North Union School Board heard many different presentations Monday night.
Vice president Jean Wedding presided over the meeting in the absence of president Dennis Hall.
The first presentation was by Mike Nicholson, an associate with the Batelle For Kids organization. It is a not-for-profit group that works with school districts and is considered a learning hub for schools. It offers assistance to administrators and staff.
Erika Bower, North Union’s Chief Academic Officer, talked with the board about professional development in the school district. The NUniversity program works with school staff on professional development, technology, community events, a safety series, social emotional learning and helps with alignment of progress and mapping science and social studies.
Bower also discussed a collaborative program that was held with teachers from eight surrounding rural schools. Those participating shared ideas with teachers in other districts on lessons that work for them in the classroom. Organizers are discussing the possibility of having more sessions in the future.
Jason King, a member of the Council for Union County Families shared results from a survey that was taken recently with students from North Union, Marysville and Fairbanks middle and high school students. The Youth Risk Behavioral Survey asked students questions ranging from milk consumption to exercise habits.
For the county, King said that Union County students are well below the national average regarding illegal drug use. Students perceive alcohol and marijuana to be less harmful than cigarette use or prescription drug misuse. From anonymous survey reports, there is an 18 percent increase in over-the-counter medication misuse since 2016.
Under the mental health segment of the survey, 19 percent of students reported being electronically bullied in the past year, 30 percent report being bullied on school property and 19 percent said they had intentionally harmed themselves.
King said that detailed information and resources regarding the results of the Union County Youth Risk Survey are available by contacting www.ucdrugfree.org.
The last presentation was given by Steve Horton, who is a management services consultant for the Ohio School Board Association (OSBA). He talked to the school board about how to do “strategic planning.”
If the board wants to do strategic planning for the district, he suggested it utilize the parents, community members, school staff and students for the planning. His first suggestion was to have a “Core Team” of such individuals who would set goals, determine what the plan would be and begin working on it.
He said such plans usually take five to six months to complete.
In other business, the board:
-Set the next regular monthly meeting on Monday, Nov. 19, at 6:30 p.m. at the board offices.
-Approved a list of volunteers for the 2018-19 school year for classroom/field trips and for athletics.
-Approved Jason Asher as head middle school wrestling coach and Trent Thompson as head JV wrestling coach;
-Accepted Breanna Nauman as the Junior Class Assistant Advisor.
-Approved the North Union choir students to participate in two overnight trips, to Kettering A Cappella Festival and the Nordonia A Cappella Festival.
-Corrected the salary schedule of Ronda Cram to MA, step 6.
The board then went into executive session to discuss appointment, employment, dismissal, discipline, promotion, demotion or compensation of a public employee or official, or the investigation of charges or complaints against a public employee, official licensee, or regulated individual with no business to follow.