ANTHONY WAYNE – Amy Barrett is joining the Anthony Wayne Board of Education, filling out the remainder of Shellie McKnight‘s term. After a nearly 90-minute executive session on Jan. 13, board members Jeff Baden, Lindsay Hoipkemier, Kyle Miller and Mike Stamm returned to vote unanimously for Barrett, who ran for a seat on the board in a crowded 2023 election.
“We had a really good discussion. There’s so much talent. We really appreciate all 25 candidates who applied for this position,” Baden said.
Barrett has been involved in the district for over 28 years, including leading a drug prevention education, working as a substitute teacher, serving on parent-teacher organizations and founding a weekend food bag program. Currently Barrett is a self-employed grant writer and the volunteer coordinator for Anthony Wayne Neighborhood Bridges, which ensures that students have food, clothing and other resources.
“I am very honored to have been chosen to serve both the school district and our community in this capacity,” Barrett said.
She will be given the oath of office during the Monday, Feb. 9 board meeting.
During the meeting, Superintendent Kevin Herman gave a state of the schools address that is available in full on the district’s website at anthonywayneschools.org.
He detailed the district’s financial health. While boosted with a $3.2 million revenue increase due to increases in property valuations, the district needs to be fiscally conservative to deal with increasing costs, Herman said, noting that the district is closely monitoring House Bill 335, which seeks to reduce the tax burden for property owners.
Student enrollment has declined over the past four years, with a total of 4,127 this year.
“That surprises people when they see the new houses going in,” Herman said of the growing district. “People feel that we should be busting at the seams.”
The district continues to perform well, ranking in the top five percent in the state for academic performance.
“We will continue to work and build on that,” he said. “But success is not just measured in test scores.”
(AWFP photo by Karen Gerhardinger)
In addition to strong academic performance, the district has excelled in the arts, athletics and other extracurricular activities – with a high percentage of student participation.
With the district’s five-year strategic plan set to wrap up in 2027, work will begin on updating the plan to incorporate changes in state laws and enrollment. Herman said the district’s other goals include deepening community partnerships and providing students with opportunities to gain the skills they need to thrive in an ever-changing environment.
Herman encouraged community members to contact the district with questions.
“Your voice is important,” he said.
During the meeting, the board also:
-Named Jeff Baden as board president and Miller as vice president, approved committee assignments and set meeting dates.
(Courtesy photo)
-Congratulated the state title-winning girls soccer team and coach Lori Williams, who noted that the 24 athletes also achieved a GPA of 4.16 while ending the season with a 19-0-3 record. Williams said the support from the community throughout the season was palpable.
-Listened to parent Roy Collaco share research about EdChoice vouchers, initially designed to give low-income families an opportunity to choose private schools. In the 2024-25 school year, 614 of the 3,802 students in the district used vouchers, although only 3 percent qualified as low-income, according to Ohio Department of Education and Workforce (ODEW) data.
That means that families who can already afford private schools received up to $8,408 for that education. The public school, by comparison, receives $813 per student. In Ohio, EdChoice Expansion gave out 69,000 new vouchers but private school enrollment grew by less than 3,700, meaning that the money was used to pay the tuition of students already attending. Continuing this practice will cause greater cuts in public school funding, said Collaco, who urged voters to pay attention to candidates and whether they support school vouchers.
-Encouraged Anthony Wayne graduates who are couples to sign up for a Saturday, Feb. 14 basketball game followed by a reception with refreshments, photo ops and tours. The AW True Blue Sweethearts Reunion is a way of recognizing alumni couples – whether they met in school or later, Herman said.
