What We Do with 35 Million Dollars; Eight Charter Schools on Probation; Please Join Me! to Hear State Superintendent Speak

Last night at the regularly scheduled board meeting of the LCESC, the treasurer, Richard Cox, noted that our budget is currently $35 million dollars (down from $38 million a few years ago). The natural follow-up question asked by constituents: What do you do with that money?
Here are just a few of the services the LCESC provides to the school districts in the community:

• Special Education Services: occupational, physical, speech therapy, audiology and vision services; school psychologists; cooperative classrooms for students with multiple disabilities, emotional disabilities and autism
• Student Programs: gifted and talented, preschool and Headstart, Alternative schools, dual credit to seniors
• Cooperative Endeavors: insurance and purchasing consortia, assistance in search for administrators (currently involved with helping Anthony Wayne find a superintendent), state and federal grants
• Professional Development: first-year teacher programs, leadership development, curriculum assessment and improvement sessions
• Implementation of Federal and State regulations: licensure renewals, background checks, home-schooling, school attendance, child abuse awareness and prevention, education management information system
• Community Partnerships - Challenger Center, ALCC

Each of these components contains many other programs and opportunities. Last night we honored dozens of outstanding students from our eight member districts. Next Tuesday we will host the Lucas County Spelling Bee. The list goes on and on. If your child attends a school in Lucas County -public or private - there is a good chance that s/he has been the recipient of the services of the LCESC.

In other news, eight of our charter schools are on probation for academic issues: seven are not local, but Victory Academy in Toledo is one of the local charters on probation. This is a k-8 school which enrolls about 100 students. Updates will be forthcoming as the situation progresses. Accountability from the charter schools with which we are involved is of paramount importance.

The State Superintendent, Deb DeLisle, will speak at the Spring Conference of the NWO region of the OSBA on Thursday, March 12th, at Bowling Green State University. Tickets are $30 and include a wonderful meal and entertainment by the Otsego Swing Choir! Joe Rutherford, current president of the LCESC, will be honored for his many years as a member of the NWO executive committee. I am attending this event - the public is welcome! If you want tickets, let me know - this is your State Superintendent and your opportunity to meet her!

New Year, New Officers, New Opportunities for the Community

Last night the LCESC board had two back-to-back meetings; the first is the mandatory organizational meeting at which we elect officers for the year and set our meeting times. Our new officers are Joe Rutherford, President, and myself as Vice-President. Committee assignments for 2009 will be made at the February meeting. Our meeting times will remain the same: 5 PM on Tuesdays, except when we meet at the ALCC to give out awards - then, the meetings are at 5:30 PM. Our next meeting is Tuesday, February 10th at 5:30 PM at the Alternate Learning Center on Wrenwood. As always, the meetings are open to the public.
The second meeting followed immediately, and we accomplished the necessary business. The monthes and years ahead will be difficult for the LCESC and for all educational entities as we struggle to survive on greatly diminished funds. The LCESC has been "ahead of the curve," striving to be fiscally responsible and seeing the "writing on the wall" for funding cuts. Nonetheless, we have a budget of over 16 million dollars.
The rest of the business of the board was pro forma- approving resignations and replacements, accepting donations, congratulating our member districts on their accomplishments (Springfield High School JROTC drill team placed first in the competition at UT in December), and planning for upcoming events (we sponsor the Lucas County Spelling Bee to be held on Feb. 17, and plans are underway for the Foreign Language Institute to be held this summer).
I have been appointed to the Executive Committee of the Northwest Ohio Region for the OSBA. I plan to keep you updated on that - my first meeting is Feb. 8th!

Support for Ninety Entry-Year Teachers; Penta Enrollment Soars; Reed Steele Takes the Helm at Challenger Center

My post this evening is full of links to other sites - one of the helpful aspects of blogging, in my opinion. I encourage you to explore these links if the subject is of interest to you!

For those of you in the Maumee, Rossford, and Springfield school districts - the Lucas County ESC continues to provide state-mandated entry-year teacher training to your teachers, along with training the first-year teachers at the ESC and at numerous parochial and charter schools. Ninety first-year teachers are enrolled in the program (more than ever before), which matches them with mentors and provides extensive programming in how to succeed in the field of education. Rose Kandik is the director of this program at the LCESC. To read more about it, follow this link: http://www.lucas.k12.oh.us/index.php?section=43.
In other news, Joe Rutherford and Judy Hansen reported that Penta County has increased in enrollment, and may next year reach the cap of two thousand students. While Joe will continue on the Penta Board, the downsizing of the board results in the elimination of Judy Hansen's seat as of January 1, 2009. You can read more about this situation here: http://rolandhansencommentary.blogspot.com/2008/10/penta-career-center-gives-shaft-to.html.
Reed Steele is set to take the helm at the Challenger Learning Center in Oregon - an amazing facility where my own child experienced the excitement of science and rocketry. He follows Julie Muffler, who resigned to take a position elsewhere, but she will return periodically to visit. The Springfield Local School Board provides for every fifth grade student to spend a day at Challenger; Joan Kuchcinski mentioned that Pickett Elementary recently attended Challenger; this is a resource not to be missed in our community. Here is a link: http://challengerlc.org/main.html
Finally, it was decided that the organizational meeting for the 2009 year will take place at 5 PM on Tuesday, January 13th. At this meeting we will elect our president and vice-president for the coming year; s/he will take charge immediately, as our first general meeting follows immediately.
As a sidenote, three of our board members are up for re-election in 2009: Judy Hansen, Joan Kuchcinski and Joe Rutherford. While I have not heard definitively, it sounds as though all three may well run; however, that should not deter any interested parties from taking out a petition and getting on the ballot. The race for my seat was contested: there were three of us running for two seats (Karen Krause - incumbent, William Michael (Mike) Spahr, and myself). The fact that the race was contested made us all work harder and look more closely at why we were running, as well as appreciate the fact that there are no guarantees - our constituents (should be) watching, and holding us accountable for the work we are privileged to perform.

One Year on the Board; OSBA Conference in Columbus; Collecting Debts from Community Schools; Foreign Language Camp Coming!

It has been one year since I was elected to this board.
I had no idea I would learn so much and develop such a passion for the people and the work with which I have been involved during these past ten monthes.
I look forward to the days ahead, and to working alongside each of you!

I am dividing the remainder of this blog post into three parts, so you can skip to the section of interest to you personally:

First, the Ohio School Board Association held the annual Capital Conference in Columbus from Nov. 9-12. The event included numerous learning tracks, and this year there were a special series of presentation specifically for ESCs. Did you know that there are 58 ESCS in the state of Ohio? Approximately 23% of ESC budgets come from the state, and the rest is from local revenue sources (school districts who contract with the ESCs) or grants. It was pointed out that traditional school boards often are unaware of the work of the ESCs, these silent partners who work behind the scenes to enhance the educational experience in the communities they serve. The OSBA plans to work more closely with the OESCA to reach out and communicate more clearly with traditional school boards.

Last night was our monthly meeting at the ALCC, and again we had the privilege of honoring outstanding students from Anthony Wayne, Sylvania Southview and Northview, Ottawa Hills, Rossford, Perrysburg, Whitmer, and Springfield. We also honored a family of the month and a wonderful "Out of School" department within the LCESC which works to help students who have dropped out of school to earn their GEDs. Our business included updates from the treasurer and superintendent on the work they are doing to meet the board-assigned "focus areas" for the year. The next paragraph will highlight one of these focus areas, the foreign language institute.
Importantly, the board took action to authorize the Lucas County Prosecuting Attorney to initiate litigation against two charter schools with whom we are no longer involved: they owe the LCESC over $25,000, combined. Action will be taken against the Toledo Academy of Learning and Greater Heights Academy in Cleveland to collect on these debts as we continue to closely monitor charter schools and hold them accountable to the highest standards in an effort to protect our children and provide them with the best possible educational opportunities.

Speaking of educational opportunities, do you have an elementary-school child who might like to learn Chinese, French or Spanish? The LCESC is actively pursuing a foreign language institute, with plans to have foreign language daycamps next summer and Saturday schools in the works as well. I know two kids who will be at the camp: Seth and Chelsea, my children. One of the many, many blessings of serving on the board has been the opportunity for me and my family to witness firsthand the wide array of programs that the LCESC offers and to avail ourselves of them. I encourage everyone to visit the LCESC website and see what is offered - there is something for everyone, of all ages and ability levels.

Support for levies at OHHS, Sylvania; Shuer Roof Project to Proceed

At the board meeting last night, there were several interesting developments: along with the normal business of the board, we reaffirmed the decision to move forward by contracting with Rossi & Associates as recommended by the Building and Grounds Committee. Rossi & Associates will serve as the architects and overseers in the roofing project at the Shuer Center. They were chosen after the B & G committee met with several other highly reputable companies. The bids for the roof will go out in January or February, and construction will begin in the spring. The total cost of the project will be around half a million dollars.
The board also voted to support the levies at Ottawa Hills and Sylvania, two of the schools which we serve. A number of grants were accepted as well. Next month, the meeting will be held on a Thursday instead of Tuesday, as the Ohio School Boards Association Conference takes place over the time of the normally scheduled meeting. I will blog on the OSBA Conference.
Everything else is progressing as expected - nothing out of the ordinary to report.

"Lorain Gifted Academy" Becomes "Menlo Park" and My Commentary on "Gifted Children"

In our board meeting at 6:30 AM(!) yesterday morning, we unanimously voted to allow Lorain Gifted Academy to re-open as "Menlo Park" under new management, with a new board. This charter school had received an "Excellent" rating, but closed because the management company, Constellation, chose to withdraw its support. In record time, the parents of the students banded together and fulfilled every legal obligation, including hiring four certified teachers, so that the school can re-open on Tuesday, September 23rd.
My stance on charter schools is typically a dubious one; I am an advocate of traditional public education, as evidenced by the choice my family has made in sending our children to Springfield Local. I had a question for those who had traveled to our meeting yesterday from Menlo Park: How do these parents and educators insure that their "gifted" children receive adequate interaction with other children? (I place "gifted" in quotation marks because I firmly believe that, in one way or another, every child is gifted.) I asked this in the context of my own experience, both as a child identified as "gifted" and as the parent of a "gifted" child. They had answers: the kids play soccer, participate in scouts, etc. The response was interesting...one parent mentioned that her child did not function well in a traditional public school, did not find himself to be challenged, and felt "different." Another parent came up to me later and said that her daughter just wanted to "fit in" and couldn't do that at the traditional public school. I understand and empathize with these positions, and I support this option for these children or I would not have voted in support of the school. However, I see it differently...
...the best education I received came in diverse, public settings where I had to struggle to find a niche, where I had to stretch, grow, experience rejection and learn that academic "giftedness" is only one of many talents that people possess. I had to learn side-by-side with kids who were rich, poor, black, white, boy, girl, and yes - academically gifted or "average" or even "academically challenged." One of my good friends during elementary school was a little girl named Robin who had mild mental retardation and development delays. Robin didn't care if I was smart or dumb; she was wise enough to know that if she would push me on the swings, I would push her back. I am grateful for Robin, and all that she taught me on a daily basis. I want the same for my children. I want them to learn how challenging difference can be, and how the true servant leader can turn it from an obstacle into a learning opportunity and appreciate all stripes of human being. Last year, my son received a character award at his elementary school for "acceptance." Mr. Lee, his teacher, noted that Seth accepted kids of all kinds, and treated them all with equal respect. My son has been identified as academically "gifted," and that's cool - but the fact that my son can "hang with his homies" and love 'em all the same - whether their IQ is over 127 (the official number designating "gifted") or under - is, in my opinion, the greatest "gift" of all. I hope that he never, ever changes.

Charter School Ratings; The Roof; Official Support for Some Levies and Not Others

The September meeting took place on Tuesday the 9th... it has taken me a few days to blog since I am buried under my first round of student essays (which are quite good!) from BGSU.
I want to hit the important highlights here.
First of all, charter schools - the report cards are in, and overall charter schools did not fare as well as traditional public schools throughout the state. There are 311 charter schools in Ohio; of those 311, only 25 received the ratings of "Excellent" or "Effective" (none received "Excellent with Distinction"). On the other hand, 159 received the rating of "Academic Watch" or "Academic Emergency." Toledo Public outperformed these schools with its rating of "Continuous Improvement." To be fair, the 72 charter schools sponsored by the LCESC (which comprises 24% of the total number of charter schools in the state) performed better than the state averages across the board. There are many more statistics available; if you are interested, let me know and I will be pleased to provide them to you!
On to the roof: Nordstrom Roofing has been selected to complete the short-term repair for the roof at the Shuer/Challenger Center. We are in the process of selecting a design architect who will guide us through the selection of the company which will complete the overhaul of the roof due to take place next year.
And the levies! We voted to publicly support the levies at Anthony Wayne, Maumee, Perrysburg, Washington Local and TPS, as well as the Lucas County MRDD levy. COSI, on the other hand, did not gain the official support of the board, although several board members expressed their personal support of COSI and the great value it brings to the community. The board reasoned that as a 501c3 organization, the levy fell outside the scope of the LCESC.
A special meeting may be happening next Tuesday to discuss another charter school with which we have been a sponsor - the Lorain Academy for the Gifted, which closed (despite receiving an "Excellent" rating) due to financial losses. Parents are seeking to re-open the school under the name of "Menlo Park." I will keep you updated here!