Greenon board to discuss levy options

By Megan Gildow | Tuesday, July 13, 2010, 09:26 AM

The Greenon Local Schools Board of Education will meet in special session tonight, July 13, to discuss levy options, according to an agenda for the meeting.

In May, Greenon voters rejected two levy requests for operating funds — a 5-year, 3-mill operating levy was defeated 1,822 to 1,327 and the continuing 0.75-percent earned income tax for current expenses was defeated 1,965 to 1,176. It was the first request for new operating funds in 14 years, according to district officials.

Without new revenue, the district will have to consider reductions, Superintendent Lori Lytle said in May. The district already has reduced spending in recent years to delay a trip to the ballot.

The board meets at 7 p.m. tonight in the media center at Indian Valley Middle School.

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Northeastern schedules community meeting for South Vienna

By Megan Gildow | Wednesday, July 7, 2010, 09:39 AM

Northeastern Local Schools officials will hold a meeting in South Vienna Wednesday, July 14, to address questions about the upcoming bond issue as well as other concerns about the district, according to the district’s communications consultant Linda Wallace.

The meeting is the latest of several held in local communities, including Catawba and Northridge, to meet in small groups to hear from residents about their concerns and answer questions.

The South Vienna meeting begins at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Ritchie Brothers Auctioneers, 200 Ritchie Dr. The meeting will be on the second floor of the building in the welcome center.

Northeastern voters will decide Aug. 3 on a $58.4 million, 28-year bond issue on the Aug. 3 ballot.

If approved, the bond issue would cost $237 a year for the owner of a $100,000 home.

The bond issue would raise 59 percent of the cost to build new schools; the remaining 41 percent would come from the Ohio Schools Facilities Commission.

This is Northeastern’s last chance to pass the local portion of the funding before it risks losing the state’s offer.

After voters twice rejected bond issues at the ballot, officials modified the plan based on community input sessions. The new plans calls for two pre-kindergarten through fourth-grade buildings — one in South Vienna and one in Northridge — and a 5th through 12th grade building at the site of Northeastern High School. Kenton Ridge would be remodeled and used as a 5th to 8th grade middle school with an addition for 9th through 12th grades.

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Southeastern board moves toward November ballot

By Megan Gildow | Thursday, June 24, 2010, 03:03 PM

Southeastern board members approved today, June 24, the first of two necessary resolutions to place a bond issue before voters on the Nov. 2 ballot.

The board unanimously approved at a special meeting a resolution of necessity to put a 37-year, $7,983,000 bond issue on the November ballot, said Superintendent David Shea. The bond issue, if approved, would fund half the costs of a building project; the Ohio Schools Facilities Commission would fund 50 percent of the project.

The board will meet July 20 to complete the process of placing the bond issue on the ballot.

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Keifer Center awarded $4.2 million grant

By Megan Gildow | Friday, June 18, 2010, 01:54 PM

Keifer Alternative Center will be one of 42 schools statewide to received federal School Improvement Grants earmarked to help struggling schools “turn around,” according to a release from the Ohio Department of Education.

Keifer, Springfield City School’s alternative learning option for students who have not been successful in a traditional education environment, will receive over $4.2 million over the next three years to support reforms, according to the ODE.

Springfield applied for school improvement grants for several schools but Keifer was the only project approved. Keifer was also the only Tier I school — lowest achieving five percent of Title I schools in school improvement status or Title I secondary schools with a five year graduation rate less than 60 percent — in the district and Tier I schools were given priority in selection over Tier II or III schools.

Springfield selected the ODE’s “Transformation” method of turn around which requires schools to:

• Replace the principal and work to increase teacher and school leader effectiveness;

• Institute comprehensive instructional reforms;

• Increase learning time and create community-oriented schools;

• Provide operational flexibility and sustained support.

Keifer Principal Gary Cross will remain in his position under an exception for principals who were hired in the last two years.

Look for more on what this means for Keifer students in Saturday’s News-Sun.

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Springfield to test phone notification system

By Megan Gildow | Wednesday, February 17, 2010, 01:14 PM

Springfield City Schools will be testing its ALERTNOW notification service tonight, Feb. 17, according to a letter sent home to parents from Superintendent David Estrop.

The service will allow the school to notify parents and guardians about school delays or cancellations and emergencies, according to Estrop’s letter.

There will be a test call this evening. The schools need accurate, up-to-date information to reach families and will call up to two numbers. Information can be updated with your child’s school.

The district lists four things families should know about the system:

• Caller ID will display 411 if the message is an emergency or a weather issue.

• ALERTNOW will leave a message on any answering machine or voicemail.

• If the ALERTNOW message “;cuts off”halfway through, there is too much background noise. Utilize the mute button or cover the receiver and the message will begin playing again from the start.

• Press 1 to replay the message in its entirety.

The cost for the system is $17,325 annually and should make a noticeable difference to the school’s operations, said Treasurer Chris Mohr.

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Northwestern holds first design meeting

By Megan Gildow | Wednesday, January 20, 2010, 10:00 AM

Northwestern Local Schools will hold its first design committee meeting Thursday, Jan. 21, to make decisions about elements of the two new buildings the district will be constructing.

The district’s architecture firm, SHP Leading Design, will guide the committee through the design process, which Superintendent Tony Orr has said will include all sectors of the staff and community.

The community approved Nov. 3 a combined bond issue and income tax. The 1 percent income tax will fund operations but the bond issue portion will pay the local share of 45 percent of the cost of building two new schools: one for kindergarten through sixth grade and a second for 7th through 12th grade.

The district has been accepting names of interested residents for the committees but there is still time to sign up by calling (937) 964-1318.

The meeting begins at 7 p.m. Thursday in the choir lecture room at Northwestern High School, according to the district.

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Catholic Central celebrates anniversary with community Mass

By Megan Gildow | Wednesday, January 20, 2010, 09:42 AM

SPRINGFIELD — Catholic Central Schools will celebrate its 80th anniversary with a community Mass Feb. 2 and invites the community to join them.

Admission is free however there are about 600 tickets available, said Kathy Sahle, director or development for the school. About 100 of the 600 available tickets have been reserved.

The Mass will be at 10 a.m. Feb. 2 at the Clark State Performing Arts Center. Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr will serve as celebrant for the Mass, said Sahle.

Special accommodations for seating will be available. Contact Mary Kelly at (937) 328-7427 Ext. 111 or mkelly@ccirish.org about tickets.

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Students participate in ‘Monarchs in Space’ program

By Megan Gildow | Wednesday, December 16, 2009, 11:32 AM

Keifer Alternative Center and Springfield High School students are participating in a program that allows them to conduct the experiment simultaneously with a space-based mission.

The students are studying Monarch biology at the same time the first ever Monarch “butterflynauts” have launched orbit aboard the space shuttle Atlantis and taken up residence in an international space station.

Photographer Marshall Gorby and I visited Catherine Lestrud’s class at Keifer today to talk to the class about their project. The experiment has been an excellent way to teach the students about observation as part of science and the students have enjoyed the hands-on work, said Lestrud.

The class has six caterpillars in three environments around the room to test the effect of temperature on the process of becoming a butterfly. Find out more about the experiment in tomorrow’s News-Sun.

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Moore-Fulton name decision coming this week

By Megan Gildow | Monday, December 7, 2009, 04:58 PM

In one corner, you have the Springfield native and boxing legend Davey Moore.

In the other, you have one of the founding fathers of public education in Springfield and school namesake of several decades, John Fulton.

Who will win in the battle over the name of Fulton Elementary School will be decided this week when Springfield City Schools board members meet for what will likely be the last time this year.

Fulton’s likely going to keep the naming honors regardless of the board’s decision; the group of citizens, led by former Mayor Dale Henry, seeking the name change isn’t disputing that. What they want is to add Moore’s name, christening the school “John Fulton-Davey Moore Elementary School.”

Henry’s been seeking the change actively for a couple months, citing Moore’s significance in the community and the ebbing of the park named for Moore to accommodate the new Fulton school.

Board members offered to name Fulton’s gymnasium for Moore but Henry rejected the offer. The board said at a Nov. 19 meeting it would make a final decision at the meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Clark Center on West Jefferson Street.

Do you think Moore’s name should be added to Fulton’s name or should the school continue as Fulton Elementary? If you want to talk about it, give me a call at (937) 328-0373.

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Union seeks reinstatement for coaches

By Megan Gildow | Monday, November 30, 2009, 11:34 AM

Greenon teachers have filed request for a writ of mandamus seeking reinstatement for two football coaches who were fired over allegations of harassing players, according to records filed with the Clark County Clerk of Courts.

The Greenon Local Schools Board of Education voted unanimously at a special meeting in June to begin termination proceedings of supplemental contracts for Head Coach Tim Hale and Assistant Coach Tad Steinbrink, according to meeting minutes. Hale and Steinbrink were accused of “engaging in a pattern of behavior designed to intimidate and humiliate certain students,” according to the resolution.

The Greenon Federation of Teachers filed an appeal Nov. 18 seeking reinstatement for both men, claiming that the termination is invalid because the board of education never finalized the proceedings in public session as stipulated in the June resolution, according to the complaint.

Greenon Local Schools argues that the terminations were finalized in an agreement signed by Superintendent Lori Lytle and federation President Barb Jenkins. The July 14 Memorandum of Understanding stipulates that the June 6 board vote would “be construed as terminating all of their supplemental contracts.”

UPDATE: The union withdrew the memorandum because it violated Ohio law regarding the employment of public school teachers, said Jenkins.

“It violates the… law and we cannot abide by that understanding,” she said, citing a teacher’s right for employment to be voted on in public session at a scheduled board meeting.

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