Tefs out as Revere superintendent
by Sheldon Ocker
Jan. 16 board of education meeting
The board of education accepted the resignation of Dr. Michael Tefs as Revere superintendent 2 ½ years after he left the top job in the Wooster school system.
The 4-0 vote did not include Hayden Hajdu, who was absent. Tefs also did not attend the meeting, but board President Keith Malick said that Tefs would continue to perform his duties as superintendent until his three-year contract expires on July 31.
Rumors of Tefs leaving his post have been numerous since the November election, when Natalie Rainey and Kasha Brackett won seats on the board for the first time.
During Tefs’ tenure, the Revere district has maintained its strong reputation, landing in 23rd place among Ohio’s 607 school districts, according to U.S. News, and placing 32nd in rankings based on its score on the annual state report card.
Malick said the board soon would establish procedures for hiring a new superintendent.
New courses
The board heard presentations from Revere High Principal Andrew Peltz and business teacher Jeff Dallas, who are revamping and renaming old courses or creating new ones.
Peltz recommended that Human Anatomy and Physiology be upgraded to an honors curriculum.
Revere high school students must take three credits of science, including Physical Science and Biology.
One of the electives for the third leg of the science requirement has been Human Anatomy and Physiology, but some students ignored the course because it has not been designated as an honors course, according to Peltz.
“Now, since it is a very rigorous course already, let’s call it what it is,” the principal said. “It is an honors level course.”
High school students at Revere are required to take four credits of mathematics: Algebra I, Geometry and Algebra II plus an Algebra II equivalency, which can be Consumer Math.
Instead, Peltz said a better choice would be Statistics.
“Statistics is one of those courses we want more and more of our students to have experience with, for the business world, for science, for STEM,” he said.
The principal said Consumer Math has many practical applications but does not have the rigor of Algebra II. Statistics would resolve that problem. Revere already offers Statistics as a one-semester class. Under Peltz’s proposal it would be offered for the entire school year and would be an additional course, not a replacement for Consumer Math.
Dallas pitched his recommendation for creating a Sports and Entertainment Marketing course, which would be abetted by personnel from the University of Akron. One reason for Dallas’s proposal: Studies predict that job opportunities in sports marketing will outpace most employment segments from 2029-2039.
Revere Middle School Principal Bill Conley said he has been working for more than a year on a course proposed by the Revere Foundation that would focus on leadership. The Revere Foundation would bear a portion of the costs.
According to Conley, the nine-week course would begin with sixth-graders in the 2024-25 school year and expand to sixth- and seventh-graders the following year.
In the black
Treasurer Rick Berdine reported that at the halfway mark of the school year, the district is on solid financial ground.
“We are $158,000 favorable,” he said. “The bulk of that comes on the expenditure side.”
However, Berdine noted that the district is over budget on special education spending, even though state support has increased in that area.
The month’s donations included $2,500 from Christopher and Gigi Kostoff to the Revere teacher excellence awards; $500 from the Bath-Richfield Kiwanis to the Revere High Key Club and $21.72 from the Committee to Elect Mike Kahoe to Revere Schools.
Other action
The board approved the resolution of pending litigation, the subject of which was not disclosed.
The district entered into an agreement to partner with Kent State University as part of Revere’s College Credit Plus program for the 2024-25 school year.
Board approval was gained for allowing third graders to use paper and pencil instead of a laptop to take the state reading exam. The district has had better results using this method with third-graders. ∞