Mount Vernon News

MOUNT VERNON — The Knox County Educational Service Center on Wednesday presented Karen Buchwald Wright with the KCESC Partnership Award.

Governing Board President Nancy Holtrey said Wright has been a strong advocate for education across the county and throughout the state. She has contributed to the preschool scholarship fund, donates to the Mentorship for Leadership program, gave scholarship money for students attending this year’s Summer Honors Institute and supports Aviation Day by providing lunch to all the third-grade students, countywide, who attend.

In addition to ESC activities, Holtrey said, Wright has supported the local school districts and Mount Vernon City Schools, and has been instrumental in Central Ohio Technical College’s expansion campaign in Knox County.

“Karen and Ariel Corp. are true friends to education in Knox County,” Holtrey said.

Kathryn Kraft was also recognized at Wednesday’s board meeting. She was chosen as May’s Outstanding Teacher of the Month. Cynthia Stuart, related services consultant for the ESC, said Kraft has been working for the ESC as an occupational therapist since 2003. Kraft serves all the KCESC preschools and some Headstart preschools, as well as serving children in the MRDD early intervention program. She also supervises an occupational therapy assistant and works with the classroom teachers to develop activities to help improve the students’ sensory processing, fine motor and visual motor skills.

“It’s a privilege to have you on our staff,” KCESC Superintendent Dave Southward told Kraft.

Rising health insurance costs was one item discussed by the board. Southward said the ESC’s current carrier, Medical Mutual, said renewal rates would be 61 percent higher than current rates, which is unacceptable. The board talked about checking with differnt carriers, and discussed joining a sort of consortium to help keep costs down. Board member Dale Grassbaugh said it might be a good idea for all of the county school districts to band together to help contain costs.

Holtrey announced she was appointed by the Ohio School Boards Association to serve on a school funding committee. She reported the committee has already met with Gov. Strickland’s office as well as the Ohio Department of Education. She said there seems to be a strong commitment among all concerned to find a solution to the school funding situation in Ohio by fiscal year 2010.

Regarding personnel, the board accepted the resignation of substitute caller Monica Hite, effective June 30, and approved a list of substitute teachers for the 2008-09 school year. The board entered into an agreement with Moundbuilders to share the cost of a licensed social worker at the Alternative Center, with the ESC’s share to be paid with 21st Century Grant funds.

Also for the 2008-09 school year, the board ratified an agreement with the Mount Vernon City School District to provide the services of a parent mentor, and employed Lucas Conklin as a speech therapist intern. The board contracted with Rehab Associates for physical therapy services for identified students for the 2008-09 school year, with the costs prorated back to the schools needing the service.

Also approved were agreements with Northmor Local Schools to provide them with occupational therapy services to identified students for the 2008-09 school year, and with the Children’s Resource Center to provide educational programming at the center for the 2008-09 school year, with those costs to be billed back to the home districts.

The board approved routine fiscal reports and transactions, and renewed participation in the Ohio Association of School Business Officials Workers’ Compensation Group Rating Plan. It also accepted an agreement with the Auditor of State’s office for audit preparation assistance and adopted the 2008-09 ESC Service Plan as signed by the local district superintendents.

Prior to adjournment, the board changed the date of the regular June meeting. It will be held at noon on Monday, June 16.