The Perkins Schools Board of Education has elected Eric Lapata as Board president for 2023. Ted Kastor was re-elected as the Board’s vice president.
Mr. Lapata and Mr. Kastor’s elections by the Board were part of an organizational meeting on Wednesday, January 11. Mr. Lapata replaces Jason Dulaney, who served as president since 2019.
Mr. Lapata was first appointed to the Board in May 2020 and re-elected in 2021. He is a 2004 graduate of Perkins High School and co-lead pastor at The Chapel in Perkins Township. Mr. Lapata is married to Paula Lapata, and they have four children in Perkins Schools: Hudson, a 4th grader at Meadowlawn, Micah, a 2nd grader at Furry, Remi, a kindergartner at Furry, and Eden, a preschooler at Furry.
Mr. Kastor was appointed to the Board in 2018 and re-elected in 2021. He retired in 2021 from Janotta & Herner, Design-Build Contractors, and still serves as an ambassador for the company. He is the founder of Kastor Construction LLC, a construction consulting firm. Mr. Kastor and his wife Denise, a Perkins graduate, have two children and three grandchildren residing in Columbus.
The Board is rounded out by Mr. Dulaney, Brad Mitchel, and Scott Hart.
The Board also set its meeting schedule for 2023, and will continue to meet at 6 p.m. on the second Wednesday of each month at the Perkins Administrative Service Center in the Perkins High School Building.
The Board also announced that Dr. Mitchel will serve as the 2023 PHS commencement speaker and present diplomas to graduating seniors. Dr. Mitchel’s daughter, Emily, will graduate in June.
In action other at the Board meeting:
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The Board voted 5-0 to place a $76 million bond issue on the May ballot. If approved by the voters in the Perkins Local School District, the district would proceed with a plan recommended by its Facilities Advisory Committee to build a middle school-high school building in an effort to create a one-campus learning environment.
The 6.77-mill levy, if approved, would increase the taxes for the owner of a $100,000 home by $237 a year.
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Superintendent Todd Boggs and Assistant Superintendent Rena McClellan presented the 2021-2022 Report Card for Perkins Local Schools to the Board of Education. Mr. Boggs explained to members and the audience that the Ohio Department of Education adopted a new 5-star rating system for the 2021-2022 Report Cards it issues to all Ohio public school districts, from the letter-grading system previously used.
The state released the reports to school districts in September.
Download the presentation
The state graded districts on five components:
Achievement – This component represents whether student performance on state tests met established thresholds and how well students performed on tests overall. Perkins received 3 stars
Gap Closing – The Gap Closing Component is a measure of the reduction in educational gaps for student subgroups. At Perkins, the student subgroups that were measured were Hispanic, students with disabilities, White-non-Hispanic, Black-non-Hispanic, multiracial, and economic disadvantaged. Perkins received 3 stars.
Early Literacy – The Early Literacy Component is a measure of reading improvement and proficiency for students in Kindergarten through 3rd Grade. Perkins received 2 stars.
Progress – This component looks closely at the growth all students are making based on their past performances. Perkins received 4 stars.
Graduation – The Graduation Component is a measure of the four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate and the five-year adjusted cohort graduation rate. Perkins received 5 stars.
In addition to those five components, the state will announce a sixth component – College, Career, Workforce and Military Readiness – next year. The component will measure how well-prepared Ohio's students are for future opportunities, whether training in a technical field or preparing for work or college.
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Perkins School administrators, teachers and staff members also presented their goals for Literacy, Achievement, and Culture for the next three years. The goals, as presented to the Board, included measurable milestones to track success.
The goals were developed by administrators, teachers, and staff during recent District Leadership Team meetings.
Click here to download and view the presentation.
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The Board heard a presentation about student drug testing by Kyle Prueter, the president of Great Lakes Biomedical. Unlike many school districts in the area, Perkins Schools does not currently test students for use of illegal drugs.
Mr. Prueter explained that drug testing is not meant to catch students using drugs, but rather serve as a deterrent for drug use. “It gives kids one more reason to say ‘no,’” Mr. Prueter said.
He provided Board members with information about the cost of various drug screens, as well as discussed how it might be introduced and carried out in the schools.
The Board did not take any action on the presentation, and asked that Superintendent Todd Boggs further investigate.