Superintendent Baker assembled some statistics for a recent presentation. In spite of the gloom and doom surrounding school finances, not all our statistics are gloomy. In fact, there is much of which to be proud.
Our district rating determined by the State of Ohio has gone from “Academic Watch” in the 1996-97 school year to “Effective” in the 2006-07 year. There is a rating of “Excellent” which of course is the goal for all of our schools.
The High School graduation rate has improved considerably over time. From 89.6% in 1997-98 to 97% for the current year. Though strangely, our lowest rate was just two years ago at 88.3%. With that exception, the record shows we are trending upward.
Another measure applied by the State of Ohio is the percentage of Academic Standards met based on testing. The 2001-02 year yielded a 68% rate. The following year was the first year that Special Education scores were integrated into the formula for calculation. Our rate fell to 41%. However, we have trended upward since that year to the present 83% rate.
Our scores are now higher, including special education scores than before special education scores were included in the formula. It is telling also to note that our scores are the highest in the county and that we have the highest percentage of special needs and at-risk students.
These upward trending numbers are encouraging and speak well to the many positive things going on in the district and the accomplishments of the staff. One might think of them as productivity enhancements. We keep getting better even as the rules of the game change.
The challenges to this upward trend come from the other side of the equation, the input to the system.
The percentage of economically disadvantaged students was at a low in the 1999-00 year at 10.5%.The trend of this statistic has been upward with only one exception to the present 35.0% rate this year.
A further challenge is the increase in students with learning disabilities. From a low of 10.4% in the 1998-99 year, the overall trend is upward to the present 19.3%. Just last year the number went from 15.2% to 19.3%. We are experiencing ever more students with special needs.
The overall alarming trend is student enrollment in the K-12 system. From a peak of 5,712 in the 1970-71 school year the trend has been downward without an intervening up tick to the present 2,937 students in the year just completed. This is reflective of the population trend in the southeastern Ohio area. We are an aging population with fewer children of school age.
For those feeling the crunch of $4 gasoline prices, you might be interested to know your school system is experiencing the same pains at the pump. Our average daily travel for the bus fleet is 1,836 miles, or roughly a trip to Tampa, Florida and back. That travel burns 261 gallons of fuel each day and the total fuel cost this year is projected to top $200,000 versus the 2001 cost of ‘just’ $92,153.
One final note, the June 30 year end shows our carryover balance to be about $2,485,346. This is just two hundredths of a percent lower than last year which was the highest carryover in ten years.
This carryover gives us a bit of breathing room to pay the bills and make sure the paychecks cash until the next receipt of income to the bank account. This also permits us to spend a bit more than we take in until we can find additional savings or increased income or a combination of the two.
A forum for Marietta City Schools constituents and board members. Comments, suggestions, observations and information invited.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Hitchhiking
I hitchhiked home Saturday with a laundry bag full of dirty clothes. They had just dropped me off at college Wednesday.
‘The board has cut so many classes at the high school there’s nothing left worth taking.’ ‘I hear there’s no electives left.’ ‘Well, there aren’t any Advance Placement classes at the high school.’ ‘Honors classes are out.’ ‘You might as well go to Washington State, there’s nothing at the high school.’
The latest round of rumors and false stories. These and more have been heard and relayed to various board members recently. Probably prompted by the board’s efforts to save enough money to keep the doors open for the next few years.
Let’s see if we can set a few things a bit straighter. Yes, we eliminated French I and Spanish IV and American Sign Language I. Decisions were based on a history of declining numbers of students in the subjects. We also backed off teaching life sciences (home economics) keyboarding and business classes at the high school, all taught in other areas of the system.
As to the Advanced Placement and Honors classes, we still have a full complement. More than any district in the county. We offer AP classes in Calculus, U.S. History, Government, Literature and Composition, Language and Composition and Biology. Last year included Chemistry.
As to honors classes, I’m told we nearly did not offer an honors English course next year owing to low numbers of students. But, when told of this possibility, students got together, spread the word that if enough students signed up the course would be offered. And it worked!
The questions are why did the interested students not sign up during the original class offerings? Why did it take a student to come forward and do our work for us? Where did our system not serve the students? Shouldn’t the system be promoting honors classes?
This board is pleased to offer classes with a reasonable number of students. Twenty is a good number that represents a responsible use of our teaching resources. Seven is not. Somewhere between those two numbers, discretion and judgment play a critical role. That is the decision left to a good manager. The board should have virtually no say in the matter where the importance of academics and student futures are concerned.
Bad information probably played a role here. And it may be playing a role in many of the above rumors and subsequent choices being made by students.
There is no question of the value of having the Post Secondary Option for high school students to gain college level credit by attending one of our local colleges for some courses. The question becomes whether it is a smart move for a student to take a few classes or switch to a full time college schedule.
For some students who are socially mature and able to make good decisions on their own about their time and study habits, it’s a good fit. For others, a part time exposure is a great choice to get their feet wet and better determine what they want to do with their college decisions.
For many, however, a full time decision based on poor or bad information may prove unsatisfactory. Especially if they are not socially ready to participate in an environment with classmate age ranges from the teens to the sixties.
When my Freshman homeroom teacher Mr. Graham witnessed my anxiety over not fitting in to the social circle at high school he advised, “Don’t worry, you’re just a late bloomer.”
These many years later I still take comfort in his advice. The hitchhiking was my way of delaying a real college experience for another year. I needed it. With $4 gas and persistent feelings of social ineptness I may resume hitchhiking.
‘The board has cut so many classes at the high school there’s nothing left worth taking.’ ‘I hear there’s no electives left.’ ‘Well, there aren’t any Advance Placement classes at the high school.’ ‘Honors classes are out.’ ‘You might as well go to Washington State, there’s nothing at the high school.’
The latest round of rumors and false stories. These and more have been heard and relayed to various board members recently. Probably prompted by the board’s efforts to save enough money to keep the doors open for the next few years.
Let’s see if we can set a few things a bit straighter. Yes, we eliminated French I and Spanish IV and American Sign Language I. Decisions were based on a history of declining numbers of students in the subjects. We also backed off teaching life sciences (home economics) keyboarding and business classes at the high school, all taught in other areas of the system.
As to the Advanced Placement and Honors classes, we still have a full complement. More than any district in the county. We offer AP classes in Calculus, U.S. History, Government, Literature and Composition, Language and Composition and Biology. Last year included Chemistry.
As to honors classes, I’m told we nearly did not offer an honors English course next year owing to low numbers of students. But, when told of this possibility, students got together, spread the word that if enough students signed up the course would be offered. And it worked!
The questions are why did the interested students not sign up during the original class offerings? Why did it take a student to come forward and do our work for us? Where did our system not serve the students? Shouldn’t the system be promoting honors classes?
This board is pleased to offer classes with a reasonable number of students. Twenty is a good number that represents a responsible use of our teaching resources. Seven is not. Somewhere between those two numbers, discretion and judgment play a critical role. That is the decision left to a good manager. The board should have virtually no say in the matter where the importance of academics and student futures are concerned.
Bad information probably played a role here. And it may be playing a role in many of the above rumors and subsequent choices being made by students.
There is no question of the value of having the Post Secondary Option for high school students to gain college level credit by attending one of our local colleges for some courses. The question becomes whether it is a smart move for a student to take a few classes or switch to a full time college schedule.
For some students who are socially mature and able to make good decisions on their own about their time and study habits, it’s a good fit. For others, a part time exposure is a great choice to get their feet wet and better determine what they want to do with their college decisions.
For many, however, a full time decision based on poor or bad information may prove unsatisfactory. Especially if they are not socially ready to participate in an environment with classmate age ranges from the teens to the sixties.
When my Freshman homeroom teacher Mr. Graham witnessed my anxiety over not fitting in to the social circle at high school he advised, “Don’t worry, you’re just a late bloomer.”
These many years later I still take comfort in his advice. The hitchhiking was my way of delaying a real college experience for another year. I needed it. With $4 gas and persistent feelings of social ineptness I may resume hitchhiking.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Putnam Rumors
"It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so." Mark Twain spoke these words a long time ago and they still hold true.
As school drew to a close last week and some neighboring schools closed for good, stories began to circulate about closing a school in the Marietta district. Putnam School specifically.
Possibly the speculation was prompted in part by the resignation of the Phillips School Principal, Renee’ Schoonover. We’re going to miss her, but thank her for her great service while with us. So let’s attempt to address the subject as best we can with the information at hand.
At the January board meeting when it was obvious that our last opportunity to reduce spending for the ’08-’09 school year lay before us in the form of the proposed Curriculum Guide, the board said no. We were not going to accept continuing down the path of spending over a million dollars more than we were projected to receive. Not a good plan.
The board charged the administration with finding a million dollars in savings and bringing that information back to us by Wednesday. They had just over one day to accomplish the task.
What resulted was a listing of potential savings divided into three categories based on the impact to students and staff. A total of nearly $3 million in savings was presented, though some changes were mutually exclusive. One of the items on that list was closing Putnam School for an estimated savings of over $300,000.
The board knew that any of the numbers on the list were hastily derived and not to be counted too closely. We further knew that closing a school involved quite a lot more than just shutting the doors and moving the students to other buildings. A lot of planning would have to be involved and many unasked questions would have to be addressed.
We have heard nothing further from the administration on this subject in subsequent meetings. We chose from the list and achieved about $700,000 in savings for next year. Which leaves us overspending our income by about $500,000. Not comfortable, but headed in the right direction. It buys us time to examine other options and possibilities.
The board is mindful that voters renewed expired levies just last spring with a small amount of new money available. But that new money is not sufficient to carry us very far forward if we overspend. And, it’s not a great time to ask for yet more money from voters. Probably won’t be for a while. We must survive on our current and foreseeable resources.
None of us has a magic wand. We cannot change the fact that our district has lost an average of over 89 students per year for the past ten years. While this loss is slowing, we are still losing. Thus far the incoming Kindergarten class for next year appears to be running about 20 fewer students than projected. The trend is undeniable and inalterable.
One possibility is to operate with one principal serving two schools which has been successful in the past. Other savings combinations may exist. We will be pursuing every avenue of survival.
It is this board’s wish to be transparent and to avoid surprises with its pubic. You now know as much as we think we know about the future of Putnam School.
Mark Twain was correct; but not helpful in our circumstance. We know that we do not know much of anything for certain. We are working to survive in an uncertain world. We will do our best to keep you informed.
As school drew to a close last week and some neighboring schools closed for good, stories began to circulate about closing a school in the Marietta district. Putnam School specifically.
Possibly the speculation was prompted in part by the resignation of the Phillips School Principal, Renee’ Schoonover. We’re going to miss her, but thank her for her great service while with us. So let’s attempt to address the subject as best we can with the information at hand.
At the January board meeting when it was obvious that our last opportunity to reduce spending for the ’08-’09 school year lay before us in the form of the proposed Curriculum Guide, the board said no. We were not going to accept continuing down the path of spending over a million dollars more than we were projected to receive. Not a good plan.
The board charged the administration with finding a million dollars in savings and bringing that information back to us by Wednesday. They had just over one day to accomplish the task.
What resulted was a listing of potential savings divided into three categories based on the impact to students and staff. A total of nearly $3 million in savings was presented, though some changes were mutually exclusive. One of the items on that list was closing Putnam School for an estimated savings of over $300,000.
The board knew that any of the numbers on the list were hastily derived and not to be counted too closely. We further knew that closing a school involved quite a lot more than just shutting the doors and moving the students to other buildings. A lot of planning would have to be involved and many unasked questions would have to be addressed.
We have heard nothing further from the administration on this subject in subsequent meetings. We chose from the list and achieved about $700,000 in savings for next year. Which leaves us overspending our income by about $500,000. Not comfortable, but headed in the right direction. It buys us time to examine other options and possibilities.
The board is mindful that voters renewed expired levies just last spring with a small amount of new money available. But that new money is not sufficient to carry us very far forward if we overspend. And, it’s not a great time to ask for yet more money from voters. Probably won’t be for a while. We must survive on our current and foreseeable resources.
None of us has a magic wand. We cannot change the fact that our district has lost an average of over 89 students per year for the past ten years. While this loss is slowing, we are still losing. Thus far the incoming Kindergarten class for next year appears to be running about 20 fewer students than projected. The trend is undeniable and inalterable.
One possibility is to operate with one principal serving two schools which has been successful in the past. Other savings combinations may exist. We will be pursuing every avenue of survival.
It is this board’s wish to be transparent and to avoid surprises with its pubic. You now know as much as we think we know about the future of Putnam School.
Mark Twain was correct; but not helpful in our circumstance. We know that we do not know much of anything for certain. We are working to survive in an uncertain world. We will do our best to keep you informed.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Looking For Savings
We’re dealing! Push pull or tow your old car in and we’ll give you a thousand dollars for it.
Both these promotions have been put forth by automobile dealers to stimulate buyer interest. And now it’s school’s turn.
We’re asking. We’re looking for suggestions on how to save money, operate more efficiently and be better stewards of the public trust. We’re listening, asking questions and checking out ideas.
Not a new phenomenon, school people have always been good questioners, early adopters of new concepts and quick to pick up on ways to improve operations. But now we’re talking about it. And being more pro-active in seeking new concepts.
Our administration just saved $120,000 in medical insurance costs. That’s a very big deal. A major savings. And it came about by some clever negotiating with our supplier.
In the five year forecast just out in May there was a 12% projected raise in insurance premium cost based on industry trends. More art than science, these numbers are based on the best information combined with a best guess and hope you come close. A percentage point can be a large change. In this case, $30,000.
The first number back from the insurer for next year’s premium was an increase of 19%! Not good news when the projection was indicating 12%. So our business folks went to work, looked at our claims experience and justified a much lower rate based on our good experience and in the end, negotiated an 8% increase.
That decrease from the projected 12% to the actual 8% means we will pay $120,000 less than our original forecast for the coming school year. A victory! A very big help on our budget.
Of course it’s possible the savings on insurance may be eliminated by further increases in fuel costs to operate the buses. But even here creative minds are asking questions. How could we change our operations to save time and money? Could a one route system work? What other options can we consider? Everything is on the table in the name of being more economical.
Nothing is free in the world of economics. The insurance savings this year are at risk of bad claims experience next year. It behooves us to have healthy employees. And the opportunities to save money on busing come at the expense of needing more buses which means more drivers, more insurance, etc. The possible savings will have to be studied closely to determine if they are real and worthwhile.
Here’s an example of a savings that really isn’t. We are planning to sell at auction the Central Receiving building and use the proceeds to create a new structure that adjoins the bus garage. That will save the transit time and fuel now involved in the operation.
It has been suggested we not build the new facility but instead have our suppliers deliver to the various schools. The challenge comes with increased delivery costs being added on to each order as well as losing bulk purchase discounts and not having personnel at each school to accept delivery.
A wonderful idea! But digging a bit deeper showed that there is a reason to do things the way we are……at least for the moment on this one.
While we cannot offer a thousand bucks for your old vehicle we are definitely in the market and dealing in new ideas. They are your schools, help us do it better.
Both these promotions have been put forth by automobile dealers to stimulate buyer interest. And now it’s school’s turn.
We’re asking. We’re looking for suggestions on how to save money, operate more efficiently and be better stewards of the public trust. We’re listening, asking questions and checking out ideas.
Not a new phenomenon, school people have always been good questioners, early adopters of new concepts and quick to pick up on ways to improve operations. But now we’re talking about it. And being more pro-active in seeking new concepts.
Our administration just saved $120,000 in medical insurance costs. That’s a very big deal. A major savings. And it came about by some clever negotiating with our supplier.
In the five year forecast just out in May there was a 12% projected raise in insurance premium cost based on industry trends. More art than science, these numbers are based on the best information combined with a best guess and hope you come close. A percentage point can be a large change. In this case, $30,000.
The first number back from the insurer for next year’s premium was an increase of 19%! Not good news when the projection was indicating 12%. So our business folks went to work, looked at our claims experience and justified a much lower rate based on our good experience and in the end, negotiated an 8% increase.
That decrease from the projected 12% to the actual 8% means we will pay $120,000 less than our original forecast for the coming school year. A victory! A very big help on our budget.
Of course it’s possible the savings on insurance may be eliminated by further increases in fuel costs to operate the buses. But even here creative minds are asking questions. How could we change our operations to save time and money? Could a one route system work? What other options can we consider? Everything is on the table in the name of being more economical.
Nothing is free in the world of economics. The insurance savings this year are at risk of bad claims experience next year. It behooves us to have healthy employees. And the opportunities to save money on busing come at the expense of needing more buses which means more drivers, more insurance, etc. The possible savings will have to be studied closely to determine if they are real and worthwhile.
Here’s an example of a savings that really isn’t. We are planning to sell at auction the Central Receiving building and use the proceeds to create a new structure that adjoins the bus garage. That will save the transit time and fuel now involved in the operation.
It has been suggested we not build the new facility but instead have our suppliers deliver to the various schools. The challenge comes with increased delivery costs being added on to each order as well as losing bulk purchase discounts and not having personnel at each school to accept delivery.
A wonderful idea! But digging a bit deeper showed that there is a reason to do things the way we are……at least for the moment on this one.
While we cannot offer a thousand bucks for your old vehicle we are definitely in the market and dealing in new ideas. They are your schools, help us do it better.