Marion district eyes college credit plan

MARIA STEIN - Marion Local school officials are looking for ways to save money while providing students a better alternative for receiving college credit.

At Monday night's board meeting, superintendent Mike Pohlman outlined a plan to allow students to earn college credit without leaving the building. This can be done by encouraging teachers to become certified adjunct professors, he said.

"Right now, we have a lot of students driving to Wright State-Lake Campus or other local colleges and the district is paying for that," Pohlman said. "If we had them get those same credits in our building, we go from paying about $140 per credit hour to closer to $40 per credit hour."

Board members supported the plan, citing their confidence in the teachers' ability to educate the students.

"I think the parents would prefer it this way. The kids would be driving around less and they would be learning from the teachers they trust," board member Randy Bruns said.

Pohlman agreed.

"Let's face it. The people elected the school board, and they hire the teachers," he said. "Our teachers are who the parents want teaching their kids and we are confident they can do the job. We feel the best way to educate students is here in our building."

The College Credit Plus Adjunct Professor Prep Program would be in effect for one year and encourage teachers to become adjuncts by paying their tuition and offering a stipend. To become accredited, teachers need to take 18 credit hours in their content area, Pohlman said. They would then have their curriculum reviewed by colleges to see if their classes qualify. The teachers would receive a $500 stipend for every college course taught.

Currently, a calculus class at the high school qualifies for college credit, and the district plans to offer a Spanish and an English class next year.

Several teachers have expressed interest in becoming adjunct professors, Pohlman said. Board members unanimously approved a memorandum of understanding supporting the program.

In other business, resident Jim Tangeman asked board members about his concerns over the validity of a recent district survey gauging residents' interest in new buildings, including a new gym. Tangeman was concerned over people's ability to vote multiple times and the opportunity for non-residents' to vote. The survey found about 70 percent of participants' supported new buildings.

"I don't think you have the support you think you do. The margin of error in your survey is so great that I don't think you can really trust the numbers. It's hard to find anyone that's not involved with the school in some way that actually supports a new gym," he said.

Tangeman also believes the district has "shown a want, not a need" and the current buildings are in good shape.

School representatives have had a number of people complain to them recently about "a lot of the district's facilities," Pohlman replied. Administrators responded by issuing two surveys to gauge the wants and concerns of the public.

"No decisions have been made yet, obviously," Pohlman told the paper. "We are just trying to see what the community values, what's most cost-effective, and - obviously - how we can provide the best educational experience for our students."

Board members also held a two-hour executive session concerning personnel but no action was taken.

At last month's meeting, board members passed a resolution to reach an out-of-court settlement agreement with former high school teacher Patrick Minnich for $87,000. Minnich's contract was not renewed in April following an evaluation that cited his professional and instructional skills as "ineffective."

Minnich contested the findings and filed a lawsuit against the district in the Mercer County Common Pleas Court last year. He was represented by Ohio Education Association labor relations consultant Shelli Jackson and the district was represented by attorney William Deters of Ennis Britton Co.

According to Deters, the district did not admit to any errors in terminating Minnich and the decision to settle was made "for economic reasons and the best interest of the district." Minnich and Jackson declined to comment. The district spent $3,081 on legal fees for the case.