Ohio Grade School

OHIO — The Ohio Grade School Board took action on the following items at its meeting Feb. 16:

• Heard Robert Albrecht and Cori Jilderda volunteer for the teacher’s contract negotiation.

• Approved fees, substitute pay and officials pay for the 2010-11 school year as presented.

• Heard Superintendent Sharon Flesher would like to bid the mowing for summer 2010. Specifications are available at the school.

• Tabled action on a security system. Flesher said she had contacted several companies but did not feel she had enough information to take action at this time.

• Heard Life Safety building permits were received from the regional office. The three projects that have been discussed in previous meetings will be done during spring break so as not to disrupt classes.

• Reviewed two FY11 proposed school calendars due to Easter falling very late next year. Calendar 1 proposes taking off the week of April 18, 2011, the week before Prairie State testing which would not be good planning for teachers preparing for the test. Calendar 2 proposes taking off the week of March 28, 2011, plus Good Friday (April 22, 2011) and the Monday (April 25, 2011) after Easter. Flesher said the teachers are divided, and she recommends Calendar 2.

• Heard grades six through 12 went on a field trip to the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center Feb. 15. The teachers wrote and received a grant that paid for the students’ admission and the bus costs. The trip was in conjunction with the units of instruction in both junior and high school mandated by the state.

• Heard parent teacher conferences were held Feb. 10-11, and Principal Mark Downey said turnout was “fair.” In conjunction with the conferences, Downey had set up a demonstration in the computer lab downstairs for parents and students of the My Skills Tutor Program.

• Heard Downey discuss the Explorer and Plan testing and how the district needs to balance out between ISAT and ACT tests.