Sept. 15 – COAL GROVE – Friday’s meeting of Lawrence County school principals had a special guest: Ohio House Speaker Jason Stephens.
He was there to talk about the more than $750,000 the schools will use to install a new digital radio and repeater system, which will be used by the approximately 150 school buses in Lawrence County’s eight school districts to stay in touch as they pick up and drop off students.
It’s a necessary system because much of Lawrence County is rural, with poor cell phone service. It’s also so rural that Lawrence County School Superintendent Eric Floyd jokes that they need to “pump in some sunlight.”
The Lawrence County Educational Service Center, through Jason Stephen’s office, applied for a grant from the Ohio Strategic Community Investment Fund. In August, the ESC received a check for $750,000 to purchase equipment and pay for installation.
And with the upgrade, the system will be linked to EMS and the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office. The system also includes GPS location, so if a bus has an accident or emergency, responders can quickly and accurately locate the bus, even in the most rural areas of the county.
Stephens told the school principals that there is a battle going on over school funding between lawmakers who don’t want public schools and lawmakers who do.
“The fight that we’re having in Columbus for schools in rural areas and Appalachia, it’s about as tough a fight as you can imagine,” said Stephens, who compared it to a rowdy school board meeting, but with a few twists. “We have people who don’t believe in public education. They’re against public education.”
He said he knows how much public education means to Lawrence County and its teachers. He also pointed out that his children and their friends went to public schools and grew up to have careers as doctors and engineers.
“Everything we do in Columbus is make sure our voices are heard and that we’re doing a good job with our schools,” Stephens said. “That doesn’t mean it’s perfect and that there’s always room for improvement. And we’re going to continue to do that.”
Dr. Richard Murray of the Coalition of Rural and Appalachian Schools presents Stephens with a plaque from the organization in recognition of his outstanding leadership in improving students, schools and communities.
Murray said Stephens helped draft funding legislation for 35 schools in southeastern Ohio.
“Without him, the legislature wouldn’t even know there was a problem,” Murray said. “Now there’s some kind of remedy.”
