Cathy Olshefski, Member, Board of Education, Pickerington Schools

08/23/2026

“I don’t give grades … I record the ones you earn.

If there’s a discrepancy … take that up with your work ethic.”

💪🏼

08/11/2026

Yesterday (Monday 8/10) the district welcomed back our FABULOUS staff by hosting our annual Convocation and Health Fair. 💜🎉

Below is my statement.

# # # # # # # # #

Good morning everyone.

My name is Cathy Olshefski, and I am the president of the Board of Education.

On behalf of the Board, I want to welcome you to the 2026-27 school year.

For those of you who don’t know me …

I am an almost 30-year resident of Pickerington.

My husband has put up with me for 40 years of marriage.

Our son attended Pickerington Schools all 13 years … is a 2015 graduate of this very high school … and will marry the love of his life next year.

But what I want to focus on this morning is the first statement = the fact that I’ve lived here for almost 30 years.

And why.

Commitment.
Perseverance.

Stay with me on this theme.

We moved back to Central Ohio in 1997 due to a job opportunity for my husband.

But we chose to purchase a home in Pickerington because of the schools.

We did our homework and realized that the strength of Pickerington Schools was reason enough to move here.

Strength of the schools. Period. That’s it.

That’s the reason we moved here 29 years ago.

That’s the reason families still choose to move here today.

And that’s the reason why I jumped into volunteering in the buildings and organizing staff appreciation luncheons and chairing bond and levy campaigns and … ultimately … running for school board.

Commitment.
Perseverance.

The strength of a school district doesn’t just happen by chance. It takes dedicated staff and parents and community members to make it strong.

And while our school district has changed tremendously over the last 30 years … the air surrounding public education in the State of Ohio has changed as well.

It is more political.
It is more regulated.
It is improperly and unconstitutionally funded.
It is more … well … vilified by some. Just read social media comments now that we’re going back on the ballot in November.

Not to sound naive, but I simply don’t understand this.

90% plus of school-aged children across both the state and the country attend public schools.

Public schools provide not just an educational opportunity for our students to succeed and achieve … but also a holistic opportunity to learn about and experience things that are new to them. Music, sports, theater, art, friendships with those who don’t look like them.

Public schools provide safety and security … food and sometimes clothing … love and encouragement.

Commitment.
Perseverance.

Teaching (or rather, education) is a noble profession to pursue. Always has been, always will be. Each one of us has people in our lives who are or have been involved in education.

These are the folks who placed the seed of passion in our souls to educate, guide and influence “our next generation of leaders”.

These are the folks who encouraged us to become:

A classroom teacher.
A paraprofessional.
A counselor.
A principal.
A secretary.
A coach.
A parent volunteer.
A board member.

It is safe to say that we in public education are operating during some challenging times – especially in the State of Ohio.

But challenges are what drive and define me – both personally and professionally.

They are what push me to look beyond the here and now and focus on what’s truly important.

They are what lead me to lean into truths and priorities and goals.

They build and highlight my character.

They are what remind me to be laser focused on what’s important.

And in public education, challenges are what motivate me to do MY best so the students can achieve THEIR best.

Commitment.
Perseverance.

As highlighted in Homer’s classic The Odyssey … [one of my current obsessions these days] … enduring challenges and testing one’s character builds the wisdom needed to reclaim one’s rightful place in the world.

And as my book of faith teaches me … suffering [challenges] produces perseverance … perseverance, character … and character, hope.

And hope does NOT disappoint.

YES, we are in the midst of a difficult financial environment.

YES, we are in the midst of an attack on public education.

YES, we are in the midst of making some exceptionally difficult decisions.

But we will survive.

And not only survive … but come out on the other side better and stronger.

Commitment.
Perseverance.

Toward that end, last Monday evening the Board of Education voted to place a 10-year, 0.75% traditional income tax levy on the November ballot.

Put another way … the Board chose to accept the challenge of maintaining one of the best school districts in Central Ohio.

Not average.

But one of the best.

A community is only as strong as its schools.

I believe this with ALL of my being.

And because of that, I will accept the challenge of protecting our schools and our community EVERY SINGLE DAY.

Please …

> join me in accepting this challenge.
> join me in advocating for our schools.
> join me in working toward passing that levy in November.
> join me in doing your absolute best during difficult times.

And join me in putting students first.

Because together … we can and WILL achieve our goals.

Through commitment.
And through perseverance.

Thank you for your time.

And have a wonderful school year.

06/16/2026

🌟 WE ARE LISTENING 🌟

Please join Dr. Smialek at any of the upcoming community listening sessions.

This is your opportunity to let us know your thoughts and feedback on our current financial situation.

Here is the link that provides more information.👇🏼

https://www.plsd.us/post-details/~board/all-district-news-post/post/community-listening-session-share-your-voice-on-district-financial-planning

And here is the link to complete the community feedback form if you are unable to attend a session.👇🏼

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe5JUdUCnb3BC52SxtJwcJ4AphpYaX42rvG0uBnhAHDjiop8A/viewform?pli=1

Thank you for your continuing support of Pickerington Schools. 💜

05/13/2026

✨ IMPORTANT READ ✨

During the campaign, I read many online comments from community members who criticized Pickerington Schools because of our declining test scores.

I think it’s important for all of us to understand that while our school district may not have “scores“ that we like, this decline is and has been a national trend for over a decade. 📉

Some say a generation.

Not an excuse.
But a reality.

No one reason.
Not an easy fix.

Below is an article that was published today in the New York Times. You do not need a subscription to read it. 📰

In my opinion, the salient points of the article are listed below.

> Almost everywhere in America, students are performing worse than their peers were 10 years ago.

> The declines have affected both rich and poor districts, and crossed racial and geographic divides.

> The biggest losses have been among the lowest-achieving students. [Cathy’s comment: there is statistical evidence that shows a direct correlation between poverty and low academic achievement]

> Students’ test scores had been increasing since 1990 — then abruptly stopped in the mid-2010s. That coincided with two events: an easing of federal school accountability under No Child Left Behind, which was replaced in 2015, and the rise of smartphones, social media and personalized school laptops.

These are the points where educational leaders – both at the federal, state, and local level levels – need to camp.

This is where we need to have roll-up-your sleeves conversations.

This is where we need to work together and put aside political differences.

And this is where we need to focus our efforts and dollars.

For. Our. Children. 📚

To quote the last statement in the article:

“I think the thing that’s going to haunt us, whenever Congress and some states wake up to what’s going on … is that it wasn’t the pandemic.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/13/upshot/test-scores-school-districts-us.html?unlocked_article_code=1.iFA.1mg-.zvQv_rhhn8L5&smid=nytcore-ios-shareat e

The drops go beyond the pandemic and cut across income, geographic and racial divides, new data shows.

05/06/2026

Pickerington Community,

While last night was certainly NOT the result we had hoped for, two facts remain that need reinforced:

#️⃣1️⃣ The VOTE 4 PICK KIDS campaign team – and in particular its chair = the well organized and always positive Jackie Bahas – did a PHENOMENAL job! The efforts of the team were intentional, methodical, and focused. From the strategy team to those who planted a sign in their yard … from the financial donors to the in-kind donors … from those who knocked on doors to those who canvassed parking lots … from those who wrote letters and social media posts to those who chatted with their neighbors … THANK YOU for all of your hard work and dedication. Really well done! 👏🏼

#️⃣2️⃣ The MESSAGE and the FACTS and the NEED behind the income tax levy remain. Full stop. No lie.

Therefore …

District leadership will regroup and refocus.
We will reevaluate and reassess.
We will cut and eliminate.

We will do the things we said we were going to do.

Has a decision been made about November? – NO.

Our goals right now are to …

> continue celebrating our fabulous staff during Teacher Appreciation Week (May 4-8)
> focus on finishing the 2025-26 school year
> prepare to celebrate our graduates on May 23. 🎓

When school resumes in August, rest assured that things will look and feel a bit different. Perhaps a bit uncomfortable even.

However, my hope is that you will join me in assuring that our focus as a community remains on our schools … our staff … and most importantly our students. ✏️

Thank you.

💜

05/04/2026

Below is a 4:41” statement I made at the board meeting on April 27 regarding the financial state of the district and the income tax levy we have on the ballot on May 5.

Please take a listen, as this is my heartfelt testimony about what is happening in this district and the need for our voters to support us.

Thank you.

And please remember to vote YES to support Pickerington Schools on May 5. 💜🗳️

05/01/2026

Thank you Christina Rice for your words of belief in and support of our kids and staff. 💜

Vote YES on May to protect Pickerington Schools. 🗳️

https://pickeringtononline.com/letter-can-we-afford-not-to-vote-yes-2/

04/28/2026

Please read today’s THE FACTS message from Superintendent Charlie Smialek.

And vote YES on May 5 to protect Pickerington Schools. 💜🗳️

# # # # #

We seek to be very clear about how we will allocate the increased funding we would receive if our additional income tax passes next Tuesday.

Importantly, this is not the first time we will publicize this information; in actuality, we first unveiled our staffing plan through 2029-30 at our January 20 Town Hall meeting.

Further, we have filed two financial forecasts with the state's Department of Education and Workforce detailing all sources of revenue and projected expenditures.

In addition, please consider the following points as you continue to consider next Tuesday's issue:

> Woolpert, Inc., an independent consultant who specializes in enrollment projection, predicts an increase of just over 1,000 students by the 2029-30 school year.

> Woolpert has proven to be extremely accurate; this year's enrollment is 99.3% of its January 2025 projection.

> 1,797 single-family or multiple-family homes are either currently under construction or approved to soon begin. All will reach completion within five years.

We have already run budget deficits since 2022, in part because we have not sought or secured new operating levies since 2011. This is despite an increase of 17% in our enrollment. 1,000+ more students will force us to make deep cuts if we cannot increase our revenue to support the myriad opportunities we offer to our students.

The graphic below👇🏼 summarizes our fiscally conservative approach to continuing our status as a "destination district" while also planning for the increase of students we expect to welcome in the next few years.

We are down to the last days of our effort to inform our community about the stakes of next Tuesday's outcome. Please email me at [email protected] if you have any questions.

Thank you for your continued support and engagement!

04/26/2026

LOVE OUR BAND PROGRAMS! 🎼🎺🥁💜

Vote YES on May 5 to protect our schools. 💜🗳️

04/23/2026

Still have questions about the income tax levy? 🤔

Then join us next Tuesday for clarification of anything you are unsure about.

Vote YES on May 5 to protect our schools. 💜🗳️