MANSFIELD – Mid-Ohio Educational Service Center is pleased to welcome the Mt. Gilead School District as a member district.
The Mid-Ohio ESC Board of Governors voted unanimously to accept their petition of membership at their regular meeting on May 19. Mount Gilead’s membership will commence on July 1, 2021.
“On behalf of the Mid-Ohio ESC Board of Governors, I can say that we are thrilled to partner with Mount Gilead Schools and welcome them to the Mid-Ohio family,” said Board President Dick Prater. “We look forward to providing our comprehensive educational services for staff and students that will meet or exceed their expectations.
“We also hope they will share their best practices and success stories to make our network of districts even stronger as we move closer to the post-COVID era.”
Mount Gilead was previously a member of the North Central Ohio Educational Service Center, with offices in Tiffin and Marion, so proximity to the district was a factor.
“As a veteran superintendent, I recognized that Mount Gilead Schools could perhaps benefit more from membership in an Educational Service Center in our geographic area,” said Larry Zimmerman, Interim Superintendent at Mount Gilead Schools since December 2019.
However, Zimmerman explained the district did not make a snap decision because they knew the partnership needed to be a good fit, and they needed to include incoming Superintendent Dr. Zack Howard.
“(We) started a study which Dr. Howard became a part of after he was hired and determined that the services being offered at Mid-Ohio ESC were the best match for the long term benefit of the Mount Gilead Schools,” Zimmerman said.
Dr. Howard shared that he is excited to work with the leadership at Mid-Ohio ESC and other member districts.
“We are looking forward to sharing ideas and addressing common challenges to create the best learning environment possible for our Mount Gilead students,” Howard said.
Mid-Ohio Educational Service Center provides specialized academic and support services, including professional development, to 10 school districts and over 17,000 students in Crawford, Morrow and Richland Counties. Client districts receive services from curriculum, gifted and special education consultants, speech pathologists, psychologists, special education teachers, occupational therapists and physical therapists.
