“I tend to be one that kicks the status quo.” Dr. Veronica Motley is not easily satisfied. “Okay isn’t good enough, and good enough isn’t good enough.”
Sylvania’s school superintendent since 2020, she leads the district by working to continually advance student education and instruction. “How can we make a difference for students? Make sure they’re well prepared to be adults that are functional and well adjusted and maybe a little selfless.”
Students learn to give back to the community. “We believe instilling our children with the thought, idea and action behind being philanthropic, paying it forward at every level across our district.” Students raise funds for worthwhile projects. One example is a group of students who raised more than $260,000 donated to cancer research. She is also proud that half the students who graduate from Northview and Southview High Schools have completed at least two years of career education exposure with hands-on experience.
Like other school districts, the financial future is unclear because Ohio (as of this writing) is still working out details of a complicated funding formula. Regardless, Motley places top priority on educating students while also being “good stewards of our taxpayer dollars.” That means “getting creative with how we spend money, how we prioritize what’s happening in the classrooms. In addition to that, being available in searching for alternative funding to expand the longevity of our general fund dollars.”
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The school district was recently presented with a consultant “master plan” after more than one year of study. Motley said the district will need more space to accommodate students in the future. There are currently 14 buildings including twelve schools serving nearly 7,800 students. “We really wanted to assess what options we had moving forward and being proactive with what that looked like. A master facilities plan doesn’t stay on the shelf. It’s something we will revisit each year.”
However, one key question has already been addressed. Should there be a single high school in Sylvania instead of two? “I will say the answer is officially no. At this juncture, Sylvania will never have one high school.”
Instruction doesn’t stop in the summer. Classes continue for those interested or needing more learning. The process of gearing up for fall is underway with registration, orientation and welcoming new children to the district. For details, Motley suggests visiting the district website at sylvania.k12.oh.us.
