GALION — Jim Grubbs, superintendent of Galion City Schools, has announced his retirement, affective at the end of this school year.

“I am retired and was rehired,” he said. “I told them when they rehired me that I would stay for a year and a half, and that year and a half ends this school year, on July 31.”

“With that said, I find it very difficult to leave a job that I absolutely love. I think that the community knows that I love my job and that I really give it my all. But for the district to have the opportunity to continue to move forward beyond my stay here, I think it’s important that we make sure we get the right person in place that has a lot of the same ideas and mindset in the direction that we’re headed.

“Them knowing now, it provides the school board the opportunity to make sure that we find that perfect person. Galion will always have a special place in my heart because I feel that it is the best job I’ve ever had. I am so proud of our staff who has taken on a lot of change since I’ve been here and have endured a lot of work to help our district move in a different direction.”

“Our primary teachers were challenged three, almost four years ago now, to forget everything they’ve known about how to teach reading and start over. They’ve done so and our numbers down there are just phenomenal. Now the same type of stuff is being done in the intermediate building. The mid-year data that we have right now is better than any end-of-the-year data that we’ve ever had.

“I am so impressed. Our data now has doubled some of our end-of-the-year scores that we’ve had before. We’ve also put in programming in our district that can attract students to come here and stay here with GECA (the Galion Early College Academy) and that allows you to get your associate’s degree right here at Galion. We we are the only school in the area — if not the state — eligible to do that,” Grubbs said’

The new superintend’s job will posted within the coming weeks so that the board may begin the process finding his replacement.

At the most recent school board meeting, high school students of the month from from September to November were honored. For September value was determination and the students — from freshman to senior — were Kiera Barnhart, Matthew Gimbel, Zachary Grime and Eleanor Chandler. For October, the habit was responsibility, and the students were Holden Gabriel, Clayton Yost, Rebecca Sparks, and Caleb Strack. For November, the value was kindness, and the students were Jace Kiser, Brooke Kelly, Aryona Hasibar, and Damontae Adams. For December, the value was honesty and the students selected were Tobias Nasipak, Andy Sparks, Kaisey Speck, and Kaila Davis.

The board accepted a $3,000 sponsorship from Avita to be used to purchase items to be used in the Galion High School Athletic Department. They also accepted $100 from the staff at Firelands Federal Credit Union and $1,695.95 from the Galion PTO to be put toward negative lunch balances. The Arthur J. Freese Foundation donated $9,500 to the school for handrails in the high school gym, and there was an anonymous donation of $300 for middle school hygiene supplies. The board thanked those who donate and who continue to support the Galion City School District.

The board accepted the resignation of high school secretary Sherri McMullen, effective January 5, 2019. McMullen will be the transportation supervisor at the new bus garage, effective Jan. 6. A ribbon cutting program program for the bus garage was held Tuesday.

The final read of the 2020-2021 calendar has been held, and the calendar will soon be posted. Graduation will be May 23, and the last day will be May 26, so students will be done before Memorial Day