Olentangy Local Schools Superintendent Wade Lucas, Ed.D., recently announced that the district will not draw new elementary attendance boundaries for the 2011-12 school year when elementary 15 opens.  Instead, the district will use this school to educate elementary school students who are in overflow from their home school, some preschool students and some students entering the all-day everyday kindergarten program.

“We are building a beautiful new school that is needed to provide relief to our already crowded elementary population,” said Lucas.  “We also have the issue of all-day everyday kindergarten for the entire district being implemented during the 2013-14 school year.  This option allows us to provide an excellent education for all students in appropriate learning environments in the least disruptive manner for the entire community.”

House Bill 1, also known as the state’s biennium budget that was approved in July 2009, required all school districts in Ohio to give parents the option of all-day kindergarten classes beginning with the 2010-11 school year.  In addition, HB 318, which was approved in December 2009, allowed the Ohio Department of Education to create and begin using a waiver option for those districts that might need more time to implement an all-day kindergarten program.  Olentangy Local Schools applied for the waiver for the 2010-11 school year and intends to apply for the full waiver for the 2011-12 school year.  However, the district also plans to begin offering all-day everyday kindergarten to approximately 300 students who are in the greatest academic need for this service.  This gradual implementation plan begins with the 2011-12 school year with full implementation for all students beginning in the 2013-14 school year.

Olentangy Local Schools also offers a state-required preschool program for students with special academic needs.  The Olentangy Preschool currently educates 295 special needs and peer role model students and is housed within six of the district’s 14 elementary schools.  Additional information related to the Olentangy Preschool program is available online at www.olentangy.k12.oh.us/preschool/.