State legislator tours elementary school

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

State Representative Tony Burkley (R-Paulding) toured Van Wert Elementary School on Monday and also spoke with school district administrators and board members about their concerns.

Burkley, who was recently appointed to the Ohio House Education Committee, said that, prior to the tour, he spent time talking with Van Wert City Schools Superintendent Ken Amstutz, District Treasurer Mike Ruen and several Van Wert City Board of Education members to discuss their concerns with state education-based legislation.

“We talked about some of the frustrations that the administration has as far as where the funding process goes (and) the challenges they meet on a daily basis of trying to provide the best education to the kids that entrusted to their care,” Burkley said.

The state legislator said there were also concerns about the new teacher evaluation program, as well as other new state education requirements.

“We’re coming into a process that is ongoing, I guess, into the testing aspects of not only the students, but the staff, the teachers as well,” Burkley said, adding, “Any time we place more burdens on the schools, that just takes away teachers’ or administrators’ time that could be devoted to something else.

“We always need to be mindful of placing unnecessary burdens, while being a watchdog for taxpayers that provide the resources to run our schools,” the state representative said. “It’s a balance that we try to address… .”

Burkley said after his talk with local educators, he will find an opportunity to discuss local concerns with some of his colleagues on the House Education Committee, including what funds should go with a student who transfers to another school district or a charter school, and the potential problems that could arise from the new teacher evaluation process.

“Education is an ever-changing thing, and so is legislation,” Burkley said, adding that he feels some “tweaks” to state education requirements are possible to address school district concerns.

Following his tour of the elementary school, the state representative said he was very impressed with the energy efficiency built into the building, as well as the education-friendly design elements of the school. Burkley said he was very impressed with the use of natural lighting elements that cut down on the use of electricity, while providing a pleasant atmosphere for classroom learning.