If the levy attempt for Marysville Schools fails in November, two things appear certain – pay-to-participate fees will go up and the number of cops in schools will go down. During a special meeting of the board of education Monday, officials discussed cost saving elements that involved boosting parent fees for extracurriculars and cutting School Resource Officers (SRO) should the district’s 5.5-mill, 10-year levy fail in the fall. An additional portion of the meeting was held in executive session to discuss personnel matters, which potentially could have continued the contingency discussion as it pertains to eliminating staff positions. To date,…
Author: Chad Williamson
The bills for deferred maintenance in North Lewisburg are coming due and the residents might feel the sting. At a Tuesday meeting, village officials discussed a trio of topics that would all result in more money in village coffers, but less in resident pockets. “I don’t like looking at the past but we’re having to take care of things,” Mayor Ted Murphy said. Murphy explained that upkeep on the village water and sewer operations is draining the carryover money in the general fund. He said those carryover funds, which are generally hundreds of thousands of dollars year to year, could…
Thinking about the festivities of this holiday week, I started recalling stories about the wonder of fireworks when I was younger. I don’t mean the big community displays, operated by professionals with crews of firefighters at the ready should something go wrong. I’m talking about back-alley black powder, lit by a Marb and the safety plan involves an uncle with his thumb over a longneck spraying beer foam if the sparks ignite a hay bale. Fireworks used to hold a mystical quality when I was a kid. Back then you could only get sparklers and snakes (shoutout Kicking Wing) in…
Pictured above is a da Vinci Robotic Surgical System like the one being leased by Memorial Hospital. The robot will allow surgeries to be performed with smaller incisions, allowing shorter recovery times. (Photo submitted) — The Memorial Health Board of Trustees recently approved the acquisition of a da Vinci Xi Robotic Surgical System, a piece of technology that should help the system recruit surgeons in the future. The new device aims to advance Memorial’s technology base for minimally invasive surgical care across a spectrum of procedures in urology, general surgery and gynecology. “As technology becomes more advanced, Memorial Health continues…
Memorial Health will be getting into the retail pharmacy business. The health system has agreed to purchase Dave’s Pharmacy from Cardinal Health, hoping for a variety of benefits by expanding into a new arena of medicine. “The Senior Leadership of Memorial Health is confident this move will benefit our organization, our patients, and our community,” Memorial CEO and President Chip Hubbs said. “We are committed to delivering personalized, local care well into the future and to protecting access to community pharmacy services.” Dave’s Pharmacy, originated in 1997 by current Union County Commissioner Dave Burke, saw ownership shift to Cardinal Health…
Marysville Early College High School (ECHS) has a new principal after the resignation of Jennifer Hinderer on July 31. Reynoldsburg Principal Scott Bennett was approved by the board of education at a meeting Thursday night to replace Hinderer. “We’re certainly sad to see Jen go, because she’s done a fantastic job for us in a variety of roles,” Marysville Superintendent Diane Allen said. “She’s done a great job in every one of them.” Hinderer is reportedly leaving to take a leadership position in the Dublin school district. She was hired to lead ECHS in July of 2022 but has been…
If there wasn’t enough on the line with Marysville’s operating levy attempt in November, the district’s future is now also tied to a second issue on that same ballot. The Marysville Board of Education learned Thursday night that the fate of the Union County Board of Developmental Disabilities (UCBDD) levy in November could have broad financial implications to the district, as the two entities partner to educate pre-school age special needs students. If the UCBDD levy fails, the Marysville District could be forced to provide millions of dollars of additional services. Many Marysville parents might not be aware the district…
The smiling face of Jill Sements will not greet students, parents and staff at Marysville’s middle school in the fall. Sements is retiring after 40 years with the district, more than three decades of which was an office secretary at the middle school. A lifelong Marysville resident, she is shown above on one of her final days in the office with her Monarch themed teddy bear and Marysville pennant, which she got in high school. (Journal-Tribune photo by Chad Williamson) — Asked to reflect on her 40 years with the Marysville School District, Jill Sements said hasn’t done anything special.…
For those of you that read Michael Williamson’s column last week, this might seem like a continuation. Michael wrote about overall corporate greed from the highest possible view, the angle that corporations are using the fog of inflation as a way to over-inflate prices with no real connection to the cost of production. He looked at the idea that companies will ramp up prices as high as possible and then, in the face of blowback, will act benevolent when rolling them back. I will be discussing corporate greed with a more grassroots approach. I will be looking at shrinkflation strictly…
Marysville school officials got the ball rolling on creating a contingency plan should a levy attempt fail in November. A special meeting of the Marysville Board of Education Wednesday gave a glimpse at what the future cuts might look like if the district is forced to stretch its dollars beyond the next levy cycle. Contingency plans are not new to the district as it was forced to enact one last year after an 8.4-mill levy was soundly rejected by voters. In an effort to trim money from the annual budget, the board enacted a hiring freeze, eliminated pay for assistant…
J-T Podcast tackles issue For a longer discussion about the elementary behavior problems being seen in the Marysville District, listen to Thursday’s episode of the Journal-Tribune Podcast. The podcast can be found on all popular streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Podcasts. — Behavior problems are exploding at elementary schools and the Marysville District is creating a new position in each building to help with the problem. Starting next school year, the district will hire five registered behavioral technicians to be both reactive and proactive with students who act out in class. Each elementary building will be assigned a technician…
When finalizing a bell schedule to provide additional flexibility for the bussing program, Marysville School officials settled on one that favored families over peak functionality. Following months of meeting with a community task force one the issue, the Marysville Board of Education voted Thursday night to implement a plan that considered parental feedback collected from surveys and public meetings. “We needed to prioritize the experience of the students and the families,” Director of Operations Ryan Walker told the board. A mid-year bell schedule change, coupled with success in bus driver recruitment, helped alleviate habitually late bus routes throughout the district.…
The Marysville School District is forming a pair of parent groups that will help shape the future for local students. The district recently sent invitations to local parents to volunteer for the Parent Council and the Facilities Planning Community Task Force. The Parent Council will look at academic, school and community topics. District officials hope to secure 15 members, five each representing grades K-4, 5-8, and 9-12. The parent group will meet quarterly, in September, December, February and April. Marysville Superintendent Diane Allen said there has been a strong response to the call for volunteers. “We have about 130 people…
As a person who is wider than most, I am pretty aware of my body and its proximity to others. I will wait and hold a door open rather than trying to hustle through to beat another person to the threshold. In a narrow hallway, I will turn sideways and back against the wall as another person passes. I pinch in my shoulders on airplane seats so as not to spill over into another person’s space. In the gym, I look around to ensure I’m not going to wallop anyone while lifting weights. I’m exceedingly careful maneuvering through crowds so…
The Marysville Board of Education honored the district’s Good Apple Award recipients recently. Staff in each building nominate an individual who supports operations in various ways. Those honored were, from left to right, in the front row: Kaye Howard, Tri-Academy; Mina Miller, Navin Elementary; Sarah Reichard, Northwood Elementary; Tracy Koski, Bunsold Middle School; Tiffany Wood, Marysville High School; Kassandra Bach, Edgewood Elementary; Erin Abele, Raymond Elementary; Leigh Ann Shepherd, board office; Nikki Hauenstein, Mill Valley Elementary; and Krista Fairchild, Creekview Elementary. In the back row, from left, are board of education members, Nan Savidge, Matt Keller, Jermaine Ferguson, Bill Keck…