C’view hosts state teachers union officials

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

State teachers union officials visited Crestview Local Schools on Friday to tour classrooms and meet with teachers, administrators, and board members of the district. A number of the things they saw impressed them, especially the degree of community commitment in the district. 

Ohio Federation of Teachers President Melissa Cropper and OFT Legislative Director Darold Johnson got the chance to see what is happening educationally at Crestview, while also having the chance to talk to teachers and school officials about the challenges of meeting state expectations, as well as future changes they would like to see coming at the state level.

“The impression I get is that this is a school, a district, where the administration, the teachers, care very deeply about the students and work together to identify problems and find solutions for how to do what is best for the students,” Cropper said, adding that she was particularly impressed with the many Crestview teachers who were former students in the district, as well as the ability of teachers and administrators to work together for the good of students and the district as a whole.

Accompanying the OFT officials on their tour were Superintendent Kathy Mollenkopf, building Principals Dave Bowen, Trent Kreischer, and Jessica Schuette, whose elementary school was recently named a 2019 National Blue Ribbon School, and Crestview teacher and union president James Lautzenheiser. 

Lautzenheiser, a 2000 Crestview graduate, noted that having so many teachers and administrators who graduated from Crestview provides a sense of community that many school districts don’t have. It also makes it easier for administrators and teachers to agree when it comes to what is needed in the district, he added.

“I’d like to think that this is an easy place to be a member of the (teachers) union, it’s an easy place to be working with our administrative team because we have so many homegrown administrators, we have so many homegrown teachers,” Lautzenheiser said. “We’ve got to work together so we can take care of our kids and our families.”

The veteran teacher said a number of things have changed since he began teaching in the district a decade ago, noting that the use of technology has significantly increased, while the definition of success for students has shifted from preparing for college to preparing to lead a successful life. 

That’s also the challenge teachers face today, he added: to prepare students for whatever future they choose, whether it’s going off to college or staying in the community to work and raise their families.

“You’ve got to get kids ready to be in charge of their future and not settle for something,” Lautzenheiser said, adding that how graduates feel about their school experience can impact how much they value education. “You can’t have high school graduates living in Van Wert County feeling like they weren’t attended to, they weren’t treated well, they weren’t care for, they weren’t given hope and aspiration or challenges.”

Following morning tours and lunch with Crestview educators, Cropper and Johnson also participated in a roundtable discussion with teachers, administrators, and board members Nan Grace and Brad Perrott. The topics included state report cards, teacher evaluations, and maintaining local control of school districts.

Johnson also provided an update on several pieces of pending state legislation, including a measure that would create a new school funding mechanism, and his view on the potential impact of each on Ohio school districts.