Superintendent Community Updates
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!