WEATHERSchool districts required to join ESCs
Feb 12
2012
Sandusky has used North Point Educational Service Center for support staff and school resources for years, but the district will probably rely on it more often now because of a new state law.
The new law requires all school districts with 16,000 students or fewer to be affiliated with an educational service center, a regional agency that provides various services to districts.
It's part of Gov. John Kasich's mission to encourage shared services among districts, largely to reduce costs, North Point superintendent Bill Lally said.
"We're a public entity, but we operate much like a business in that we have to provide a quality product at a low cost," he said.
Lally oversees a region that includes 27 school districts, although he also sells services to others outside the region.
"If you don't, you go out of business," he said. "It's a more competitive environment, but the ultimate person who benefits is the taxpayer and the district."
School districts can tap into many of North Point's resources, including special education aides, physical and occupational therapists and coordinators for gifted students.
Certain school districts have always been required to receive services from educational service centers, but city districts were previously exempt.
Now, all but the state's largest metropolitan districts must align themselves with educational service centers.
It'll come at a cost: $6.50 per student, which the state will deduct from the funding provided to each district, starting next year.
For Sandusky, that amounts to about $88,660.
Read more about the requirement and what it means to area schools in Sunday's Register.
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08:13 AM
Seen it All says
I agree with you wiredmama, it's a complete MESS! They are literally taking our most vulnerable students and throwing them under the bus. Gov Kasich has got it wrong again!!!
And I totally agree that the administrators are making way too much money!!!!! I would like to see some salary cuts there before they go to the voters and ask for more money!
12:46 AM
wiredmama222 says
I read with great interest some of these posts. I have no children in any district, only grandkids. It sounds as if this is just a MESS. Why would anyone agree to something this messed up?
Why do parents and caregivers not protest the actions of this terrible situation? Why are the school systems allowing this to go on and then asking for more money every year?
It seems to me that if the school administrators are getting the lions share of the money. perhaps it is time to re-evaluate their salaries and get them lowered to save money instead of taking such drastic steps such as this and providing substandard education to kids.
this is some governor!
12:40 AM
wiredmama222 says
knuckledreagger: thanks for the info.
Since you seem to know so much about this, could you tell me how much this costs the district each year and what other items does it supply to the schools?
I would like to know. Thanks
08:42 PM
fredinperkins says
So it is another tax payer funded bureacracy! Amazing how these school districts operate. It sounds like a number of Perkins school employees, or possible subcontracted employees, may be treated in this same manner. At least according to the Perkins boe minutes from their meeting in Oregon, Ohio that they held for two days in January. Let me see, which school employee is from that town?
05:44 PM
da kine says
@ knuckle
I assure you those employees DO NOT receive the same pay or benifits, I Know this too be true, from none other thatn experince, I witnessed the poor treatment of their own, including their own teachers and aids all the way up to administrators, just ask how the employees of the Betty Rienderly school took the news when they found out they were being takeb over by the ESC?
IT STINKS!!
04:14 PM
Seen it All says
03:47 PM
fredinperkins says
Can anyone please tell me how this bureacracy is funded?
08:46 AM
KnuckleDragger says
@da kine, yeah, heaven forbid these employees don't belong to a teachers union. We need to make sure that the worthless ones are able to continue working after all. I assure you that these employees are making the same as any unionized professional with the same credentials. The only difference is that they can actually be sent packing if they are not doing their job.
08:40 AM
KnuckleDragger says
@wiredmama, I will tell you how it is helpful to smaller districts. The average cost for a speech therapist alone is $100K/yr with salary and benefits. A school the the size of Sandusky would only be paying around $88k/yr and receive the gamut of services available, including speech, occupational therapists and educational aides. With that kind of savings, the money that would have been spent on employing people full time with the district can be spent elsewhere.
08:06 AM
savantpm says
Dear Seen It All: I agree with you. I know a young adult severely autistic young man who lives on the east side of Perkins Township and is bussed daily to a workshop in Oak Harbor. He lives just over one mile from Double SS Industries. The bus trip is stressful for him, and how outrageous must be the gasoline cost for bussing people these distances! Perhaps (very well paid) administrators are playing solitaire on their computers all day.
11:46 PM
Seen it All says
I can see that Haugland Learning Center will see a spike in enrollment for autistic children. I don't know too many people who have had a good experience with North Point. One of the biggest compliants is time spent on the bus. A 1 1/2-2 hour bus ride is hard on any kid, but especially tough on a special needs child.
10:00 PM
Kimo says
Re: Northpoint Educational Service Center is just another layer of bureaucracy
You seem to think you are an expert on the subject, explain to us exactly what they do and how it's cheaper for schools to accomplish these tasks.
Be specific, we will be waiting..............
09:06 PM
LuckysaintClaire says
Wait a minute! I have an idea how your district can save money.Contract out the Director of Student Services job to the ESC.Bingo!!!!!!!!!!!!The tax payers save 90,000 plus.Then do the same for all the teachers who are acting as supervisors and not working with kids.
07:15 PM
donutshopguy says
Northpoint Educational Service Center is just another layer of bureaucracy that is not needed but is forced on taxpayers.
Unfunded mandates by the state and federal levels is unnecessary to most local districts.
05:44 PM
da kine says
This is horrible!! The ESC is non- union that treats their employees bad, they are spread out all over northern ohio, and it takes resources from Sandusky and spreads them all over northern ohio. Kasich has no clue about education, our children are the most important resource we have yet are getting the shaft!
03:10 PM
tk says
When the state deducts this amount from what they send the school districts, the school districts will come back to the property owners to make up the "loss". We won't hear anything about savings.
02:44 PM
beatstreet says
I agree, I'd like to hear what the benefits are going to be besides supposed savings.
02:05 PM
wiredmama222 says
and just how does the governor see that as being helpful to smaller districts? Who gets this money, the state?