Why A New School Building?

For several years school districts across Ohio have been faced with the problem of aging facilities that are expensive to operate, and even more expensive to repair.   The cost of removing and replacing asbestos products, aging water lines and boiler systems has become a daunting task for schools with limited budgets.   In November 2011 Vermilion formed two Citizen Committees, the Facility Task Force and Financial Task Force to look at the total operation of the district and determine the best way to reduce operating expenses and update or replace aging facilities.   

Vermilion owned four buildings with significant and ongoing electrical, roofing, and heating problems that were costing the district more money every year to maintain.   In order to reduce expenses and provide the students with a safe, secure and up-to-date learning environment, complete upgrade and replacement of these three areas would have been necessary.   In reality, the cost for replacement and repair was more expensive than construction of a new, modern facility.  

After meeting for several months, both the Fiscal and Financial Task Forces recommended that the best way to achieve the goal of cost savings was to close and sell older, outdated school buildings, and combine the district onto a single campus.   A bond issue was recommended as a means to relocate elementary students to the Sailorway Drive area.  Taxpayers were not in favor of a bond issue, so interested members of the Facility and Financial task forces reconvened to look for other ways to reduce spending and achieve long term stability for the district.   The group was able to find and recommend to the Board of Education an alternative method to finance construction of a new school.   

By building this new elementary school, the district has been able to save money and resources while also providing the students with a first-class learning environment, with safety and security as one of its top design features.  We were able to implement new learning centers and integrate updated technology into every area of the school.   All of this was achieved without disruption to the student learning process.  Below are some photos showing typical classrooms and the secure entry to our new school.  

We have found overwhelming support for the improvements made over the past two years.  Through sound financial planning and reducing operating costs, the district has been able to build a new school and remodel existing facilities without asking taxpayers for additional money.  Savings realized through closing outdated, expensive buildings, creating a single campus, and the sale of property has allowed the district to continue operating within its budget.  

PARCC…AIR…MAP…Can You Just Tell Me What Tests My Kids Are Taking and Why?

So last year, there was quite a bit of media coverage and unhappiness over students being required to take a standardized test called the PARCC test. This test was required by the state. It was a one day test and it was a pass or fail situation. This test had no real impact on the students’ actual grades and was used primarily as a means of grading the district as a whole.

Here’s the problem…

After one year, the state decided that the outrage from parents and educators across the state was legitimate. The test was too long and created an unfair assessment. So even though the PARCC was all you heard about last year, it is no longer.

Now, the state has issued a new standardized test called the AIR test. This test is similar to the PARCC but takes less time. Students take this test one time in the spring. Once again, the results of the test do not impact the students’ grades in school. The results are used to grade the district as a whole.

While your personal feelings on standardized testing may vary, here is the problem with one-time test results. If a child is having a bad day, they may not perform well on the test. There is no retake. There is no postponing it if a child is sick or going through personal turmoil. This test assesses the student’s academic ability based on a one-time measure.

As educators and parents know, learning is not about what you know in a single moment, it is about how you’ve grown over the course of a school year. That is why our district has the students in grades kindergarten through 8^th grade take the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) test.

The MAP test is administered three times throughout the school year and allows us to track and measure your child’s learning development from month to month and from year to year. This test shows progression, it alerts educators if a student needs more help in a specific area, and it provides parents with feedback on their child’s learning.

The MAP test does not impact the students’ grades, it does not impact the district’s rating, and it is not required by the state. We choose to administer the MAP test because we want to do everything we can to help our students learn and achieve academically.

We understand that learning is a process. We understand that sometimes students can excel in one subject but not in another, and we believe that monitoring their learning over the course of the year provides both educators and parents with the ability to help the students reach their full potential. 

If you ever have questions about your child's testing, please don't hesitate to ask.

WHAT IS A RENEWAL LEVY?

Back in the year 2000, the district put a levy on the ballot to cover the increase in operating expenses.  It is a reality that the cost of supplies and materials get more expensive, and the operation of schools is not immune to this reality.  The renewable levy passed in 2000 came with an expiration date.  State law requires schools to go back to taxpayers every 5 years to renew their support.   Vermilion has authorized renewal of this levy twice since 2000, and we now asking for the third renewal of a levy for the same millage. 

 

It is important to understand that this is not a new tax and it is not an increase from what the district already receives.  This is simply a renewal of the support you have provided to our kids since 2000. 

  

The renewal of this levy is critical to the continued operation of the district.  The loss of $4,250,000 would be devastating to our children.  The reduced funding would result in cuts to programming and instruction throughout the district. 

Over the last seven years, the district has followed several cost reduction strategies that have enabled us to keep the rising costs of education manageable.  We are proud of the fact we have been able to manage costs while simultaneously improving our district and learning environments through the creation of a single campus, new and upgraded facilities, and fulfill our mission of making every student college and career ready through personalized instruction.  

2016-2017 Superintendent Goals and Objectives

VLSD Superintendent Goals / Objectives 2016-2017

1.         Academic Performance Objective

·      Develop objective criteria for measuring progress toward achievement of OIP goal

·      The OIP team meets monthly in a District Leadership Team (DLT) meeting; assistance is provided by the SST team twice monthly

a)         Goals and objectives are reviewed

b)         Data is brought to meetings to quantify and support b., c. and d. below as well as help achieve the Board adopted goal of student learning meeting or exceeding one year’s growth in all content areas

c)         Data is submitted to the Ohio Department of Education quarterly documenting the work of BLT and TBT

·      Report progress of walk-through’s to BOE quarterly. Progress will include information on center- based learning, blended learning and co-teaching

a)         Increase the graduation rate to 100% of all high school seniors

b)         List at-risk seniors and interventions used in 2015-2016

c)         Track non-graduating high school seniors and attempt to engage them in a 5th year program • These students are tracked by ODE and progress reported on the State Report Card.

·      Emerging trends at VHS

2.         Staff Development / Staff Relationships

·      Maintain Goals and Objectives for all Administrative personnel and report quarterly.

·      Ohio Principal Evaluation System (OPES) and the Supervisor’s evaluation tool are being utilized to meet goals and objectives

·      Develop and execute annual professional development plan.  • The following professional development will be provided to staff in 2016-2017 and is ongoing through the summer of 2016:

a)      Blended Learning

b)      Compass Learning

c)      Progress Assessments through NWEA

d)     Brain Honey

e)      Science and Math common core standards provided by SMART Consortium Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM); Develop MakerSpace and STEM lab

f)       Gifted and Talented – all teachers provided skills to benefit gifted students

3.         Board / Community Communication Objective

·      Pass Renewal Levy in March 2016

·      Sell old Vermilion Elementary School

·      Complete Week in Review Report to Board members weekly

·      Complete monthly Board meeting agenda and distribute to all Board members with attachments

·      Submit School Zone article bi-monthly and report to all communication outlets (local news media, VLSD website, Facebook, Twitter)

·      Attend meetings with community and business leaders

·      Community activities include Rotary Club weekly and as needed for fundraising events; Main Street Vermilion (monthly), Chamber of Commerce (monthly)

·      Community Business Advisory meetings for community leaders organized annually

4.     CampusSafetyandSecurity

·      Re-write plan for Homeland Security, following recommendation of ODE

·      Follow and Execute Homeland Security Plan

·      Continually review and revise plan as needed

·      Monitor and execute drills campus wide

·      Upgrade or change camera placements as needed

·      Upgrade and change lighting as needed

5.     Innovation Growth Objective *

·      Continue to seek out additional / alternative revenue sources
Naming rights for facilities – continue to pursue as opportunities become available

·      Improve utilization of existing facilities

a)      Improve organization of all storage and work room areas district-wide

b)      Improve organization of inventory for equipment and school supplies

·      Decrease costs through innovation

·      Improve use of technology to increase efficiency district wide