By Andrew Walsh
awalsh@wbcowqel.com
Summer time school board meetings tend to be lower key affairs. Hot weather seems to indicate that school is not in session, and the lack information about the day to day goings on of a school district drives that fact home.
Despite the lighthearted nature of the event, this was still a meeting of the Bucyrus Board of Education, and there were still important items to discuss. Chief among them was the financial report, delivered by Treasurer Ryan Cook. The finance department is in year-end mode, or, as Cook dubbed it, “Dig down and grind mode.” The fiscal year ends on June 30, and Cook and his staff are tying up all the loose ends to meet that deadline.
The school year ended as another one of deficit spending, with a deficit of $339,470. Last year’s deficit was $321,000. The deficit has obviously increased some but not substantially. Cook reported that his department was 99% accurate on their revenue predictions and 98% accurate on their expenses predictions.
OGT and OAA results are in, but only unofficially. Dr. Paul Johnson declined giving a report on what these numbers mean until both the official numbers come in and he has had ample time to properly scrutinize them.
The third grade reading guarantee saw significant improvement throughout the year. In the fall segment, only 40% of students were meeting proficiency. In the spring segment, that number jumped to 71%. By the time the final numbers were compiled, only four students will be retained in the third grade because of failure to meet the Third Grade Guarantee standards.
In personnel news, Deborah Musick was approved to take over the role of Central Office Administrative Assistant to take over for the retiring Tena Herman. Musick was one of 43 applicants. In retirees Guidance Counselor Winifred Johnson and School Psychologist Constance Smith both had resignations approve.
Some of the upcoming summer events include the sports dead week first week of July, sports drug testing, summer seven on seven for the football teams (volunteers for these events are being readily accepted), and on August 20 there will be open houses at both school buildings. The Back to School event will feature tours of both facilities, the opportunities to meet teachers, and a free meal provided by Sodexo. The Meet and Greet at the High School will be followed by a Meet the Team, where all fall athletes will lead a pep rally. That will be 5:30, August 20, at the respective school facilities.