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LISBON -- The Columbiana County Educational Service Center (CCESC) Board took time out of its July meeting to praise its Business Advisory Council (BAC) which recently joined Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted, the Ohio Department of Education and other partners for the Business Advisory Council Town Hall held in Columbus Friday. BACs help educators align with the needs of businesses and in turn helps shape curriculum and creates new opportunities for students. The CCESC BAC is one of five four-star BACs in the state and was asked to take part in a panel discussion at the town which turned into a presentation.
"I co-presented with the ESC of Central Ohio as well as Noble Local School District which are all four-star winners in the terms of the Business Advisory Council and I would say there were probably 100 people that participated," said CCESC Assistant Superintendent Marie Williams. "They wanted to find out what the four-star BACs were doing and I think there are going to be a lot more BACs that score fours in the future as the word gets out about what we're doing and how we are doing it."
Superintendent Anne Marie Vaughn said the word is out already and that other BACs are starting to implement what has already proved successful for the CCESC BAC in fostering relationships among the schools, businesses and communities it serves.
"Just as we started the BAC, we started teacher education weeks where we took them out to businesses and different areas all over the county and had such a great response to that and now other BACs are having 'teacher boot camps' as they called them," Vaughn said. "You can see them picking up different ideas and carrying them out."
Board member Marilyn Parkes said the BAC is one of the talking points she uses when discussing the role of the ESC.
"I've had a lot of opportunities over the last few months to speak with constituents in the local school districts," she said. "And one of the first things anyone asks me is 'what does the board do?' and when I bring up the Business Advisory Council, it is very impressive to people that businesses are involved in education. I have just got so many positive comments when I tell them about it."
The CCESC is just one of 51 Educational Service Centers in the state that provide specialized educational services to the districts they serve. Unfortunately, Vaughn said, being one of a few often blurs the big picture when it comes to funding.
"We are not at the top of the priority list when there's 51 of us and 600 and some public schools and the non-public schools," she said. "It always comes down to the numbers and they like to see money go to local districts and those non-public schools."
Parkes said what ESCs provide is often overlooked.
"The programs that we see, not just here but across the state, are programs that we wouldn't have if we didn't have those 51 educational services centers in Ohio," Parkes said. "Our legislation just doesn't get it. Somehow, they need to get the message."
In business matters, the board approved $1,1958,118 in bills to be paid, approved $10,402 in stipends, service agreements with American Rescue Plan Emergency Assistance to Non-Public Schools (EANS) program and the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations EANS, an affiliation agreement with New York University, the Neola Select agreement and funding for both the PAX agreement and CASH Coalition between the CCESC and the Columbiana County Mental Health and Recovery Board. The board approved a long list of personnel matters, including approving employment for four certified personnel and 16 substitute teachers for the 2023-34 school year. The Board also approved 10 Ohioans with Disabilities workers three for the East Liverpool Summer Program and several paraeducators and accepted four resignations.
In other matters, the board approved two donations for the 2023 Kids STEAM University -- one from the Salem City Health District and one from City Machine Technologies.
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