February 22, 1999
Lang leaves school board after decades of service
By Cathy Willoughby
Staff Writer
She lives around the corner from Bettsville School, with grandchildren still receiving cookies from her for class treats and a place after school to stay.
This grandmother has impacted education at Bettsville, and other local school districts in the area for over 30 years.
Donna Rose Lang, 70, has recently left the board of the North Central Ohio Educational Service Center. Formerly known as the county school board, she served as the first woman on the board when she joined in 1978.
She began her service to the school children of the county by being elected to the board of Bettsville School, while her husband was serving as the school clerk and treasurer for 12 years. ''The job was beginning to be a little more than an extra job for him,'' Lang said of her husband's role as school clerk. ''So I decided to do it.''
She had three children in school at the time, two of which still live in the area.
She took over the position for her husband, serving as both the treasurer and a Bettsville school board member for five years until the state told her it was a conflict of interest for her to hold both positions.
''They said that I couldn't do both, '' Lang said. ''Then they decided that there was an opening on the county board. Ray Gaietto checked into it; I thought there would be a conflict there too. But Ray convinced them that there wasn't.''
Lang remained on the job as Bettsville treasurer until her retirement in 1991, yet continued her role on the county board, which saw her through three different administrations. From Ray Gaietto, to Lee Lichtle to the most recent in Gary Troll, the area and the scope of services provided grew with the years Lang saw in office.
''There have always been five members of the board,'' she said. ''But they didn't offer near as many services that they do now. We always provided services in one form or another, and now they have so many programs. And even more since we have merged with different areas,'' Lang said.
After the latest merger with the Marion County area, Lang said that the meetings became more inconvenient for her to attend with her advancing age.
''They meet one month in Tiffin and the next in Marion,'' she explained. ''It got to the point where I felt I was too old to be on the road by myself. I'm just not that brave anymore.''
She enjoyed her time spent on the board. ''We worked as a team, the whole board. I'm proud to have served just to provide the many services there are, so all of the children can get a good education,'' she said. ''And we don't have the problems that the local boards have with the parents and all of those things.''
''They have such a good staff up there,'' Lang said referring to the NCOESC in Tiffin. ''They make sure that they keep up with all of the latest in educational programming.''
When the three county boards of Seneca, Wyandot and Marion merged, according to Lang the election boards created seven sections of the consolidated area to represent the students in those areas accurately. Jane Meisner is serving as the representative for the western section of Seneca County, and Steve Snavely the eastern section.
Lang still rarely has a quiet momenent, keeping herself busy between friends, family and the community. But she said that retiring from the board allows her a little bit more free time. ''I'm still doing the books for the Park andRecreation Board,'' she said. ''I just want to be able to relax and do what I want to do.''
And she still visits the school around the corner, even though staff changes have added new faces to the more familiar ones. ''I go over to the girls basketball games. I've made cookies for the team and for one of the coaches,'' she said.