As we wrap up another great school year in Worthington, we can celebrate another year of excellence. We will be graduating approximately 650 students from our high schools with many of them going on to higher education and bright futures. It is always bittersweet to see another class graduate, but we can be confident that our young people are prepared to take on the challenges of adulthood. The Worthington Schools are some of the best schools systems and communities in Ohio, and like you, I am proud to be part of this longstanding tradition of excellence.

The beginning of this school year was filled with many challenges. Just this past November, voters in our Worthington Schools approved both operating and bond levies for our schools. These funds will support the day-to-day operations, including teachers in the classroom, high quality programs, technology and towards the ongoing maintenance of our facilities.

We are ever appreciative to our community of their support for our schools and we do not take your support lightly.  We stated at that time that the election was about maintaining our excellent schools in the most efficient manner possible. Rest assured that the board of education and administration remain dedicated to this commitment.

As we look to next school year, our staff will be working over the summer planning and preparing for another year of excellence. And next year will be full of changes and challenges: we will continue to implement and prepare for the new Common Core standards and curriculum; the state of Ohio will be changing the state accountability system and report card; and the way students take tests will be dramatically changing. This is in addition to a new teacher evaluation system and the Third Grade Reading Guarantee requiring a certain amount of reading proficiency for students. The challenges have never been greater.

We in the Worthington Schools are ready for these challenges and also are finding ways of being more competitive and innovative in the educational marketplace so that our students many options to excel. Our outstanding teachers and staff are working hard to creating unique and high quality opportunities for students to prepare them for today’s world.

The partnership between schools and community is the backbone of our excellence. This newsletter is one of the many ways we keep our residents informed on the excellence and value Worthington City Schools provide to the community. As we continue to work together, there is no doubt we will succeed.

Sincerely,
Thomas Tucker, Ph.D