Join the Parents on Positivity Patrol
Assistant principal
Pickerington Schools is seeking volunteers to join the Parents on Positivity Patrol (PoPP) in our high schools. PoPP volunteers help foster a favorable educational climate by building positive relationships with students and, if necessary, by redirecting them toward better decision making. The PoPP also supports the enforcement of the Student Code of Conduct.
To be part of the PoPP, a volunteer must have a background check, get approved as a level 2 volunteer, complete the required training and be vaccinated against COVID-19. While on duty, PoPP volunteers are equipped with walkie-talkies and safety plan information.
For more information or to sign up, visit www.pickerington.k12.oh.us/popp.
Caption — From left to right, top row: Kimberly Grabel, Cornelius McGrady, RoShae Price; bottom row: Karen Pack, Luann Bepler-Todd, Jacque Tippie
Quick Links to Board Agendas and Minutes
We’ve created an easier way to stay up to date with PLSD Board of Education activities – quick links to board meeting agendas and minutes. By adding quick links that point directly to each specific agenda item contained inside BoardDocs, a cloud-based board meeting management software, a person will be able to quickly jump to the desired section and/or view the meeting minutes.
You may access the quick links from the red “I want to” drop down menu at the top of PLSD’s website, www.pickerington.k12.oh.us, then select “Stay Up to Date with District Policies and Decisions.” This will navigate to the Board of Education webpage. Scroll down to the “About the Board” section and select “Agendas and Minutes.”
Complete Our Website Survey and You Could Win!
Over the summer, PLSD staff are working with a vendor to build a new district website and app and individual school websites. As part of this important process, we need your input! Bonus: If you complete the online survey between June 1-20, you’ll be entered for a chance to win a $25 Amazon gift card! Survey link: tinyurl.com/PLSDSiteSurvey.
PLSD Is Using Federal Dollars, Fund Transfers To Help Address Overcrowded Schools
As new home construction continues to boom in our area, Pickerington Schools’ leaders are looking at a myriad of ways to manage the booming student population now and in the future. Two of the most-discussed short-term solutions include redistricting school boundaries and returning to hybrid learning. District leaders are also planning to place a bond issue on the ballot in November 2022 – because a bond issue is the only viable option for the district to obtain the more than $80 million needed to build a school.
When the school year ended in May, Pickerington High School Central was over capacity by more than 300 students. Half of the district’s 14 buildings will exceed capacity within five years. While bond issue details are being decided, district leaders have been working to find ways to accomplish some of the projects listed in previous bond issues using federal dollars.
For example, new entrances to both high schools will now be federally funded through the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER). These secure vestibules, which will cost around $1.25 million to build, will stop guests after entering a set of exterior doors until the inside doors are unlocked by staff.
Besides ESSER dollars, projects are also being funded through a board-approved transfer of General Fund dollars to the Permanent Improvement Fund, allowing the district to dedicate 0.5 inside mills to the construction and maintenance of facilities. In all, the district has carved out $25 million in projects that can be completed without bond passage, which may mean the district will ask for around $10 million less in November than anticipated in May, despite inflation.
“Even though these dollars will grow over time, the transfer of inside millage will never be enough to build a new school building,” says Treasurer Ryan Jenkins, “which is why the district has no other choice but to put up a bond issue.”
“If we would have passed a bond issue in May, we would have had a contribution of $53 million from the Ohio Facilities Construction for future projects,” Jenkins says. “We can expect a similar amount with bond passage in November, but that would be our last shot at these additional dollars.”
To keep up to date on the status of a November bond issue, visit http://www.pickerington.k12.oh.us/bond-issue-info.
