West Geauga School Board Hires New Superintendent
West Geauga Board of Education Regular Board Meeting - 9/23/2024
Meeting Details: The West Geauga Board of Education met on September 23, 2024 at 7:00 pm in the Board Office Community Room, 8615 Cedar Road in Chester Township. Meetings are open to the public and media. The meeting agenda and minutes are available online. Look for the Meeting tab in the right
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available here.
Board Attendance: Christina Sherwood, President; Dr. William Beers, Pam Claypool, Mary-Michelle Coleman Walsh and Kathy Leavenworth
Staff Attendance: Karen Pavlat, Treasurer; Dr. Richard Markwardt, Superintendent, and Dr. Nancy Benincasa, Assistant Superintendent
Other Attendees: Mr. Golden, Ms. Harris and Ms. Cramer, district residents; Approximately 15 other unidentified members of the public and staff and this LWV observer
Call to Order - The meeting was called to order at 7:00 pm, roll call was conducted, and the Pledge of Allegiance was recited.
Additions and/or changes to the Agenda - Treasurer Pavlat said that there were no additions to the
agenda.
1.40 Min. Adjourn to Executive Session to discuss appointment and/or employment of personnel, compensation or negotiations.
25.15 Min. Reconvene Into Regular Session
25.45 Min. Program Reports and Presentations - Presentations are available here by going to the meeting date, clicking on Agenda
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Presentation made by Assistant Superintendent Dr. Benincasa on the 2024 Ohio Department of Education Report Card Results. West Geauga School District received a 5-Star rating both overall and in each of the individual assessment categories. The District ranked 18th out of 607 districts rated by the state. The individual assessment categories are achievement, progress, early literacy, gap closing and graduation rate. The state will be adding a new category, College, Career, Workforce and Military Readiness, in the near future. General discussion followed the presentation. Dr. Benincasa stated that the staff is continuing to refine its understanding of how information is presented to the state for these annual ratings to better reflect the District’s performance in each category. Dr. Markwardt noted that student participation in standardized tests such as the SAT and ACT tests is lower than he would like to see and that there should be efforts made to increase participation levels which could result in increased scholarship opportunities for students. .
42.00 Min. Public Remarks Three persons spoke during this part of the meeting.
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Mr. Golden - Spoke to the Board process in selecting a new superintendent. He advocated for using a wide-reaching search to find the best candidate and that it be done in a transparent manner so that the community would be aware of the process.
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Ms Harris - Spoke to the lack of information about the superintendent search process to parents. She said that the process should be one where the results are what is best for the students.
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Ms. Cramer - Expressed concern about paying employees to have training in “proper use of pronouns.” She feels this is not a wise use of the District’s assets.
52.10 Min. Routine Items - All approved
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2024-09-317 Resolution to Approve Routine Matters of the West Geauga Local School Board of Education
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Resolution to Approve August 2024 Financial Statements
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Resolution to Approve the Minutes of the September 9, 2024 Meeting
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Resolution to Approve the Certified Substitute List for 2024-2025 School Year
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Resolution to Approve the Classified Substitute List for the 2024-2025 School Year
52.45 Min. Financial Resolutions - All approved
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2024-09-318 Resolution to Approve Warrants for August, 2024
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2024-09-319 Resolution to Approve
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The FY 2025 Final Permanent Appropriation Amendment #3 with change (increase or decrease) in appropriations and 412 Certificate as of September 23, 2024
53.40 Min. Personnel Resolutions - All Approved
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2024-09-320 Resolution to Accept Classified Staff Resignation
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2024-09-321 Resolution to Approve Supplemental Contracts for the 2024-2025 School Year
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2024-09-322 Resolution to Approve Service Contracts for the 2024-2025 School Year
54.50 Min. Business Resolutions - All Approved
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2024-09-323 Resolution to Approve the Payment Agreement for Services Between Crossroads Health and West Geauga Local School District for 2024-2025 School Year
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2024-09-324 Resolution to Approve the Service Agreement between Safehouse Preparatory and West Geauga Local Schools for the 2024-2025 School Year
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2024-09-325 Resolution to Approve the Service Agreement between West Geauga Schools and PSI Affiliates, Inc./PSI Associates, Inc. for the 2024-2025 School Year
56.10 Min. Board Resolutions - All Approved
Dr. Beers set forth the background the Board used in the search for a new superintendent. His past experience has indicated that there is no single method or process for hiring a new superintendent and he felt the most important criteria in the search are academic rigor and educational philosophy. He has had a long period of experience working with Dr. Benincasa and feels she is the best choice for the District. Mrs. Leavenworth stated she agreed that there is no set process used by school districts in hiring a new superintendent. She has worked with Dr. Benincasa and agrees she is the best candidate. Mrs. Claypool stated she will be voting “No” for the candidate based on the process chosen, not on the qualifications of the candidate. She will continue her support of the candidate as the new superintendent. Mrs. Coleman-Walsh said it has been her experience that when you can evaluate a potential candidate within an organization, it provides valid information for promotion. The vote was 4 in favor, 1 against hiring Dr. Benincasa as the new superintendent.
1:10.45 Min. Discussion of New Business and Suggestions on Future Agenda Items - None
1:10.45 Min. Reports
Superintendent Report - Dr. Markwardt reported on:
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Bus Routes - He announced the formation of an additional bus route that will be in effect immediately. Two new routes are under development for implementation in January 2025. He is in the process of negotiating with the bus drivers about implementation of these proposed routes.
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5-Star Award - Reviewed the press release prepared for announcing the award for the community. He noted that this was an important achievement for the district and thanked all who helped make it possible.
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Homecoming Dance - He attended the Homecoming Dance and was impressed with how many attended and how well it was run.
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Importance of Standardized Testing - He again stated his support of expanding efforts to increase the number of students taking standardized tests, including the practice tests.
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New Superintendent - He explained he had very limited participation in the Board’s search process. In his years as a superintendent, he has mentored 13 potential superintendents or assistant superintendents. He would rate two of these as outstanding candidates and that Dr. Benincasa is one of those two outstanding candidates.
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State of Ohio Governor’s Scholarships - Seven students have been nominated this year for this scholarship. He explained that these scholarships can provide an annual award of $5,000 per year over a four-year period.
1:20.15 Min. Adjournment:
Next Meeting: The next regular meeting will be October 28, 2024 at 7:00 pm in the Board Office
Community Room, 8615 Cedar Road in Chester Township.
Observer Note: A Special Meeting was scheduled for October 2, 2024 at 7:45 am subsequent to this meeting.
Observer: Bob Doxey
Editor: Anne Ondrey
Reviewer: Sarah McGlone
Date Submitted: October 19, 2024
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