MANSFIELD, Ohio — Superintendent Brian Garverick emphasized a devotion to student achievement in a formal response to a controversial annual review from the Mansfield City Schools Board of Education.
In a letter dated Dec. 11, but issued Friday to the media, Garverick began by offering statistics about his job. “… which in large measure helps to define the scope of my daily responsibilities in our district of more than 3,500 students in eight schools.”
Fiscally, he said, the district operates on a general fund of around $56 million, which he compared to a business.
“We are in the business of educating students,” he wrote. “And we must utilize our resources to maximum efficiency.”
During Tuesday’s board meeting, Garverick’s superintendent contract was extended by four years after receiving a summative score of 2.7 out of 5.
He wrote that after entering fiscal emergency in 2013 he played a major role in the “painful but necessary” financial recovery plan. The plan included the shutdown of Newman Elementary and the West Fifth Street building. He said after laying off employees through a reduction in force, the district experienced a $5.9 million cut.
He also touched on personnel, an issue board member Chris Elswick pointed out after Tuesday’s board meeting.
“We do not have a personnel director in central office. We do not have a curriculum director,” wrote Garverick.
He said, ultimately, he is in charge of 514 employees and developing curriculum at all levels. He then broke his response down into three areas, which corresponded with goals set last year:
Student Achievement
Garverick wrote he has worked diligently with building principals, the Office of State and Federal Programs and the District Leadership Team to maintain student achievement in light of the layoffs.
He said the use of Title Funds expanded from $52,789 to $157,113 during the 2014-15 school year. Those funds provided Extended Learning Opportunities.
He noted a positive trend in reading and math from 2012 to 2014, as recorded by trend data by the Ohio Department of Education.
Garverick also cited 72.4 percent of the district’s third graders are at or above the 2015 Ohio Achievement Reading Assessment, 10 points higher than Lima City Schools, which he said is a district Mansfield is most often compared to by the state.
He noted the district’s ongoing collaboration with OSU-Mansfield both with the Algebra Project and programs that exist through the Springmill Learning Center.
Lastly, he recognized grants the schools have received, namely a $96,000 sum from Richland County Foundation’s Fran and Warren Rupp Foundation grant for Malabar Intermediate School. That money is to help fund the purchase of new math textbooks.
Technology
Garverick noted the district’s success in cutting technology expenses through collaborative work with City Mills Technology. The district was also able to recuperate $72,000 in refunds and $15,000 in credits from their telecommunications provider.
The district also eliminated 2,500 old computers and replaced them with new, updated units.
Springmill Learning Center
Springmill Learning Center was affected by the reduction in force in 2014, sustaining a “virtual closing,” Garverick wrote.
In response to the community’s desire to keep the learning center operational, he reported launching the Springmill Steering Committee, which helped develop new initiatives — including the relocation of OSU’s Math Literacy Center to the Springmill Center.
During summer 2015, the learning center was the headquarters for two weeklong camps, he wrote. He also noted Science Saturdays, had a strong public turnout.
