The Cambridge City School District Board of Education approved a Memorandum of Understanding with the East Central Ohio Educational Service Center for McKinney Vento Homeless Grant Consultation Service during their meeting on Thursday, September 19, 2024, at the Garfield Administrative Center.
The district recently won a three-year grant for more than $55,000 dollars to bolster the holistic development and academic success of homeless students. The ECOESC will provide support to continue coordinated services to the homeless population within our community that are served by county school districts.
During the 2023-2024 school year, the administrators identified approximately 80 students in the Cambridge City School District as homeless and fell under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Children and Youth Act.
The purpose of the McKinney-Vento Act is to ensure that all children and youth, including preschoolers, have equal access to the same free and appropriate public education as non-homeless children and youth. In the 2022-2023 school year, Ohio had 24,046 students experiencing homelessness.
Those 80 students in Cambridge and 24,000 statewide are just the students identified as qualifying for McKinney-Vento.
Cambridge will use the grant funding to improve services and support leading to increased identification, attendance, and graduation rates for students experiencing homelessness.
“Students that experience homelessness face many challenges to their education and have to overcome many barriers to be successful,” said Rose Marie Daymut, Cambridge Schools’ Homeless Liaison. “Our goal is to remove as many barriers as we can. These funds will be used to continue to build a strong, supportive foundation for our district to successfully serve our homeless population.”
In other business, the board approved the Superintendent, Treasurer or their designee to begin the competitive bidding process for the construction of a concession stand at McFarland Stadium; approved the Foundations in Personal Finance textbook for the High School; and approved an overnight trip to Columbus for High School students participating in the Ohio Model United Nationals simulation in December.
The board also accepted several donations to the school including a $1,000 donation from the Guernsey County Veterans Charity Fund to the Middle School Student Council for the purchase of American Flags used during a 9-11 Memorial display.
In personnel matters, the board approved Jessica Stillion as a substitute clerical/aide, James Riggs as substitute custodian, Elizabeth Bowden as a medical aide at St. Benedict’s School, Cristal White as a substitute cook, Alisha Harper as a cook at CIS, Donna Pittillo and Kim Knaup as cooks at CMS, Shawna Delancey as a cook at CHS, and the resignation of Kayla Richards.
The board approved Chevelle Landman, Julie Joseph, Sydney Joseph, Janell Williams, Kayla Johnson, Kelly Roe and Audra Alexander, Brian Bott and Morgan McClain as volunteers and Abbie Lyons and Skylar Cramblett as athletic volunteers.
The board also approved Judy Hanson, Jodi Retherford, Kohl Taylor, Brock Valentine, Kayla Wehr, Shawn Hannon, and Jennifer Ware as substitute teachers; Cammie Bunting, Rachel Todd, and D.J. Todd as after school detention monitors; Angela Ferrell as the Ohio English Language Proficiency Screening District Screener, and the unpaid leave of Logan McCort.
The board approved the following as Multi-Tiered Systems of Support Coordinators:
CPS
Amy Miller
Amanda Shepherd
Allie Wojciechowski
CIS
Nicole Earley
Kitrina Dubose
Angie Hayhurst
Cystal Dyer
CMS
Kasey Wharton
Christine Claggett
Shane Roberts
CHS
Cammie Bunting
Rachel Todd
Bob Mascolino
Kevin Gunn
The board approved Angela Ferrell, Kitrina Dubose, Leslie Leppla, Sophia Blattner and Aurora Miller as 21st Century Community Learning Center CATS Club Site Coordinators.
The board approved Michele Haverfield as Lead Mentor and approved several resident educator mentors:
Year 1 Mentors
Jodi Neff..................................................... (Mentee – Alyssa Betts)
Michelle Johnston........................................ (Mentee – Evelyn Brenneman)
Courtney Stoner.......................................... (Mentee – McKenzie Deeks)
Abby Knott.................................................. (Mentee – Kitrina Dubose)
Bethany Tuttle............................................. (Mentee – Lyndsey Hummel)
Alisha Colon................................................ (Mentee – Kaylee Lenarz)
Angela Hannon............................................ (Mentee – Zavin Orr)
Allie Wojciechowski...................................... (Mentee – Sarah Pittillo)
Year 2 Mentors
Kellie Spratt................................................ (Mentee – Brieanna Barker)
Michelle Johnston........................................ (Mentee – Bailey Binkley)
Matt Green.................................................. (Mentee – Hunter Carpenter)
Jodi McGuire............................................... (Mentee – Halee Corbett)
April Castello............................................... (Mentee – Gracie Hayes)
Jodi McGuire............................................... (Mentee – Bailey Joseph)
Kasey Wharton............................................ (Mentee – Alex Kridelbaugh)
Michele Haverfield....................................... (Mentee – Zachary Krnach)
Shawna Winland.......................................... (Mentee – Logan McCort)
Bethany Tuttle………………………………… (Mentee – Brianna Walker).
In athletics, the board approved Jordan Ball as head varsity wrestling coach, Ben VanDyne and Kyle Ritz as assistant boys’ basketball coaches, and Stacy Phillips as an athletic support.
The next meeting of the Board of Education will be at 5 p.m. on October 17, 2024, at the Garfield Administrative Center.