Superintendent Community Updates
5/8/25
Dear Community Members:
Good Wednesday afternoon!! Hope this email finds all of you doing well. I have a couple of notes for you today.
DISTRICT ART SHOW, ELEMENTARY CONCERT AND HS ACADEMIC AWARDS
Tomorrow is our big night for celebrating the academic achievements of our HS students at 7:00 in the HS Auditorium. Prior to that we have the District Art Show which runs from 6:00-8:00 in all of the buildings, and the 4th graders will have a Community Concert in the Elementary Gym. There will be one at 6:00 and the other at 7:00. Huge tip of the cap to our art teachers for ALL the work that goes into putting on the Art Show!!
Come on out and check out the great work our kids do!
STAFF APPRECIATION WEEK
It is great to see the buildings come together to recognize and honor our staff. We are deeply appreciative of all their hard work. As I have said in the past, our people go the extra mile to try and create the best learning experience possible.
Please know that when they leave school for the day, they rarely stop thinking about your kids and how they can make the next day better. The planning, content creation, grading and research often go well into the night. They take the triumphs and struggles of their kids to bed with them. They are hard-working, dedicated professionals who take pride in the achievements of your child. Please take a minute this week to send them a note. Those small things make all the difference in the world!
WATER AND AIR TESTING UPDATES
On Tuesday, we had a firm out to do air testing for radon in all three buildings. We hope to see some results later next week and will share those notes once we get them. Please remember that we will be repeating these tests in November when the buildings are more buttoned up as we begin the heating season. Nonetheless, these first results will provide some direction for the district in the short term.
Today, the Ohio EPA was out and drew water samples from all three buildings. Those test results will arrive sometime in June. The testing protocols for those samples are complex, and they can only be sent to specialized labs. We also are waiting on results from a sample we drew in April.
We thank those that are looking to get us answers. There is a website that you can access from the Ohio EPA that has resources and materials https://epa.ohio.gov/luckey/. There is a link under news if you scroll down with an update sampling plans.
Here is another important resource https://epa.ohio.gov/
FREEDOM TOWNSHIP JOB POSTING
Freedom Township is hiring seasonal workers. Duties include mowing, weed eating and general maintenance of cemeteries, along with assisting the Road Superintendent with road and right-of-way maintenance. Hours are Monday thru Friday, 7:30 A.M. until 3:30 P.M. (Hours are weather dependent.)
If interested, please email FREEDOMCLERK@AMPLEX.NET
STONY RIDGE CIVIC ASSOCIATION 5K RUN AND WALK
Get ready to move!
The Stony Ridge Civic Association is thrilled to announce our 2nd Annual 5K Run & 2-Mile Walk, kicking off our 2025 Festival with fun, fitness, and community spirit!
Date: Friday, July 25
Time: 6:30 PM
Location: Stony Ridge Community Park
Whether you're a seasoned runner or just looking for a fun evening stroll, this event is for YOU! All ages and abilities are welcome.
Register now using the attached form or online here: https://runsignup.com/
Have a great rest of the week!!
4/30/25
2025–2026 Open Enrollment Procedure
Eastwood Local Schools will be accepting applications for Inter-District Open Enrollment for the 2025–2026 school year beginning at 12:01 AM on Thursday, May 1, 2025, through Midnight on Saturday, May 31, 2025.
Apply Online:
Visit the Eastwood Schools website to access and complete the application.
You can find the application link on the homepage under:
-
District News
-
About Our District > Enrollment K–12
Important Reminders:
-
All current open enrollment students (2024–2025) must reapply to be considered for the 2025–2026 school year.
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A separate application must be completed for each student in the family, if applicable.
-
Applications must be submitted by May 31, 2025.
Notification:
Families will be notified of approval or denial by Saturday, June 15, 2025, via U.S. Mail.
Questions?
Please contact Heather Hall at hhall@eastwoodschools.org.
4/25/25
Dear Community Members:
The Toledo Blade published an article regarding some environmental testing they did in our area.
On Monday, April 14, 2025, I was contacted by a reporter from the Toledo Blade and a freelance writer alleging concerns with water testing results from a drinking water sample the Blade had drawn from Eastwood Middle School on October 17, 2024.
The testing results that the Toledo Blade shared with me on April 14, 2025, confirm that our water currently meets all safe drinking water standards. These results are consistent with the 2017 water testing conducted when new wells were dug for Eastwood Elementary School.
However, out of an abundance of caution, we have contacted the Ohio EPA to help with additional testing of water samples. We will publicly share those results when they are completed. We fully expect the results to show that our water continues to meet all safe drinking water standards, and we are grateful the Ohio EPA has agreed to do this additional testing.
When we received the call from the Blade, we immediately reached out to our local technician who does water testing for our schools, as well as Ohio EPA offices in Bowling Green and Columbus. We also spoke with a representative from the Army Corps of Engineers to better understand the report that had been prepared for the Blade by a third-party testing company and what, if any, issues it raised for Eastwood Schools. We have had several conversations with experts, including the Chief of the Division of Drinking and Ground Waters at Ohio EPA who assured us that our water is safe.
One area that we are exploring is the possibility of radon in the air. Radon is a naturally occurring gas that can accumulate typically in enclosed spaces like basements. If you have sold a home recently, you may have had to do testing and potentially install a radon detection system. My wife and I had to do this when we sold our house when we moved out here. We will be doing air testing in our buildings to see if any of the results exceed recommended levels. It is important to know that EPA recommends that testing be completed in the fall/winter months when buildings are more sealed up for the heating season. Since we are testing in the spring, those results may not tell the full story. Therefore, we will be testing again next fall/winter. If there are additional areas where the Ohio EPA sees the need for more testing, it will facilitate such tests. I also want to mention that EPA has worked to get us grant funding for all of the air testing.
We are sharing this information with you because we want you to understand that the Ohio EPA believes our water is safe based on the data in the Blade report and testing results from 2017. Our goal is to be transparent. Even though these results show that our water meets all Ohio EPA guidelines, we are taking additional steps to ensure our kids' safety.
If at any time we determine that additional mitigation steps are needed, we will take them promptly.
4/7/25
Dear Community Members:
Welcome back! I hope everyone had a great break. We are now heading into a very busy time of the year with awards banquets, state testing, field trips, spring events and the close of the year. We hope the weather will start to cooperate with our spring sports teams!! I have just a couple of quick notes for you today.
SUMMER WORK OPPORTUNITIES AT EASTWOOD SCHOOLS
We will be taking applications for those interested in working for Eastwood Schools.
Applications will be due by Monday April 21st. The link for applications is below and they should be returned to operations@eastwoodschools.org
AFTER PROM CHIPOTLE FUNDRAISER – APRIL 8TH
There is a fundraiser tomorrow to benefit After Prom tomorrow night at Chipotle in BG. There is a flyer attached.
KEY CLUB EASTER EGG HUNT
Over 2000 eggs, stuffed with your favorite candy and treats
Open to all children in elementary school or younger and completely free!
Location: Eastwood Elementary (soccer fields behind the school)
Time: Saturday, April 12 at 11:00 (Rain or Shine)
SUMMER WORK OPPORTUNITY AT BELMONT COUNTRY CLUB
Belmont CC is once again looking for summer help with grounds and maintenance. Please contact Eric Smith at esmith@belmontcc.com if interested.
Have a great week everyone!
1/16/25
Dear Community Members:
As we close down the first semester, I have a few notes for you.
There is no school tomorrow (Teacher Inservice/Workday) or Monday (MLK Holiday). I am sure every kid knows this, but the reminder never hurts!
CALAMITY DAYS
We have used three of our five calamity days so far this year. Obviously, we know that there are some expected cold temps coming next week which could present challenges.
Should we use all five of our days, we will begin making up school via virtual lessons. For students in grades 6-12, they will meet virtually with their teachers from 10:00-2:00. Building principals will share out the schedules and attendance will be taken and is mandatory. We used this format during the 2020-21 school years, and it worked well. We have had to use it maybe once or twice since, so this will feel new to many students and parents.
The elementary splits their procedures between the primary and secondary grades. The administration and staff will provide you with an overview of what will happen.
We will make up days 6,7, and 8 if necessary using online lessons. After that, we begin to tack the days on to the end of the school year in June.
GOFUNDEME TO SUPPORT THE FAMILY OF MATT MCGINNIS
Matt McGinnis, Class of 1999, passed away. Matt has two daughters in the district. The family is in need of support, and you can do so at the following link. https://gofund.me/fa011766
COLOR GUARD FOR A NIGHT
Please see the note below from Color Guard Coach, Stacee Schultz.
Have you ever wondered what the color guard in the Eagle Marching Band is all about? Those students who are out with the high school band spinning flags, twirling hula hoops, dancing with beach balls etc?
We do lots of fun things, and we have a great time as we work.
Did you want to get more information or to try it out?? Well, this is your chance!
*We are doing our first annual Color Guard for a Night! We will have a couple of days of introduction to the equipment and teach you 2 routines to be performed at the half-time of the JV Basketball game on February 6th.
*Our clinic dates are February 3rd and February 5th from 5-6:30 in the Eastwood Elementary Gym.
**This is open to ANY current 7th or 8th grade student who is interested in finding out more.**
We look forward to seeing some new faces who may want to continue on in high school to join our Color Guard family.
Please email Coach Stacee, by January 29th, at sshultz@eastwoodschools.org if you are interested and/or want more information. We want to make sure that we have enough equipment available at the clinics.
Have a great weekend, and do try to plan ahead for the weather next week. If the forecast holds, it will be the first real stretch of this kind of weather in some time.
1/10/25
Dear Community Members:
Twenty years ago, I never could have imagined writing this letter. I was thrilled to get hired by Eastwood as HS Principal, but I never contemplated that I would spend the rest of my career here. However, I realized early on that this place was special. While there were a couple of times where I nearly left, the best decision was always to stay.
Well, the time has come to retire and look at the next chapter for Eastwood and myself. I let the Board know Wednesday morning that I will be retiring and leaving on July 31st.
Eastwood’s biggest strength is the community and its staff. I shared with staff on Wednesday that of all the things I am most proud of, it is the amazing group of people that work here. Our team is dedicated to creating the best student experience possible. As a community member, you rarely see what goes on behind the curtains, but I can tell you that there is an unwavering desire to help our kids grow as students and people. That will endure long past my time here while providing any new leadership with a support system that will help keep the district moving ahead.
There are so many wonderful people here in our community that are dedicated to helping make Eastwood a destination for educators looking to build a career and life. I want to thank you for your support. Schools are a reflection of their community, which helps explain why we have been successful. Your mission will be to double down on that commitment, because educating students has become more challenging. There are going to be some major decision points for our community in the coming years, and I hope we will choose to invest in our kids like previous generations did for us.
Finally, I would be remiss if I did not thank the Board that hired me as principal and superintendent. Several have passed away sadly, but thank you for trusting in me at what was a young age. Also, thanks to Glenda and Laurie for keeping me in line and being great friends and sounding boards.
I look forward to expressing more of this in person.
From the bottom of my heart, Thank You! It has been a blessing to work here.
Best wishes,
Brent Welker, Superintendent
Eastwood Local Schools
12/9/24
Dear Community Members:
Happy Monday everyone! We have 10 student days left this month, and it is flying by! I have several notes for you today including the November Financial Report.
PEMBERVILLE BUILDING CLOSED ON DECEMBER 16TH
The Village of Pemberville will be without power on Monday December 16th as they complete an electrical upgrade. Our offices will be closed on Monday during the day, and our team will be working remotely. If you need to reach someone in our building you can email us or call one of the buildings, and they will get us a message.
We do have our December Board meeting and Policy Committee meetings set for Monday evening, but power should be restored by then. If you have any questions, please reach out to us.
PEOPLE INCORPORATED BLOOD DRIVE
People Incorporated at Eastwood High School will be holding a blood drive on Friday, December 13th from 8:00am - 1:30pm in the auxiliary gym. We are in need of donors to fill many of our time slots. If you are able to donate please email either of the advisors for a preferred time. Walk-ins are always welcome as well.
Thank you in advance
Karen Smoyer - Ksmoyer@eastwoodschools.org
Stephanie Sims - Ssims@eastwoodschools.org
NOVEMBER FINANCIAL REPORT
Believe it or not, we are nearly halfway through the current fiscal year. There are a couple of notes for you this month.
|
Eastwood Schools Financials |
Monday, December 9, 2024 |
|||
|
REVENUE |
FY 2024 |
FY 2025 |
$$ change |
% change |
|
General Property Tax |
$3,370,883.16 |
$3,899,504.37 |
$528,621.21 |
15.68% |
|
Tangible Personal Property Tax |
$0.00 |
$0.00 |
$0.00 |
0.00% |
|
Income Tax |
$1,485,640.26 |
$1,568,360.02 |
$82,719.76 |
5.57% |
|
Unrestricted Grants-In-Aid |
$2,955,018.26 |
$2,809,796.56 |
-$145,221.70 |
-4.91% |
|
Restricted Grants-In-Aid |
$135,777.15 |
$123,087.34 |
-$12,689.81 |
-9.35% |
|
Property Tax Allocation |
$312,455.72 |
$395,270.58 |
$82,814.86 |
26.50% |
|
All Other |
$424,336.90 |
$462,462.77 |
$38,125.87 |
8.98% |
|
Advances / Other |
$56,026.96 |
$80,369.45 |
$24,342.49 |
43.45% |
|
TOTAL REVENUE |
$8,740,138.41 |
$9,338,851.09 |
$598,712.68 |
6.85% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
EXPENSES |
FY 2024 |
FY 2025 |
$$ change |
% change |
|
Personnel Services |
$4,187,958.20 |
$4,627,758.84 |
$439,800.64 |
10.50% |
|
Retirement / Insurance |
$2,340,586.43 |
$2,213,449.98 |
-$127,136.45 |
-5.43% |
|
Purchased Services |
$405,900.63 |
$616,010.91 |
$210,110.28 |
51.76% |
|
Supplies / Materials |
$394,058.76 |
$344,543.85 |
-$49,514.91 |
-12.57% |
|
Capital Outlay |
-$20,764.44 |
$0.00 |
$20,764.44 |
-100.00% |
|
Other Objects |
$669,595.94 |
$777,055.19 |
$107,459.25 |
16.05% |
|
Advances / Transfers |
$1,337,074.25 |
$1,332,774.75 |
-$4,299.50 |
-0.32% |
|
TOTAL EXPENSES |
$9,314,409.77 |
$9,911,593.52 |
$597,183.75 |
6.41% |
|
|
||||
|
REVENUES vs. EXPENSES |
-$574,271.36 |
-$572,742.43 |
$1,528.93 |
-0.27% |
General Property Tax – We all know that back in February we all saw an increase in our tax bills. This will help offset losses in some of our federal grant funds tied to COVID. That is important because we have had to keep those staff members on board which is reflected in our expenses. More on that next.
Personnel Services – This is up $439,800 over last year. In the last 4-5 years, we have added four intervention specialist positions to work with our elementary and middle school students with disabilities. On one hand these costs have been added to the salary lines, but they are actually saving us some money by not having to transport them to county units for programming. Our population of students with disabilities has continued to grow in numbers and needs. While not reflected here, we also have additional classroom aides to support teachers and students in small groups or one-on-one.
Up until last year and this one, we have been able to cover some of these costs with funds that came to the district during COVID. We have been talking for months now about the impact it will have on the district budget once those funds end. That has happened.
This reality is not isolated to Eastwood. It is something seen universally in districts across Ohio and is significantly underfunded from the state. In addition, we see challenges in finding appropriate services for some of our kids. Sometimes when we find services, the costs can be nearly $100,000 per year.
One more related item regarding our population of students with disabilities, Wood Lane is now charging districts directly for services. For years, Wood Lane has provided educational services for their student population even though it is not part of their mandate. Students who attend their programs have multiple disabilities and can oftentimes be medically fragile. They have been amazing partners, but like many institutions, their funding simply cannot keep pace with the costs and needs of their students. Therefore, this year we are signing contracts with them and paying for services and paraprofessionals.
All of this is to say, it is getting to be more expensive to educate our students. We do everything we can to find ways to help mitigate total costs while still providing great services for our kids.
Total Expenses – When you combine what we shared with salaries and Purchased Services (most are related to providing services for students with disabilities) it leads to an increase year-over-year.
EASTWOOD HONORS CHOIR
Congratulations to Senior Carys Ruck (Alto 2), Junior Lexi Hoffman (Soprano 2), Junior Taylor Nowakowski (Soprano 2) and Junior Savanah Stevens (Soprano 1) for being selected as part of the 2025 OMEA District I High School Honors Choir!
Also, congratulations to 7th grader Jacob Berry (Tenor), 7th grader Raelynn Haas (Alto), 8th grader Bryce Johnson (Baritone) and 8th grader Max Newman (Tenor) for being selected for the 2025 OMEA District I Junior High Honors Choir!
These students will spend several hours rehearsing at Sylvania Northview High School before performing at the combined honors festival at the Stranahan Theater on Sunday, January 19th.
Well done Eagles!!
WELLNESS COMMITTEE
We will be hosting a Wellness Committee Meeting on January 16th at 6:00 PM in the Bus Garage. Wanted to get this out there for interested residents.
Have a great week everyone!!
11/20/24
Dear Community Members:
Well, we got off to a foggy start today, but I hope all of you are managing! I have several important notes for you today.
FACILITIES UPDATE
Last week, we learned that it is highly unlikely that Eastwood Schools will receive a funding offer from the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission to co-fund new facilities for our MS and HS students in 2025. That means at the earliest we would see an offer in 2026 with the potential for a bond issue coming in November 2026.
OFCC informed us that their projected funds for segmented districts like ours would not be available. They had previously believed that we would have a formal offer in July 2025, which is why we have been working through community and staff visioning meetings to evaluate our options.
Obviously, we have put in a significant amount of work, but it will not be in vain. We will pause now and wait for firmer guidance from OFCC on a funding offer. We can then pick things back up where we left off.
HEATHER HALL HIRED TO BECOME THE DISTRICT ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT
On Monday night, the Board of Education voted to hire current EMIS Coordinator, Heather Hall, as the District Administrative Assistant. She will be resigning from EMIS and starting officially on April 1st.
Heather has been with us for a couple of years now, and her new role will be to work with the Superintendent and Director of Student Services, Curriculum and Preschool. She will be the point person in our office while also working to support our staff who work with students with disabilities.
She has experience in this role in a previous district and will be an asset. She is replacing Laurie Ruch, who will be retiring April 4th.
VACANCY POSTING FOR EMIS COORDINATOR
Below, you will find a vacancy announcement from Mr. Gardner for the EMIS position. This is a critical position for the district, and experience with EMIS is very important.
We have an opening for an EMIS Coordinator. The selected candidate will begin employment in February of 2025.
All applicants should go to our district employment page for details and complete the Classified application. Please submit a resume and your application electronically to Gary Gardner, Director of Human Resources, by Tuesday, December 10 at 6:00 PM.
MAKING SOME CHANGES FOR SB 29 NOTIFICATIONS
Some of you who have MS and HS students may see a few more Senate Bill 29 notifications starting later this week. We have decided to allow staff to use Go Guardian for some additional assessments beyond those in place for College Credit Plus classes. If your child’s teacher decides to use Go Guardian to monitor an assessment – test, quiz, or writing assignment, you will receive a notification that we were monitoring your child while online here at school. We do anticipate that sometime in December that modifications will be made to improve the bill. In the meantime, we will follow our guidance on implementing the law.
AFTER PROM 2ND ANNUAL KALAHARI TICKET SALE
Are you looking for the perfect Christmas gift for that hard to buy for person? Looking for EXPERIENCES instead of all the “stuff?!” Look no further!
The 2025 Eastwood After Prom Committee is excited to bring back the Kalahari Waterpark Ticket fundraiser again this year. Please review the attached flyer for all the details, including important dates, new ticket options, and ways to pay. Please submit your ticket request via the QR code or the ticket order form. Tickets will be distributed prior to Christmas Break, but will NOT be available until the sale has been finalized! Please reach out to Jami Mullholand at jami.mullholand@yahoo.com
That is it for today. Have a great rest of the week!
10/31/24
Dear Community Members:
Happy Halloween!! I hope everyone has a great night tonight!
I want to thank the elementary staff and all the local organizations who came out today for the Trunk or Treat. We had nearly 30 groups there with candy for the kids and a huge Halloween parade in the stadium. It was awesome!
GOOD LUCK!!
This Saturday, Leah Emch will run in the State Cross Country meet in Columbus at 12:45 at Fortress Obetz. She has had an amazing career, and we wish her all the best as she looks to go out in style!
The Girls Soccer Team will play in the Regional Finals at 7:00 PM at Bowling Green HS against Ottawa Glandorf. This was moved from Clyde HS and the time was moved back. Winner heads to the Final Four.
Good Luck Eagles!!
IMPORTANT FACILITIES TASK FORCE MEETING – MONDAY NOVEMBER 4TH
There will be a Facilities Task Force and Special Board meeting next Monday at 7:00PM in the HS Auditorium. We will be looking at a range of options for improving Eastwood facilities for MS and HS students. The Board will be looking for feedback and thoughts as we get closer to a place where some decisions will need to be made.
UPCOMING SCHEDULES
We do not have school tomorrow for a teacher in-service and workday. I would like to take credit for doing this the day after Halloween, but it was just a coincidence. A VERY pleasant coincidence in the eyes of every elementary teacher!
Next week we have Parent-Teacher Conferences Wednesday night, Thursday night and Friday morning. We will follow an Early Release schedule on Wednesday and Thursday. There will be no school next Friday.
KEY CLUB FALL YARD CLEAN-UP
Key Club will be raking leaves for elderly Eastwood residents again this fall. If you fall into this category please call the Eastwood HS office at, 419-833-6411, so we can get in touch with you and arrange for a group to come out and help.
WREATHS ACROSS AMERICA
The Eastwood Wreaths Across America committee will again be sponsoring the wreath campaign at area cemeteries this year. If you are interested in sponsoring wreaths, the sponsorship form is attached to this email or you can go directly to this link: https://www.
Have a great weekend!!
10/18/24
Dear Community Members:
Good Friday Morning! I have several things for you today.
VACANCY POSTING FOR DISTRICT ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT
Laurie Ruch will be retiring effective April 4, 2025. Laurie took over when Glenda O’Brien retired for a second time this summer. She has worked at Eastwood for over 30 years and has been a mainstay in our office. While we look ahead at hiring a new District Administrative Assistant, the loss of Glenda and now Laurie is bittersweet for sure. Laurie has been awesome. All applicants should go to our district employment page for details and complete the Classified application.
FACILITIES TASK FORCE MEETING
There will be a Facilities Task Force meeting on Monday November 4th at 7:00 PM in the High School Auditorium. Everyone is invited to attend.
HELP HEAL ASHEVILLE
Attached is a flyer for hurricane relief for those in Asheville NC. This effort is being organized by Village View Church of Christ in BG. Please consider supporting this cause.
SB 29
Last summer, the General Assembly passed Senate Bill 29 (SB 29), and it becomes effective on October 24th. The purpose was to enhance the Data Privacy Rights for students. It looked to achieve this by making sure that future district contracts with technology providers have certain provisions that are designed to protect student data and prevent that data from being shared with other commercial vendors or for commercial use. Next August, we will be providing parents with a link that will have all of our vendor contracts that involve student data (approximately 45). We will have more on that as the time gets closer.
SB 29 also requires districts to annually notify parents that we do monitor student keystrokes and web browsing history for noncommercial uses for education, student discipline and safety. The annual notification will be sent to district parents on Monday October 21st via Final Forms.
In addition, there may be times where the district will send parent notifications due to monitoring of student data for individual instances where their data was monitored or accessed. Some of these may involve student discipline or concerns for student safety. If your child is in high school and takes dual enrollment classes through BGSU or the University of Findlay, you may get notifications for times when our staff uses general monitoring software for test proctoring and security. There may be other instances where you will be notified through Final Forms as well.
These notifications are being done within the framework of the law that was passed.
That’s it for today. Have a great weekend!
10/12/24
Dear Community Members:
Good Saturday Morning!!
First off, we want to wish the MS and HS Cross Country teams Good Luck as they compete in the NBC Championships today at Oak Harbor. Their course is behind the HS and the Varsity teams run at 9:30 and 10:40.
ERIC RUTHERFORD TO JOIN THE BOARD OF EDUCATION
On Monday, Eric Rutherford will join the Eastwood Board of Education filling the open vacancy. Eric is a 2008 graduate of Eastwood HS and joined the district as a teacher after completing his degree at Baldwin Wallace in three years. He taught 8th grade science and Marine Biology for College Credit and coached football, girls basketball and I believe some track as well. He will bring the knowledge of being an educator, strong intellect, and the perspective of being a young parent in the district. He will serve the remainder of the term and be up for election next November.
2-HOUR DELAY – TUESDAY OCTOBER 15TH
Just a quick reminder that we will be on a 2-hour delay for professional development on Tuesday October 15th. We have so much going on, that we could really use more time. However, we will be off on Friday November 1st for a Teacher Workday/Inservice Day.
Will have more to share with you next week.
UNITY DAY REMINDER
Earlier this week, I sent you a note regarding Unity Day this Wednesday, October 16th. This effort is being led by the FOR (Friends of Rachel) group at the middle school. Please wear orange to state emphatically that we support a culture of kindness, acceptance and inclusion and stand up to stop bullying. This event was created by the National Bullying Prevention Center.
SEPTEMBER FINANCIAL REPORT
There are a couple of things we want to continue to highlight for you as some will impact this year’s budget all through the year. I have them highlighted.
|
Eastwood Schools Financials |
Saturday, October 12, 2024 |
|||
|
REVENUE |
FY 2024 |
FY 2025 |
$$ change |
% change |
|
General Property Tax |
$3,370,883.16 |
$3,899,504.37 |
$528,621.21 |
15.68% |
|
Tangible Personal Property Tax |
$0.00 |
$0.00 |
$0.00 |
0.00% |
|
Income Tax |
$873,956.21 |
$935,449.29 |
$61,493.08 |
7.04% |
|
Unrestricted Grants-In-Aid |
$1,701,341.19 |
$1,697,586.86 |
-$3,754.33 |
-0.22% |
|
Restricted Grants-In-Aid |
$69,684.81 |
$75,593.26 |
$5,908.45 |
8.48% |
|
Property Tax Allocation |
$312,455.72 |
$388,248.27 |
$75,792.55 |
24.26% |
|
All Other |
$315,857.19 |
$299,164.12 |
-$16,693.07 |
-5.29% |
|
Advances / Other |
$56,026.96 |
$80,064.45 |
$24,037.49 |
42.90% |
|
TOTAL REVENUE |
$6,700,205.24 |
$7,375,610.62 |
$675,405.38 |
10.08% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
EXPENSES |
FY 2024 |
FY 2025 |
$$ change |
% change |
|
Personnel Services |
$2,487,020.52 |
$2,761,949.06 |
$274,928.54 |
11.05% |
|
Retirement / Insurance |
$1,230,207.73 |
$1,319,107.15 |
$88,899.42 |
7.23% |
|
Purchased Services |
$216,239.28 |
$351,198.74 |
$134,959.46 |
62.41% |
|
Supplies / Materials |
$262,136.91 |
$209,483.43 |
-$52,653.48 |
-20.09% |
|
Capital Outlay |
-$20,764.44 |
$0.00 |
$20,764.44 |
-100.00% |
|
Other Objects |
$409,838.34 |
$486,060.66 |
$76,222.32 |
18.60% |
|
Advances / Transfers |
$1,335,074.25 |
$1,332,774.75 |
-$2,299.50 |
-0.17% |
|
TOTAL EXPENSES |
$5,919,752.59 |
$6,460,573.79 |
$540,821.20 |
9.14% |
|
|
||||
|
REVENUES vs. EXPENSES |
$780,452.65 |
$915,036.83 |
$134,584.18 |
17.24% |
General Property Taxes – Obviously, we know that this increase is due to the reappraisal from earlier this calendar year. We also know that with the settlement of the NEXUS appeal, we will see a one-time payment later this fall or early next year. I will be recommending that this money be set aside for facilities improvements, regardless of whatever direction the Board decides to go after evaluating the options.
Income Taxes – If you remember last year, we were actually down in FY 2024 as compared to FY 23. During COVID we were down $9,000 in FY 2021 as compared to FY 2020, but that is the only other time I can recall being down year over year and that was nearly flat. This year we are up 7% over last year, but will need more time to see how this progresses.
Personnel Services – We are up this year as compared to last. We have shared that this year will see a bump as we have employees that had been coded to federal grants that will now come back on the district’s books. Most of these positions support our students with disabilities, and we would be significantly lost without them.
Purchased Services – Half of this increase is completely a timing issue. This year we paid our Property, Fleet and Liability coverage in July 2024 (Fiscal Year 2025). Last year’s number was artificially lower because we paid it in June 2023 (Fiscal Year 2023). We are seeing the same things you are in that even with our large combined pool of districts, we are still seeing an increase in insurance rates.
That is it for this Saturday. Have a great weekend!