Division I regional track finals
Fenwick graduation 2012
Ponitz graduation 2012
Home > Blogs > Springfield Schools News and Issues > Archives > 2009 > March > 15
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Northwestern plans for budget cuts
Northwestern board members will discuss and vote on budget cuts for the 2009-10 school year later this week.
The board meets at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 19 in the auditorium at Northwestern High School.
The district is looking at budget cuts for the next year that would include eliminating a few positions, some supplemental contracts and other areas, according to Superintendent Tony Orr.
“Its my responsibility as a superintendent to be a fiscal steward for the community,” said Orr. “I believe in fiscal conservatism.
“It’s planning for the long term.”
UPDATE: Find out more about the cuts here.
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Board to discuss superintendent candidates
The Springfield school board will meet in closed session with search consultants Tuesday to discuss the semi-finalist candidates who will be interviewed to be the next city schools superintendent.
The national search, performed by Illinois-based BWP and Associates, will be narrowed down to about six educators who will be interviewed by the board the week of March 23rd.
Ohio law allows boards to conduct personnel business like this in executive session.
After the initial interviews, finalists will be brought back for another round that will include a chance for other stakeholders to interview the prospective superintendents.
A couple representatives of the board and a couple other people (I know for sure they invited teachers union president Greg Krouse because I was at the meeting when they said it back in December, but I’m not sure who else will be included) will then go on a site visit to the chosen candidate’s current employer.
We’ll have information on all of the applicants on the blog early this week.
The board meets at 4 p.m. Tuesday at the Shouvlin Center.
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OMG, it’s the OGT!
Thousands of students across the state will take the state’s high school exit exam this week.
That’s right, it’s OGT week.
This year’s sophomores will take their first shot at passing the exam in reading, writing, math, science and social studies. Juniors and seniors who have not passed one or more portions of the exam will also take the test, and for seniors, this is their final chance before graduation.
State law requires that students pass all portions of the OGT to graduate, although there is also an alternative pathway for students who do not pass one portion. It has several requirements including a letter from a teacher in that subject, attendance stipulations and requires students to have taken advantage of some of the extra assistance schools offer students who struggle with the OGT.
This is the test Gov. Ted Strickland has proposed doing away with in favor of the ACT Plus, a creation of Strickland’s that would include the ACT, exit exams in subjects, a senior project and a service learning project. He argues that this would be a better measure of a student’s preparation for life after high school that the OGT, which is based on what a 10th grade student, not a graduate, should be able to do and bases everything on just one test.
How hard is the OGT? The ODE provides a practice Web site for students that has plenty of sample questions. Take a gander.
What do you think? Is the OGT a good measure for high school graduates?
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