News – Monday, January 19th 2026

The Salem R-80 Board of Education held its regular meeting Thursday evening in the administration building. Following the call to order and the Pledge of Allegiance, the board approved an amended agenda, which included the addition of an item under communications, as well as the consent agenda. Board President Dru Howard then read a letter formally recognizing Superintendent Dr. Nathan Wills for earning a national certification for excellence in school finance and operations. Due to a miscommunication between the superintendent and the Salem High School principal, no student recognitions were presented; however, both noted they would be prepared for next month’s meeting. In his report, Dr. Wills provided updates on the district’s CSIP goals, roof repairs, faculty and student surveys, upgrades to the baseball dugouts, and the district leadership meeting. Following reports from the administrative team, the board moved on to new business. The board approved a conflict-of-interest ordinance and authorized the opening of a new checking account for electronic food service transactions. This account will allow the district to accept debit and credit card payments for student lunch balances. Following the first reading of MSBA policy updates, the meeting adjourned into executive session, during which personnel and student matters were discussed. Mackenzie Stoner was approved for hire as middle school physical education teacher, high school head volleyball coach, and middle school head volleyball coach, contingent upon satisfactory background verification. Two volleyball-related resignations were also approved. Hannah Terrill resigned as freshman volleyball coach, and Alaina Santhuff resigned as assistant high school volleyball coach. In student-related business, a unanimous vote was taken to deny unqualified student attendance appeals. Action was also taken on administrative contracts, with approval of an extension of  Assistant Superintendent Dan Copeland’s contract through June 30, 2028, and Superintendent Dr. Nathan Wills’s contract through June 30, 2029.  The meeting then re-entered the open session before adjourning. The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Salem R-80 Board of Education will be held February 19th in the administration building and is open to the public. 

On Thursday, January 8th, U.S. District Judge Zachary M. Bluestone sentenced 45-year-old Brian K. Ditch of Salem to 156 months in prison for neglecting his uncle, a U.S. Army veteran with quadriplegia, for years and concealing his corpse to fraudulently obtain $1.8 million in his uncle’s disability benefits. Ditch became solely responsible for his uncle’s care in 2008. At some point, instead of properly caring for his uncle, Ditch kept him locked away and subjected him to insufficient care and verbal abuse. Ditch fraudulently gained access to his uncle’s financial accounts and regularly wired himself money. After his uncle’s death around 2019, Ditch concealed his death from relatives, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Social Security Administration so that he could continue to steal his uncle’s money. Ditch hid the body in a shed behind his house, telling relatives that he had moved his uncle into a nursing home and police that his uncle was living with someone else. Since 2008, the VA’s Disability Compensation program deposited approximately $1.6 million into the victim’s account. Ditch’s uncle also received a total of $235,210 in benefits from the Social Security Administration. Ditch used the money for personal purchases, including exotic reptiles and firearms. As a convicted felon, Ditch is barred from possessing firearms. On January 8th, Judge Bluestone ordered Ditch to repay the money. Ditch pleaded guilty in October to four felony counts of wire fraud, one count of aggravated identity theft and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. The Salem Police Department, the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman prosecuted the case.