June 19, 2011
South-Western City Schools
Administrator contract allows merit pay By TOM SHEEHAN ThisWeek Community Newspapers Performance-based merit raises are part of a new contract negotiated between South-Western City Schools and the union representing the district’s administrators. The two-year contract was approved June 10 by South-Western Administrators Association and by the school board on June 13. It provides for a 0.5-percent
base-pay increase for the 2011-12 school year and a 1-percent increase for the 201213 school year. The pact replaces a one-year contract, signed in June 2010, that had no base-pay increase. Beginning with the 2012-13 school
year, new administrative employees, and any current administrators who opt to do so, will take part in a merit-based compensation structure. That structure will be developed during the 2011-12 school year by district officials and the South-Western Administrators Association (SWAA), which represents about 85 administrators. “I believe this contract is very similar to those of OAPSE (Ohio Association of
Public School Employees) and SWEA (South-Western Education Association)” negotiated earlier this year, said board vice president Randy Reisling. “It (the contract) does have an additional piece ... a merit-based compensation structure,” he said. “I think this is a very exciting turn of events and something we look forward to implementing.” The merit pay would be based on an individual’s performance during the pre-
vious school year. Superintendent Bill Wise said after the meeting that could mean an individual could get a bigger raise than other administrators or get no raise at all. Step pay increases and pension and health benefits remain the same as those in the previous contract. The new agreement runs from July 1 to June 30, 2013. See SOUTH-WESTERN, page A2
Westland Area Commission
Athlete heading to Special Olympics World Games
WAC fills vacancy, talks about raising its profile By CARLA SMITH ThisWeek Community Newspapers
By KEVIN PARKS ThisWeek Community Newspapers
Jeff Brewer, who goes to church in his Clintonville neighborhood but works at an office supply store in the Northland area, won’t be in either community June 25 through July 4. He’ll be in Athens. Not the one in the rolling hills of southeastern Ohio. The Goodwill Columbus athlete will be in Athens, Greece, birthplace of the Olympic Games. Brewer will be one of 7,500 athletes from 185 countries participating in the 2011 Special Olympics World Games, held in the white marble Panathinaiko Stadium. Panathinaiko was the primary stadium for the first modern Olympics in 1896 and was a venue when the games returned to Athens in 2004. Brewer, 37, specializes in the pentathalon, which in Special Olympics involves a 100yard dash, running long jump, shot put and 400-meter dash. He also runs in the 4 by 100meter relay. “I like the 100,” Brewer said last week as he prepared for yet another in a long series of training sessions at the GoodBy Chris Parker/ThisWeek will Columbus headquarters Jeff Brewer, who has qualified to compete in the Special Olympics World Games in Athens, Greece, See AREA ATHLETE, page A3 works out in preparation for the event.
The Westland Area Commission filled a vacancy, talked about climbing on the the social media bandwagon and hashed out plans to make itself more visible at the July 4 celebration. The commission met June 15 and unanimously approved the appointment of David Van Order to fill a vacancy. Van Order met with a nominating committee prior to the evening’s meeting, and the committee recommended his appointment as a commission member. Commission chair Linda Pitts said Van Order will serve for a year and then will be required to stand for re-election to serve a three-year term. Van Order said he has been a lifelong West Side resident, graduating from West High School and then Ohio State University. He has two daughters, both educated within the South-Western City School District, he said. “I have wanted to do this for quite some time,” Van Order said. “I believe we are morally obligated to help our community. I want to help promote our area in central Ohio.” Pitts said the next step is to notify Columbus City Council of Van Order’s appointment. If within 30 days the commission doesn’t hear any reason why Van Order can’t serve, he will be able to participate as a voting member. The commission also agreed to start promoting itself through Facebook. Commission member Melissa BarthKelly will be in charge of maintaining the site, which will feature information on the commission and allow residents to give their input. “This is a way to keep people updated about the commission,” Barth-Kelly said. “It is another way to reach out and let people know who we are and what we are doing.” Commission member Shawn Thomas had some concerns about moving forward with a Facebook page without first obtaining the approval of Columbus City Council. Barth-Kelly said there were already other commissions doing the same thing and that several city departments have their own Facebook pages. Pitts said before the commission moves forward on the Facebook page, she would also feel more comfortable in clearing it with the city first. “I do believe it is a great idea,” she added. Pitts said she also believes that the commission can edSee WAC, page A2
Majestics Quartet to bring back music of the ’60s By ALAN FROMAN
R’n’B music they loved so much. Four decades later, the friends are still playing the music they In the mid 1960s, four Upper love as the Majestics Quartet. Arlington High School students Dave Balser, John Sproat, formed a band to play the soul and Rodger Wilson and John WorkThisWeek Community Newspapers
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man will be performing Tuesday, June 21, at the Music on the Lawn concert series at the Grandview Heights Public Library. The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. Recently, Balser, Wilson and
Workman reminisced about their band and their bond before a rehearsal. Sproat was unable to attend that practice, but he will be playing the drums next week. The teens were all involved in Cheryl is one of many cats up for adoption at the Cat Welfare Association. On Tuesday, June 21, the association will hold its Summer Solstice Adoption Extravaganza, which will feature food and special adoption rates. For information on adopting Cheryl or any of the cats, visit catwelfareohio.com. Watch a video of Cheryl at ThisWeekNews.com.
the UAHS band and choral programs, said Wilson, now a Grandview resident, who plays bass, horns, some percussion and is one of the band’s vocalists. “We’d get together to listen to
the radio and we found that we all loved the same music,” he said. “We’d listen to WVKO, which was the only soul music station in See MAJESTICS, page A4
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