MONROE TOWNSHIP — Conneaut is hoping to be one of only a handful of Ohio school districts to pilot a new statewide educational initiative, Board of Education members learned at Thursday night’s regular meeting.

A performance assessment program is expected to replace the Ohio Graduation Test, which will be phased out beginning in 2010, said Kent Houston, Conneaut Area City Schools superintendent. A few districts will be picked to help field test portions of the proposed program before it is implemented — and Conneaut is willing to be a guinea pig.

“We’d like to get in on the ground floor,” Houston said. “We want to do our best to be prepared.”

End-of-course examinations may replace the OGT, which has been in effect the past several years.

In other business, the school board approved the latest five-year financial forecast prepared by Treasurer Linda Bryan. School districts are obliged to prepare such predictions twice a year.

Bryan foresees the district concluding this fiscal year and the next in the black, but then entering deficit mode the remaining three years. At the end of the five-year period, the district could face a $7.5 million shortfall, members said.

It’s difficult to gaze more than two years into the district’s financial future with any accuracy, school officials have said.

n Hired several substitute certified personnel, including Robin Bryski, Janice Chappell, Elizabeth Coughlin, Stephen Cunha, David Dreslinski, Sarah Edison, Michael Greenlief II, Janine Hutzell, Jane Mallory, Kathleen McMillan, Jeremiah Peckol, Patricia Robotham, Diana Snodgrass, Jonathan Whipple and Douglas Wright

n Issued one-year supplemental contracts to Angela Nelson (Conneaut High School honor society) and Matt Pape (Lead middle school wrestling coach)

n Hired substitute cafeteria worker Rebecca Hatch and custodian John Bidwell

n Accepted four volunteers who will work with the CHS wrestling program (Mike Sanford, Mark Cameron and Mike Trinko) and baseball program (James Knight)

n Accepted the resignation of Gary Case as assistant girls basketball coach

n Tabled numerous student activity budgets for further review