Marietta City Board of Education approves next phase of facilities master plan
Marietta City Board of Education member Chris Fennell and Superintendent Mary Schaeffer are pictured during a board meeting Monday in which the next phase of the district's facilities master plan with engineering company SHP and a new mission statement were approved. (Photo by Sophie Wheeler)
From left, Marietta City Board of Education President Cody Parman and CFO Frank Antill are pictured during Monday's board of education meeting, where the next phase of the district's facilities master plan with engineering company SHP and a new mission statement were approved. (Photo by Sophie Wheeler)
Marietta City Board of Education member Chris Fennell and Superintendent Mary Schaeffer are pictured during a board meeting Monday in which the next phase of the district's facilities master plan with engineering company SHP and a new mission statement were approved. (Photo by Sophie Wheeler)
From left, Marietta City Board of Education President Cody Parman and CFO Frank Antill are pictured during Monday's board of education meeting, where the next phase of the district's facilities master plan with engineering company SHP and a new mission statement were approved. (Photo by Sophie Wheeler)
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MARIETTA - The Marietta City Board of Education on Monday approved the next phase of its facilities master plan and a new mission statement for the district, while hearing a parent's concern about an updated bus stop.
During its regular meeting Monday, the board unanimously approved the initiation and execution of the next phase of the facilities plan with engineering company SHP. It includes the creation of three assessment teams that will work to develop a long-term master plan, said board President Cody Parman.
A district steering team will have a total of six to 10 people who will "provide oversight to SHP and communicate with the Ohio Facilites Construction Commission.” The educational building team will consist of 50-80 individuals, primarily teachers and administrators, who will assess what teaching and learning should look like in the future and how facilities play a role, with advice from SHP on how to gather the information. The community advisory team will consist of 30 to 45 individuals from the community to assess support and concerns from the community.
"We're going back to the drawing board to start anew through these teams to develop what is the most responsible path forward for our district," said Parman.
A local parent raised concerns on the safety of an updated bus stop at the corner of Cisler Lane, where approximately 10-20 students now exit the bus on the intersection. Director of Operations Derrick Huck said he had addressed these concerns and the drop-off spot for bus 11, stop 7, will revert to last year’s location on Wednesday. Huck stated he has notified the bus driver and will notify students and parents of the change.
The board approved a new mission statement for Marietta City Schools: "Maximizing Our Impact on Learning."
"I think maximizing our impact on learning extends itself to all areas,” Superintendent Mary Schaeffer said. “So I'm very excited about having that succinct and very clear definition of what we would like to do as a district."
CFO Frank Antill gave a general financial report with a projection of $500,000 less in revenue due to recent legislation on property tax reform and the way taxes are being collected. With state funding, the district is on a guarantee and will receive the same amount of money as 2021. Antill said there has been discussion on a 10% cut on the guarantee, which has not been reduced since 2019.
In other business, the board approved a change in dates for regular meetings to Thursdays with the exception of September, October and December due to conflicts and proximity to holidays.
The board then moved to Executive Session to consider the employment of a public employee or official with no action taken.
The Marietta City Board of Education next regular meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday, Sept. 21.