The Van Wert County Courthouse

Friday, Mar. 29, 2024

WBESC supt. criticizes state report cards

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

The Western Buckeye Educational Service Center Governing Board handled a number of personnel action during its September meeting this week. Prior to that, Superintendent Brian Gerber also criticized the state report card system during his report to the board.

Gerber noted that state policymakers are developing new ways to rank schools all that time, but also talked about the frustration that comes with ever-changing standards.

WBESC logo 7-2015“Our students and staff are always striving to hit a moving target,” the WBESC superintendent said. “In northwest Ohio, our public schools are doing a tremendous job of educating all the children who pass through our doors. We do not pick and choose our students like private schools and charter schools.”

Gerber added that, while teachers have a tremendous amount of creativity to offer their students, they do not have the time or opportunity for that creativity because they are “bogged down” preparing their students for high stakes standardized testing.

“This is the reason we are losing good teachers, and the well is drying up with the future availability of high quality teachers,” Gerber noted. “College students who once aspired to be a teacher are changing their career path because of the nonsense taking place at the state educational level.

“The higher-ups at the state level have institute this entire standardized testing process and most have never spent a day teaching in their entire life,” he added, “but somehow they think they are experts when it comes to curriculum and instruction.:

The WBESC superintendent said Ohio needs to put some common sense back into education and “let the people who live and breathe it on a daily basis have some input on educational policy.”

In personnel action, the WBESC board accepted the resignation of Tasha Miller, effective the end of the 2016-17 school year, while approving a one-year limited contract for Joseph Shouse as a paraprofessional at Wayne Trace Local Schools for the current school year.

A one-year temporary contract was approved for Warren Fauver as a 21st Century Grant Program evaluator, effective August 1, while a one-year non-teaching contract was issued to Sabrina Roth, health coordinator at Wayne Trace Local Schools, for the current school year.

The board also approved an intermittent Family and Maternity Leave Act leave for Chelsea Zeedyk, due to the birth of a child, effective October 3-28.

The resignation of Zach Hermiller as truancy officer was also accepted, effective September 19, while the board approved a one-year limited contract for Ryne Jerome as his replacement.

Additional hours were approved for Tiffany Curry as a bus aide, while the board approved a reduction of hours from 35 to 29½ per week for paraprofessional Lisa Ryan.

In other action, the board:

  • Approved temporary contracts to the Technology Support List for the 2016-17 school year.
  • Approved lists of substitute teachers and paraprofessionals, as well as van and bus driver lists.

The next meeting of the WBESC Governing Board will be at 6 p.m. Wednesday, October 19, at the Van Wert ESC office.

POSTED: 09/22/16 at 6:53 am. FILED UNDER: News