Orange Board of Education members have expressed some concerns about an International Homestay Experience in Peru that has been proposed for Orange High School Spanish students.
Updated: May. 15, 2024, 4:22 p.m. Orange Board of Education President Jeffrey Leikin, center, tells the board about some of his concerns regarding an International Homestay Experience in Peru that has been proposed for Orange High School Spanish students.
Looking on, from left, are board members Rebecca Boyle, Beth Wilson-Fish, Scott Bilsky and Angela Arnold.PEPPER PIKE, Ohio -- Orange Board of Education members have expressed some concerns about an International Homestay Experience in Peru that has been proposed for Orange High School Spanish students. The trip was presented to the board for review Monday . The board is expected to vote on the proposal at its next meeting, at 6 p.m. May 28 in the Orange High School auditorium.According to the proposal from OHS Spanish teachers Gary DiBianca and Emily Macias, who are in charge of the trip, students would not miss any days of school because it would occur during their Thanksgiving break. The students would stay with host families in Cuzco, Peru. The itinerary also includes stops in Machu Picchu, Puno, Uros Islands and Lima.Estimated cost is between $3,760 and $3,960 per student, depending on how many sign up. In February 2023, the board approved a trip to Spain for OHS students, replacing a previously scheduled one to Peru. That trip was canceled for the safety of students based on the political climate there at the time.Twenty-three Spanish students participated in the trip to Spain this past November.On Monday, board Vice President Beth Wilson-Fish and President Jeffrey Leikin both said they had questions for DiBianca and Macias, but the teachers did not attend the meeting.Superintendent Lynn Campbell asked, “Per the travel alerts?”The U.S. Department of State issued a travel advisory for Peru in November. U.S. travelers were advised to exercise increased caution due to crime, civil unrest and the possibility of kidnapping, according to the department’s website. “I did quite a bit of research on that, and I’d really like to know more about the itinerary,” Leikin said. “When I looked at the itinerary and I see kids are on their own for dinner or for lunch, it raises a red flag to me, especially reading the number of travel alerts about different countries.” Leikin said Peru does not currently have any different travel alerts than Denmark, France “or a lot of other countries.” “Mostly, the tourist areas are good,” he said, adding that his main concern was about students walking around alone.“There are things about Peru that may be different than Spain or Costa Rica, where have been before,” he said.Leikin said he would like to see the full itinerary for the trip made available to parents of the students involved.“I just want to make sure the parents know everything that we’ll be doing ahead of time.” Orange High School Principal Jamie Hogue said he hoped that DiBianca would be able to attend the May 28 board meeting to answer questions.Board member Scott Bilsky asked if there is a “time sensitivity” to approve the trip, since it’s not scheduled until November 2025. “I don’t feel like there’s that big of a time crunch,” Campbell said. “This is very early. We like at least a year, traditionally. We definitely have time.” Hogue said he believes DiBianca was hoping to have it approved prior to the next school year, “so they can start finding some interested students and fundraising.”“The travel company does a great job of monitoring what’s going on in the country,” he added. “Mr. DiBianca does, as well.”Also on Monday, the board reviewed a proposal for an Educational International Immersion trip to Denmark for Orange High School students.According to the proposal from OHS teachers Joanna McNally and Bill Brochak, who are in charge of the trip, this is the 11th year that OHS students would make the trip to Denmark in collaboration with Herning Gymnasium, a school in Herning, Denmark.There would be no cost to the district, as students and/or their parents would pay for the trip.In other action, the board approved a contract with ThenDesign Architects of Willoughby to provide design services and renovations for the Pepper Pike Learning Center in the amount of $80,122.“I believe they want to get started with construction late in the fall,” said Jill Korsok, director of Orange Community Education and Recreation .The Pepper Pike Learning Center houses OCER’s administrative offices and its Early Childhood Preschool, youth, Stagecrafters and adult education programs and offices. ThenDesign Architects has designed other projects for the district, including a refresh of classrooms at Orange High School. Phase 2 of that project is slated to begin in June.In addition, the board approved the district’s five-year forecast, as presented by Treasurer Todd Puster, as well as a transfer of $500,000 from the general fund to the permanent improvement fund. Puster explained that the request to move the $500,000 was made to “move important capital projects ahead.” “As we look at the overview, we’ve got healthy cash balances, but it’s a trend that declines over time,” Puster told the board.Puster said he included a proposal for an operating levy in the forecast, adding that the funding a levy would provide would be “sufficient to meet our needs if we go in that direction.” Last November, voters in the district passed a 1.5-mill permanent improvement levy to allow it to maintain facilities and equipment.“We’ve talked about when is the right time to approach voters ,” Puster said. “That’s to be determined. “One day, the rabbit isn’t going to be able to be pulled out of the hat anymore. Deficits are going to become a reality. But we’ve got time to address those options.” If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation.
Orange-High-School Orange-City-Schools Orange-Board-Of-Education International-Homestay-Experience Peru Spanish-Students Gary-Dibianca Emily-Macias Spain Beth-Wilson-Fish Jeffrey-Leikin Lynn-Campbell Jamie-Hogue Scott-Bilsky Prometour-Educational-Tours Denmark Educational-International-Immersion-Trip Joanna-Mcnally Bill-Brochak Herning Herning-Gymnasium Thendesign-Architects Pepper-Pike Pepper-Pike-Learning-Center Jill-Korsok Orange-Community-Education-And-Recreation Todd-Puster Five-Year-Forecast Operating-Levy Permanent-Improvement-Levy
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