Ginther pushes graduation

By Kevin Carr
Contributing Writer
Columbus Post

Andrew Ginther has come full circle. Educated by the Columbus city schools, Ginther returned to the district upon being elected to the Columbus Board of Education in 2001.
One of the major accomplishments Ginther points to during his first term is helping increase the graduation rate.
During his first term, the graduation rate increased by approximately ten percent. Ginther claims that the increase was a result of the introduction of a truancy intervention and dropout prevention resolution in 2001, which he helped institute. Still, he admits there’s a long way to go.
“Certainly, (the current rate) is still not acceptable, but there is progress,” Ginther told the Columbus Post. “I will remain focused on it because we need to be the best urban school district in Ohio.”
Ginther, who was the youngest board member when he was first elected, attended Brentnell and Indianola Elementary Schools, Dominion Middle School and graduated from Whetstone High School. He earned a bachelor of arts degree in political science from Earlham College and now lives on the south side of Columbus with his wife Shannon. In addition to his duties on the Board of Education, Ginther serves as coordinator of community relations at Triumph Communications.
For more than 10 years, Ginther has served as a tutor and mentor for young people in programs like DARE, Big Brothers/Sisters of America and Governor Bob Taft’s Ohio Reads program. Other community programs that Ginther has been involved with include the American Cancer Society’s Grassroots Mobilization Team, the Central Ohio chapter of the NAACP, the Columbus Department of Public Safety Advisory Board, Ohio Tech Corps Steering Committee and the Kids Voting Ohio Honorary Board.

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