CAMPBELL Officials address low reading scores

The principal said an OhioReads grant will help boost pupils' reading skills.
By JoANNE VIVIANO
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
CAMPBELL -- The high number of city fourth-grade pupils who scored at a "below basic" level on the state reading proficiency test in October can be attributed, in part, to the transient nature of the school district, officials said.
Frank Richards, principal of Penhale Elementary School, told school board members during a meeting Tuesday that the 444-pupil school has seen 50 new pupils this year, while 48 have left.
Board President Walter Rusnak said the number of those moving in and out causes major problems. He said a majority of pupils who have been in the district for eight or nine years score well on proficiency tests.
Kathy Yeloushan, the kindergarten through eighth-grade principal, said that 50 percent of the fourth-graders who failed the proficiency test this year had been in the district for less than two years.
Of the 120 Campbell fourth-graders tested, 44 scored below a basic level. Yeloushan said money from a $60,000 OhioReads grant has helped train reading teachers in a new program, and will pay for a new computer program to help youngsters learn reading.
Further, 75 to 100 volunteers from Youngstown State University, senior centers and the community have joined a volunteer program to help pupils with reading skills.
Other action: Also at the board meeting:
U Beth Donofrio was sworn in as a board member. She replaces Ted Cougras, who resigned when he moved to another town. Donofrio was selected to fill the vacancy by a 3-1 vote of the board earlier this month. Carmel Gerlick, who dissented, had nominated William Lawson, the founder of the Concerned Citizens for Campbell group. Donofrio is a medical assistant with three children and is treasurer of the Campbell Academic Association. She was chosen from a pool of six candidates.
U Board members heard accolades from two community members for outgoing 16-year board member Gerlick, who chose not to seek re-election this year.
U Superintendent James Ciccolelli told board members that a grievance by the teachers union over prescription benefits was heading for arbitration but added that he is optimistic the issue can be settled through compromise before arbitration begins.
U Board members established a budget reserve account that could be used to offset deficits, for facility building costs, for instructional materials or for school buses. Members voted to transfer a minimum of $200,000 per year into the fund when possible.
U The board committed to adding $368,500 to $3.3 million in state funds to amend a master plan for classroom facilities that would increase the sizes of kindergarten through eighth grade and high school facilities in anticipation of increased enrollment in 2006-2007.