Westside Messenger - September 8th, 2019

PAGE 6 - WESTSIDE MESSENGER - September 8, 2019
By Dedra Cordle
Staff Writer
Franklin
Summer is Here!
Contact us NOW for your
air conditioner tune up.
Free Estimates for Replacement Equipment
OH License #20692
Very Affordable!
OPEN HOUSE:
It was another busy summer construction
season in the South-Western City
Schools District.
At the Aug. 26 board of education meeting,
Deputy Superintendent David Stewart
announced that more than a dozen buildings
had received major or minor improvements
over the course of summer vacation.
The schools that received the most
extensive repair work was Grove City and
Westland High Schools, which saw the
replacement of significant portions of the
building’s roof.
When it comes to major repairs such as
roof replacement, Superintendent Dr. Bill
Wise said they always hold their breath
because it can unveil more intensive or
immediate repairs. That was not the case,
however, with these two buildings.
“There were minimal unforseens,” he
said.
Another school that received a roof
replacement was East Franklin
Elementary, which also received new windows
throughout the building.
Additional elementary schools that saw
improvements were Buckeye Woods and
Darby Woods. The work at Buckeye Woods
included the installation of new concrete at
the dock walls, the installation of interior
pod entry doors with lockdown capability,
and an upgraded heating and cooling unit.
Dance for Kids!
hip hop • tumbling• lyrical • jazz • tap • ballet
Season Starts August 26th!
Sunday August 18th 2-4:30pm
Wednesday August 21st 5-7:30pm
Reflections Dance Center
3048 Southwest Blvd | Grove City
614-875-1044 | RDCdance.com | Email: rdc5678@att.net
Darby Woods also received those upgrades,
minus the heating the cooling unit repairs.
Receiving minor repairs to the playground
was Highland Park, J.C. Sommer,
Monterey and Richard Avenue.
Board member Lee Schreiner said he
was glad to hear that the rubber pellets at
these playgrounds were replaced with tiles.
He remarked that they looked “great.”
Several intermediate and middle
schools received minor repairs: Franklin
Woods and Park Street had their buildings
power washed, while Galloway Ridge and
Jackson Middle had new asphalt installed
at the bus lot and pathway entrance at the
front and back of the building, respectively.
At the high school level, Central
Crossing received painting upgrades and
the South-Western Career Academy had
safety strobe horns installed in their labs.
In addition to the roof replacements, Grove
City also had its underground sanitary
lines replaced, partial sidewalk and curb
replacements and flooring improvements
in the kitchen area.
According to Mark Waller, the district’s
coordinator of property services and construction
projects, the district spent $8.2
million on these repairs. The money, he
wrote, was from bond issues and permanent
improvements.
www.columbusmessenger.com
In Education
School district repairs buildings over summer break
The Ohio Mayors Alliance recognized
Columbus with a grant award for the city’s
joint work with I Know I Can and
Columbus City Schools to promote seniors
taking charge of their futures, crossing the
finish line at graduation, and then reaching
higher by going to college, getting a job,
beginning a career, or serving in the military.
“Our city’s future economic success
depends on today’s students getting a great
K-12 education and then going on to earn a
degree or credential,” said Columbus
Mayor Andrew Ginther. “We want to recognize
young people’s smart choices and
inspire students who are following them.
We’re growing tomorrow’s workforce
today.”
The alliance awarded more than
$200,000 to seven cities that are stepping
up to support Ohio’s Complete to Compete
challenge, an effort that is designed to help
meet the state’s goal that by 2025, 65 percent
of working-age Ohioans will have a
two-year or four-year college degree, or a
high-quality credential. Columbus will
receive $30,000.
With these funds, the city and
Columbus City Schools will provide leadership
and support to I Know I Can. This
would ensure every CCS high school student
would have access to I Know I Can
counselors.
Ohio’s ability to attract and keep good
Next summer will also be a busy construction
season, said Stewart. In the summer
of 2020, the district will break ground
on phase two of the Ohio Facilities
Construction Commission project. That
project will oversee the replacement of
Brookpark, Finland, Norton and Pleasant
View middle schools, as well as further
repairs to Jackson Middle and East
Franklin Elementary.
Stewart also reported to the board that
they received approximately 2,000 new student
enrollments to the district for the
2019-2020 school year. He said official
enrollment numbers will be available later
this year.
He also told the board that each of the
buses have been “stickered,” which means
every one of the 210 buses has passed
inspection from the Ohio Department of
Transportation.
In other meeting news, Carl Metzger,
the assistant superintendent of personnel,
gave a staffing update to the board.
According to Metzger, the district has
2,763 certificated and classified employees.
Of those, 1,722 are certificated (1,619
teachers, 103 administrators) and 1,041
are classified.
City grant is helping students
jobs depends on having a highly qualified
workforce. An estimated two thirds of Ohio
jobs in the near future will require education
beyond high school. Ohio ranks 36th
among the states for its citizens’ educational
attainment, according to the Lumina
Foundation’s A Stronger Nation.
The Mayors Alliance, in partnership
with Learn to Earn Dayton, and with support
from the Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation and the AT&T Foundation,
created the Mayors Education Advocacy
Grant program to engage mayors and
leverage their voice to help promote Ohio’s
educational attainment goal.
The Ohio Mayors Alliance is a bipartisan
coalition of mayors in Ohio’s largest
cities.
westside
Messenger
(Distribution: 24,176)
Andrea Cordle...................................Westside Editor
westside@ columbusmessenger.com
Published every other Sunday by the
The Columbus Messenger Co.
3500 Sullivant Ave., Columbus, Ohio 43204-1887
(614) 272-5422
The Columbus Messenger Co. reserves the right to edit, reject or
cancel any advertisement or editorial copy at any time. The company
is not responsible for checking accuracy of items submitted
for publication. Errors in advertising copy must be called to the
attention of the company after first insertion and prior to a second
insertion of the same advertising copy.