Professional Report

rescission.

EDUCATIONAL SERVICE CENTER INFRASTRUCTURE LOANS TO

167.041

An ESC serving as a fiscal agent for a regional council of governments may establish a program in which it enters into agreements with the governing body of member governments to lend them money to improve infrastructure within the territory of members located within Ohio. The boards of education of up to five adjoining educational service centers may by identical resolutions adopted by a majority of the members of each governing board within a 60-day period combine these centers into one ESC, which may be “styled” as a joint educational service center. Apparently, no approval is required from the state board of education. The former governing boards are dissolved, and the new board is created 30 days after the date on which the final resolution of merger is filed with the state board. The composition of the new governing board has three different options found in ORC sections 3311.053, 3311.054, and 3311.057. Please see EDUCATIONAL SERVICE CENTER GOVERNING BOARD MEMBERSHIP (above). While all funds of each former ESC are paid to the new governing board and the legal title of all property becomes vested in the new governing board, the new governing board must also honor all contracts made by the former boards. An educational service center can convert all or a portion of a building operated by the ESC to a community school. An ESC can also create a conversion school within its service territory or an contiguous county without receiving approval from or an agreement with the Ohio Department of Education. However, any conversion community school which the ESC sponsors outside its service territory (or a contiguous county) and any start-up school will require ODE approval and an agreement with ODE regarding the manner in which it will conduct its sponsorship. The agreement between the ESC governing board and the board of the sponsoring entity must occur by March 15, and the contract must be signed by May 15 prior to the school year in which the conversion community school will open. Board of education must grant paid professional leave to any employee appointed to the educator standards board “for the purpose of attending meetings and conducting official business of the educator standards board.” If the number of members of a board of education of any city school district to be elected at large is even, one half is to be elected in the year preceding, and the remaining one half in the year following, a calendar year divisible by four. If the number to be elected is odd, one half of the remainder, after reducing the number by one, shall be elected in the year preceding, and the remaining number shall be elected in the year following the calendar year divisible by four. All members to be elected No educational service centers can be “required” to merge if the resulting territory would exceed 800 square miles.

COUNCILS OF GOVERNMENT

EDUCATIONAL SERVICE CENTER MERGERS

3311.053 3311.054 3311.057

3311.058

EDUCATIONAL SERVICE CENTER SPONSORSHIP OF COMMUNITY SCHOOLS

3314.02 3314.03

EDUCATOR STANDARDS BOARD MEMBER, PROFESSIONAL LEAVE FOR ELECTION OF CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD OF EDUCATION MEMBERS

3319.63

3313.08