Following the reshaping of the Warren County School District board following recent elections, outgoing member Joe Colosimo said serving on the school board is about far more than buildings and mascots.

“Since the forced consolidation in the 1960’s, our county has had an unnatural focus on mascots and buildings,” Colosimo said. “This focus has been to the detriment of the overall education provided to the students and the work environment of the teachers.”

He noted he ran for a seat on the board eight years ago because of concerns over the direction of education.

“I ran for a board position because I wanted to make a difference. At the time, I had three sons in the school district. They were involved with academics, athletics and music and I was concerned with the trajectory of public education, in general, and the WCSD, specifically,” he said. “Community schools are important to a community. That has never been lost on me. However, the purpose of the WCSD is to educate the K-12 population made available to them. With a declining and aging population in Warren County, enrollment of K-12 aged children has drastically declined over the years. I believe it is incumbent upon the elected municipal officials to grow their K-12 populations so that the question of ‘how many schools’ doesn’t need to be addressed.”

Beyond the issues around consolidation, Colosimo noted board members face a daunting job.

“Once the dust settles on mascot and building conversations, there are so many more important items tasked to a board member,” he said. “At the least is the fact that the WCSD is one of the largest employers in the county and has an (over) $90 million per year budget. A board member is tasked with shaping public education for thousands of children while also handling all of the complexities of a multi-million dollar per year business.”

Colosimo said he hopes incoming board members are successful in their roles.

“I have enjoyed my time on the board and hope that I have made a positive impact,” he said. “I wish the best of luck to the new board.”