VWCS hears open enrollment survey info

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

The Van Wert City Board of Education welcomed a new board member and also heard presentations from Kristi Fuerst, Van Wert City Schools marketing and public relations specialist, and Van Wert Economic Development Director Stacy Adam, during its final regular board meeting of the year.

Rachel Dickman was recently selected by the board to replace Cindy Hurless, who announced her resignation following her promotion to chief operating officer of Central Insurance Companies. Dickman was sworn in Wednesday by VWCS Treasurer Mike Ruen to begin the meeting.

“I’m really looking forward to being able to serve the community and having deep discussions on what’s best for kids in Van Wert, and making sure the community is involved in that,” Dickman said after begin sworn in.

Fuerst talked about an open enrollment survey done by the district, as well as a quality profile compiled for the district.

The open enrollment survey, which started with 228 families and 380 students and included 66 families who were actually able to be contacted, explored the reasons families were open enrolling their students out of the city school district.

Each respondent was asked six questions as part of the survey, with Fuerst noting that the “main culprits” for open enrollment was alumni and family, with many of parents who switched their students to another school district saying it was because they themselves were alumni of that district or had family members who lived there.

Others had varying reasons for leaving the Van Wert district, including teachers who left the Van Wert district and took their students to their new district, those who became members of the city school district through expansion of the district, but whose children had always been students of another district, a perception that another district was better, a preference for a smaller school district, and athletic preferences.

Of the 380 students who left the district in the past school year, 214 went to Lincolnview, 109 are now in the Crestview district, 42 went to Parkway, 10 to Wayne Trace, and the remainder to various districts.

Ruen said there is some good news in the equation, with the number of students coming to the district from other districts through open enrollment was also comparatively high at approximately 130.

“Which, comparative to those going out, does not seem very big, but other comparable districts and their numbers going in, are often nowhere close to Van Wert’s,” Ruen noted. “So, the number of students who actually do come to us is a very strong number, and I think that says something about what Van Wert has to offer.”

Ruen noted that other comparable districts, such as Wapakoneta, only have 15 or so students who open enroll into those districts.

Board member Scott Mull said the open enrollment problem at Van Wert is not unique, with similar districts in terms of demographics across the state seeing similar problems.

Fuerst stressed that marketing the strengths of the district, such as its robotics programs, project-based learning, and Project Lead the Way pre-engineering and biomedical programs, is critical to bringing new students to Van Wert City Schools to replace those who open enroll out of the district.

She then handed out copies of the district Quality Profile, which provides a listing of positive reasons not included on the State Report Card as to why students should consider enrolling in Van Wert City Schools.

Fuerst also noted that the district would be getting a new website because changes in federal regulations require changes to the current one.

During her presentation, Adam talked about the Business Advisory Council and information provided by local employers through that group. She noted that absenteeism and lateness were the prime reason employees are terminated by area employers, and noted that some type of class would be helpful to teach responsibility to students.

Assistant Superintendent Bill Clifton updated the board on district school safety and security issues, noting that a less expensive way had been found to allow teachers at the Van Wert High School-Middle School complex to lock their classroom doors from the inside, rather than having to go into hallways with a possible shooter there to do so. Instead of changing all the classroom door locks, which would have cost approximately $25,000, Clifton said cloth strips were affixed to doors to keep them open, but also allow teachers to lock doors from inside the classroom by removing the cloth. The cloths cost the district approximately $400.

Teachers at the Early Childhood Center and Van Wert Elementary School can already lock their doors from the inside.

Secure exterior access doors have also been installed at the Early Childhood Center and Van Wert Elementary School, and will lock the doors on a predetermined schedule. Teachers in those schools will be receiving access cards to allow them to open the doors at other times, Clifton said.

In other news, the district:

Hired Steven Hellman as a volunteer boys’ assistant junior varsity bowling coach following the urging of other coaches and members of the community that the board retain him.

Appointed Superintendent Vicki Brunn to the Van Wert Area Performing Arts Foundation Board of Trustees.

Accepted, with thanks, the following donations: VWHS Robotics Club – Federal Mogul $1,000, Walmart $1,500, and ISPACE Inc. $1,400; Janice Ashby, $6,000 for a VWHS substance abuse presentation; VWMS Renaissance program – Van Wert Propane Inc. $100, Cowan Funeral Home $100, StateWide Ford $100, Bebout & Houg Roofing & Siding $25, First Federal of Van Wert $250, Fortman’s Crescent Linen Service $100, Alspach-Gearhart Funeral Home & Crematory $100, Unverferth Family Dentistry $25, Sealscott CPA $50; Van Wert bowling teams — Van Wert Women’s Bowling Association/United States Bowling Congress $100; Cross Country Athletic Account – Drew and Cassie Waltmire $25.

Approved an interagency agreement between Van Wert City Schools, Van Wert County Family and Children First/Help Me Grow, Van Wert County Board of Development Disabilities, and the Council on Rural Services (Kids Learning Place) concerning county children ages birth to 5 years of age enrolled in the Head Start/Early Head Start programs.

Elected Scott Mull president pro tempore for the board’s January reorganizational meeting.

The next meeting of the Van Wert City Board of Education will be Wednesday, January 9, 2019, in the S.F. Goedde Building boardroom.