Tuesday’s Mansfield City Schools Board of Education meeting addressed a variety of business items, but issues related to the Financial Planning and Supervision Commission were not on the agenda. The board heard a presentation from VLN Partners, LLC., a treasurers report, and recommended personnel actions.
This came as a surprise to a group of nearly a dozen parents and children who had planned to present a petition to the board. Dylan Nicholson, a ten year old student at Malabar penned the petition to save Springmill Learning Center that was signed by 575 students.
VLN Partners presented a robust software package that the district could implement to offer online learning as an option for Mansfied City Schools families. The program would compete with other online services such as ECOT , but would offer more integration with the local district, higher levels of student accountability, and since students would be enrolled in Mansfield City Schools, they could participate in sports and other school activities. An additional benefit to the district would be that they would retain these students as pupils.
The retirement of eight employees was discussed. JoAnn Baker, Beverly Boatman, Anita Holloway, Thomas Sawyer, Kay Gibson, Elizabeth Killinger, Jean Mills, and Christine Ocheltree will retire between May and July of this year.
Other staffing matters included a resignation, a change of status, and a leave of absence. Supplemental contracts, and stipends were also discussed.
Superintendent Brian Garvarick recommended non-renewal of 87 limited contracts, 108 certified supplemental contracts, 90 non-certified supplemental contracts, and 226 substitute personnel contracts.
Dawn Kitchen, mother of Dylan Nicholson, attempted to address the board, but was informed that the public could only address agenda items, and Springmill’s closure was not an agenda item.
“The bylaws do not make it clear that it has to be on the agenda to speak about it. There are a lot of us here to speak about this same topic, but we had no idea what was on the agenda because it wasn’t published ahead of time,” said Kitchen.
“We won’t speak on that tonight, that will be discussed next week,” said board president Renda Cline, “We’re sorry, but this is how we’ve always run the meetings,” she continued.
Cline advised the families to send letters to board members prior to the commission meeting and stressed that she personally reads all letters she receives.
The board entered into a lengthy closed session to discuss private personnel and employee discipline issues.
In the petition Nicholson explained why he loves Springmill Learning Center so much, “The reason why you should sign this is because going to Springmill teaches us about things that can’t really be taught in class. While we are learning, we get to get some of our energy out–so the next day we won’t be wild in school and have to pull clips [a classroom discipline method]. Another reason to save Springmill is everybody loves to go there and have fun. For example, we had so much fun learning about erosion and playing games that teach you about how to measure area and perimeter (like pretending you need to build a space center on Mars!!),” said Nicholson.
Kitchen also addressed the idea that Springmill represents a frivolous extra program, a luxury we can’t afford, as she estimates has been asserted by some, “The national research council, the folks who come up with the science standards we are teaching, say we have long been ignoring an equity issue. Low socioeconomic areas have long been ignored in terms of science education, and this isn’t a luxury, this is how science, engineering, technology and mathematics should be taught–hands on, minds on…It’s an absolute necessity, and it’s a necessity here,” said Kitchen.
Kitchen and Nicholson plan to speak at the Mansfield City Schools and Financial Planning and Supervision Commission Joint meeting to be held at Mansfield Senior Auditorium on April 22, 2014 at 4 p.m.
“The reason why you should sign this is because going to Springmill teaches us about things that can’t really be taught in class,” read some of the petition.
