GJPS Superintendent Scruci Engages Stakeholders at GFA Meeting

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June 13, 2013 by Admin

Francis Scruci, the Superintendent of Gahanna-Jefferson Public Schools, and District Treasurer Julio Valladares, engaged with members and attendees and addressed their questions at the Thursday, June 6, gathering of the Gahanna Freedom Alliance.

It’s been over a year since the selection of Mr. Scruci to lead the school district and those in attendance on Thursday got a chance to hear his passions, his concerns, and his goals.

There can be little doubt that individual success for every child is a the forefront of his mind.  He expressed some concern about the new Common Core direction adopted by the Ohio Department of Education and being implemented into the public school districts.

On one hand, it is a convenience to have nearly the same material being taught at each grade level for many different states.  Proponents of the direction have pointed to the fact that a family that moves from one state that uses Common Core guidelines to another state with those guidelines may have their school-age student experience less of an adjustment curve.  In theory, the student can “jump right in.”

Two concerns that the superintendent brought up is the narrowing of the scope of text and the probable over-use of testing.

First, the guidelines for Common Core, which will help form the models for state testing, emphasizes a narrower and more intense focus on fewer topics.  “Instead of being a mile wide and an inch or two deep” said Scruci, “we’re narrowing the number of things we teach and digging deeper into them.”  Some information that the past generation was taught will not be included for this generation of students, including topics that could peak the interest of individual students to lead them to a future of learning.

Second, he expressed concern that “we’re raising a generation of test-takers.”  There is a big difference between learning something and knowing how to take the test.  This concern is aligned with critics of Common Core that warn students are not being taught to be life-long learners.

Regardless of his opinions, Scruci admitted that the “rules of the game” are being set and the school district needs to perform to the highest level possible within those parameters.

When the subject of the new state of Ohio evaluation system for the public school systems was broached, now an “A” through “F” letter system instead of “Excellent with Distinction” down to “Academic Emergency”, Scruci admitted it is important to receive good evaluations on the School Report Cards.  As important, however, is seeing the school district grow from what he would call “good” to his vision of being “great”.

As expected, finances were finally brought up.  The Superintendent first gave high praise to his treasurer, Julio Valladaras, and added that the treasurer had won several awards over the years.  As a school leader that has worked with many treasurers over his career, Scruci said that Valladaras was one of the best.

He said that the recent decision to transfer some district IT functions to an outside vendor will provide financial savings.  Additionally, some district positions are being left unfilled to make even more progress towards longer-term fiscal security.

One member challenged Mr. Scruci regarding the results of investing over $11,000 per Gahanna-Jefferson student.  The questioner asked why it seems that students are not getting a “private school” level of education when the amount spent is so close to what private school tuition is averaging in this community.  Scruci began his response with “you’re comparing apples to oranges.”   He went on to explain that private schools have the ability to be more selective in which students to enroll, but the public school district is mandated to provide an education to all students, resulting in vastly different staffing, equipment, and facility solutions, and greatly impacting overall costs.

Several people expressed their approval with the direction of the school district.  One of the attendees commented “I have never voted in favor of a school levy in all the years I’ve lived in Gahanna.  There is a good chance I will vote in favor of the next one.”

Another remarked after the meeting “His (Scruci’s) presence spoke a thousand words.  If he performs as he spoke, we have a winner.  I saw him at Clipper’s stadium on Saturday for the Gahanna baseball game and I plan on attending his coffee meeting this Thursday.”
 
Scruci’s approach to involvement in the community and school activities is different than his predecessors.  “I think the superintendent needs to be involved with the community, regardless of how crowded the calendar gets.”  He and his wife attended the Senior Prom, he attended the baseball games during the recent win streak of the Gahanna team, and he has set up regular coffees to meet with the community stakeholders at the Clark Hall Panera Bread at 7:30 a.m. on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of each month.
 
This report closes with the feedback from one parent who addresses Gahanna-Jefferson’s program for special needs, felt by some as one of the best in the state.  She wrote:
 
“Children with special needs are near and dear to my heart.  I got a very good feeling from Mr. Scruci about how he feels about students with disabilities and the importance of educating and including these children.
 
My daughter just “graduated” from High Point elementary.  Next year is middle school.  Up until now, all the typical kids from High Point proceed to Gahanna Middle School East.  All the children with special needs from High Point would proceed to Middle School South.  Middle School South is where the special needs unit is located.  That meant that my daughter would have gone through all her elementary school years with all her friends from the neighborhood and school friends only to be shipped off to Middle School South where she would know no one other than her friends with special needs.  My husband and I had voiced our concern over this in the past.  It did not seem right.
 
At the end of 2012, to our surprise, we received a letter that stated that the special needs unit would be moved from South to East beginning with the 2013-2014 school year.  All the teachers will be moved to East.  That means my daughter will now be able to proceed to East along with her peers.

After the meeting on Thursday, I ran after Mr. Scruci to personally thank him for this new opportunity for my daughter.  He was very kind and told me “you’re very welcome and it just makes sense”.  I am so happy that he, and I am assuming the school board, saw that the arrangement was not optimum for the children or the district and moved the unit to East.  This middle school correction makes Gahanna schools even stronger.
 
From a parent of a child with special needs in the Gahanna community, we are blessed to have a strong program and to have a superintendent that supports it.”
 

Thanks to Superintendent Francis Scruci and School District Treasurer Julio Valladaras for their participation at Thursday’s Gahanna Freedom Alliance meeting. 
Additional appreciation goes to all those who contributed to this report.