Front row (left to right): Westerville School Board members Dr. Nancy Nestor-Baker, Rick Vilardo and Tracy Davidson. Back row: School Board members Richard W. Bird and Dr. Carol French, along with Westerville City Schools Superintendent Dr. John Kellogg and Treasurer/CFO Bart Griffith.
The Ohio School Boards Association is celebrating School Board Recognition Month in January 2015 to build awareness and understanding of the vital function an elected Board of Education plays in our society.
School Board Recognition Month honors the members of Ohio’s more than 700 city, exempted village, local and joint vocational boards of education and educational service centers governing boards for their commitment to providing quality public education to Ohio’s school children.
“Our school board members unselfishly contribute their time and talents toward the advancement of public education,” said Dr. John Kellogg, Westerville City Schools Superintendent. “We are pleased to honor these dedicated individuals who are committed throughout the year to the continuing success of our schools and students.”
Westerville Board of Education members are Richard W. Bird, Tracy Davidson, Dr. Carol French, Dr. Nancy Nestor-Baker, and Rick Vilardo. At the January 12, 2015 Organizational Meeting, Mrs. Davidson was elected President and Mr. Vilardo Vice President. Westerville Mayor Diane Fosselman presented a proclamation declaring January 2015 as School Board Recognition Month in Westerville, and encouraged all citizens to publicly and privately thank the School Board members in the district for their service to our children.
At that same meeting, the Board also approved a change to Policy 5460, which governs graduation requirements. The change allows students to be excused from meeting the high school physical education requirement if they have participated in interscholastic athletics, marching band, or cheerleading for at least two full seasons as defined in the Course Description Guide/Extracurricular Code of Conduct, while enrolled in grades 9 through 12, and as documented by the Activities Director. Students electing such an excuse must complete one-half unit of at least 60 hours of instruction in another course of study which is designated by the Board as meeting the high school curriculum requirements. Questions about this change should be addressed to high school guidance counselors.