School Zone February 15, 2013

APPLE SITE VISIT

Approximately 35 school officials from large and small districts across Ohio gathered at Vermilion High School on January 30 to learn more about the possibility of implementing one-to-one technology initiatives in their districts.  As an Apple Distinguished District we are occasionally asked to network with school districts locally and across the country to demonstrate how technology is helping to improve education in our schools.  VHS Principal Heidi Riddle and Technology Coordinator Shawn Bergman did an outstanding job of communicating the challenges and successes that we experienced while implementing our one-to-one program.  The visitors were very interested in the exciting ways technology is being used in our classrooms and a few asked for the opportunity to continue collaborating as they work on programs in their own communities.       

NEW TOOL WILL HELP WITH TRANSPORTATION COMMUNICATION

As technology continues to evolve we are constantly looking for ways to improve communication with parents.  Recently our technology team worked with software developers to integrate the student information software with the software we are using in our transportation department.  The new integration will help the transportation department to get immediate updates when students are issued discipline, or have changes in their contact information.  In the past we have used paper forms for this process.  The new electronic communication method significantly speeds up the flow of information, and will save money. 

Another benefit of the new communication tool is that we now have the ability to notify parents when a specific bus has a breakdown or is delayed in some way.  We will now be able to notify parents regarding delayed buses using PowerAnnouncement.  We have loaded bus numbers and routes into PowerSchool and these fields can be sorted on and then a Quick Broadcast made to let parents know that their student’s bus has been delayed. 

With these new advances in technology it is even more important that parents and guardians communicate address and phone number changes to the school as soon as possible. Parents – please remember - you must check the option for “text messaging” on the PowerAnnouncement tab in Power School so that you can receive these important updates. 

GOVERNOR KASICH’S NEW SCHOOL FUNDING PLAN

We are just beginning to receive information about the school funding plan that was announced by Governor Kasich this week.  The concepts contained in the plan have been released; however, the funding levels for each district are not yet available.  One component that school-funding experts are unsure about is the “Equal Yield Formula” used to determine the proposed “Core Opportunity Aid” for each school district.  Education Tax Policy consultants have been in touch with other school funding experts comparing notes and analyzing what this component might mean for districts as compared to previous basic aid funding.

Depending on which average daily membership is used to compute valuation per pupil, the “Equal Yield Formula” is either identical to or correlates closely to a $5,000 per-pupil basic aid calculation with a 20-mill charge off. This is the starting point or base amount every district would start with, and other add-ons would distribute money to districts based on various factors. Since $5,000 per-pupil is lower than previous formulas, districts will rely on the add-ons or a state aid guarantee to bring them up to, or above, previous funding levels.  Since more than $400 million is identified by the governor’s proposal as “Guarantee Funds,” the details of the remaining components of the plan will be necessary in order to fully analyze its effects on districts.  We are anxiously awaiting the answers to these questions, and will keep you updated as more information is forthcoming from state officials.