The Worthington City School District will be one of 266 Ohio districts participating in the competitive Race to the Top federal grant program.

School board member Charlie Wilson updated board members on the grant at a board meeting held Monday, Jan. 25.

Wilson said the grant is part of a $4.35 billion competitive grant program created by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

"Ohio's share of those funds could be a minimum of $200 million and a maximum of $400 million," he said. "To be eligible as a state, we had to pass a bill for a longitudinal data system, which will track student assessment from preschool to the end of their college studies."

Wilson said only 266 out of 613 Ohio school districts met the Jan. 19 deadline for the memorandum of understanding required as a first step for the grant.

"It has been somewhat of a controversial program, but many conservative groups support it," he said. "We'll find out in April whether the state of Ohio will receive funds in Phase One.

"I'm proud of our administrators and teachers for supporting this," he said.

Treasurer Jeff McCuen said a number of teachers' unions around the state thought some of the provisions of the grant, which include performance-based compensation for teachers, were not something they wanted to consider.

"We were able to work with our teacher representatives in filling out our memorandum of understanding and we thought it was only right to try to be eligible for federal dollars," he said.

Also at this week's meeting, parent Lena Diaz told board members the district should adopt a policy that kindergarten students should not be dropped off at a bus stop unless a parent is present.

Diaz said her daughter is a kindergarten student at Wilson Hill Elementary School. She said she was waiting at the bus stop for her daughter after full-day kindergarten recently when the bus driver passed her and dropped her child off almost a quarter-mile away from her stop, where no parent was waiting.

She said her daughter was crying when the driver failed to stop at the correct bus stop.

"I don't know what would have happened if I hadn't seen where she was dropped off," Diaz said. "My concern is that you make a policy change so that all children will be safe."

Board President Julie Keegan asked Diaz for her contact information and said the board would look into the incident.

At the end of the meeting, board Vice President Marc Schare made a comment about the Jan. 11 organizational meeting, in which Wilson commented that Schare should not be in a leadership position.

"Charlie's main point is that over the years I've taken certain actions which are antithetical to Charlie's view of what board service or board leadership should be," Schare said. "I respect his opinion and I respectfully disagree with it.

"It's not the first time and it won't be the last time Charlie and I disagree and debate ... with our perceptions of what is in the best interests of Worthington stakeholders."

Schare said constituents should "celebrate the fact they've elected a board that can and does disagree and debate.

"My point is that divergence of thought in a board of education is a good thing when done in a positive and respectful manner," he said. "While I disagree with much of what Charlie said, I am thankful I serve on a board with colleagues that allow minority views to be aired."

Wilson smiled and asked to speak. "Amen," he said.