If the school is in financial trouble, how can we afford to redo the front of the building (or put in new concrete on the playground, or mulch, or.....any other number of questions that deal with the "building")?
Schools are public institutions, guided by laws and regulations. Their budgets are controlled as well. There are "permanent improvements" that come from one fund and then there is the fund that pays for "personnel". Those of us who are homeowners know that there are always upkeep issues. The administration is looking for ways to conserve energy and to be fiscally responsible. "Most permanent improvement projects for this Summer have been complete. Playground area has been upgraded, light replacement in the gym has been completed to help reduce energy costs and finally technology wiring and termination of the phone, cable and data to the remaining classrooms is almost complete." I believe that the administration is trying to be good stewards with our facilities and not recklessly spending taxpayer money. Their hands are tied and they must deal with changes that come from Columbus.
Those changes affect many different areas. Case in point, information that has come from the State Department of Education and State Government:
1. "ODE requirements and changes that affect the district will be topics included in the bulletin. EMIS as such, is one area that will be impacted throughout this year, as funding for EMIS is getting drastically reduced. This funding reduction will, like all reductions, have an impact on the districts support and finances. Powerschool, as its replacement and phase in, will most likely not receive the same type of funding that EMIS has had. As we move forward through the transition to Powerschool, and Powerschool is completely integrated, the opportunity to track, identify and monitor student performance will be exceptional through the data provided by add-on’s such as Lime Lite and Studio." (Making best choices with changes in funding and for the benefit of our students...comments are mine.)
2. " These days it seems like state funding changes as often as the wind changes directions. As opposed to past years, student enrollment numbers have a significant impact on the amount of funding we will receive in this biennium. There is plenty of time between now and the October count for our enrollment figures to change. However, we do know the number of open enrolled student who are attending the district. The open enrollment “IN” student count is at 31. This is down 15 students from last year. The district receives $5,734 per pupil, which results in a reduction of $86,010 from last year..."
3. "Amended Substitute House Bill 153 (the budget bill) made changes in the awarding of sick leave. The following are now exempted from sick leave: substitutes, adult education instructors (working less than the full-time equivalent of 120 days per year) and seasonal, intermittent and as-needed personnel. In addition, sick leave for regular part-time, per diem or hourly employees is to be granted at the rate of 4.6 hours of sick leave for each 80 hours worked. While it is clear that this change will not impact current collective bargaining agreements, it is not clear at this point if this will impact future collective bargaining agreements. The Ohio Revised Code section is 3319.141.
a) Education Management Information System (EMIS) funding to school districts and other entities has been eliminated. The funds were redirected to help backfill part of State Fiscal Stabilization Funds (SFSF) funding that is no longer available. There is still an EMIS line item (reduced by 43%), but much is dedicated to EMIS improvements, with some earmarked for Information Technology Centers (ITCs) to cover their costs.
b) Funding for connectivity that is provided through the Ohio Educational Computer Network (OECN) will continue. However the line item for this funding has been reduced by 10%.
(This is just a small taste of Government changes that the school board and administration deal with on an on-going basis! Comments mine.)
4. "Based on the law changes from a couple of years ago, Students qualifying for Free lunches are exempt from paying school fees. At Tues. evening's Board meeting, due to this unfunded mandate, the BOE had to transfer $5,000.00 from the general fund to cover this expense incurred under this mandate."
All of these changes have left the school board and administration scrambling to figure out how to continue providing a quality education and how best to do that while being fiscally responsible. Changes have been made. One change that has been implemented is:
"Bus routes have been reduced to three routes this year as part of our cost reductions."
Cuts have also been made in course offerings. However, I find it positive that our administration is trying to solve these issues while their hands are tied and funds dwindle. Some of those creative solutions are as follows:
"Presently the state is stressing that districts explore shared services. We ourselves were looking to offer more electives and increase the use of technology. We are excited to be offering just that to our students. The Robotics elective class that begins at 8am has roughly 11 students attending and is being taught through Montpelier Exempted City Schools, through distant learning Pro Bono. As a way to be proactive with the state’s recommendation, Stryker has partnered with Montpelier to not only increase our elective offerings, but also increase technology usage throughout the district. We are excited to be doing this through the robotics class being offered as a credit flexibility option. A PolyCom unit on loan from NWOCA enables students to communicate and interact with the classroom in Montpelier via sight and sound. The fledgling partnership between Stryker and Montpelier presented itself through cooperation of district leaders thinking outside the normal boundaries. To offer this experience took a lot of hard work by many individuals and I thank everyone that has been involved. As the 21st Century Learning program utilized these robotic kits for the after school program last year, it only seem natural to integrate the use of these kits in this new venture, thus helping the district reduce costs." (A perfect example of our Administration making decisions to use District money and assets in "good stewardship". Comments mine.)
Another idea: "A meeting was held with several teaching staff members and Jim Posta, HSTW/MMGW representative, to inform the district on the High Schools That Work/Making Middle Grade Works (HSTW/MMGW) program that is available at no cost to the district. As Stryker is an “Exploration” site for this school year, we have the opportunity to take advantage of this Teacher driven program, which also ties into the RttT requirements, with the goal of moving the district from Effective to Excellent. Stryker is looking to also partner with Defiance City Schools, as they are also an “Exploration” school this school year."
Another positive is a large list of organizations that generously and "directly support the district and students of Stryker Local Schools." These groups are:
1. Stryker School Foundation
2. Stryker Alumni
3. Stryker Athletic Boosters
4. Stryker Band Boosters
5. Stryker Academic Boosters
6. Stryker Parent School Partnership (SPSP)
Opportunities exist for "everyone to get involved by supporting and attending events these organizations host, or consider becoming a member to show our support."
The administration has also sought input from the staff on thoughts to improve the district. Staff was encouraged to submit suggestions on changes that they feel will improve our school. I know that the administration is always willing to listen to community members as well. One opportunity would be to attend the SPECIAL BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING:
Stryker BOE Financial Forecast meeting Monday, Sept. 26, 4:30 – OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
This is our community. We make the difference! Our children are our future. Let's show them how we can work together and that their education is important to us. Vote YES for the Stryker School Levy.
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