Mantua – At the latest School Board meeting, preschool teacher Elizabeth Marlow and Ms Donna Hejl, were honored by CPS Principal Cindy Ducca. From the Transportation Department, Supervisor Sharon Dove thanked Sandra Wagner, a District bus driver, for her exemplary service, and lastly, CMS Assistant Principal Keith Robinson honored language-arts teacher Lydia Kulesza. These individuals were all recognized for their dedication and commitment to the District by the administration — congratulations to all!
In the Superintendent’s Communication, Dave Toth mentioned that the state is currently in the process of proposing a revision to the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which was put in place by President Obama in 2015. The ESSA shifted from broad federal oversight of education to more control and decision-making residing at the state and local levels. The revision currently under review was based on feedback from school districts across the state who have called for less student testing, given that Ohio requires seven more tests than federal guidelines require. According to Mr. Toth,”This revision doesn’t appear to accomplish that.” He urged residents to review the proposed plan at the state’s website: education.ohio.gov. In addition, Mr. Toth voiced his concerns that the preliminary state budget includes new restrictions that will affect how much funding the Crestwood District will receive. He noted that the proposed budget won’t be finalized until June 30th his hope is that it will be ‘tweaked’ by legislation prior to that date. He urged residents to contact legislators to voice their concerns over additional cuts to the District’s budget.
In other news, the board reviewed a revised school calendar for the 2017-2018 school year. The student start date on the proposed calendar is August 25th, as opposed to August 17th. On the proposed schedule, school would be out for the summer on June 1st instead of May 24th. If approved, this revision would replace the calendar that was approved at the January board meeting. When asked during public comment why the change was being entertained, several board members noted that their intent was to serve ‘every child every day,’ they came to understand that the previous schedule did serve all students. They noted that in order for the district to be successful in its endeavors, all parties must be willing to work together toward that same common goal.
To that end, the district is asking taxpayers to support a ballot issue to fund replacement of the current high school and middle school with a seven through twelve campus, which will be built on the current site of the high school. According to building experts, the age of the current structures — nearly 60 years old — and improvements in building materials and increased energy-efficiency standards, makes it cost-prohibitive to renovate existing structures. To better serve the community and its children, the decision was made to build a better organized, handicapped-accessible, and more efficient structure. As an added incentive, the State of Ohio will pay 30% of the costs associated with the project.
For more information, facts and figures, visit: itsabouttimecrestwood.com.
The next regularly scheduled school board meeting will be held on Tuesday, March 14th at 7 pm in the CHS library.
