The following actions were taken by the Northwest Ohio Educational Service Center Governing Board at their regular meeting held September 24, 2024. The meeting was called to order at 6:30 p.m. by President Deborah Gerken. All in attendance recited the Pledge of Allegiance.
GUESTS/PUBLIC PARTICIPATION:
NwOESC – staff member, Jacob McClellan, addressed the Board.
REPORTS:
-OSBA LEGISLATIVE LIAISON: Brian Baker reported on several state legislative updates. In June, the Ohio legislature passed 29 bills in a single day, nine of which impacted the education community.
Senate Bill 168 (deregulation bill) is one of the largest education bills to pass the legislature in the past few years. The bill allows school districts to renew certain exemptions if they meet new eligibility criteria on their most recent state report card. The bill also makes two clarifications to the law regarding board of education meetings.
Regarding school calendars, continuing law requires that each school district hold a public hearing regarding the school calendar at least 30 days before its adoption.
SB 168 clarifies that the hearing can be part of another public hearing or board meeting. The board of education does not need to hold a separate, individual hearing on the school calendar. Additionally, SB 168 clarifies and requires that the record of proceedings of a board of education meeting be read at the board’s next regular meeting, instead of at the next succeeding meeting. Also passed was HB 147.
ESCs must notify the state superintendent regarding a licensed employee who retires during a disciplinary investigation for misconduct. A report also must be filed if the employee retires under threat of termination or nonrenewal of their contract.
The bill expands school personnel subject to discipline by the State Board of Education for misconduct by modifying the definition of “license” to include pupil services personnel, staff members who hold a private provider registration under the Autism Scholarship Program, and certain unlicensed individuals authorized to teach in high-performing school districts.
Lastly, school districts and ESCs must file a report with the state superintendent when they remove a licensed employee from the list of eligible substitute teachers because the employee was reasonably determined to have committed an act unbecoming to the teaching profession. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the legislature allowed the Ohio Department of Education certain flexibilities for students who receive the Jon Peterson and the Autism scholarships. One of the flexibilities allowed recipients to receive services virtually.
HB 147 provides continued permission, allowing services prescribed in the student’s individualized education program (IEP) to be offered virtually by qualified credentialed providers. The bill also adds numerous credentialed professionals to the State Board’s approved list. Regarding interscholastic athletics, HB 147 allows a school district superintendent to permit a home-educated student, or a student enrolled in a different school district, community school, STEM school, chartered nonpublic school or non-chartered nonpublic school to participate in interscholastic athletics at any of the district’s schools if certain conditions apply.
HB 147 prohibits qualifying schools and athletic conferences and organizations from establishing different ticket prices based on the payment method. The only exception is to cover the processing fee for tickets purchased online or by credit card. Additionally, the bill requires that student ticket prices be less than an adult ticket price for the same event. These bills come into effect October 24, 2024.
•OSBA STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT LIAISON: Dr. Christine Smallman reported on several student achievement items. Dual-enrollment programs, which allow high school students to earn college credits, are growing nationwide, reaching one-fifth of high school students in the U.S.
However, challenges remain to ensure equitable access and support for students participating in these programs. Regarding school/parent communication, creating an effective line of communication with parents involves determining the specific channels that will be used and how student feedback will be incorporated and setting clear expectations for the frequency of communication.
Regarding absenteeism, educators are concerned about how chronic absenteeism, mental health issues, and poverty are affecting education, according to a survey by the Pew Research Center. In another item, elementary school students in San Diego are advocating for a skate park near their school.
The classroom teacher and skate park designer indicate the benefits of skating and the important life skills students are learning from their advocacy efforts. Research has been collected regarding the use of classroom fidgets.
For students who struggle with executive function, overstimulation or anxiety, fidgets may quiet tics, perseverations, and restlessness, allowing them to sustain focus for a longer time and allocate more of their residual attention to the academic task at hand.
However, much of the research on the negative attributes of fidgets focuses on a class of devices more appropriately classified as entertainment rather than study aids.
Fidget spinners, pop-its, light-up discs or pens with excessive clicking parts can be misused and even cause serious classroom disruption. It’s important to note that fidgets don’t improve attention, though they may suppress other distractions in some circumstances.
Teachers surveyed about the use of fidgets in the classroom agreed that their preference is to use the least disruptive fidgets for the least amount of time required to get the academic work done.
There is a clear agreement between researchers and teachers about fidget use: Avoid the most distracting fidgets — spinners, poppers, and other devices that light up, make noise, or encourage throwing.
CFO/TREASURER: Mrs. Abby Lorenzen discussed reports required by law to be shared with the board, Superintendent of Public Instruction, and Auditor of State. The two reports are a purchase and sales report and an income earned report.
Public finance officers are also required to attend a one-time training to invest in commercial paper, which she completed in October 2013. The auditors from Clark, Schaefer, and Hackett will be onsite in October.
While attending the Fall OTESCA conference recently, Mrs. Lorenzen noted a lot of discussion about the state funding initiative. OTESCA is working with the Fair School Funding Plan (FSFP) Group to update ESC funding. The three major focuses of this biennial budget are to fully fund the formula, update the inputs, and update ESC funding.
The ESC received allocations for the FY25 NBHP Wellness grant, the Migrant Education Program Identification and Recruitment grant, and Title III Language Instruction for English Learner (LIEL) grants.
As the business office was working to wrap up the ARP EANS (EANS II) program and GEER II SNS (EANS III) funds that were to be done in September, the state announced a one-year extension to allow for additional funds to be spent. The goal at the state level is not to send funds back to the federal government.
DIRECTOR OF SPECIAL EDUCATION: Mrs. Jill Gilliland shared that she, Niki Herold, and Alissa Brown attended the first annual Department of Children and Youth Summit on September 5th.
The afternoon included time for representatives from various agencies to meet and discuss how we can better serve families of young children. Representatives attended from the following agencies in our four-county area: ODJFS, ADAMhs Board, Family and Children First Council, Head Start, Health Department, Board of DD, NwOESC.
Mrs. Gilliland shared updates from the OESCA conference where the Office for Exceptional Children presented on Sept. 10th. The mission of the DCY and purpose of restructuring at ODEW was reviewed.
•DIRECTOR OF CURRICULUM, INSTRUCTION, & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: Mr. Andy Hunter shared that Senate Bill 168 was signed by Governor DeWine and will have an impact on OTES and the evaluation system.
He shared that ODEW will be hosting a Zoom meeting for state trainers this week sharing the implications and the recommendations from their department regarding this legislation.
Mr. Hunter also stated that state report cards were released on Friday, September 13th, and that our area districts did very well. Finally, he shared that As the world of AI continues to evolve at a rapid pace the curriculum department is working hard to provide training and learning opportunities.
On October 8, 2024 we are bringing Rebecca Bultsma, a pioneer in AI in for a keynote presentation and workshop. Included in that training will be breakout sessions from NWOCA as well as NwOESC.
DIRECTOR OF TECHNOLOGY & OPERATIONS: Mr. Chad Rex reported that he and Mr. Corey Todd have worked through an active start of the school year. With the help of Pat Turpening, they resolved 79 technology requests in July, 119 in August and 85 in September.
Based on last year’s data, they have a month or so before they see a leveling out of the work. They resolved 141 requests in October of ’23. Mr. Rex shared that they are grateful for the opportunity to serve and support the work of the ESC’s amazing professional staff. Mr. Rex also reported that the first Technology Leaders meeting was held on September 20th.
Mr. Rex displayed a photo of their meeting which showed the large group of onsite and remote attendees. Mr. Rex shared that there were thirty-six attendees and the various topics discussed during the meeting including Senate Bill 29 and cybersecurity.
Mr. Rex stated that he is excited to partner with NWOCA/Dataserv in cybersecurity planning and implementation efforts through their Cybersecurity Co-Pilot service. A purchase order has been submitted and he is waiting for a kickoff meeting.
Mr. Rex continues to work with NWOCA/DataServ on the configuration process for our phone system upgrade. Mr. Larry Davis and Mr. Rex have been meeting with Mr. Chadd Speiser to support his transition into the IEC Building Custodian position.
Mr. Speiser has hit the ground running. He is learning his new role and responsibilities quickly and very well! Mr. Rex also shared that the team received an email from the Ohio EPA notifying them that it was time for the IEC building’s sanitary survey of the public water system.
These surveys are completed at a minimum of every five years. The ESC’s water operator prepared a list of tasks for the team to complete in preparation for the survey. Mr. Speiser, Mr. Davis and Mr. Rex worked together to plan the work.
Mr. Rex shared that Mr. Davis and Mr. Speiser did an excellent job of fitting the work into their existing workload to meet the deadline. Mr. Rex announced that we passed the survey without any violations. However, there is a report with recommendations from the Ohio EPA that they will be reviewing.
Approved the following items under the consent agenda format:
-Minutes from the regular board meeting held August 27, 2024.
AGREEMENTS
-Lee H. Bowden and Sharon K. Bowden to provide to NwOESC/OMEC, Rental Agreement for the period of 1/1/25-12/31/28.
-Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation to provide to NwOESC, Independent Contractor Services for the period of 8/1/24-8/29/25.
-ProCare Therapy to provide to NwOESC, BCBA Services for the period of 9/10/24-5/23/25.
-NwOESC to provide to Montpelier Exempted Village Schools, Roots Analysis Services for the period of 7/1/24-11/30/24.
-NwOESC to provide to North Central Local Schools, Roots Analysis Services for the period of 7/1/24-11/30/24.
-NwOESC to provide to Northeastern Local Schools, Roots Analysis Services for the period of 7/1/24-11/30/24.
-NwOESC to provide to Patrick Henry Local Schools, ESL Instructional Assistant Services for the period of 8/15/24-6/15/25.
-NwOESC to provide to Swanton Local Schools, Roots Analysis Services for the period of 7/1/24-11/30/24.
-NwOESC to provide to Sylvania City Schools, Hearing Impaired Classroom & Related Services for the period of 8/15/24-6/15/25.
RESIGNATIONS
Pepple, KayCee, Paraprofessional-effective 8/21/2024; Westbrook, Scott, Paraprofessional- effective 9/20/2024
EMPLOYMENT RECOMMENDATIONS CONTRACTS
Classified Limited: Avina, Josephine CLASS-1 YR 9/3/2024-7/31/2025; Alsubehat, Sami CLASS-1 YR 9/13/2024-7/31/2025; Caudill, Courtney CLASS-1 YR 9/16/2024-7/31/2025; Cozart, Brittany CLASS-1 YR 11/11/2024-7/31/2025; Dunham, Jody CLASS-1 YR 9/3/2024-7/31/2025; Fanfan, Dady CLASS-1 YR 10/1/2024-12/31/2024; Keefer, Breanna CLASS-1 YR 9/17/2024-7/31/2025; Reinhart, Shelby CLASS-1 YR 9/18/2024-7/31/2025; Rocher, Marc CLASS-1 YR 10/1/2024-12/31/2024; Rush, Brynn CLASS-1 YR 9/11/2024-7/31/2025; Stokes, Madison CLASS-1 YR 10/1/2024-7/31/2025; Wittenmeyer, Deborah CLASS-1 YR 9/13/2024-7/31/2025
Certified Supplemental: Dowing, Mariah CPI-Trainer 7/1/2024-6/30/2025; Fouts, Jill CPI-Trainer 7/1/2024-6/30/2025; Ritter, Kris CPI-Trainer 7/1/2024-6/30/2025; Weber, Julie CPI-Trainer 7/1/2024-6/30/20; Sidle, Shanna LPDC-1 YR 9/1/2024-6/30/2025; Winters, Michelle LPDC-1 YR 9/1/2024-6/30/2025; Mabee, Susan LPDC-1 YR 9/1/2024-6/30/2025; Shively, Cheryl LPDC-1 YR 9/1/2024-6/30/2025
Teaching Assignments for staff with licensure not aligned to positions listed- First Semester 2024-25: Ball Madison – Intervention Specialist Independence Education Center; Beck Amy – Preschool Intervention Specialist Montpelier Elementary School; Cole Rachel – Intervention Specialist Independence Education Center; Elton Grace – Intervention Specialist Wauseon Elementary School; Estrada-Guerrero Taylor – Preschool Intervention Specialist Defiance City Schools; Haines Brooke- Intervention Specialist Edon Middle/High Schools; Hug Skeat – Intervention Specialist Independence Education Center; Klausing Sandra – Preschool Intervention Specialist Defiance City Schools; Morris Alexis – Preschool Itinerant Teacher NWOESC Multiple Locations; Richmond Karlin – Intervention Specialist Edon Elementary School; Snyder Taylor – Preschool Intervention Specialist Liberty Center Local Schools; Thomas Cheyenne – Intervention Specialist Wauseon Primary School; Wagner Staci – Preschool Intervention Specialist Hicksville Elementary School; Yeager Julia – Preschool Intervention Specialist/Preschool Itinerant NWOESC Multiple Locations
Substitute Paraprofessionals – Brandi Boyd, Dawn Buskirk, Jessica Keppeler, Danielle Kozma, Ellen Kuhbander, Kirsten Reid, Nichole Root, Patricia Stambaugh, Vena Valdez-Chowdhury, Scott Westbrook.
Substitute Teachers – Samantha Bee, Kyla Berg, Lindsay Bergman, Tristen Bexten, Jordan Bidwell, Brandi Boyd, Paige Briner, Madison Brown, Chandler Byers, Courtney Fisher, Caleb Frank, Elizabeth Fritsch, Maci Froelich, Andrea Fry, Emily Gentit, Magdalena Gracia, Connie Grieser, Hayden Hartman, Taylor Heath, Bailey Izor, Bailey Jankowiak, Jerry Keifer, Jessica Keppeler, Chris Kirkum, Greg Kita, Olivia Liechty, Jennifer Mikuls, Kylee Miller, Taylor Miner, Emily Mulligan, Emma Nafziger, Karen Pahl, Katherine Pauli, Kirsten Reid, Judy Rosebrook, Craig Rutter, Abbey Sachs, Addie Sailer, Julie Sanchez, Madison Schoenauer, Mallory Shock, Zeph Siefker, Morgan Tracy, Chayse Tussing, Vena Valdez-Chowdhury, Shirley Wagner, Tabitha Wolf
21st Century Teachers: Defiance Elementary- Emily Cikity, Kelly Hasselbring, Jennifer Long, Matthew Stouffer, Sharon Waldron; Hicksville- Katelyn Niehaus, Jackalyn Siebenaler, Rachel Wehrman.
INFORMATION/DISCUSSION ITEMS: The Minutes of the NwOESC Business Advisory Council Quarterly Meeting held on 05/14/2024 were shared. NwOESC Business Advisory Council Annual Plan for FY25 was shared.
The plan has been submitted to the ODEW on behalf of participating districts (all 23 districts and FCCC). The OESCA Awards Brunch will be held on 11/11/2024 at the OSBA Capital Conference.
SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT: Kerri Weir reported on several items. The Administrative Team is working on the development of their annual department priorities that will be a focus for the 2024-25 school year. The draft is coming together, and we will be sharing it with you for your input over the next few months.
The Four County Suicide Prevention Coalition, Northwest Ohio ESC and the Four County ADAMhs Board held our third annual Suicide Awareness Breakfast on September 19 at the ESC. Approximately 132 individuals attended this event, which included various community agency speakers, survivors, and student panel members.
Attendees represented sectors including education, clergy, veterans, law enforcement, business & industry, courts, health, social services, and community members.NBHP (Northern Buckeye Health Plan) will be meeting later this month to set the rates for health, dental, and vision increases for 2025 for area schools and agencies participating in the consortium.
The AESC Annual Conference, “Be a Champion,” is being held December 4-6, 2024. The focus is on leadership, AI, Innovation, Collective Impact, and Student Engagement. The first quarterly BAC meeting of the year was hosted by Miller Brothers Construction (MBC) at their training headquarters in Archbold on September 17.
This event underscores both organizations’ continuing commitment to finding innovative solutions to the workforce dilemma and enhancing the constructive collaboration between educators and business leaders. Members engaged in three learning stations: heavy equipment operation, virtual fieldtrips, and driving simulator.
MBC is surveying district leadership on their interest in further collaboration, leading to stronger relationships between educational and business communities to address the pressing workforce challenges in our region.
Thank you to ESC Career Coach/Business-Education Liaison/BAC Co-Chair, Mike Remer; ESC Director of Professional Development, Curriculum, & Instruction/BAC Co-Chair, Andy Hunter; MBC Vice President of Administrative Operations, Dave Lersch; and MBC Administrative Assistant for Business Development & Marketing, Jamie Vonalt, for making this experience possible!
Entered into Executive Session for the purpose of consideration of the appointment, employment, dismissal, discipline, promotion, demotion, or compensation of a public employee, or official. No action was taken upon exiting this session.
As all the business of the evening was complete the meeting adjourned at 7:30 p.m. The next meeting will take place on October 21, 2024, at 5:15 p.m. (previously 6:00 p.m.) at the Northwest Ohio Educational Service Center.