Teachers Make the Difference

Yesterday morning, we gathered at the Toledo Club for what has become one of my (and most of the board's) favorite annual events: the "I Make A Difference" breakfast, honoring the most influential teachers of the Valedictorians and Salutatorians from Anthony Wayne, Ottawa Hills, Whitmer, Northview, Southview, Clay, Springfield, Perrysburg, Rossford and Maumee High Schools. Each student writes, then reads, an essay explaining why the teacher was selected - a couple of boxes of kleenex are always needed when a six-foot-two high school senior honors his second grade teacher from a decade ago; this is why all of us involved with education do what we do.
I was honored to just speak a few words at the beginning; the following is the text of the speech, which conveys my feelings toward those who teach...

I would like to extend a very warm welcome this morning to all of the students, teachers, parents, and administrators who are joining us here today! I think I speak on behalf of the entire governing board of the Lucas County Educational Service Center when I say that this is a real highlight of our year; it truly is an honor to have the opportunity to spend time with all of you, and to hear the amazing stories that you have to share.
Now… because this is such an accomplished group of scholars, and because I have been preoccupied with the Ohio Achievements Tests this week, I thought it would be only fitting to start this morning off with a little quiz.
This is multiple choice, so it shouldn’t be too hard.
The question is: What is the single most important factor affecting student success in schools today?
And here are your possible answers.
A. The economic prosperity of the district.
B. The educational level of the student’s parents
C. The commitment level of the Board of education
D. The readiness of a student when starting kindergarten
So what do you think?
Well, before you say anything, I want to tell you that this is really not a fair quiz because I didn’t give you the right answer as an option.
The right answer, the single most important factor affecting student success, is not the economic prosperity of the school and has little to do with the board of education. Of course parents matter greatly, and kindergarten readiness is important, but the single most important factor is the quality of the teachers.
Study after study proves that what matters most are those people teaching our kids. If we want our kids to succeed, we have to have great teachers.
Clearly, we have a room full of great teachers here, and the successful students to prove it. I, for one, want to say a special thank you to every teacher in this room – thank you for those mornings when you got up before the crack of dawn, and thank you for those evenings when you stayed after the sun went down and it was just you and the custodian left locking up the building; for those weekends you gave up and those extra dollars you spent out of your own pocket, thank you. On behalf of our board, and the entire administration and staff of the LCESC, we thank you for being the reason why our students succeed. Enjoy your morning!

District Students honored; First Master Teacher honored; Summit Academies Hit Targets

The LCESC Governing Board met at 5:30 PM at the 3939 Wrenwood (the ALCC) on March 9th. The first hour consisted of dozens of awards for outstanding students, as well as several staff members who received the "Job Well Done" award. While this sounds very general and somewhat bland, the reality of meeting these vibrant young people and hearing some of their individual stories is anything but - for instance, last night I met Richard Brown, a student at Springfield High School, who was chosen to be an honoree for involvement in extra-curricular activities. As he received his award, I asked him "What activities do you participate in?" and he responded "So many - I can't list them here, but I'll talk to you about them afterwards!" So of course I found Richard after the event, and chatted with him and his mom about his involvement in SHAPE, among other activities. Here is the link to the SHAPE website: www.shapeonline.org . Every student has a story similar to Richard's, or they wouldn't be there...we have such a strong group of young people in this area. It is truly a privilege and a joy to serve - I wish I could personally meet each student, and I am grateful for those I do get the opportunity to know a bit better.
The ceremony concluded with the recognition of the LCESC's first Master Teacher recipient, Tammy Mansfield. Eight teachers in area districts received this award, and each was recognized by their home district. The LCESC board and administration shares in congratulating Tammy - a permanent display to honor all Master Teachers from the LCESC will be forthcoming at the 2275 Collingwood location.
In community schools updates, the board heard that Summit Academies, which includes 23 community schools around the state, has hit numerous targets for fiscal and student achievement accountability during the past twelve months. The board has had Summit Academies under an "intent to suspend," forcing massive changes to the administration and conduct of the school. Those changes have happened; twenty-nine administrators have left, and the school went from being three million dollars in the red to being in the black. While the "intent to suspend" has not been lifted, the topic will likely be broached at future meetings.
The LCESC supports our member districts with upcoming levies, and urges voters to support these difficult but necessary measures in order to sustain excellence in education for the students in this area. Huge funding reductions from the state have forced schools to make cuts, and without the passage of these levies, additional and damaging cuts will likely result.
The National School Board Association annual conference will take place in Chicago from April 8-12, and I will be in attendance. The normal governing board meeting for the LCESC will be held a week later than usual due to Spring Break - the date is April 20th, at 5 PM at 2275 Collingwood.
Please continue to contact me with questions, concerns, or the need for clarification. If I don't have the answer, I'll do my best to point you toward the person who does.

Michael Dansack, Jr. Appointed to Fill Board Vacancy

At a special meeting of the board on January 28th, Michael Dansack, Jr., an attorney and former Mayor of the City of Oregon, was appointed to the vacancy on the LCESC Board. Dansack will be sworn in at the regular meeting of the board on February 9th, at 5:30 PM at the ALCC. Dansack is a resident of Anthony Wayne Local School District, and the father of a student at Monclova Elementary. The board agreed that the quality of the applicant pool was truly outstanding.

Organizational Meeting; Special Meeting Dates Set

Tonight was the organizational meeting for the governing board of the LCESC. The following is the governance structure for the year: President - Angela Zimmann, VP - Karen Krause, Penta Board Rep - Joe Rutherford. Committee appointments remained unchanged from last year, although there are a few vacancies due to the lack of a 5th board member. The special meetings to appoint a new member are scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 19th (1:30 PM) and Thursday, Jan. 21 (4 PM). There are seven highly-qualified applicants for the position. It is encumbant upon the board to appoint a new member prior to the end of the month, and I will post as soon as a decision has been reached.
I will travel to Columbus on Jan 22/23 to be installed as a Trustee for OSBA, and to Findlay on Jan 30 for a Board Presidents' Workshop. Updates to follow!

OPEN SEAT ON THE BOARD; Fond Farewell to Judy Hansen

Last night's meeting, at 5 PM at the Collingwood Center, included a number of significant highlights: first, we dedicated the pool at the Collingwood Center to retiring Board Member Judy Hansen. Judy has served for twelve years, in a number of capacities, and she has overseen advancement in the LSESC, including the growth of the Challenger Center; it was fitting, then, that we enjoyed a presentation about the Challenger Center by Reed Steele (if you aren't aware of the Challenger Center, check out this link: http://www.lucas.k12.oh.us/index.php?section=107)

With Judy's term ending, we have an opening on the board. In order to qualify, an individual must reside in the Anthony Wayne, Ottawa Hills, Springfield or Washington Local school districts. An appointment can be made no EARLIER than Jan. 11 and no later than Jan. 30th. If you are interested, please send a letter of interest and a current resume to LSESC, 2275 Collingwood Blvd., Toledo, OH 43620, Attn: Joe Rutherford, Board President. If you would like to further discuss this opportunity, feel free to contact me directly at angelaz@bgsu.edu.
We will be holding a *special meeting* at 11:30 on Friday, December 18th at the Collingwood Center, so if you are interested in finding out more about how the organization operates, feel free to attend.

We are proud that one of our gifted teachers, Laura Amburgey from the Anthony Wayne district, received the Ohio Gifted Teacher of the Year award. This is an impressive honor and we are lucky to have such qualified professionals working at the ESC.

We continue to work on improving and monitoring the progress of our charter schools. Last night we moved to send a notice of intention to suspend New City School in Dayton, Ohio. We will wait to hear back from them (they have 5 business days to submit a corrective action plan). We will deal with their response at the special meeting on Dec. 18.

Superintendent Deb Delisle Goes to the Moon; 94 Students Graduate w/GREs;Thanksgiving to be Celebrated at ALCC

State Superintendent Deb Delisle visited Lucas County ESC today; her first visit to an ESC, and she had the opportunity to visit the Collingwood Center which hosts the State Support Team for Region 1, as well as the Shuer Center... where Dr. Delisle traveled to the moon on our Challenger simulator. Lunch was served, and Superintendent Delisle was joined by the superintendents from our member districts, as well as the LCESC administrative staff and the board of the ESC. She spoke eloquently about the Race to the Top in education, and the big plans that the federal and state governments have in mind. She explained that Ohio was anticipating about 165 million in federal funds, but it looks as though we will be the recipients of somewhere between 200-400 million... good news.
In other news, we had our board meeting tonight at the ALCC, where we honored over fifty students from local districts, and it was announced that 94 students recently graduated from our GRE program. The ALCC will be host of their annual Thanksgiving dinner, prepared and served by the students on Wednesday, November 25th. I attended last year and it was a delicious meal complete with delightful company - the students did a great job.
The next regular board meeting is December 8th. The December date will be the last board meeting for Judy Hansen, who has served for twelve years, and opted not to run for re-election this year. The other two incumbants, Joseph Rutherford (current president) and Joan Kuchcinski, were re-elected. The remaining vacant seat will be filled by the board in January.

State Superintendent to visit, Toledo charter school closing

Last night at the regular monthly meeting of the LCESC board, several items of real interest were raised: first of all, Deb DeLisle, Ohio Superintendent of Schools, will be spending the entire day with the LCESC staff - this is a wonderful opportunity for a member of the state administration to see what an ESC "really does" - and, like most people who aren't immersed in the world of the ESC, she might be pleasantly surprised at the diversity and strength of the programs here in Lucas County.
In other news, as a result of new legislation, Englewood Peace Academy (http://englewoodpeace.org/Site/EPA.html) will close its doors at the end of this school year. Two years of academic emergency put this k-8 charter school under fire from the state, and as a sponsor we are obligated to comply.
Overall, the community schools we sponsor have increased in performance over the past year: 11% are Excellent, 6% are Effective, 35% rate Continuous Improvement (the same category at Toledo Public Schools), 10% are Academic Watch, and 30% are Academic Emergency. As a sponsor, we comply with legislation from the state and will not hesitate to follow the protocol to close schools which don't meet the new minimum state standards, which can be found here: http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/3314.35.
October 1, 2009, is the date of the Northwest Region fall conference for school boards - this year it will be held at Penta County, with tours of the new facility provided, along with a dinner presented by Penta's culinary students.
November 8-11 is the Ohio School Board Association annual conference in Columbus.
I will attend both of these events and report back on interesting developments.
I hope to hear from readers, publicly or privately - I am here to serve you, and I thank you for that opportunity!