Cambridge Intermediate School principal Laurie Goggin updated the board members about student growth and achievement when she spoke at the February meeting of the Cambridge Board of Education on Tuesday at the Garfield Administrative Center.
Cambridge Intermediate School principal Laurie Goggin talks to board members about the practices that teachers are implementing at CIS to help increase student growth and achievement.One of the points of emphasis for the school district during the 2024-2025 school year is to pay attention to the categories on the state report card that can inform educational practices in the school district.
While the District has made a significant investment in curriculum during the past two years, each building also developed and implemented action plans that focus on areas of challenge within the buildings.
At the Intermediate School, administrators and teachers are focusing gap closing and early literacy. Unfortunately, many students enter Kindergarten not ready for school. The elementary school teachers devote a considerable amount of time and effort to catching students up. At the Intermediate School, many students are actually learning more than a year’s worth of material in a year.
The biggest reason for that success is the practices teachers implement at the school. Those practices included daily intervention, the use of I-Ready data to inform teaching decisions, Title groups, and online programs that focus on math skills are all helping students make significant gains.
“Because of the new curriculum we have implemented in first through fifth grade, we are seeing our kids move further than we thought they could,” Goggin said. “Our teaches know how to read data and make changes in the way we instruct students. We also supplement that curriculum with other resources. All this effort is helping us see positive gains.”
At the board meeting, Coffman also mentioned the installation of the traffic enforcement cameras by the City of Cambridge near the High School, Middle School, and Intermediate school. He indicated that the cameras are there for the purpose of slowing down traffic during drop-off and pick-up times. The city and the district are considering the installation of cameras near the Primary School as well.
Coffman stressed that even though drivers that exceed the 20 mile per hour school zone by more than 10 miles per hour will be fined, the purpose of the cameras is not to raise money for the city, but to help ensure the safety of our students.
Coffman also mentioned that it is bus driver appreciation month and thanked the individuals who drive for the district for their time and they way they care for our students.
In other business, the board approved a resolution accepting the amounts and rates determined by the Guernsey Conty Budget Commission authorizing the necessary tax levies and certifying them to the county auditor.
The board authorized the Treasurer or Director of Business Operations to enter into a one-year maintenance agreement with Enervise for HVAC Services.
The board also approved a resolution approving reimbursements rates while traveling for school district business, approved the 2025-2026 Cambridge Preschool student calendar, approved an overnight trip for the Ohio Model United Nations class at Cambridge High School, approved an out-of-state trip for CMS students to attend a hockey game in Wheeling, WV, and approved the districts membership in the Ohio High School Athletic Association for the 2025-2026 school year.
The board approved a memorandum of understanding with Kent State University for the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 school years for College Credit Plus courses and with Stark State College for the 2025-2026 school year for College Credit Plus courses.
In personnel matters, the board approved Jennifer Furbee as a cook at CIS, Donald Addlespurger for the groundskeeper/custodian/maintenance position, Linda Jeffrey as a substitute cook and substitute custodian, Margaret Dimmerling as an Educational Aide at CMS, Mark Fitzgerald as a substitute bus driver, Tyler Love as a substitute Aide, and Ryan Dunning, Kara Loader, Ashlee Wheeler, Peter Messer, Trey Lahmers and Robert Tidball as substitute teachers.
The board also approved the extended service of Rodney Gray and Kasey Wharton, Christine Clagett as a Resident Educator Mentor (Year 1), approved unpaid leave of absence for Thomas Moore, and a medical leave for Matthew Green.
The board approved the resignations of Amanda Clayton, Jennifer Ball, Abigail Davis, Andy Pointer, Cynthia Lucas, and Angela Hannon as Resident Educator Mentor (Year 1); and the retirements of Michele Haverfield, Linda Carpenter, and Sheryl Taylor.
The Board approved Kelley Ayres, Amanda Bumgardner, Janell Williams, Laura Walker, Courtney Stoner, Arianne Stoner, Katey Oldson, Whitney Neff, Bob Mascolino, Kylie Gebhart, Russ Fryman, Kitrina DuBose, Sadie Williams, Florence Sidwell and Laura Walker as volunteers for the 8th Grade Washington D.C. trip.
In athletics, the board approved Kamdon Morrison, Aaron Mathews, Jason Kenworthy, James Antalis, and Jenna Hatfield as volunteers.
The board approved the hiring of Kyle Cox and Brock Valentine as assistant baseball coaches, Kevin Gunn and Stephanie Massey as assistant girls’ track coaches, Bryan Craft as Middle School girls’ track coach, Melissa Hanes as Middle School boys’ track coach, Adam Fox and Isaiah Abel as assistant boys’ track coaches, and Mike Burkhimer as assistant softball coach.
The next meeting of the Board of Education will be at 5 p.m. on Thursday, March 20, 2025, at the Garfield Administrative Center.