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| You really can change the world if you care enough. - Marian Wright Edelman |
      
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Educational service centers were established in 1914 through an act of the General Assembly as a way to help Ohio's schools meet state education rules and regulations. The "county school districts" (as they are called) accomplished this task by providing inservice training for teachers, by developing courses of study for each subject taught, and by monitoring instruction through classroom supervision and teacher evaluation. The role of the "county school district" evolved and expanded over the years. During the 1930's, "county offices" began providing fiscal and purchasing services for schools; and, in the 1960's, they began operating special education programs. Today, "county school districts" provide a myriad of services that include their original charge, as well as, gifted education programs, technology assistance, alternative school options, school improvement initiatives, early childhood education, etc. Each county office is unique, though common threads are found in all of them. In 1995, the General Assembly redefined "county school districts", and renamed them "educational service centers". The law (Amended Substitute House Bill 117) also began merging "county offices" into regional agencies. Today there are sixty (60) educational service centers across the state. These agencies are the benchmarks against which we measure ourselves. They include:
The Erie-Huron-Ottawa Educational Service Center emerged in the latter half of the 1990's through a merger of three county offices. In 1997, the Erie County Educational Service Center merged with the Ottawa County Educational Service Center (forming the Erie-Ottawa Educational Service Center), and then, in 1999, the agency merged with the Huron County Educational Service Center creating the Erie-Huron-Ottawa Educational Service Center. Today, the Erie-Huron-Ottawa Educational Service Center (EHOESC) provides large-scale support and assistance to twenty-four (24) school districts (and 35,000 school-aged children) in the tri-county area. These services and programs include: curriculum development, special education and auxiliary support services, technical assistance and operational support, school improvement assistance, early childhood education, gifted education, personnel assistance and professional development, student attendance services, and graphics arts services. School districts within the service area contract with the Center for the services and programs that meet their particular needs. The EHOESC operates under the oversight of a ten (10) member Governing Board. The members are elected at-large from within the three counties that comprise the service region. The seats are apportioned on the basis of population. The Governing Board maintains its organizational hub at 2900 Columbus Avenue, Sandusky, Ohio 44870 and service hubs at 180 Milan Avenue, Norwalk, Ohio 44857 and at 310 Main Street, Genoa, Ohio 43430. The day to day operations of the Center are conducted by the Superintendent, Treasurer, and three Executive Directors (one per county). They are responsible for the oversight of all ESC programs, initiatives, projects and personnel. The Center's operating budget exceeds twenty-million dollars.
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