Support and Save Geauga ESC
The Geauga County Maple Leaf recently reported the possible intentions of the Chardon, West Geauga and Kenston school districts to end their long relationship with…
The Geauga County Maple Leaf recently reported the possible intentions of the Chardon, West Geauga and Kenston school districts to end their long relationship with the Geauga County Educational Service Center, a professional relationship that has existed since the 1960s.
These districts are contemplating outsourcing educational services to the Cuyahoga County ESC.
These districts would be potentially purchasing speech/language services, school psychologist services, supervisory/administrative services, occupational therapist services, physical therapist services, preschool teacher services, educational aide services, social worker services and teacher training services from the Cuyahoga ESC.
As a former, 30-year employee of the Geauga ESC and having acted in the capacity as a school psychologist in the Chardon, Ledgemont and Newbury school districts as well as having had some professional association with all of the other Geauga districts, I strongly urge the voters, regular education parents, special education parents and teacher unions to oppose this possible action.
If enacted upon, this move by one or all of these school districts would negatively impact the students of Geauga County. There are several reasons that these local districts’ departure from the Geauga ESC would be a mistake
While new Ohio legislation makes it legal for school districts to “shop around” for educational services, the Geauga ESC offers the best educational and financial options for Geauga County’s students. In this writer’s view, the following factors summarize the negative impact that “buying” services from Cuyahoga County will have in Geauga County.
1. Geauga County parents in Chardon, West Geauga and Kenston would lose local control of their levy monies as their districts would be purchasing services from out of the county. Generally, the voters in these districts would lose local control in the areas of administrative decision-making and policy. The Geauga ESC knows the needs of Geauga’s special education students.
2. The services from the Cuyahoga ESC will be more expensive as the educational salaries in Cuyahoga County are significantly higher than those in Geauga. Geauga voters would be paying more for the same services.
3. There is a strong liklihood that the parents of special education students would be faced with having their child adapt to a new teacher, aide and therapist. In particular, special education students with autism, major behavioral/ emotional concerns or medical conditions would be making another unneeded transition in their educational career.
4. If new special education teachers are hired by the Cuyahoga ESC, they will likely be less experienced than the established Geauga ESC teachers. Transitions like this invite cost-cutting measures. If some of the current Geauga ESC teachers are maintained by the Cuyahoga ESC, there is no assurance that they will be in the same district or with the same children.
5. The Cuyahoga County ESC charges a higher administrative fee for its services.
6. For those special education students requiring specific transportation needs, they may be reliant on drivers and vans from another County or from unfamiliar transportation companies.
7. Low-incidence, special education students requiring specialized services, may be required to attend regional classes out of the county. This may entail a longer bus ride.
8. There would be new substitute teachers for special education students hired from the Cuyahoga ESC rather than those employed by the three districts and the Geauga ESC.
9. The current special education teacher and therapist positions in the Chardon, West Geauga and Kenston Schools may be out-sourced to the Cuyahoga County ESC in the future.
10. The Cardinal, Newbury, Berkshire and Ledgemont school districts may be negatively impacted if the Chardon, West Geauga and Kenston schools leave the Geauga ESC consortium. The Geauga ESC may have to scale back and/or eliminate staff and services to those remaining districts.
I am urging voters, parents and the professional educational associations in Geauga County to ask questions, attend school board meetings and research the above financial and educational issues so as to become aware of this potential transition and outsourcing of school services to Cuyahoga County.
Once informed, one can only come to a single conclusion: Chardon, West Geauga and Kenston parents and voters need to maintain control of their school districts and their children’s education by communicating directly with the superintendents and special education directors in the Geauga County school districts contemplating this decision.
This proposed action by these three districts has been labeled a ‘hostile-takeover’ by the Geauga ESC superintendent. I agree. The students in Geauga County need their parents to maintain local control to maintain local education. The Geauga Educational Service Center offers local control.
Sheldon Firem
Hambden Township
