Marietta Board of Education accepts donations, hears updates
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The Marietta City School District Board of Education held its regular meeting Monday night in the Board of Education office at 111 Academy Drive.
The board accepted a number of donations including $1,300 from the Athletic Department for the MCS Stadium Project, $2,000 from the Marietta Community Foundation for Tabby's Clothesline, $160 from Mark and Sally Weihl for the Marietta High School boys basketball team meals and $206 from the MHS boys basketball team for Team Ashton.
The board also approved a number of personnel matters including the retirements of Jan Mason, Marietta Elementary School third grade teacher, Earlene Watson, Washington Elementary intervention specialist, and Rita Frum, MHS guidance counselor. Watson's and Mason's retirement will take effect May 31 and Frum's will be June 15.
The board also accepted the resignation of MHS Assistant Principal Kyle Scott taking effect July 31.
Another personnel matters the board approved was the hiring of instructors for the 2023 Safetytown Program running from June 12-22. This included Kathy Carr as a teacher and coordinator and Halle Richards, Samantha Venderlic and Ashley Bonnette as teachers.
Dalton Summers, superintendent for the Ohio Valley Educational Service Center (OVESC), spoke to the board about a possible plan to use Putnam Elementary School as an alternative school. He said this would be a place for students to be placed short term. He said the area schools in Washington County would be able to use the school to send students with disciplinary problems and any special needs the school can't provide for.
"Things that we're not able to offer because we don't have a large population, but we may have a student or two, that we end up having to send elsewhere," Superintendent Brad Silvus said.
"We (OVESC) think there's a big enough need here in this area that just between the six or seven schools within our ESC region, we collaboratively do that," Summers said.
Silvus said this could be a way to educate students about the dangers of vaping.
"You've gotten caught for your second time, you go there for X number of days, and that's a part of what you have to complete in order to then come back," Silvus said. "It's about educating, helping, that kind of thing."
Summers said the program has had good results in Coshocton County.
"We had 96-97% graduation rate all the time and this had a lot to do with it."
No action was taken during the meeting on the matter.
Dave Hendrickson, with the City of Marietta Engineer Department, talked to the board about the Safe Route to School program.
"Part of this year's safe route has been applied to be on school property," Hendrickson said.
The plans include installing bike racks near Glendale Road, adjacent to the steps that lead to Marietta Elementary, ADA curb ramps on Betsy Mitchell Lane to create additional parent pick-up and drop-off areas, improved pedestrian crossing facilities on Academy Drive and Davis Avenue at the high school, sidewalk replacement and widening on Muskingum Drive, and brick repair on Fourth Street between Warren Street and Camp Avenue.
Hendrickson said it has been mentioned getting more sidewalk area around Marietta Elementary where there isn't any.
"That's very much on our radar," he said.
The board also approved the 2023-2024 school year calendar summited by the Calendar Committee. Important dates include Aug. 23 as the first day of classes, Nov. 22-26 for Thanksgiving break, Dec. 21-Jan. 2 for Christmas break, April 1-5 for Spring Break and May 30 being the last day of classes.
The next Marietta City Schools Board of Education meeting will be April 24 at 6 p.m. at 111 Academy Drive. The meeting is open to the public.