By APRIL MIDDLETON

Salina Journal

The Salina School Board on Tuesday night unanimously approved nine people for the newly formed board of trustees for Salina Area Technical College.

In presenting the names to the school board for approval, Superintendent Rob Winter said the group was "very excited for the opportunity" to help shape the future of the Salina Area Technical College.

The nine trustees are:

n Thomas Mertz, nominated by the city of Salina, is an assistant professor at K-State at Salina in the engineering technology department. He teaches computer courses. He's also worked as an independent contractor for Exide Technologies and Geoprobe Systems.

n Mike Haug, nominated by Saline County, is the president of Salina-based KASA Industrial Controls, Inc. Haug has been with KASA for 24 years. He's also CEO and a member of the firm's board of directors.

n Tom Pestinger, nominated by the Salina Area Chamber of Commerce, is owner of Pestinger Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc. He founded Pestinger Heating and Air in 1989.

n Katherine Platten, representing the manufacturing sector, serves as CEO of the family-owned and operated Solomon Corporation, headquartered in Solomon.

n Ken Ebert, representing the service industry, is the managing principal officer for the Salina Waddell & Reed office. He has been with the company for 20 years.

n Fran Paxton, representing the health care sector, is the executive director and administrator of Presbyterian Manor, Salina, and has held that position since 1993.

n Carol Brandert, representing the Salina School Board, was elected to the board in 2003 and is completing her second four-year term.

n Jayne Cornish, an at-large representative, has been human resources manager for Exide Technologies in Salina for two years and has a total of 15 years of professional human resources experience.

n Robert Miller, an at-large representative on the board of trustees, is president and owner of Busboom and Rauh Construction Company, Salina.

The board is scheduled to become the college's governing body on July 1.

Nearly a year ago, the school board voted to pursue having what was then called the Salina Area Technical School become an independent, degree-granting college with its own governance. Since that time, school staff, board members, school district administrators and others have been working to both make the technical college independent of the school district and achieve college accreditation through the Chicago-based Higher Learning Commission.

Board member Mary Anne Trickle nominated board member Gary Denning to serve on the college's governing body. Denning declined the nomination.

"I am not yet committed to running for the school board next spring," Denning said. "This is a really great slate of people. All of these people have an investment in Salina and their businesses have an investment in Salina."

Also Tuesday:

n Chapman Superintendent Tony Frieze thanked the district for its assistance in helping the Chapman School District, which was heavily damaged by a June 11 tornado, prepare for the new school year.

"Your students, your staff and your community came to our needs," Frieze said.

In recent weeks groups, including members of the Salina South High School boys basketball team and about a dozen employees from the district's maintenance and operations crew, have worked in Chapman.

The Salina district was one of the first to call to extend help, and without it school would not have started on time in Chapman, Frieze said.

"It would have been real easy for me to send you a little thank you, but I didn't feel like that would do justice," he said. "You were just a real blessing."

n Tim Olsen, Grace E. Stewart Elementary School fourth-grade teacher, and Kate Lindsay, South High School English drama teacher, were presented as the district's Teachers of the Year.

Each year, the district nominates two teachers for the Kansas Teacher of the Year program. The awards are sponsored by the Kansas State Department of Education and affiliated with the National Teacher of the Year program.

Nominations were sought in the spring from district employees, PTA/PTOs, administrators and KNEA Salina. The district nominees are submitted to the state in late March. Regional finalists are named in September and state finalists are named in November.

nReporter April Middleton can be reached at 822-1409 or by e-mail at sjamiddleton@salina.com.

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