Ty Ankrom
As superintendent of the Educational Service Center, I’m the face of the ESC for Pickaway County educators.
But there is a team that looks out for the ESC and, by extension, all of the educators who work for the ESC in Pickaway County schools.
The Governing Board, as it’s called, is made up of Richard Everman, president; Patricia Southward, vice president; Bob Bower; Jeanine McDowell; and Byron Welch. They were elected to serve by voters who live in the Logan Elm, Teays Valley and Westfall school districts.
Richard, Bob and Byron also serve on the board of education for Pickaway-Ross Career & Technology Center.
These men and women are just a few of the thousands in Ohio who dedicate their time to serving students, staff members and parents in their school districts.
Each year, January is designated as School Board Recognition Month. In this year’s proclamation, Gov. John Kasich said, “The service provided by the members of Ohio’s city, village, local and joint vocational boards of education and educational service centers’ governing boards is critical to ensuring high quality public education for Ohio’s schoolchildren.”
Ensuring quality education for Pickaway County students is a longtime goal for our board members, as all of them have spent time in their home districts as teachers, staff members or administrators before joining the ESC board.
Having been involved in education, the members have knowledge about educational issues and work to stay abreast of current educational practices and trends.
Their involvement in the county’s schools and support of the ESC benefits all of us.
While January may be designated as School Board Recognition Month, the time and dedication that Richard, Patricia, Bob, Jeanine and Byron provide is appreciated every month.
This article originally appeared on The Pickaway News Journal
