by Mike Sherfy, KnoxPages.com reporter
MOUNT VERNON – The Mount Vernon City Schools Board of Education held its monthly meeting in the Middle School Library on Monday. All board members were present, as was Superintendent William Seder and Pam Rose, Director of Student Services. The meeting opened with comments from the board members, which focused largely on the weather and an appreciation of the support staff, custodians, and bus drivers who helped the local schools cope with recent snow and cold temperatures—even on days when school itself was cancelled or delayed.
Superintendent Seder offered a detailed explanation of how he and other school officials and employees determine whether and when to cancel school or impose a delayed start time. He referred first to the “How is the Decision Made?” page on the Mount Vernon City Schools website (http://www.mt-vernon.k12.oh.us/index.php/component/k2/item/237 ) and then proceeded to offer further details. He noted that information from hour-by-hour predictions from NOAA, the Weather Channel, and Intellicast factor into decisions as do direct observations of road conditions in areas in and around the school district. Significant snowfall, Seder explained, obviously make for unsafe road conditions but he noted also that when students were likely to encounter “feels-like” temperatures of -15 degrees while waiting for the bus or walking to school, it was general policy to delay school or cancel it altogether. He explained also that the decision to close or delay schools generally had to be made by 5:30 a.m. because, by 6:00 a.m., busses were en route to pick up students. At that point, he concluded, logistics make it very difficult to change their minds.
The spotlight was on East Elementary at this month’s meeting. Principal Eric Brown recognized Sandra Finnell as February’s “Behind the Scenes” volunteer. After describing Finnell’s considerable volunteer efforts and the ways that she has supported East Elementary’s teachers and the school ever since her children first attended there, he presented her with the award and the pair posed for a photograph.
Brown then introduced Sarah Reyes, music teacher at East and Wiggin Street elementary schools. Reyes spoke to the board about her experiences in Germany at the 2014 NEH Summer Institute on Johann Sebastian Bach. “I’m still kinda on a high from the experience,” said Reyes before offering details about how she applied what she learned to the elementary school classroom. Even when teaching kindergarteners and first graders, Reyes is able to introduced concepts of musical phrasing. With older students, she has been able to help them better appreciate more complex elements—whether that involves guiding them through explorations of rhythm in a performance of “Musette in D Major” by Bobby McFerrin and Yo Yo Ma or delving into a more complicated multimedia presentation of the inverted and retrograde features of “Crab Canon” visualized on a Mobius strip (as seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUHQ2ybTejU ). By offering her students an introduction to Bach and his music, she introduces them also to the mathematical relationships and the historical contexts behind some of the most famous musical compositions of all time. Ms. Reyes noted that one fourth grader offered an assessment of Bach much in keeping with what she hoped to demonstrate: “That dude,” he declared, “was a freaking genius.”
Principal Brown then introduced a video produced by East Elementary School that commemorates its inclusion in the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program for 2014. The video, which will soon be made available on the school’s website, features interviews with teachers and parents as well as footage of students past and present and offers a glimpse into the effort and achievement that makes East Elementary deserve the recognition it has received.
The board then recognized Jody Rutter who spoke on behalf of the 2015 Knox County Relay for Life, an event held to raise money for the American Cancer Society. Rutter pointed out that Mount Vernon and Knox County had shown a great deal of support for this event in the past. Whether with financial support, enthusiastic participation, or both, residents of Knox County had made local relay a great success and Rutter expects they will do so again this year. Although improvements to the stadium and its running track may require some minor changes, the school board pledged to continue its relationship to the cause. Opening ceremonies for the 2015 Relay for Life event will be held at 6 p.m. on June 19th and the relay concludes at noon on the 20th. The theme for this year is “We are all Superheroes”.
Seder next presented some proposals that he had already discussed with the district’s coaches regarding Mount Vernon’s affiliation with the Ohio Capital Conference athletic league. The conference, in November, had ratified changes that placed Mount Vernon into a division with several Columbus-area schools that appear likely to cause travel-time and logistical issues as well as potential declines in gate-receipts. He explained that there are other options to consider beginning in the 2016-17 school year—including affiliating with either the Licking County League or the Ohio Cardinal Conference. No decision was made to change or retain the current conference affiliation but Superintendent Seder suggested that it would be necessary to do so by the March meeting.
The Board then voted to approve a school calendar for the upcoming school year. The calendar as approved included elements of several versions proposed at last month’s meeting. After discussions with teachers, staff members, union representatives, and community members during the past month, it was determined that it would be best to move the proposed start date for teachers to August 17th to avoid conflict with the Dan Emmett festival. A full two weeks, from Monday, December 21st through Friday, January 1st, was set aside for the winter break. May 25th was designated as the final day of classes and graduation ceremonies were scheduled for May 22nd to avoid conflicts with Memorial Day weekend. The Fall 2015 term will have 81 school days and the Spring 2016 term will have 94—though the disparity will be largely offset by testing days and calamity days, both of which occur most often in the second half of the school year. The biggest calendar change, however, involved the cancellation of two full-day professional development days for teachers. These will be replaced by eight days on which school will begin after a two-hour delay, during which teachers will participate in professional development sessions. Mary Rugola-Dye expressed some concerns about this change and cast the sole vote against adopting the proposed calendar.
Here is a link to the calendar: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1xVzSKC0qkcd1Z1SnFJa1d3OS1Mdk50NEJSYVcxU01fLVpr/view?usp=sharing
The Board unanimously approved a proposal to allow the fifth-grade class from Pleasant Street Elementary to make an overnight trip to the Springmill Learning Center in Mansfield. Students will depart on Thursday, May 14th and return on Friday, May 15th. This will replace the 5th grade outdoor program and the school has taken measures to insure that the excursion’s $40 fee will not exclude any student for financial reasons.
Judy Forney then presented the district’s Financial Report. Although some adjustments had to be made to account for additional expenses and for additional receipts from the football playoffs, she noted that the budget remains largely in keeping with predictions. The Board unanimously approved the report and accepted several donations. These included a donation of a copy of Super Schnoz and the Invasion of the Snore Snatchers to Columbia Elementary School by Mary Jane Rensel (mother of the author), a $1,500 Troubador lever harp to the MVCS Music Department by Anne Phillips, $40,000 for Learning Center Improvements by the Community Foundation of Mount Vernon & Knox County, and $1,000 by the Community Foundation of Mount Vernon & Knox County to the Pleasant Street Elementary Science and Math Club. A copy of the Peterson Field Guide to Birds of North America was purchased for Mount Vernon High School in memory of Suellen Gray, mother of Pat Gray, teacher at MVHS.
The Board also voted unanimously to renew its membership in the Ohio School Boards Association and pay membership dues of $6,075.
The Board very briefly discussed the hiring of a School Resource Officer before unanimously approving the proposal. An agreement is pending to share this officer with the Knox County Career Center and will be effective from March 1, 2015 through the end of the 2017 school year. The same vote approved fifteen free-use facilities requests, ten fee-based facilities requests, and a one-year service agreement with Hahn Pest Management for perimeter treatment and monthly monitoring of all facilities.
The Board then unanimously approved an agreement for behavioral consultation services for a student, effective March 20-May 29, 2015 (contract allotment not to exceed $1,045.20).
The Board accepted the retirements of Cheryl McCracken (Music Teacher at Mount Vernon Middle School), Crystal Owens Tuel (Spanish Teacher at Mount Vernon High School), and Mark Tuel (Librarian at Mount Vernon High School). All retirements are effective May 31, 2015.
It accepted the resignations of Deborah Cochran (Elementary Intervention Specialist, effective February 9, 2015), John Mike King (Assistant Basketball Coach, effective January 5, 2015), and Brianna Shaner (Math Teacher at Mount Vernon Middle School, effective May 31, 2015).
The Board approved the proposal that twenty-two annual-contract employees be informed that there is no expectancy of such employment for the 2015-2016 school year.
The Board hired Caitlyn Blacet, Jennifer Bohman, Michael Cramer, Jessica Hamill, Heather Janetzko, William Longsinger, Allison Millat, and Erin Miller as Substitute Teachers and hired Cassandra Gray as a Home Instructor. Best Practice Stipends of $50 each were issued to Elizabeth Bonaudi, Christy Grandstaff, Scott Patterson, Susan Rice, Laura Rochte, and Bonne Schutte. It hired Ethan Beckholt as Boys’ Volleyball Coach, Kaitlin Heagren as Assistant Softball Coach, Annie Winker as Middle School Track Coach, and Terry Zeller as Assistant Baseball Coach and approved Carter Cassell, Azzure Lindsey Hall, and Chad Sivewright as Volunteers.
The Board granted an unpaid leave of absence to Rhonda Noble, Cook at the Mount Vernon High School.
It hired Elizabeth Brown as Attendance Secretary at Mount Vernon High School (retroactive to February 17, 2015) and Liza Mazzari as Children’s Resource Center Liason (retroactive to February 3, 2015). It hired several substitute staff members, including Dennis Bell (Custodian), Karen McKee (Cook), Isaac Singrey (Bus Driver and Custodian), Ruby Smith (Aide and Secretary), and Laura Szenas (Summer Secretary).
With that, the Board entered an Executive Session to discuss the compensation/evaluation of an employee and the purchase/sale of property. Some action was expected.
