By Bob Strohm
bstrohm@wbcowqel.com

The Buckeye Central School Board of Education held its fourth of six community meetings Wednesday night at the Tiro Methodist Church with the topic of diversity within the school district.

With the student population of 648 being predominantly white non-Hispanic, much of the time was spent discussing how to bridge the gap of special needs students, and how to expose the students to more cultural diversity. Superintendent Tara Meyerink explained to those in attendance that the Buckeye Central School District currently has special funds and back up plans to help the disadvantaged including the Title I Program, as well as donations from local groups such as the Ohio Mutual Insurance Group.

“I think it reinforces that what we are already doing is the right direction that we are going. The Leader In Me that Mrs. MacDougal was talking about, we have been trying to explore that just looking for funding, and I think we found some avenues,” Meyerink said. “So I think that is a strong thing that may come out of this, but I also think that it needs to be encouragement to the teachers that they are doing a really good job. We just have to stay focused this way; they are very focused on looking at individual student needs. “

Dave Williamson, who co-hosted the event, noticed that the parents have a concern that all the needs for the children be me.

“What the parents who showed up tonight are really passionate about is that all kids are served, and that those with disabilities be served to meet their needs and try raise them up where they need to be to where otherwise would be able to achieve with just standard instruction,” Williamson said.”And they don’t want it to come at the expense of the other children.”

“Those kids that have challenges in their ability to learn and apply, if they are assessed at a certain point then they receive an I.E.P. Individual Education Plan, which is reviewed annually with the parents and the teachers etcetera. In a way I think this group says that everyone of the students deserves an I.E.P.,” Williamson continued.

The purpose of the meetings is to allow the school board to engage with the parents as well as those that live in the school district in order to get a sense of what direction the community wants the Buckeye Central Board of Education to go, however the board still has to discuss what they collectively took away with each other.

Board member Bernie Kessler explained. “We will just have to sit down and pound our heads together and see what we come up with. I cannot give solid details without speaking with the other board members.”

Board President Susan Shealy explained the importance of the meetings. “I think we need to have this community input so we can have more long term goals and long term focus instead of looking at things for the short term, which we have had in the past.”

The next Buckeye Central School District Community meeting will be held Sept. 18 at Buckeye Central in the Multi-Purpose Room.