HOWARD — The East Knox Local School District’s board of education heard a positive report Thursday evening regarding its lowest-achieving young readers.
Teresa Fruth is a teacher leader at the Ashland University-Mansfield City Schools reading recovery site. She’s worked with East Knox Elementary for the last six years, tracking student data and providing training to the district’s reading recovery teacher.
Fruth shared that the national average for students who meet this goal is 54 percent. East Knox exceeds that average at 62 percent.
“Not only do they close the gap by the end of the program, with good classroom instruction, they bypass the national average,” said Fruth. She added that during her six years working with East Knox, she’s seen overall kindergarten reading skills rise as well.
“It’s not just reading recovery … reading recovery is a piece to the puzzle,” she said. “I have to commend (elementary principal) Cody Reese, your kindergarten teachers, your first grade and intervention specialists who are working with the students.”
The school board also heard from treasurer Jessi Busenberg. Busenberg stated that the district will receive a total of $626,000 over the next two years as a result of the student wellness and success fund created in the most recent biennial state budget.
The district is still developing plans for how the money will be spent.
The board also approved:
•A contract with Hull and Associates for mitigation services on the east side of the junior/senior high school not to exceed $40,000.
•The following donations: $200 from Apple Core Ladies to East Knox Elementary, $250 from the Knox Dairy Services Unit to the East Knox FFA, supplies and paid enrollment fee valued at $302 from the Ohio Lottery Commission to the East Knox Local School District spelling bee.
•Four overnight FFA convention field trips.
•A law enforcement agreement with the Knox County Sheriff’s Office for special duty coverage of after school events for the 2019-20 school year.
•The purchase of a Tennant T5 floor scrubber and Tennant T350 floor scrubber from Brown Supply for a total of $17,649 to be paid from Permanent Improvement Funds.
•The retirement of Elizabeth Mantel on Feb. 28, 2020.
