Westside Messenger - October 3rd, 2021
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
PAGE 2 - WESTSIDE MESSENGER - <strong>October</strong> 3, <strong>2021</strong><br />
By Dedra Cordle<br />
Staff Writer<br />
A local law enforcement agency will continue to provide<br />
security services for the South-Western City Schools<br />
District.<br />
At its meeting on Sept. 27, the district’s board of education<br />
unanimously approved a new agreement with the<br />
Franklin County Sheriff’s Office to provide security services<br />
at Franklin Heights and Westland High Schools.<br />
Under the terms of the agreement, the district<br />
will pay the department approximately $235,000<br />
for the use of two deputies (or one at each school)<br />
for the remainder of the <strong>2021</strong>-22 school year.<br />
Superintendent Dr. Bill Wise said the importance<br />
of having resource officers at the schools cannot<br />
be understated.<br />
“Those officers are, and have been, an integral<br />
part of our schools,” he said after the meeting.<br />
“They provide answers to students and they provide<br />
support to our staff as well as our students.”<br />
He said all of the resource officers have undertaken<br />
extensive educational training through the<br />
state’s school resource officers association to which<br />
the students and staff benefit immensely through<br />
the sharing of that knowledge.<br />
“The resource officers develop relationships with<br />
these students (through this training) and they<br />
help link the community, the schools and the students<br />
together.”<br />
Tim Donahue, the principal of Franklin Heights,<br />
www.columbusmessenger.com<br />
In Education<br />
Board OKs contract for security at high schools<br />
Serving Your Community<br />
Malek &<br />
ATTORNEYS AT LAW Malek<br />
Proudly Announcing<br />
Adding New Attorneys<br />
To Serve You!<br />
WORKERS’<br />
COMPENSATION<br />
PERSONAL INJURY<br />
WRONGFUL DEATH<br />
SLIP & FALL INJURY<br />
DOG BITE INJURY<br />
Since 1972<br />
Douglas, Ed, Jim<br />
and Kip Malek<br />
“Hablamos Español”<br />
FREE Initial Consultation<br />
www.maleklawfirm.com<br />
614-444-7440<br />
1227 S. High St., Columbus, OH 43206<br />
SWCS<br />
Continued from page 1<br />
for illnesses, the district may not be able to maintain<br />
normal transportation operations in the near future.<br />
“We need to be in a position to fill these spots,” he<br />
said. “This (hourly rate hike) is an attempt to do that.”<br />
South-Western City Schools is not the only district<br />
facing bus driver shortages; in fact, driver shortages<br />
are being felt across the state and throughout the<br />
country.<br />
To address the issue, Massachusetts Governor<br />
Charlie Baker recently activated its National Guard to<br />
drive kids to school amid the shortage. Several districts<br />
in Ohio have called on Governor Mike DeWine to<br />
do the same.<br />
At a press briefing on Sept. 24, DeWine said he and<br />
Attorney General David Yost were committed to prioritizing<br />
background checks for school bus drivers and<br />
others pursuing their Commercial Driver’s License. All<br />
school bus drivers have to have a CDL in order to operate<br />
a school bus.<br />
“This will not solve all of the problems in regard to<br />
bus drivers but it was one of the things that we looked<br />
at that we could actually take some immediate action<br />
and we believe get some results and speed some of this<br />
up,” DeWine said at the briefing.<br />
The district said it will also assist those seeking to<br />
become bus drivers, regular or substitute, obtain their<br />
CDL.<br />
In addition to a shortage of substitute bus drivers,<br />
the district is also experiencing a shortage of substitute<br />
teachers. At the Sept. 27 meeting, the board unanimously<br />
approved an increase of the daily substitute<br />
teaching rates of $155 for retired SWCS teachers, $145<br />
for sub pool substitute teachers, and $130 for day-today<br />
substitute teachers, effective Oct. 1, <strong>2021</strong>. Like<br />
substitute bus drivers, substitute teachers will also<br />
receive lump sum payments of $500, $750, and $1,000<br />
after working at the district for 50 days, 100 days, and<br />
150 days, respectively. To become a substitute teacher,<br />
shared a similar sentiment, stating that resource officers<br />
often go beyond their duties to provide assistance within<br />
the school and throughout the community.<br />
“Our school resource officer, Deputy Dan Fahy, has<br />
done a tremendous job developing relationships and building<br />
trust with all facets of our school community,” he wrote<br />
in a statement. “Students, parents, and staff all feel very<br />
comfortable reaching out to Deputy Fahy and asking for<br />
his support and guidance.<br />
“Deputy Fahy is a true part of the Falcon Family and is<br />
often found volunteering his time working with our Special<br />
Olympics events, attending school plays, or teaching a student<br />
how to change their tire.”<br />
In addition to providing protection of the building premises,<br />
the resource officers are required to investigate and<br />
document unruly, delinquent and criminal acts within the<br />
school and neighborhood; participate in classroom and<br />
school assemblies; serve as a liaison with neighborhood<br />
businesses and residents in school related problems; and<br />
provide early detection of deviant behaviors in students.<br />
The district’s agreement with the county sheriff’s office<br />
is done on an annual basis. The district also has an agreement<br />
with the Grove City Division of Police to provide<br />
security services at Central Crossing and Grove City High<br />
Schools.<br />
one must have obtained a bachelor’s degree.<br />
To find more information on how to apply to become<br />
a substitute bus driver or substitute teacher, visit the<br />
district’s employment section on its website, swcsd.us.<br />
In other meeting news, Michael Dingeldein, the<br />
director of architecture and planning with the<br />
Community Design Alliance, presented the board with<br />
an update on the middle school construction project.<br />
According to Dingeldein, the project is facing typical<br />
struggles with supply chain issues related to insulation,<br />
foam and steel, but has otherwise not felt a deep<br />
impact with material and supply delays.<br />
“We are right on schedule (with the planned opening<br />
for the fall of 2022),” he said.<br />
He did, however, state that inflation has risen due<br />
in large part to supply chain delays and worker shortages.<br />
For instance, the cost of furniture has risen 40<br />
percent since the build project began. He said they are<br />
currently looking through the district’s inventory to<br />
see if some furniture or classroom furnishings can be<br />
reused at the new sites.<br />
Wise said this particular Ohio Facilities<br />
Construction Commission project has been the district’s<br />
“most challenging round” of school builds due to<br />
supply chain issues and pandemic related delays.<br />
He said despite the challenges, the project continues<br />
to be “on time and on budget, or within our budget.”<br />
In 2018, voters approved a 38-year, $93.4 million<br />
bond issue to pay for its share of the OFCC project<br />
which will replace four of its oldest middle schools and<br />
make renovations to another. Pleasant View Middle<br />
School and Brookpark Middle School will be relocated<br />
to Holt Road and the new Beulah Park Living development,<br />
respectively. The district is currently seeking<br />
community input on renaming those schools. To take<br />
part in their survey, visit their website at swcsd.us.