State of the Schools highlights progress in Fairfield County

LANCASTER − Lancaster City Schools are headed in the right direction with academic success, athletic success, a new building on the way, and more.

The Fairfield County State of the Schools was held on Thursday, with multiple representatives speaking on behalf of schools in the county. Presenting at the event were Lancaster City Schools Superintendent Nathan Hale, Ohio University Lancaster Dean of Campus and Community Relations Jarrod Tudor, and Fairfield County Board of Developmental Disabilities Superintendent David Uhl.

Lancaster City Schools

In Hale's remarks, he outlined how Lancaster City Schools are moving in the right direction and exceeding expectations. Despite this, he indicated that there is still a lot of work to do going forward.

Hale said a point of emphasis throughout the year was to set graduates up for success out of high school while also ensuring to community members what kind of students they would be getting. Whether employed, enlisted, or enrolled, Hale said Lancaster City School graduates will be fully prepared for whatever they do after school.

"We're very pleased to say that they should be able to do and know anything that you need for them to do whether they're employed, enlisted, or enrolled, when they graduate from high school," said Hale.

Hale discussed how school report cards indicate the solid progress that has been made with education. A five-star rating in progress, five-star rating in gap closing, three-star rating in achievement, and three-star rating in graduation were scores that Hale specifically highlighted.

In his presentation, Hale said Lancaster City Schools have had a 15-point increase to their overall performance index over the past two years, bringing them close to pre-Covid performance.

According to Hale, athletic achievements were a point of pride for Lancaster City Schools. Boys cross country, boys swimming, wrestling team, indoor track and field, and girls soccer were among the teams he mentioned as having great success in the past year.

Lancaster City Schools' visual arts program, instrumental program, and vocal music program also stood out for their success in the past year.

Hale concluded with excitement for the future, particularly in relation to the construction of a new building for Lancaster High School. He hopes in the future people will look back and be impressed with the process.

"I hope, 60 years from now, people will look back and talk about how our community did it right," said Hale.

Ohio University Lancaster

Tudor's presentation gave an introduction and an update of what is going on at Ohio University Lancaster.

Tudor highlighted interesting statistics about the student body. Those numbers included 1,500 students in the service area, 72% of students working toward a four-year degree, 66% of students being under the age of 25, a 17:1 student to faculty ratio, and 350 College Credit Plus students.

Going to a regional campus can be a more affordable college path after high school graduation. Tudor said because of this, they are seeing more high school graduates enrolled than ever before.

"We've become a choice for newly minted high school graduates now more than ever," said Tudor. "Why? Partially because of the cost of college."

Tudor said that Ohio University Lancaster has 13 bachelor degree programs and 11 associate degree programs. One major addition to that selection over the year was the addition of a nursing program that started in fall of 2022.

Forest Rose School

Uhl spoke on behalf of the Fairfield County Board of Developmental Disabilities, while specifically focusing on Forest Rose School. He pointed out that Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month is observed in March.

"March is Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month and, while we're always happy anytime throughout the year to get to talk about who we are, it's especially great today to educate our community members on the impact of Fairfield County Board of Developmental Disabilities and Forest Rose School," said Uhl.

Forest Rose School is a fully chartered public school, which provides a free and appropriate educational program for students between the ages of 6 and 22 with multiple disabilities or Autism.

Uhl outlined the ways in which Forest Rose School is used to assist students in all aspects of their life, including communication, entertainment, health and well-being, home comfort and movement, cooking, safety, and true independence in the home with monitoring.

Additionally, Uhl explained how Forest Rose School helps students transition from school to adult life. Cooking, working, transportation, and grocery shopping are all valuable life skills students can learn at Forest Rose.

Uhl also said the Fairfield County Board of Developmental Disabilities will have a behavior support coordinator in the fall, who will be able to work with districts which have students with behavioral challenges or needs.

"This is to keep what we're doing not just inside the walls of Forest Rose School but to move out into the community and work closely with our school districts," said Uhl.

This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: State of the Schools highlights progress in Fairfield County