A surprise award and tax relief were the main focal points at the South-Western City School Board of Education meeting held on Aug. 13.
District Superintendent Dr. R. Kirk Hamilton was selected to receive the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation’s Ohio Superintendent Outstanding Performance Award for 2007.
"Dr. Hamilton works tirelessly for public education," said Board President Jim Lester. "His can do attitude is infectious and he has the ability to unite groups to work for the good of not just our school district, but for public education in Ohio."
In addition to receiving the prestigious award, Hamilton was given a $20,000 cash award, which he plans to put to use by providing professional development for staff supporting the concept of Professional Leaning Communities (PLC). The ideas for the PLC include shared missions, visions and values; collaborative teams, action orientation and experimentation and continuous improvement.
Hamilton thanked the board for his nomination and told them that the award is a collaborative effort.
Board member Cathy Johnson talked about the homestead tax and encouraged those who are 65 years and older to apply to get relief on property tax.
"You will get property tax relief if you file the forms by Oct. 1, 2007," said Johnson. "You can go to www.tax.ohio.org and download the forms, but it must be in by Oct. 1."
The board plans to hold discussions on the homestead expansion, house bill 119 and the state budget at a funding forum scheduled for Sept. 19.
In other news:
•SWCS District and the YMCA of Central Ohio SAAC (School Aged Child Care) Program mutually agreed to continue to lease space in order to provide after-school childcare services. Those services will be at Alton Hall, Prairie Lincoln, Harmon, North Franklin and Darby Woods Elementary Schools.
•The board agreed to renew their contract with the Telecommunications Technology Group (TTG) to support the district’s telecommunications systems. Those systems include troubleshooting and problem solving, billing audits and reviews, contract negotiations for services, etc, for $1,835 per month.
•The board approved advertisement bids for the replacement of a portion of the Harrisburg Elementary School roof.
