Board of Education

Our mission is to provide an engaging, innovative and holistic experience that empowers all students to become responsible, productive citizens.

Board meetings are held in the District Office Conference Room, 90 North East Street, unless otherwise noted.

When the location is rescheduled, meetings typically are held at the Heritage Elementary auditorium, adjacent to District Office.

Board meetings are held on the second and fourth Monday of each month, unless noted. Special meetings are scheduled on an as-needed basis.

The following is the approved list of 2020 meeting dates for the Pickerington Schools Board of Education. Dates and locations are subject to change. All 2020 Board of Education meetings will be held on Mondays in the District Office Conference Room at 5:00 p.m., unless other notice is given.

• December 7, 2020* — This meeting will be held in Heritage Elementary’s Auditorium, and the meeting agenda is listed on Board Docs. Any member of the public wishing to speak during the ‘Public Participation’ portion of the meeting will be asked to step up to the microphone at the appropriate time.
• December 14, 2020

*Denotes meeting will also be live streamed on the PLSD Communications YouTube channel.

The Board of Education welcomes comments from our community. The board provides an opportunity for public participation at its meetings, when individuals may offer ideas and ask questions in a public setting. To speak at a board meeting, individuals must fill out and submit a Request to Address Board of Education (PDF)  |  Request to Address Board (RTF). This form is available online and at the meetings.

There are two opportunities to comment at board meetings. The board provides a time for general comments at the beginning of the meeting. A second comment period at the end of the meeting is for topics that were covered by the board on that meeting’s agenda. Comments are limited to three minutes.

Individuals addressing the board can expect the board president to respond to questions in one or more of the following ways:

• Asking the superintendent or a member of the administration to follow up;
• Setting a date for further follow-up or review;
• Acknowledging that the question/concern may not be able to be addressed at the present time; or
• Thanking you for your input and interest.

Board meeting agendas and minutes for meetings held after January 2014 can be accessed on the Board Docs website.

To access meetings prior to 2014, go to the Board Docs website, then click on the “Library” tab.

The board performs certain routine business responsibilities each month to keep the district operating smoothly. These tasks often are accomplished with a consent agenda.

Other items on the meeting agendas will require informed decisions based upon research, review, and committee work. The board does much of its fact-finding beforehand through committee reports, meetings, inquiries to staff, and committee liaison responsibilities.

In short, if the board and staff are doing their homework, asking pertinent questions, and getting satisfactory answers, the topics on the Board agenda should reflect this preparation.

Typically, individuals who write to a member of the Board of Education will receive a response that either answers the questions or refers the individual to the appropriate member of the administration, who will be able to answer those questions.

Individuals writing to the entire Board of Education will receive a response from the board president, either answering the question or referring them to the appropriate member of the administration, who will be able to answer the question.

All Board of Education policies can be found on Board Docs. If you do not find the policy you are trying to reference, contact the Office of the Assistant Superintendent. A PDF of the requested board policy will be emailed to you.

Note: The following reflects current board committee appointments.

Calendar:  

This committee works with members of district staff to develop school-year calendars.

Insurance: 

Comprised equally of representatives from the Pickerington administrative team and the Pickerington Education Association, the Pickerington Schools Insurance Committee meets five to eight times per school year to review the district’s health and dental insurance programs.  The committee’s overarching goal is to find cost-effective ways to offer district employees a highly competitive, comprehensive benefits plan.

Personnel: Lori Sanders, Clay Lopez

This committee reviews issues related to areas including the hiring, compensation, and discipline of district employees.

Policy: Cathy Olshefski

This committee collaborates with various departments to review related policies and make necessary changes to meet current practices and legislative requirements. The committee reviews the recommendations for all new and current policies before they are proposed to the Board of Education.

Plan For Progress Committees

• Lean and Efficient Operations: Keith Kristoff, Clay Lopez
• Modern Facilities/Transportation: Keith Kristoff, Vanessa Niekamp
• Academic Excellence: Lori Sanders

Ohio law mandates that school board meetings be open to the public, with an exception of executive sessions. In an executive session, the board may discuss but not vote on:

• The appointment, employment, dismissal, discipline, promotion, demotion or compensation of an employee or official, or the investigation of charges against an employee or official, or regulated individual requests a public hearing;
• The purchase of property for public purposes or the sale of property a competitive bidding;
• Disputes which are the subject of pending or imminent court action in conference with an attorney;
• Preparing for, conducting or reviewing negotiations or bargaining sessions with employees;
• Matters required to be kept confidential by federal or state statutes;
• Specialized details of security arrangements or emergency response.

The Board of Education is legally responsible to:

• Develop policies and regulations necessary for the governance of the school district.
• Ensure students are provided with high quality educational opportunities.
• Appoint a superintendent of schools and invest such powers in him/her as may be legally delegated.
• Appoint a treasurer.
• Act on personnel and policies recommended by the superintendent.
• See that the annual budget is prepared and acted on.
• Pass an annual appropriations measure.
• Adopt a master calendar annually.
• Enter into contracts with all personnel in the manner required by Ohio laws.
• Levy taxes with a vote of the people to maintain schools.