By Bob Strohm
bstrohm@wbcowqel.com
Crawford County Engineer Mark Baker gave an update on the Holmes-Center and County Road 330 intersection at the Wynford Board of Education meeting Monday night.
In his update Barker showed the board that the school speed zone will have new school zone safety lights on both east and westbound ends of County Road 330, as well as Bucyrus-Neveda Road. Baker explained that the L.E.D. signs will be solar powered which will be cheaper than running an electric line to the markers.
A newly painted stop bar will be painted at the Holmes-Center Road intersection as well as signage warning drivers that the east and westbound traffic does not stop.
“I think any time you reduce the speed, you are slowing people down; you are giving them time to make quality decisions,” Wynford High School Principal Jeff Holbrook.said. “I think some of that is going to have to be enforced by Crawford County Sheriffs to help us out to get that speed enforced, but once we do that I think it going to be a benefit for our kids and community. I think egress may be a little slower, but at the end of the day I think it will be safer all around.”
Barker notified officials that the project would be complete in time for the 2014-2015 school year.
Rebecca Prenger and Sara Maurizi gave a presentation on Project MORE students’ progression through the year.
Forty-six students participated in Project MORE which stands for Mentoring Ohio Reading Excellence. Through the week students who were mostly second graders would meet with a mentor once a week for 30 minutes with a lesson plan and pre-reading activities for the students.
During this time the students would have a one minute timed reading exercise followed by the mentor reading part of the book modeling punctuation and expression for the students. Students’ progress in reading was then recorded, and compiled throughout the year with improvements in reading in most students.
Mentor’s Nick Stover and Kora Putton were recognized and presented plaques noting their work at the meeting.
The board held an open discussion with the public on use for I.D.E.A. funds. The I.D.E.A. funds are those set aside for special needs students. Lauren Copely who was in attendance suggested more restrooms, training for aides, teachers and students in the area of working with handicap students, as well as better entrances into the school.
The school will also take ideas into consideration from the public outside of Board of Education meetings on how to use the I.D.E.A. funds.
In Treasurer Leesa Smith’s financial report she noted that the fiscal year for 2015 will open with nothing significant.
“There were no transfers in May, right now we are just closing up the year and clearing up grants,” Smith said.
The board approved all personnel Items, as well as operational Items on the agenda including hiring 11 new members to the school’s staff. Carla Colón, (high school Spanish) Mark Delaney, (high school/junior high P.E.), Erin Duffy, (high school art) Heidi Heacock, (elementary art) and Kyle Rall, (fifth grade teacher)
“We have some great people coming aboard, I am really going to be looking forward to this school year,” Holbrook said. “If you lose quality you have to gain quality, and we have been getting great quality replacements.”
Holbrook was also approved for a three-year contract renewal.
The next scheduled board meeting will be held on at 7:30 p.m., July 21, in the high school library.