Robert Whitney, president of Lexington’s school board, has been part of the board for almost 50 years, and was surprised when Loren Blackstone, another member of the board, presented him with a plaque. The plague honored Whitney for his loyalty to Lexington Schools and the community.
“There are a lot of other people that have put time into this school system over the years that are probably more deserving [of this plaque] than I am,” stated Whitney at the board’s recent meeting. According to Whitney, he plans on staying on the board as long as he is able.
Also at the meeting were concerned parents Melissa and Dave Watters and Eric Lehnhart. Each parent has a child in kindergarten in Western Elementary. The Watters were concerned with class size and how that might affect their child’s education. Melissa Watters said procedures needed to be created to limit class sizes. She also suggested that there are some students who do not live in the Western district, but are enrolled in the school.
Lehnhart and his wife were concerned with postings for class supplies and assignments. The postings were placed on the last Friday before school started, which caused “anxiety” to the parents who “scrambled all weekend to plan for their child’s needs.”
Whitney said, “We will look into this and get back to you.”
The board then proceeded to discuss finances. Numerous donations were made to the school, including $1,000 from Therm-O-Disc. The monies were earmarked for items like sports ads and school lunches. The rest, if not used some place else, will be placed in the district’s general fund.
Another topic of interest was the discussion regarding the school district’s involvement with the Mid-Ohio Educational Service Center (MOESC). Treasurer Tina Bennett stated that MOESC’s invoice for last fiscal year had increased 38 percent from the previous year’s.
The board decided to invite members of MOESC to a meeting to discuss the increase. The invoice was for approximately $266,000.
The next scheduled board meeting is Wednesday, September 18 at 7 p.m. and is open to the public.
