HANNIBAL — Monroe County resident Larry Gust had several questions for Switzerland of Ohio Local School District officials Tuesday evening.

Gust asked the board of education why they are now having two meetings per month, what is their pay policy, why they have more than one law firm representing them and why the district doesn’t have technology distributed equally across all the school buildings and classrooms.

Superintendent Jeffrey Greenley told Gust that last year, the board had only one scheduled monthly regular meeting, but ended up having to schedule many more special meetings, for a total of 22 meetings in 2016. Greenley said the biggest reason for adding an extra meeting to the board’s schedule every month was mainly to avoid last-minute scheduling of special meetings.

“So far, it’s an experiment. We are just a couple of weeks into it and we will see how it goes,” Greenley said.

According to outgoing District Treasurer Lance Erlwein, as far as pay, the board voted in the second half of 2016 to be paid for a maximum of two meetings per month, but since a sitting board cannot vote itself a raise, the members must wait until they are re-elected to reap the benefits of that rule.

Greenley explained that the reason for the use of several attorneys and law firms was to save money and time, as the different attorneys and firms have different areas of expertise and choosing the correct one for each job would save the district money.

“No one is on retainer, so it is not as if we are paying anyone when they are not doing work for us,” Greenley said.

Gust raised the question of why all teachers in the district did not have smart boards, which cost around $1,700.

“We do have smart boards, and as teachers and principals express their needs for them, we get them for them if that is a need that they have,” Greenley said.

Erlwein emphasized that each time a teacher has asked for needed technology, the purchase orders have been approved.

Gust thanked the board of education for answering his questions to his satisfaction.

Meanwhile, two high school students, Kate Dotterer and Riley Rouse, petitioned the board to ask for a soccer team. The students brought a list of 29 high school students and 31 junior high students who would be interested in either a girls’ and boys’ team or a co-ed team.

Assistant Superintendent Rob Caldwell commended the students for going through the proper channels to make their request with the board, and said he would bring the issue up at the next meeting of the district’s athletic association.

In other district business, Monroe County Spelling Bee winners Allyssa Hornbeck, first place, and Chattum Lively, third place were recognized by the board of education for their hard work. Hornbeck, Lively and second-place winner Isabella Laudermilt will compete at the regional spelling bee on March 24.

Personnel that were recognized included retiring Monroe Central High School head cook Bonnie Rothenbuhler, who was thanked for her many years of service to the district. Becky Hall was officially hired as the new principal at River Elementary School. She has a total of 24 years of service so far in the district.

“She is our secret weapon. We are just so thrilled to have Becky on our team,” Greenley said.

Erlwein, who has been with the district four years, said he is very emotional about leaving the district. He thanked the board, teachers, administration and students for their support. He will take a position with the Belpre School District for family reasons.

“I have been here four years, but honestly it feels like I’ve been here my entire career. A lot of challenges, but that is why I took the job. … This is the hardest I’ve ever worked in any job, but it’s also been the most fun. I’ve made more friends here in Switzerland than in all my prior jobs combined,” Erlwein said. “It’s an emotional decision, primarily based on family. I get emotional and choked-up talking about it because I don’t really want to leave.”

Greenley and board President Denise Riley thanked Erlwein for his service to the district and assured him he would be missed.

Finally, the district received a donation of $10,000 from Charlie Kozlesky and Heather Loughley of the Children’s Hunger Alliance to help the district provide free meals for those students who may need them throughout the summer break. The grant was made possible by the Wal-Mart Foundation.