School Breaks Open 2020 Plan

VACATION? Donate your copy of the News. 767-7373. An INDEPENDENT JOURNAL of NEWS and OPINION YELLOW SPRINGS NEWS SI NCE 1880 YELLOW SPRINGS, OHIO T HURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2011 VO LUME 132, NUMBER 39 PRICE: $1.50 Barr project concept OKd By Diane Chiddister “We are willing to assume that risk.” About 25 villagers attended the meeting, At their Oct. 3 meeting, Village Council and most speakers expressed support for members voted unanimously to approve the project. the �rst stage of the Home, Inc./Buckeye “This town has the chance to do some- Community Hope Foundation proposal for thing important and progressive” in pursu- affordable senior housing on the Barr prop- ing the senior housing, according to Board erty downtown. President Mary White of Friends Care “This is an absolute need of the commu- Community, which owns the Barr land. nity,” Council member Lori Askeland said. A rapidly aging community, Yellow “And this site is perfect for this use.” Springs not only needs to address the Council’s vote covered only the project’s needs of its current senior community in density and use. If the project wins federal a dif�cult economy, but those who will funding, it will return to Village Planning become seniors soon, and this project will Commission and Council in April for a do so, White said. �nal, more detailed approval process. The As a driver for the Senior Center, Vickie process involves two stages due to the Hennessy said she frequently drives elders complexity of �nancing the project, and the from their homes in other parts of the vil- developers’ need for Council’s general sup- lage to downtown. port to increase their chances for federal “These are vital, active people who can’t funding. walk that far,” she said. “If they lived here, At Council’s last meeting, the issue we’d be opening up their world.” became contentious as Karen Wintrow An informal survey of local seniors has objected to what she perceived as an so far identi�ed 24 who are interested in unclear and misleading process. While the proposed apartments, according to Planning Commission had requested that Suzanne Patterson, who emphasized that Council only vote on the project’s use and seniors remain active in the community SUBMITTED PHOTO density at this stage, Wintrow felt Council through volunteer work. was being asked to give approval, without “We are a viable part of the community Playing the ﬁeld suf�cient notice, of a more detailed design. and we deserve your fullest support,” she The confusion was cleared up at the Oct. said. Yellow Springs Soccer Inc.’s fall soccer session is in full gear. From left, Pete Freeman, Galen Sieck and Aryn Van Ausdal are 3 meeting, as Village Manager Mark Cun- Steve Hetzler spoke against the project, a part of the Bronze Cup teams that are playing through the end of October. diff, who had been absent at the last meet- stating that the historic Barr property ing, clari�ed that Council was voting only should be preserved, and that the senior on density and use, and that further specif- housing “will make traf�c terrible down- ics will be addressed at the later time. town.” According to Home, Inc. Director Emily The Home, Inc./Buckeye Foundation School breaks open 2020 plan Seibel, at the later date, “Council will have proposal calls for the construction of a the freedom to change many things, bar- two-story building with 33 apartments for By Lauren Heaton support.” “This is an overwhelmingly different ring a re-design of the building arbitrarily.” seniors who meet income requirements. At the heart of the plan are six educa- pedagogical approach to teaching and The risk involved in making possible See page 9 for other Oct. 3 Council busi- After a year of brainstorming, research- tional priorities that the 2020 Steering learning, and we owe it to our staff and to changes to the project at a later date are ness. ing and discussing the wide world of edu- Committee established based on its year- our community to invest in professional borne by the developer, Seibel said, stating, Contact: [email protected] cation, the Yellow Springs school district long investigation. Each priority is �eshed development that will require a signi�cant presents its �rst draft of the Class of 2020 out with several suggested strategies that amount of time and resources to complete,” 10-year strategic plan. The plan is a rough could be employed to achieve that goal. Basora said. “In the long run, it’s worth the guide to creating an engaging and contem- PRIORITY 1: Making sure students suc- investment we put in because it will allow porary interdisciplinary curriculum for a ceed our dream to be actualized.” Issue 16 could lower rates student body that is well prepared to suc- •Expect more from students According to the outline in the plan, three years if they want to continue with their ceed beyond high school in today’s world. •Train students to be active citizens some of the teaching objectives could be This is the �rst in a series of articles on current electricity provider or if they want to In the words of the steering committee •Engage parents met by designing a cross-disciplinary sci- state and county issues on the Nov. 8 ballot. select a supplier of their own. Township resi- members who drafted it, the plan is a guide •Narrow the achievement gap ence, technology, engineering, arts and dents will be noti�ed if the measure passes to making the Yellow Springs district “a •Challenge top students mathematics (STEAM) curriculum, and By Megan Bachman and can opt out by returning a postcard. school of creativity and innovation.” •Support special needs students asking students, parents and experts to Township residents will still pay Dayton While the most intense work of imple- •Prepare students for college and work scienti�cally test the curriculum. Miami Township residents could save Power & Light or Ohio Edison, which own the mentation has yet to be done, the authors The strategies associated with each Curriculum delivery could also occur around $100 per year on electricity if a electric lines, to distribute their electricity. want feedback on how well the 2020 plan priority are merely suggestions that the outside the school itself, according to Steer- Greene County ballot issue passes in Novem- The County Commissioners’ Association captures the values of the community as teachers and staff will specify as they craft ing Committee member Mark Meister, who ber, according to a consultant with the County of Ohio has been pushing for government a guide to designing the future education the new curriculum over the next several lives in town and is president and CEO Commissioners’ Association of Ohio. aggregation in the wake of electricity dereg- system for the village’s public schools. The years, Superintendent Mario Basora said of the Dayton Society of Natural History. By voting yes on Issue 16, the county-wide ulation, which became Ohio law in 2001. 118-page document starts with an overview last week. But the plan does include initial As the leader of a regional organization electricity aggregation measure, voters in “It’s pooling resources in masses to coop- of the district and its existing structures, ideas for accomplishing, for instance, the that specializes in producing education Miami Township would be agreeing to let eratively get better rates,” said Bill Bradish, summarizes the brainstorming process of �rst priority, which could necessitate that programs for schools around the country, the County Commissioners’ Association of a consultant with the county commission- getting to the 2020 plan, rolls out of the pri- each student develop an individualized Meister believes that as part of its future Ohio negotiate with and select an electricity ers’ association. Aggregation increases orities of the plan and strategies to imple- education plan with personal growth objec- education plan, Yellow Springs has the supplier on their behalf. Currently Dayton buying power, so negotiated rates are typi- ment it, and closes with a lengthy appendix tives. Among other strategies for fostering opportunity to tap into the wealth of edu- Power & Light and Ohio Edison supply cally lower, he said. that gives a demographic pro�le of the cur- citizenship, the plan suggests that students cational and cultural ammenities that the electricity in the township. Dayton Power & Light’s current electric rent village population. could create learning opportunities with greater Miami Valley region has to offer. The measure applies only to unincorpo- rate plan and distribution rates are frozen The plan is now available for review and local businesses and organizations. And Programs through institutions such as rated areas within Greene County so Yellow until the end of 2012, after which rates will online comment at the News Web site at to prepare students for the workplace, for the Dayton Art Institute, MUSE, Carillon Springs residents will not vote on the likely rise. But by participating in a govern- ysnews.com, and for viewing at the district instance, the school could hold regular Park, and Boonshoft Museum of Discovery issue. Because the Village owns its electric ment aggregation program, Bradish said, site, www.yellow-springs.k12.oh.us. The dis- career exploration workshops. would connect Yellow Springs students system, it cannot participate in government “you can always expect to have a discounted trict invites the public to give critical feedback PRIORITY 2: Create an innovative YS to the wider community and broaden cur- electric aggregation programs. rate” even if rates increase overall. on the plan through Oct. 24, after which the teaching and learning model ricular opportunities in disciplines the local Township Trustee Chris Mucher is urging The County Commissioners’ Association steering committee will create a �nal draft for •Design a 21st century core curriculum district might not offer.

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