the experiences of other districts excelling in financial communications to make the necessary improvements.
Over the course of the 2025-2026 school year, Schuller, Communications Coordinator Brian Bratt, and I met virtually with leaders from Chardon Local Schools (Geauga County), Perrysburg Schools (Wood County), Mentor Public Schools (Lake County), Worthington Schools (Franklin County), and New Albany-Plain Local Schools (Franklin County) to learn about how they convey financial information to their residents. These schools were all recommended to us as being outstanding communicators about their finances, and we appreciated them sharing their strategies with us.
Because of those conversations, our residents are seeing an increased focus on financial communications, such as “The Knights’ Ledger” in the monthly Knights in the Know email newsletter and informational graphics showing outcomes of financial decisions we are making.
The members of the Stakeholder Engagement Committee, which met six times during the 2025-2026 school year, include community members Josette Brinkman, Marcy Clark, Christy Kisseberth, Chris Myers, and Carla Treadway; board member Jamie Cunningham; and school staff Terri Barker, Brian Bratt, and Cassie Schaffer.
Facilities Committee
As we hope you have noticed, we are continuing to emphasize maintaining our facilities to provide the best possible experience for students, staff, and visitors to our district.
Based on the input of the Facilities Committee, we have updated restrooms in the middle and high school buildings and replaced the chiller which maintains a comfortable temperature for the entire high school building during warm weather. Once the graduation ceremony is over, we will begin the process of adding air conditioning to the high school gymnasium.
Over the last three years, this committee has also been exploring our district footprint. Currently, our campus consists of 29 usable acres, while the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission (OFCC) suggests a school district our size should have at least 50 acres to accommodate our needs. The committee will continue exploring expansion opportunities to best serve our students and community, and I appreciate their willingness to tackle tasks pertinent to our school district’s success.
Like all of the other committees, the members bring both their professional expertise and desire to improve our school district to the committee, and that combination is invaluable as we prepare for excellence both today and in the future.
Community members Andy Fisher, Karen Flanagan, Ed May, and Dan Stone; board members Laura Ebright and Erica Kelley; and school staff Dan Hartsel, Casey Morman, Sheryl O’Shea, and Cathy Schuller are on the committee, which met nine times during the 2025-2026 school year.
Strategic Plan Advisory Committee
The Strategic Plan Advisory Committee meets only once a year for four to five hours, but that should not lead anyone to think the committee is insignificant because it acts as a voice representing all district stakeholders: staff, parents, and community members.
At the yearly meeting, the committee of approximately 25 people hears reports regarding progress made on all four of the strategic plan strategies, meets in small groups to consider what they have heard, and then shares what they see as having gone well and where improvements can be made. That feedback is then shared with the subcommittees to guide their work over the upcoming year.
Because of the feedback from the Strategic Plan Advisory Committee and the other subcommittees throughout the year, we are able to keep clear communication paths open and continually seek to improve our school district, which benefits everyone.
Members of the committee who attended the August 2025 meeting included community members Abby Allen, Anna Anderson, Kristen Broski, Bryan Crissman, Danielle Doxsey, Brittni Gladysz, Bill Griffith, Ed May, Gene Meyer, Ryan Schroeder, and Phoxay Sumney; board members Laura Ebright and Michael Leifheit; and school staff Jenn Barrett, Brian Beining, Brian Bratt, Adam Greer, Michael Newcomer, Tammy Routson, Holli Sattler, Cassie Schaffer, and Cathy Schuller.
I’ll say it again: Our success is a result of all of our stakeholders coming together to support the academic and personal growth of every one of our students from kindergarteners to seniors. As this year ends, I want all of you to know how much I appreciate the roles all of you have played in our success. Enjoy your summer break, and I look forward to seeing all of you for the 2026-2027 school year!
Check out what else is happening at the Van Buren Local School District:
Sweat, Smiles, and Service: Inside VB Service Day 2026
School District Passes State Audit
Sattler Wins Inaugural Amazing Shake Competition