By: James Pruitt
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
The North Central Schools Board of Education approved the hiring of Deb Opdycke as a speech therapist for 7.25 hours a day, two days a week at $60 per hour.
Opdycke replaces Deb Wyse who was not interested in continuing, Superintendent Ken Boyer said.
The elementary school reported 38 children went through the kindergarten screening. That was up from 28 last years, Principal Paul Jones said.
In the fall, the school expects to have 35 kindergarteners and 11 Pre-k students. That number is subject to change.
The school is in the midst of its testing schedule which runs through May 4. All tests, including makeups, must be completed by May 13.
The Spring program for grades 3-6 will be at 6:30 p.m. May 2.
The Peacemaker awards will be May 5. Grades 1-3 – 1:15 p.m.; Grades 4-6 – 2 p.m.
May 16-20 will be the school’s Right to Read Week.
Sixth-graders will be heading to Toledo for a Mud Hens game. The team invited the class.
“We thought that would be an appropriate way for them to end their elementary careers,” Jones said.
High school report
Principal Tim Rettig
The eighth-grade field trip to Gibraltar Island at Put-in-Bay on Lake Erie is coming up. The trip is an incentive for kids not having to go to summer school, Principal Tim Rettig said.
As a result, attendance at summer school was around six students last year.
Graduation will go on as normal, but parking will be at a premium. The program should be shorter this year with only 25 graduates.
“I like this class, there is just not that many of them,” Rettig said.
The district’s 5-year financial forecast shows a positive balance, but some deficit spending is possible in 2018. At best, the forecast is a guess, Boyer said.
The roof is on the new high school under construction, Boyer said. The opening at the north end is closed, he said.
Crews will pour in a few more hallways and floors in the south end. Masonry crews may be finished in three to five weeks, Boyer said.
“Once it is all closed in, the rooms will take shape,” Boyer said.
While an opening date for the new school has not been set, the old high school will come down June 14. The district will host an auction a week before that.
Boyer clarified the presence of a board room that could be used by the village, the school board and the community. The room would feature a raised level for the council or school board and could seat 100 people.
‘The room offers a wonderful opportunity,” Boyer said. “It’s going to get a lot of use. It will be used every day, not just twice a month.”
James Pruitt may be reached at
publisher@thevillagereporter.com