The Van Wert County Courthouse

Friday, Nov. 8, 2024

WBESC among top 10 centers in state

Van Wert independent

PAULDING — Western Buckeye Educational Service Center (ESC) Superintendent Brian Gerber told this past week’s Governing Board meeting that the local service center is among the top 10 in the state, when it comes to providing a high percentage of direct services to students.

Gerber also noted that other area service centers, including those in Hancock and Putnam counties and the Northwest Ohio ESC, were also among the top 10 in the state.

“Quite honestly, we offer services to our partner schools that many people don’t see, or don’t understand,” Gerber told the board. “We operate behind the scenes to provide educational services to our partner schools (and) we have reduced the cost to our partner schools through a shared services delivery model.”

WBESC logo 7-2015Shared services, Gerber noted, include speech, occupational, and physical therapy.

“We also share school psychologists, gifted education personnel and grant writing personnel,” the WBESC superintendent added. “ESCs also provide curriculum directors and special education directors to meet the needs of our partner schools. The overall goal is to positively impact student achievement.”

Gerber said other WBESC instructional services include paraprofessional support, preschool special education support, 21st Century after-school programs and alternative schools.

“These (alternative school) students range from the most gifted to the most at-risk, including special needs students and other at-risk populations, such as dropouts and adjudicated youth,” Gerber told his board. “We are proud that we can service the schools of Paulding and Van Wert counties; we will continue to strive to be as efficient, effective, and lean as possible with our services.”

Also during the meeting, the WBESC Governing Board extended a limited contract that runs from December 1 to June 30, 2017, to Anita King as payroll clerk/fiscal assistant and approved a job description for her position.

The board also contracted with the law firm of Scott Scriven LLP for educational law and workers compensation legal services.

The next meeting of the WBESC Governing Board will be at 6 p.m. Wednesday, November 18, at the Van Wert ESC office.

POSTED: 10/31/15 at 8:09 am. FILED UNDER: News