Wauseon schools likely to receive 'excellent' rating

By DAVID J. COEHRS

Expositor Features Editor

According to preliminary reports, Wauseon Exempted Village Schools will score an "excellent" rating on its latest state report card.

Superintendent Marc Robinson noted at a school board meeting held Monday that data received suggests the district met 29 of 30 indicators for the 2007-08 school year. As with the previous school year, however, it failed to meet its Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) goal.

The missed indicator was due to eighth grade social studies, which scored 65 percent, an increase from 58 percent from last year.

The indicators top those of the 2006-07 school year, when the district received 28. Robinson said despite missing a perfect score, Wauseon schools fared well.

"That's fantastic news for the district," he said.

Reports provided by the district's principals showed tenth grade standards in areas of the Ohio Graduation Testing dropped by as much as 10 percent from the previous school year; test scores remained fairly level at Burr Road Middle School; and they generally hovered in the upper 80th to upper 90th percentile at Elm Street Elementary. Students at all levels were tested in math, reading, writing, science and social studies.

Burr Road Principal Joe Friess said many of his students were in advanced and accelerated categories.

Students at Elm Street Elementary School earned 40,241 points in the Accelerated Reading program, Principal David Burkholder reported. A total of 135 students received medals for earning 100 points, and 219 received badges for earning 75 points.

"They really worked for it, and I'm really pleased with them," Burkholder said.

Robinson said construction of the new third-through-eighth grade school building and renovations to current buildings "overall is moving full-speed. For the most part, things are going well."

Piping is being installed at Leggett Street Primary School, and a decision that the building's fire suppression system does not need a new pump "will be a fairly substantial savings from that piece of the project," he said.

Bids for technology work at Leggett Street and the high school will open July 11.

"There will be a lot of technology training to start the year off," Leggett Street Principal Troy Armstrong told board members. Each classroom will have five new computers, the computer lab will get 25 additional computers and teachers will getlaptops. Classrooms will be outfitted with a SmartBoard and projector.

Bids for asbestos abatement work at the high school have not been scheduled.

In other business, the school board:

* Authorized participation by the board of education in eight federal programs including those for Childhood Special Education and Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities.

* Approved payment of $210.95 in gross wages per week to Lowell Schultz in lieu of wage loss payments through the Bureau of Workers' Compensation for up to 12 weeks due to injury.