August 11, 2011
New athletics department finalized By NATE ELLIS ThisWeek Community Newspapers The reorganization of the Pickerington Local School District’s athletics department was completed this week with the rehiring of two former assistant athletics directors. The Pickerington Board of Education on Monday, Aug. 8, voted 4-1 to complete the restructuring of the district’s athletic department by rehiring Jim Campbell and Scott Barrett. Campbell was given a one-year con-
tract to serve as an assistant athletics supervisor at Pickerington High School Central. He will receive an annual salary of $76,365. Barrett was extended a one-year contract to be an assistant athletics supervisor at Lakeview Junior High School. As assistant athletic supervisors, the two will work under Mark Aprile, who in May was named director of student activities in charge of leading athletics programming for the district’s two high schools and two junior highs. Campbell and Barrett will assist with
overall management of the district’s high school and junior high athletics programming, respectively, which will include scheduling, evaluation of coaches and budgeting. They also will assist their respective building principals with disciplinary matters. “These are one-year contracts,” PLSD board member Cathy Olshefski said. “We take a step of faith and we evaluate and we analyze. I think we just need to press on and tweak where we need to tweak.” Campbell previously was assistant
athletics director at Central, where he earned an annual salary of $45,277. Barrett was an athletics coordinator at Ridgeview Junior High, where he received $57,681 annually. Their new jobs come after the district eliminated one high school athletics director job and consolidated the duties of the remaining athletics department positions in an effort to reduce costs. “We can’t lose sight of the fact that this (restructuring) is over $200,000 in savings,” PLSD board member Lori Sanders said.
The loan opponent to the moves was board member Lee Gray, who said the district likely would have recognized more savings if it had not required assistant athletics supervisors to be certified teachers or have school administrator licenses. Gray said he didn’t oppose Campbell or Barrett and called them “exceptional individuals” who have been “loyal” to the district. However, he said the district could See FINALIZED, page A2
Pickerington EQUINE OPPORTUNITY hires Fulton as its new city planner By NATE ELLIS ThisWeek Community Newspapers Scott Fulton, a Franklin County development and planning official, was tapped this week to serve as Pickerington’s city planner. City Manager Bill Vance announced his choice on Monday, Aug. 8. Fulton will take the post on Aug. 22. He currently is a planner with the Franklin County Economic Development and Planning Department, where he has worked since 2008. “The addition of Fulton later this month will position Pickerington extremely well to expand its creative, expedient approach to community development services,” Vance said. “We have been able to put together a dynamic team of individuals who are results-oriented. I think the entire community will see the Scott Fulton benefits.” He will receive an annual salary of $58,000 plus the standard benefits offered to nonunion city employees. Pickerington human resources director Lynn Miller said these include: major medical and dental insurance at a premium cost of 10 percent; one vacation day for every month worked, although Fulton can’t take any vacation until he’s worked in Pickerington for a year; four personal days; use of a city vehicle for city business or reimbursement for gasoline for his personal vehicle, if it is used for city business; 9.2 hours of sick leave a month. There are no relocation expenses or travel expenses to the city, and no pension pick-up. Fulton was selected from a pool of 10 candidates for the post, which was left vacant after former city planner Joe Henderson was promoted last month to serve as Pickerington’s development services director.
Photos by Eric George/ThisWeek
(Above) Maddie Myers, 11, prepares to give Trigger a kiss uring the Pickerington Parks and Recreation Departement’s horsemanship class Aug. 8 at Cruiser Glen Farms in Canal Winchester. (Left) Melissa Spivey, 8, closes her eyes as she rides Jiggers under the watchful eye of trainer Denise Upperman.
See FULTON HIRED, page A2
City approves planning pact with township By NATE ELLIS ThisWeek Community Newspapers
Community school appoints board members
After nearly two months of debate, Pickerington City Council on Aug. 2 approved entering into a joint planning agreement with Violet Township. Council voted 5-2 to join the JPA, which, although not legally binding, commits the two governments to provide copies of all formal development and land-use proposals submitted to their respective jurisdictions to each other within five days of receiving them. The action came after council voted 5-1 on June 7 to approve the first reading of a resolution to enter into the JPA.
By NATE ELLIS will open later this month when ThisWeek Community Newspapers school begins for all students in Pickerington Local School District. The Pickerington Community Devor, DeGeeter and Harr were School finalized its board this week appointed to the board on July 11. by appointing two new members. Devor will serve a two-year term, On Monday, Aug. 8, Janie Sher- while DeGeeter and Harr each were aw and Deborah Dunbar were ap- appointed to four-year terms. pointed to four- and two-year terms, “We do this because we don’t respectively, on the Pickerington want all of the board members leavCommunity School Board of Edu- ing at one time,” PCS Superintencation. dent Bob Blackburn said. The two will join board President Devor retired from the PLSD in Chuck Devor, Lisa DeGeeter and 1998 after teaching English for three Katie Harr in filling out the board years at Pickerington High School. for the community school, which He then spent six years working part-
See PLANNING PACT, page A2
time for the district as he helped implement Tech Prep, a civil engineering program which integrated science, math, language, arts and technology learning. Devor currently is an adjunct English professor at Capital University. He formerly was a licensure officer for the university, where he reviewed qualifications of teaching certification applicants. DeGeeter is executive director of the Child Advocacy Center of Fairfield County. The nonprofit organization teams with professionals from law enforcement, children’s
services, victim services, mental health, prosecution and the medical field to investigate, treat and prosecute cases of child sexual and severe physical abuse. DeGeeter’s agency currently conducts abuse-prevention programs in school districts in the county, including Pickerington. She is a parent of two PLSD students and has worked on various school levy campaign committees and school sports and music booster groups. Harr taught math at Pickerington See BOARD MEMBERS, page A4