WBESC supt. criticizes budget cuts

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

Western Buckeye Educational Service Center Superintendent Brian Gerber took Ohio Governor John Kasich to task for the governor’s budget cuts for educational service centers included in his new biennial state budget.

Gerber’s remarks, during a report to the WBESC Governing Board during its February meeting, noted that the state budget cuts hurt not only ESCs and their partner school districts, but also fly in the face of Kasich’s “shared services” policy.

“Despite the fact that he (Governor Kasich) has trumpeted the ‘shared services’ concept, it is very surprising he is slashing the budgets of educational service centers, the very agencies that work with districts in a shared services model to help control costs,” Gerber told his governing board. “In other words, he publicly says one thing, then does another.”

The WBESC superintendent was critical of Kasich’s decision to the state budget operating subsidy for ESCs by 45 percent, noting that 368 school districts will get no new money “and that includes Western Buckeye partner schools Antwerp Local, Crestview Local, Lincolnview Local, Paulding Exempted Village and Wayne Trace Local Schools.”

Gerber noted that the budget cuts would affect public schools in Van Wert and Paulding counties, which all received State Report Card ratings ranging from “effective” to “excellent with distinction” — the highest rating possible. “Governor Kasich is not holding 368 school districts and 55 ESCs harmless in his budget proposal,” he added.

The WBESC superintendent told board members that his organization’s main goal is to positive impact student achievement, reduce costs to partner schools by sharing staff, implement federal and state regulations and provide high-quality professional development.

“We save our partner schools money by sharing speech, occupational, and physical therapists,” Gerber explained. “We also share school psychologist, gifted education and grant writing personnel” and provide curriculum directors to meet area school districts’ needs in that area.

He also noted that 97 percent of school districts statewide are “actively engaged” with their respective ESCs.

“We have consistently and positively impacted student achievement while driving down costs to our partner schools by sharing staff, an educational task we have been accustomed to providing since 1914,” Gerber said.

Also during the WBESC’s February meeting, the governing board:

• Employed paraprofessional Jamie Fields for the Allen County ESC system, effective February 1.
• Approved a legal services agreement with McGown/Markling’s ESC School Law hotline.
• Authorized a contracted services agreement with Kristina Figgins for a period from January 23, through the rest of the 2012-2013 school year (estimated at one day a week, for up to 6½ hours a day).
• Approved a Family & Medical Leave Act leave for Barb Runyon due to knee replacement surgery.
• Approved the 2012 calendar year fiscal report for the Paulding County Family and Children First Council.

The next meeting of the Western Buckeye Educational Service Center Governing Board will be at 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 13, at the Van Wert ESC office at Thomas Edison Center.