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Board Meeting Preview: May 18, 2021
Columbus City Schools
Board of Education Meeting (Hybrid Virtual Meeting)
Tuesday, May 18, 2021, at 5:30 pm
The Columbus Board of Education will convene its regular business meeting in a hybrid manner on Tuesday, May 18, at 5:30 p.m. Four members of the Board will meet in person, with three members joining remotely. The meeting will be streamed via Facebook Live and on the Columbus City Schools' YouTube Channel, which allows the public to attend virtually.
The Board of Education will also incorporate public participation in a hybrid manner from the District's south Administrative site located at 3700 S. High St. Individuals who wish to provide public comment will have the option of doing so in-person or remotely during the meeting. To sign up, public participants must leave a voicemail with Customer Relations at (614) 365-8888 or email customerrelations@columbus.k12.oh.us by 12:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 18, let the staffer know which format they are choosing. Speakers will need to provide their name, topic, and phone number. Click here to view the meeting agenda.
Recognizing Young Scholars Program Recipients
Sixteen Columbus City Schools seniors will attend the Ohio State University for free beginning this fall after receiving scholarships from the Young Scholars Program (YSP). Founded in 1988, the YSP serves students from the nine largest urban public school districts in Ohio: Akron, Canton, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Lorain, Toledo, and Youngstown. Scholars are selected in the eighth grade for the program and must meet all program requirements, including being first-generation college students from economically challenged backgrounds. Scholars must complete a rigorous college preparatory curriculum with high academic achievement to be eligible for the scholarship. Board Members will recognize and congratulate the 16 CCS YSP Scholars on their outstanding achievement at tonight’s meeting.
24/7 Tutoring Help Available for Middle and High School Students
It is recommended that the Board of Education authorize the District to enter into an agreement with Paper Education Company, Inc. for a total cost of $913,000.00 to be charged to federal ESSER Funds. The Paper Education Company Inc. will provide Columbus City Schools students in grades 6-12 with access to an online chat-based tutoring platform 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Students can use the platform as often as they need for as long as they need. In addition, teachers will be able to submit assignments through the platform for targeted support and intervention. The tutoring program services over 200 subjects across four languages, including feedback on written assignments.
As the District continues to accelerate and support student learning, this tutoring service will be a valuable resource for all secondary students, including special education, gifted, and English language learners.
Encouraging Middle Schoolers to Innovate and Invent
It is recommended that the Board of Education authorize the administration of Career Technical Education to enter into a service agreement with Alabama Aviation Education Center, Inc. for $125,000.00. Alabama Aviation Education Center, Inc.’s "We Build It Better" program is an all-inclusive 18-week, industry-designed, educator-developed, innovative curricular experience that engages middle school students in a work-life STEAM environment. The program begins with the importance of precision and accuracy, progresses to design and 3D printing, tools for inventing, electricity and fiber optics, programming and code, business concepts, marketing, and leadership. The interconnecting kits provide students with the knowledge and skills to invent and innovate a product of their own.
Creative processes and imagination play a crucial role in the development of innovations and inventions. Middle school students often do not have exposure or experience with effective creative techniques. These experiences can build upon knowledge to help students develop valuable innovations on their own. The innovative “We Build It Better” program will provide a set of seven (7) classroom kits bundled in an exclusively designed cart and use interactive techniques intended to help instructors expand students’ creative capacity and encourage the development of innovations and inventions.
The middle schools that will implement the "We Build it Better" program in the 2021-2022 school year will be:
- Mifflin Middle School
- Hilltonia Middle School
- Buckeye Middle School
- Champion Middle School
- Sherwood Middle School
Ensuring Wireless Access in All CCS Buildings
It is recommended the Board of Education authorize the administration to purchase access points and licensing from CDW-G for $1,262,885. In 2016 the District was able to take advantage of the E-rate program to install voice quality wireless access into all the District school buildings. This legislation is for the completion of wireless access in administrative buildings. This legislation will allow the Office of Technology to purchase 500 additional access points and renew the licensing for all building wireless access to maintain a seamless wireless experience for teachers, students, and staff. This purchase is being made through CDW-G with pricing negotiated through the Sourcewell Contract pricing (formerly NJPA), one of the national cooperative purchasing agencies for non-profit organizations the District currently utilizes.
UPCOMING EVENTS
May 19: Facilities Master Plan Community Conversations (Region 2 - 5:30 p.m.; Region 1 - 7:30 p.m.)
May 20: Facilities Master Plan Community Conversations (Region 4 - 5:30 p.m.; Region 5 - 7:30 p.m.)
May 26: Facilities Master Plan Committee Meeting (6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.)
May 27: Neighborhood School Development Partnership (8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.)