• Stacy Dunbar;
• Martin Johnson;
• Kevin O’Brien; and
• Gene Oliver.

Board members will conduct interviews with each of the finalists during an Executive Session on Tuesday, August 3, beginning at 5:30 p.m.  Once the interviews are complete, the board will return to Regular Session and vote on the selection of the new member, who will be sworn in on Wednesday, August 4.

“We are gratified that so many in our community have expressed an interest in serving as a Board of Education member,” said Board President Julie Wagner Feasel.  “It is this level of community commitment that has helped to make Olentangy Schools the great place that it is and will help to ensure our continued progress.”

The new board member will fill the remaining 1.5 years of the unexpired term left open when former member Jennifer Smith resigned from the board on July 6.  Under Ohio Revised Code, the remaining members of the board may fill a vacancy within a window period of 10 to 30 days following the date on which the vacancy occurs.

The board will meet in executive session on July 14 at 6 p.m. to review all applications. If it is determined that interviews are necessary, the board will complete them on August 4 during an executive session. If an interview process is not necessary, the board will appoint the new member on August 4 during a special meeting.

Under Ohio Revised Code, the remaining members of the board may fill a vacancy at their first regular or special meeting within a window period of 10 to 30 days following the date on which the vacancy occurs.  The appointee shall serve the rest of Smith’s unexpired term, which ends December 31, 2011.

The board is expected to discuss the process to fill the vacancy during their business meeting on July 8, 2010. Under Ohio Revised Code, the remaining members of the board may fill a vacancy within a window period of 10 to 30 days following the date on which the vacancy occurs. The appointee shall serve the rest of Smith’s unexpired term, which ends December 31, 2011.

“This is a great example of the efforts of our staff in providing excellent learning opportunities for our students,” said Olentangy Superintendent Wade Lucas, Ed.D. “In addition, this would not be possible without our supportive community, parents and the hard work of our students.”

The Newsweek research looks at the total number of 2009 Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate and/or Cambridge tests a school gives then divides that number by the number of graduates from that same year. This calculations is known as the Challenge Index score that is then ranked from highest to lowest. The E&E percentage indicates how many seniors received a passing mark on an AP or International Baccalaureate exam.

While this system is designed to compare high schools across the country based upon a single set of data, it does create a true comparison problem for the 2009 OHS data. 2009 marks the first year that OOHS was open, but the did not have graduates until 2010. OOHS did give 191 AP tests in 2009, but students who would have graduated from OOHS that year remained at OHS. This creates an unbalanced AP tests to graduates ration for OHS. If you add the 191 OOHS AP tests to the OHS data, that puts OHS’s Challenge Index at 1.94 and ranks them at 724. This updated information also means that both OHS and OLHS have increased their Challenge Index score each of the past five years.

In Ohio, 36 high schools were named to the Newsweek list, including only 11 from Central, Ohio: Bexley (3.021), OLHS (2.711), Dublin Jerome (2.435), Upper Arlington (2.083), Dublin Coffman (2.076), Dublin Scioto (1.989), OHS (1.94*), Westerville North (1.451), Westerville South (1.236), Independence (1.025) and Westerville Central (1.018). Of the six Central, Ohio school districts, Olentangy has the lowest cost per pupil for Fiscal Year (FY) 2009 of $9,461.

*The 2009 Newsweek Challenge Index and rating for OHS does not take into account the opening of OOHS. OOHS opened in 2009 and did give 191 AP tests, mostly to juniors, however there were no seniors at OOHS that year. OHS’s data includes an artificially large graduating class in comparison to the number of AP tests given, which decreases their Challenge Index score. If you add the 191 OOHS AP tests to the OHS data, this increases their Challenge Index to 1.94 and ranking to 724.

• food allergies;
• federal guidelines for school menus;
• strategic planning update;
• first reading of FY 2011 budget;
• athletic handbook changes;
• board policy services;
• family and civic engagement plan;
• all-day kindergarten update; and,
• superintendent evaluation process.

• Carol Burley, Johnnycake Corners Elementary School (JCES);
• Tiffany Clark, Oak Creek Elementary School (OCES);
• Donna Dunaway, Scioto Ridge Elementary School (SRES);
• Jamie Edwards, Olentangy Shanahan Middle School (OSMS);
• Liz Golowenski, Olentangy Liberty High School (OLHS);
• Tracy Halpin (OLMS);
• Sharon Hanson, Indian Springs Elementary School (ISES);
• Carrie Hunsicker, Liberty Tree Elementary School (LTES);
• Amy Kinser, Olentangy High School (OHS);
• Jessica Livelsberger, Glen Oak Elementary School (GOES);
• Melanie Miller, Olentangy Hyatts Middle School (OHMS);
• Carleigh Morgan, Arrowhead Elementary School (AES);
• Elizabeth Parker, Olentangy Meadows Elementary School (OMES);
• Melanie Shaw, Tyler Run Elementary School (TRES);
• Kelly Silwani, Olentangy Orange Middle School (OOMS);
• Kathleen Smith, Wyandot Run Elementary School (WRES);
• Tracy Stewart, Freedom Trail Elementary School (FTES);
• Kim Tantari, Alum Creek Elementary School (ACES);
• Andrea Vescelius, Olentangy Orange High School (OOHS); and,
• Sara Wortman, Walnut Creek Elementary School (WCES).

The district also congratulated five of the more than 600 classified employees who earned honors for their areas of service. These employees and their service area, as well as school/department where they currently work are:

• Sherri Beverly, secretary, Human Resources Department;
• Russ Johnson, aide/office personnel, Technology Department;
• Lynn Ramey, food service, OMES;
• Butch Worcester, maintenance, OSMS; and,
• George Zeoli, transportation.

Beverly was also named the district’s overall Classified Employee of the Year. She has been a secretary in the Human Resources Department for five years.

Olentangy Local Schools announced a third round of budget reductions today bringing the 2009-10 cost savings to more than $10.2 million. “Olentangy has reduced expenditures to create even more efficient operations for our residents while maintaining an excellent quality education for students,” said Superintendent Wade Lucas, Ed.D.

Throughout the 2009-10 school year, Olentangy has adjusted more than 20 programs and staffing areas to save the district $10,223,050 over the next four years. Items from the latest round of reductions are:

• six elementary schools will now have part-time elementary school assistant principal positions, previously only four schools had these positions. This change equates to three full-time positions and brings that total savings to $922,500 over the next four years;
• saving $410,000 by reducing all 2010-11 school budgets for supplies and materials by 20 percent;
• saving $235,000 in all non-union classified employees foregoing a cost of living pay raise for the 2010-11 school year;
• saving $175,778 in 40 elementary level department chair supplemental positions not being filled for the 2010-11 school year;
• saving $100,346 in salary and benefits costs by not filling the vacant assistant director for human resources position for the 2010-11 school year; and,
• saving $82,827 in salary and benefits costs by reducing two curriculum supervisor positions from full-time to part-time positions for the 2010-11 school year.

In September 2009, Olentangy Local Schools announced that the district lost $12.7 million in anticipated revenue from the state due to changes in the school funding system created by House Bill 1. Throughout the 2009-10 school year, the district has made adjustments to not only address this budget situation, but to also find greater operational efficiencies while still providing excellent academic programs for students.

A complete list of Olentangy’s 2009-10 cost savings efforts and other historical cost savings dating back to 1999 is available online at www.olentangy.k12.oh.us/district/finance/costsavings.html

A fourth-grade student and a fifth-grade student from Arrowhead Elementary School (AES) and a fifth-grade student from Johnnycake Corners Elementary School (JCES) will be recognized for their high scores in the program. Only 34 fourth-grade students and 41 fifth-grade students across the region earned this honor.