LIBERTY-BENTON LOCAL SCHOOLS

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2008

REGULAR BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING

BOARD OF EDUCATION OFFICE 9190 CO. RD. 9, FINDLAY OHIO  6:00 P.M.

 

 

I.                    Call to Order

Pledge of Allegiance ……………………………………………Anita Schoonover, Board President

II.                 Recognition of Visitors

III.               Approval of minutes from the Monday, January 21, 2008 regular board of education meeting.

IV.              Communications and Discussion

V.                 Principals’ Reports

Brian Burkett, Bruce Otley, Brenda Frankart

VI.              Treasurer’s Report ………………………………………………………………Lisa Dobbins

VII.            Superintendent’s Report ……………………………………………………….Dennis Recker

VIII.         New Business

A.     Approve Consent Agenda, to include:

1.      Listing of bills, expenditures, and investments through 1/31/08, and monthly financial report of the Treasurer

2.      Approve the following resignations:

Andrew Stevens, board of education member effective February 18, 2008

3.      Approve the following increases to certified staff:

Joyce Jackson, HS, increase in step from 15M to 15M+15

4.      Approve Justin Shank, OGT tutor, as needed

5.      Approve Lauree Miller, tutor, as needed

B.     Accept $9000.00 from the Dana Morgan family for the purchase of a soccer scoreboard in

memory of Zach Morgan

C.     Approve a contract with the Office of the Auditor of State, Local Government Services

      Section for FY 2008, 2009, and 2010 GAAP Conversion services.

      IX.        Other Business

X.                 Executive Session

XI.              Adjournment

 

 

 

LIBERTY-BENTON LOCAL SCHOOLS

DENNIS L. RECKER, SUPERINTENDENT

FEBRUARY 2008 DISTRICT BOARD OF EDUCATION REPORT

 

  1. Attached are some tid-bits from “Technology Leadership and Change”.  This speaks to not just technology, but to leadership in general, no matter what scenario is being considered.  Since administration and boardmanship are about leadership, I found this fulfilling and when one sees the success L-B has had, this definitely “rings true”.  (Item A)
  2. As an FYI, this year our current student count per our ITC and EMIS, is 1334 students.  If we add the number of students who’ve entered and left, we’ve served 1504 students this year.  I find it rather impressive how well our children perform, when we have this degree of student mobility.
  3. We met with ITC programmers on January 23, to create a reporting system for student value-added performance in the core areas of Reading, Math, Social Science, and Science for grade 3 through graduation.  We will look at performance based upon grade level (chronological) and based upon ability (predicted levels of performance).  This will be a powerful tool that will provide greater insight into student performance.  We hope to be operational by the end of this school year.  Also, this is what I’ll be proposing as a presentation at the OSBA capital conference this coming fall.  Since this is a district wide initiative, as well as a building level initiative, Mr. Gerken, along with Brenda, Bruce, and Brian, will be presenters as well as ITC personnel and an L-B board member and myself (if we are selected).
  4. Twice in my career as an administrator, I’ve seen state budget shortfalls impact school operations, with one of those times happening here at L-B.  If the worst case scenario projected by the governor’s office of a 2 billion dollar shortfall, what might be the result to L-B?  In a nutshell, I’d project state reductions of 5%, being a $250,000 reduction in state aid.  There would be a “flattening” of school income tax (estimate - $50,000).  This would be somewhat offset by a $100,000 real estate increase due to our triennial update, with a net effect of $200,000 less for FY09.  We’ve been “flat-lined” for three straight years in state funding and have been able to ride it out.  We’d still end FY10 with a positive cash balance, but we’ll need to track our annual deficit more closely, relative to Lisa’s projections, so we can make appropriate decisions.  Again, this is just my thoughts, based on what I’ve seen in the past, and based on how state government has historically responded to this type of situation.
  5. As an FYI, after the first semester, we’ve expended approximately $28,000 in field trip costs for fuel and driver time, with driver time (field trip rate) being $11.39 per hour and fuel/wear and tear being $1.00 per mile.
  6. We’re looking at March 26 and 27, 2 evening sessions, to conduct OAPSE negotiations.  These are the dates our attorney and Andre Washington of OAPSE were able to come together on.  I told them to pencil in the date unless they hear otherwise from me.
  7. We’re finalizing “contracts” for tuition students placed in L-B by the court system in foster care or having a handicapping condition.  As a FYI, we’ve educated 15 students this semester, based on contracts.
  8. Andy Stevens sent me his resignation from the board of education due to taking work in Iraq.  (Item B)
  9. We were asked to attend an Ohio ACT conference.  Mr. Scoles attended sessions dealing with direct counseling with students.  Mr. Gerken attended a session on curriculum applications and assessment, and I attended sessions on program development, system designs and what the implications are for our community.

    10. I also had the opportunity to meet personally with national ACT officials and the chair of the Ohio Board of Regents to speak about Liberty-Benton initiatives and how we’ve achieved at such high levels of academic achievement.

    As a board of education, we will face challenges in providing students more opportunities for higher education.  This next year will be a shock to many.  As you read the supplemental materials to this note, there will be a new “awakening” regarding public education in Ohio.  We are 38th of 50 states in educational levels of citizens, and the reality is that we will continue in a downward economic spiral unless we deal with this issue now.

    Donna Alvarado of the Ohio Board of Regents, stated that the true expert of change is not the legislature or state directed change, but what we do at the local level.  L-B is a model of success, based on what we’ve done to date.

    Ohio’s biggest problem is that many students are undisciplined and on the verge of being incorrigible.  Employability skills are individual responsibilities, and schools need to create different courses of actions for success.

    From the Ohio Board of Regents perspective, the two major indexes for success will be educational attainment and innovation.  This statistic is haunting the legislature currently.  Ohio has 5.1 million workers, and 80% of these people will still be in the labor pool ten years from now.  The “rub” is that of the current work force, 25% are designated as “working poor”, and this will worsen if we don’t act now.

    As you read the supplemental material, note some of the factoids in context of this concern:  content area achievement in English, math, science, especially mathematics.  The update from Ohio Board of Regents, Ohio Skills Bank, Work Keys, Occupational Opportunities for students, and Benchmark Scores.  Our actions to date indicate why L-B now has the high levels of performance we enjoy.  (Item C)

  10. Financial woes are a normal course of business for schools it seems.  The Blanchard Valley Center is not immune from this.  Even though the MRDD has nearly doubled its tax collection (94%) in the past ten years, with the services required by their clientele, the rate of tax increase has not been enough.  Therefore, this will eventually impact us locally, in terms of us helping fund the MRDD.  Note the letter I received.  While positive and congratulatory, there is a potential for additional cost to us in terms of transportation and costs of supplemental services.  Frankly, if we’re billed these costs for those served between the ages of 3-22, this is technically our financial responsibility.  (Item D)
  11. Educational Testing Services is asking that L-B help create an eighth grade college readiness test, measuring our students to other eighth graders and measuring our results to the College Board’s Standards for College Success.  While honored that L-B is held in such regard to be used to establish beachmarks for success, I need Mr. Otley’s counsel as to whether this takes away from our instructional time (120 minutes of testing).  Historically, we’ve been used to set the benchmark for Ohio’s GED, as well as validating the mathematics test for the OGT six years ago.  Bruce has said we should “go for it”.
  12. Looking ahead at meeting dates, 6:00 p.m. on the 18th, our regular board meeting date, we’ll have an update by The Buehrer Group on our Ohio School Facilities project.  Our next community meeting will be Tuesday, February 26 at 7:00 p.m. at the elementary school cafeteria.  Our second community meeting will be Tuesday, March 11, at 7:00 p.m. in the high school cafetorium.  This meeting will be preceded by a meeting with our attorney at 5:30 p.m. to discuss upcoming negotiations/labor-management issues (executive session).
  13. With the Hancock County Auditor publishing the new rates of taxation, I thought it might be interesting to see what is being paid to school districts, especially when factoring in the school income tax as a value in mils.  When these local funding sources are looked at in the aggregate, we are not outlandish in our rate of tax collection.  If we were to increase our income tax by ¼ of 1% we’d still rank 6th in total collection for school purposes with a total collection rate of 38.4 mills equivalent:

    14. District        School Millage             Income Tax                      Total            Rank

                        (effective rate)              In Mills                          In Mills

    Arcadia            30.01                           9.7                               39.71               5

    Arlington          22.00                           13.2                             35.5                 7

    Cory Rawson   28.18                           16.8                             44.98               3

    Findlay             45.63                           0                                  45.63               2

    L-B                  28.15                           7.7                               35.85               6

    McComb          30.41                           13.1                             43.51               4

    Van Buren       34.10                           0                                  34.10               8

    Vanlue             33.70                           14.7                             48.4                 1

    County Avg      31.52                           9.36                             40.96                          

  14. To provide a “frame of reference” regarding Ohio School Facilities Commission expenditures, since 1987 (10 years), nearly 6 billion dollars have been spent on school facilities.  With the tobacco securitization agreement, the Commission needs to spend 4.1 billion dollars over the next three years, therefore resulting in the hectic pace we’re caught up in.  With these tight timelines on this settlement, it may be that by 2012, our original date for OSFC consideration, that those dollars supplied by OSFC, may cease to exist.
  15. With the budget reductions of 51 million dollars at ODE this year, those cuts that will probably have a financial impact on us will include bus purchase allowance, foundation funding (5 million each year of biennium, or approximately 1%), EMIS reduction (minimal) and educator training.  Hopefully, the cuts don’t become deeper.  We’ll need to “shore up” in other areas cut, including academic standards, school improvement initiatives, professional development for literacy improvement, and student assessment.  While these areas don’t have a direct student affect, they are areas which have an impact, because we will need to be more self-reliant in these areas.
  16. Senator Buehrer is co-sponsoring SB273 which creates another “list” of OSFC project funding percentages.  The idea, I think, is to shift cost to securitization funds.  I’ve asked for the “numbers” as they would impact L-B, and his office secured that information for us.  L-B will not be a beneficiary of this proposed legislation because if affects 19 school district, and they are receiving open enrollment students which exceeds 10% of their native student population.  We’d need to go open enrollment and pick up about an additional 140 students to be eligible, should the legislation pass, plus we missed that window of opportunity.
  17. I’ve sent a letter to State Superintendent Zellman and Chancellor Fingerhut to help expand learning opportunities for our students by attempting to expand dual enrollment possibilities.
  18. As we move through the planning stages of facility needs with the architect and principals, along with staff suggestions, I’m attempting to create a survey to provide a way to generate community discussion and to provide us some insight from our constituents, as we weigh our options over the next month and a half.
  19. The attached article is from District Administration magazine.  (Item E)
  20. Attached is a comparative matrix of D3A2 and SUCCESS, two “tools” used to follow student growth on Ohio academic standards.  The concept of D3A2 was generated over eight years ago, when we were looking at ways to accurately measure student progress over time.  Our A-Site provided the first iteration of what was DSL, Data for Student Learning, and has evolved to D3A2 today.  Since L-B “germinated” this idea, you need to know we’re now developing a reporting model, again one of L-B’s ideas, to measure student academic growth based on “expected levels” of performance, and compared to chronological development.  These measures will be created through reviewing national standardized testing, while D3A2 is based on Ohio Achievement Tests and state academic standards.  (Item F)
  21. This is a triennial update year, and with the adjustment in property values, comes adjustments in property taxes paid.  I’ve attached an actual example of how a home owner would be affected, and more importantly, where the tax dollars are allocated.  Note how the school’s share increases four one thousandths of a percent (.004%).  This is why at L-B, school property taxes paid by individuals in most years, actually decreases.  (Item G)
  22. OSBA sent me the enclosed information, since Andy is resigning from the board due to his employment.  I also check on length of term, and your new fellow board member would complete Andy’s term.  Also, within two years, we need another record of public records training since we have a new member.  (Item H)
  23. Attached are the minutes of my last two meetings with the architects and building administrators to help keep you current as to what is seen as necessary in new facilities and the rationale involved.  (Item I)
  24. Just a note to show our savings by being a member of our natural gas consortium.  We serve on the board of directors.  (Item J)

 

 

ELEMENTARY PRINCIPAL’S REPORT

Liberty-Benton Board of Education

February 18, 2008

 

  1. 1.   As of today, we have the following number of students in our elementary program:

    2.                                                                                                    Jan. 2008

    Pre-school        -    23  (1 section – ½ a.m. & ½ p.m.)             (  23)

    Kindergarten    -    68 (4 sections – avg. class 18.5)                 (  69)

    First Grade       -    96 (5 sections – avg. class 18.8)                 (  95)                 

    Second Grade  -    76 (4 sections – avg. class 18.8)                 (  77)

    Third Grade     -    94 (4 sections – avg. class 22.8)                 (  94)   

    Fourth Grade   -  105 (5 sections – avg. class 20.8)                 (105)               

    Fifth Grade      -    86 (4 sections – avg. class 22.3)                 (  88)   

    TOTAL (K-5):      525  School Average:  20.2             (528)               

                             (548 with pre-school)                             Average (20.3)

  2. Our Right to Read Week is set for Feb. 21-28 this year with the theme “Leap into a Good Book” with a connection to this being a Leap year.  We are very excited to have an author visiting during this week as well.  Louise Borden will be with us on Thursday, Feb. 28th to share with our students about the writing process and many of her books.  We are very appreciative of PTO for sponsoring these activities for our students and teachers.
  3. Our second grade students will be performing a spring program entitled, “Friends” on Thursday, March 13, 2008.  The program will begin at 7:00 p.m. and will take place in the M.S. gym. You will not want to miss this delightful program by our second graders under the direction of Mrs. Norris, our primary music teacher.
  4. Our 5th grade students had a great experience this week with an on-site fieldtrip called “LEGO Engineering” conducted by staff from an education company operating out of Michigan called All About Learning.  Students learned to build and modify their own motorized cars using LEGO Educational Division Materials and LEGO Technic elements.  Students had an excellent chance to learn by doing.  The activity covered gears, levers, wheels, axles, structures, forces and simple machines.  This was an excellent activity that allowed students to experience learning first hand while integrating science and math together.  Thank you to PTO for sponsoring this event!
  5. The 5th grade also had a wonderful experience by coming to watch part of the High School musical, “Grease” on Feb. 14th.  The students were very impressed and loved the opportunity to come watch a portion of the play.  Thank you to Ms. Santilli for inviting and including our 5th grade students in this again this year!
  6. We are also excited that BGSU Treehouse Troop will be visiting us on April 8th for their traditional play production for all our students.  This year they will be performing, “The Ugly Duckling” in three assembly presentations for us.  These university drama students always do an outstanding job and our students really enjoy this art performance.  Thank you again to PTO for sponsoring this each year!
  7. Upcoming Elementary Events:

    March 3-5        Kindergarten Registration by phone 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.

    March 4           2nd Grade Fieldtrip to Litzenberg (Maple Sugarin Days)

    March 9-10      L-B Talents Shows

    March 11         Facilities Community Meeting 7:00 p.m. @ H.S.

    March 12         PTO Family Movie Night 7:00 p.m.

    March 13         2nd Grade Spring Music Program 7:00 p.m.

    March 18         PTO Meeting 7:00 p.m.

    March 20         End of the 3rd Grading Period

    March 21         Spring Break Begins – No School

    March 31         School Resumes from Spring Break

    Apr. 7              LB Night at Stevi B’s

    Apr. 8              BGSU Treehouse Troop Play “Ugly Duckling”

    Apr. 10            1st Grade Field Trip to the Mazza Museum

    Apr. 11            Kindergarten Screening

     

MIDDLE SCHOOL PRINCIPAL’S REPORT

Liberty-Benton Board of Education

February 18, 2008

6:00 p.m.

 

  1.  Camp Storer Meeting Scheduled for April 14, 2008 at 7:00 p.m.:  There will be an informational meeting for all current 5th grade parents and students regarding next year’s sixth grade class trip to Camp Storer at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, April 14, 2008 in the middle school gym.  A representative from the camp will give presentation on the camp experience and to field questions from parents and students.  In addition, the details of our fundraiser will be discussed.  The cost of the trip will be the same as it was last year, $189.00 per student since we took advantage of the early reservation incentive.  We will be going to camp October 6-10, 2008. 

     

  2. Winter Athletic Assembly:  Our winter sports assembly has been scheduled for Monday, February 25, 2008 at 6:30 p.m. in the gym. 
  1. Middle School Dance:  The student council has scheduled a dance for Friday, February 22, 2008 from 8-10 p.m. in the gym.  The 8:00 start should allow those that want to attend the varsity basketball game to do so.  Hopefully it will be a victory dance!  As always, middle school dances are for Liberty-Benton Middle School students only. 
  1. County Spelling Bee: Megan Dailey competed in the County Bee held at Central Middle School on Thursday, February 14, 2008 at 7:00 p.m.  Out of 23 students from Hancock County, Megan finished second in the County Bee.  The top 7 spellers from the County Bee move on to the 2008 NWO Blade Championship Spelling Bee on Thursday, March 13 2008 at 6:30 p.m. at The Center for Fine and Performing Arts at Owens Community College.  Congratulations Megan and good luck!  We are proud of you!
  1. 8th Grade College Readiness Test:   Students in grade 8 will be participating as a pilot group for a college readiness test on March 7, 2008.  The test is designed to help schools and students map a path to college success and will provide a nice data point prior to the 10th grade PSAT by providing students with information on their academic progress in comparison to other eighth graders and relative to the College Board's Standards for College Success.  The test items will also be aligned with the SAT and PSAT/NMSQT.  This test is not related to the Ohio Achievement Tests we will be taking April 28-May 1, 2008.  The students will be tested in Reading, Writing, and Math.   I look forward to the results of this pilot study. 
  1. “Grease”:  I would like to commend Ms. Santili and the students that participated in this year’s musical. All of the hard word and effort made for an excellent show.  The following middle school students are involved in this year’s high school musical. 

     

    Students in the CAST                                 Students in the stage CREW          
    Lynna Durain                                                  Eli Bakies

    Laura Fish                                                      Maddy Bishop

    Lauren Hutchison                                            CJ Cameron

    Alex Johnson                                                  Tyler Goshe

    Cory Morgan

    Stephanie Taylor

     

  2. Current Enrollment:

     

    Grade                                Total

        06                                   107

        07                                     108

        08                                    87

     

    Total Students:              302                   

    *Net loss of 1 student since January

     

     

    Upcoming dates….                          

    02/22/08                               Middle school dance 8:00-10:00 p.m.

    02/25/08                               Winter sport assembly 6:30 p.m.

    03/14/08                               Spring pictures

    03/18/08                               2 hour collaboration day

    03/20/08                               End of the third grading period

    03/21-3/28            Spring Break

    03/31/08                               School Resumes

    04/11/08                               Community Facilities Meeting 7:00 p.m. @ H.S. Cafetorium

    04/14/08                               Camp Storer informational meeting 7:00 p.m. in M.S. gym

    04/16/08                               2 hour collaboration day