May 4, 2013

I recently had a highly intriguing conversation with a resident. He said he doesn’t want his taxes to go up; however, he also doesn’t want the Cloverleaf levy amounts to continue to rise like Little Miami Schools, another district in Fiscal Emergency. Little Miami failed in a long series of levy attempts until its community passed a 13.95-mill levy. 

The resident I spoke with made the observation that he wishes he could have “locked-in” his levy rate when Cloverleaf was on the ballot for 5.9 mills in 2011, 6.9 mills in 2012, and now 7.9 mills in 2013. His rationale is that with the $6.6 million in cuts the district already has made, he knows Cloverleaf cannot cut its way out of this crisis.  He also understands the state Fiscal Oversight Commission likely will determine that our future levy rates will continue to rise — just like they did in Little Miami.

Fact is, when I talk about the reality of increasing millage rates, I open myself up to criticism for making threats about future levies.  But, as Winston Churchill said: “Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”  My hope and desire is that we can put an end to the state overseeing our district finances and not become the next Little Miami.

Please exercise your right to vote in this Tuesday’s election.  The need is urgent!

Until next time … Go Colts!

April 27, 2013

Since January, the most-asked question I have received is: “Will high school busing be brought back if the levy passes?”

I understand that the high school busing cut this past January has negatively impacted many of our Cloverleaf families. With 119 square miles, our school district’s large geographical area makes this cut especially difficult. Although the traffic congestion in the mornings and afternoons has subsided a great deal since January, the desire of our parents to bring back high school busing was not overlooked by the Board of Education when it determined that passage of the May 7 levy will result in high school busing being reinstated in the 2013-14 school year.

The other question I am often asked is: “What (else) will be brought back with passage of the levy?”

The answer is that our buildings will be re-opened for use by the public, the planned all-day-every-other-day kindergarten model will revert back to the current half-day-every-day model, and police/sheriff deputies will be assigned to all three buildings for added security.

With a 0 percent increase to Cloverleaf projected in the governor’s latest budget, relief will not be coming to our district from the State of Ohio. The need is urgent!

Until next time … Go Colts!

This year, the team has qualified for four national-level academic tournaments in Washington D.C.; Chicago; College Park, Maryland; and Atlanta.  The future is bright for this young team, which returned only two letter-winners from last season’s highly successful team.

Congratulations to the 2012-13 team and its coach, Cloverleaf teacher Cameron Flint, who has worked so hard to build a great Academic Challenge program. Thank you all for bringing so much pride to Cloverleaf High!

Until next time, Go Colts!

Until next time … Go Colts!

Feb. 9, 2013

Recently, Ohio made its first disbursement of funds to school districts from state casino tax revenue.

The money is distributed to schools twice a year based on the number of students in each district. Cloverleaf’s share was $57,773, which goes into our general operating fund.

To put it into perspective, this revenue represents just 5.5 percent of the nearly $1.1 million the state has cut from Cloverleaf’s annual funding since 2009. We are grateful for the casino money, but it’s a fraction of the overall reduction in state support. The cumulative impact of that lost funding is one major reason we have cut $6.6 million from our budget over the past five years.

School funding has been and will continue to be a highly debated topic in Ohio. As the governor has recently announced his new funding plan, I will reserve judgment until I see how any new funding model will specifically affect Cloverleaf Local Schools. I look forward to sharing more about this topic in the upcoming weeks as we learn more from Columbus.

Until next time … Go Colts!

Jan. 19, 2013

Now that the school auctions are complete, I thought I would take time to answer the most “Frequently Asked Questions” I received regarding the auctions.

Who bought the Seville and Lodi buildings and what do the purchasers intend to do with them?  The Seville building was purchased by an investor in Columbus and the Lodi building was purchased by an investor in New York.  As of the writing of this column, neither has made any official announcement as to what they desire to do with the buildings.

Why was the Westfield Elementary building not offered at public auction?  When the district was consolidated to create one Cloverleaf, five townships/villages donated a school to the new Cloverleaf Local School District.  The board felt it only right to offer the buildings back to their respective townships/villages prior to auctioning the buildings.  The Village of Westfield Center decided to take the board up on its offer (as did Chatham Township previously).  We are in the contract phase to complete the $1 transaction of the building.

Why doesn’t the district use proceeds from the sale of the buildings and contents to bring back busing?  We are not permitted to use revenue from the sale of buildings and contents for district operations.  Rather, we are only permitted to use the revenue for permanent improvements, which are capital items with a life expectancy of five years or more.  Examples include books, technology hardware, buses and equipment.  To summarize, we are permitted to buy a bus with the proceeds, but we cannot pay for a driver.

I saw some rolls of paper sold at one of the auctions.  Why didn’t Cloverleaf use them?  That seems wasteful.  Unfortunately, after having cut 71 positions in the last five years, we have created inefficiencies in the process.  As much as I would have desired to send a crew of custodians to each of the buildings to cover every square inch, we didn’t have the resources to do that.  Instead, I asked the principals to prioritize those items we could use or were of better quality than something we currently had in inventory so they could be swapped prior to the auction.  That was accomplished.  The return on investment of sending people to those buildings over a length of time paying overtime wages would not have been financially beneficial.  The unfortunate reality is negative public perception on those few items that could have been kept.  In the end, my hope is people will understand we did the best we could within the limited resources we had. 

Thank you to everyone who attended the open houses.  It was great to see so many people take one last nostalgic walk through their elementary schools.

Until next time … Go Colts!

Jan. 12, 2013

“Since the school district is now transporting middle school students only, how is money being saved if buses still have to drive all the morning routes?”

I have been asked this question several times this week -- our first week since cutting high school busing.  To answer the question, consider the following scenario for illustration purposes.

Let’s say a bus has 50 students – 25 middle school students and 25 high school students. Once high school transportation is cut, there are only 25 middle school students left on the bus.  If the district drove the exact same route with only 25 middle school students, there would be no money saved. Instead of driving the same route with only 25 middle school students, the route is changed so 25 more middle school students can ride the same bus. 

With 119 square miles in our district, the scenario I used is a highly simplified version of what we did to consolidate the routes.  In actuality, other variables such as distance from the school and location of middle school students are considered.  In the end, without high school transportation, we have nine fewer routes being driven on the former high school/middle school schedule.  That is how we are saving money on transportation expenses.

The unfortunate result of this change is the extra burden it has created on our high school parents and students.  I know the transition has been difficult and burdensome.  Thank you for your patience as we continue to deal with the traffic congestion at the high school in the morning and afternoon.

Until next time … Go Colts!

Every year around this time, I am asked (mostly by students) how a snow day is determined. The potential impact the decision has on student safety, childcare arrangements, parent work schedules, etc., is not taken lightly. Therefore, we use all the information available to us to make the best decision we can. Even trained meteorologists aren’t always accurate with weather predictions; however, we use their information and more to determine whether to call a snow day.

When snow is forecasted, our transportation supervisor begins traveling the roads at 3:45 a.m. to assess road conditions. At 4 a.m., I begin monitoring local radar as well as updated forecasts. At 5 a.m., I receive a status report from our transportation supervisor. If conditions warrant, I drive district roads at this time as well. I also communicate with other county superintendents about the status of snowfall in neighboring districts.

By 5:45 a.m. a decision is made to have school, delay, or close school. If the decision is made to delay or close, students/parents receive an automated phone call and the local broadcast media is immediately informed. The information is also posted immediately on our district Web site. Unfortunately, the weather doesn’t always cooperate with our time schedule, which can cause delays in our communications.

With 119 square miles in our district, we do the best we can with the information we have available. Again, it is not a decision taken lightly. The worst part of determining a snow day is that no matter the decision made, it will be upsetting to some. That’s part of the job I don’t look forward to, but have come to accept.

Until next time … Go Colts!

Dec. 8, 2012

As promised in my last Post article, we have final details on scheduled “open houses” of our three elementary schools in Westfield Center, Seville and Lodi:

 Westfield Elementary -- Dec. 14 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
 Seville Elementary -- Jan. 4 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
 Lodi Elementary -- Jan. 11 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

We hope you will take the opportunity to take one last nostalgic walk through the interior of these elementary schools.  Please spread the word to the generations of children and adults who attended school in these buildings for the last 100-plus school years.  We look forward to seeing you there!

Until next time … Go Colts!

We realize these buildings are more than just bricks and mortar. They serve as memories to generations of students who have been educated inside their walls. Understanding the special sentimental value of these buildings, we are working on a schedule of open houses so any interested community members can take one more nostalgic look at the buildings before they are auctioned. Stay tuned for details.

Until next time … Go Colts!

Now that negotiations have concluded, I am delighted to inform you that we have reached an agreement with the Cloverleaf teachers (Cloverleaf Education Association) on a new three-year contract. The contract we entered with the Association gives a 0 percent base salary increase for all three years, a step increase (raise based on experience that was created by the Ohio Legislature) the first year, and limits step increases to 50 percent of the scale in the second and third years of the contract. This deal is saving our district over $330,000 more than it would have saved by “rolling over” the former contract.

I am saddened when I hear people complain about “greedy” teachers in Ohio.  The Cloverleaf teachers took a major insurance concession last year ($400,000) and have helped the bottom line of the Cloverleaf budget in the last two contracts by going far beyond comparable school districts in salary concessions in order to help our district during a time of fiscal emergency. I’m hoping our entire district will take a major step to ending fiscal emergency this Tuesday on Election Day.  Our kids can’t wait! 

Until next time … Go Colts!

Oct. 27, 2012

Recently, some residents have questioned why we made improvements to the baseball field in a time of financial crisis. Believe it or not, we actually are saving money by making these improvements. Let me explain …

For some background, you probably have noticed the large pile of dirt in the front of the new elementary school. The reason for that dirt is one of the design changes we implemented early in the elementary construction project. We switched from a light-duty asphalt to a heavy-duty asphalt in the “bus loop” entrances off Friendsville Road. As part of the extra digging required for a heavy-duty surface, we ended up with 16,000 cubic yards of extra dirt. To move all that dirt off site and finish grading the front field was going to cost the district more than $200,000. 

One of our contractors was willing to give the district a significant discount to move the dirt if we kept it on our Cloverleaf campus. Thus, without spending a dollar of operating funds, we were able to properly grade our baseball field, plant grass and sod the infield, construct new dugouts, replace rusted fencing, move the remaining dirt throughout the campus and finish grading the front field of the elementary school for $146,000. That is more than $50,000 less than just moving the dirt off the campus — something we would have had to do anyway.

Until next time … Go Colts!

• After its Fiscal Emergency designation, Little Miami placed a 5.95-mill operating levy on the ballot, which failed.  Prior to our Fiscal Emergency designation, we at Cloverleaf placed a 5.9-mill levy on the ballot, which failed last November.
• 
  Little Miami borrowed money from the state fiscal solvency fund to pay its bills.  Cloverleaf borrowed $678,000 last year from the state fiscal solvency fund to pay our bills.
• 
  To reimburse the state for the money it borrowed, Little Miami was forced to raise its levy millage after failing its initial 5.95-mill levy. Cloverleaf was forced to raise its millage from 5.9 mills last year to 6.9 mills this year for the same reason.
  
• Little Miami failed nine consecutive levies while in Fiscal Emergency.  As Little Miami continued to borrow money, the state made the district steadily increase the levy millage.  In November 2011, the Little Miami School District finally passed its levy at 13.95 mills!  Cloverleaf is on the ballot this November for 6.9 mills …

My hope is the comparisons with Little Miami will end this November. It’s time to stop Fiscal Emergency as well as this ever-increasing millage cycle.  Our kids can’t wait!

Until next time … Go Colts!

Ten years ago, the answer to that question was 54 percent. In other words, our state funding was 54 percent of the average per-student cost of a Cloverleaf education in 2002.

Many are surprised to hear that in 2012, the state pays only 32 percent of the per-student cost of a Cloverleaf education. 

Since the first DeRolph school funding decision 15 years ago, I have read multiple editorials and heard from numerous Medina County residents that the state needs to do something about school funding. The reality is in those 15 years, nothing significant has been done.

As for a future Ohio school funding model, we are told something will be forthcoming in the next year. Faced with a school district in Fiscal Emergency, Cloverleaf kids cannot wait for the state.

Until next time … Go Colts!

Sept. 29, 2012

Nov. 6 is a critical date in Cloverleaf School history. It is the day when the taxpayers of ourcommunity will ultimately determine the fate of our school district. After $6.1 million in budget cuts the last fiveyears, several elementary school classes now with more than 30 students, andfamilies leaving our district for fear of the future, we can’t cut our way outof this crisis.

One way to show your support for Cloverleaf is by displayinga yard sign. On Saturday, Oct. 6, theCloverleaf Pride Committee is hosting a “yard sign pick-up day” at CloverleafElementary School from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Cloverleaf Elementary School islocated at 8337 Friendsville Road.

If you are unable to pick up a sign on that day but stilldesire a yard sign, please contact the Cloverleaf Pride Committee at clsdlevy@gmail.comor 330-732-LEVY and one will be placed in your yard.

Thank you in advance for your support of our schools. Ourkids can’t wait.

Until next time … Go Colts!

Sept. 22, 2012

Jan. 13, 2012, is a day in Cloverleaf history that will live fondly in my heart forever.

I thought that day was going to be memorable because of the significance of moving three school buildings into the new Cloverleaf Elementary School. What actually made the day memorable was not that all the boxes and equipment ended up in the new building -- it was the people who made it happen!

On the only day of the entire year in which a snow day would have been called had school been in session, I witnessed young and old gather to do something unprecedented -- all for the love of kids!  During the most miserable weather conditions of the winter, our Cloverleaf family worked together to make education better for the children of our school district.

The same opportunity to make education better for the children of Cloverleaf is presenting itself right now. You have already heard Cloverleaf is on the ballot for a 6.9-mill operating levy this November. The Cloverleaf Pride Committee is working diligently to educate our community about the need for this levy to end the cycle of cuts in Cloverleaf Schools.

Like the move to the new elementary school, the Cloverleaf levy needs a workforce dedicated to the children of Cloverleaf.  Cloverleaf levy chairman John Gladden is calling for 300-500 volunteers needed to help protect education at Cloverleaf. There will be an informational meeting for levy volunteers at 7 p.m., Sept. 26, in the Cloverleaf High School cafeteria.

Please consider volunteering your time in one of many ways available for the campaign.  Contact the Cloverleaf Pride Committee at clsdlevy@gmail.com or 330-732-LEVY to get signed up.   

Until next time … Go Colts!

You may have heard we recently entered into an agreement with Medina City Schools to share their treasurer. With approximately 10,500 students between the two districts, the Ohio Association of School Business Officials informs us our agreement with Medina is the largest of its kind in the state.

Yes, this agreement saves our district money immediately. In fact, when the salary, health care benefits and retirement of our previous treasurer are calculated, we are saving more than $50,000 just this year! This agreement, however, is about more than simply sharing a treasurer.

Once our new treasurer, Jim Hudson, has time to analyze and understand all the inner workings of our Cloverleaf operation, it will be our expectation that he take a comparative look at the operations of both the Cloverleaf and Medina school districts and determine areas in which we can save additional money. At that point, we will research additional shared service opportunities so we can maximize savings for our district.

With more than $6.1 million in cuts and cost savings measures in the last five years, we are doing all we can to trim costs while maintaining excellence in the classroom.

Until next time … Go Colts!

Sept. 1, 2012

Are you at least 62 years old?  Do you enjoy athletic contests, musical or drama productions?  If you answered “yes” to both of these questions, we have a special offer just for you.  To show our appreciation to our district senior citizens, we offer the V.I.P. Senior Citizen Colt Card free of charge.  This card entitles you to attend all regular-season home athletic events, dramatic and musical events presented by Cloverleaf Schools free of charge. 

To obtain a card, simply stop by any home sporting event ticket window or stop by our Community Information office (located in Cloverleaf High School).  We want our senior citizens to be able to see and enjoy our talented student athletes, musicians and thespians.  This V.I.P. Card is but a small token of our appreciation.

Another way we like to connect with our seniors is through our Coffee with the Superintendent gatherings. Please join us in the Rec Center lobby for a cup of coffee and an informal Q&A discussion about current news and events in Cloverleaf Schools. It's free!
 
Upcoming Coffee with the Superintendent dates are: Oct. 17, Dec. 19, March 20 and May 15. Time is 11:15 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. All Cloverleaf citizens are welcome -- no matter your age!

Until next time … Go Colts!

Aug. 25, 2012

It is my pleasure to welcome our students, staff, parents and community to the 2012-13 school year at Cloverleaf Local Schools!

It is my privilege to inform you student achievement continues to rise at Cloverleaf.  Two years ago, we had the highest achievement levels in the history of our school district.  Initial data provided by the state indicates we performed to even higher levels this last school year — a new “high water” mark in student achievement.  I look forward to sharing the final rating and other news about our student success when the data from the Ohio Department of Education is officially released later this month.

Like every year, 2012-13 promises to be another busy one at Cloverleaf.  With our first full year at the new elementary school building, the challenges of fiscal emergency,  as well as the November ballot issue, there is a great deal of information we desire for you as our residents to know about our school district.  I look forward to using this column and other media venues to communicate about much of the great work happening in our schools. 

Welcome to the 2012-13 school year.  It is a great day to be a Colt!

Until next time … Go Colts!

May 26, 2012

Dear Cloverleaf Class of 2012,

Have you ever noticed in a person’s obituary it never mentions how new their car was, how big their house was, or how much money they made? In the end, it is people and the relationships you develop with them that matter most.

Commencement is a time to look forward to a “new beginning” as you are commencing your life after Cloverleaf. I think it is also a time for reflection as you consider all the people who have mattered to you most during your 13-year educational journey to a high school diploma. I hope you take a second this weekend to say a simple “thank you” to a parent, friend, teacher or neighbor who may have helped you through a problem, offered an encouraging word, or just showed in some small way they cared about you.

Cloverleaf has given you the background to pursue whatever it is you desire in your life. Now, what you decide to do with it is entirely up to you, so choose well. Remember that no matter what you decide, you will always be a Cloverleaf Colt. Congratulations to you. I look forward to seeing you at your commencement ceremony tomorrow!

Until next time … Go Colts!

May 8, 2012 

I know Cloverleaf’s Fiscal Emergency status weighs heavily on the hearts and minds of everyone in our district. We have received inquiries from many concerned parents about what this process is going to mean for student opportunities in Cloverleaf Schools.

In state receivership, the ultimate fiscal decision-making authority for our schools is relegated to the state through the assigned five-member Fiscal Oversight Commission. There are several milestone dates that may answer some questions regarding timelines:

• April 23 and 26: The Cloverleaf Board of Education met to discuss a “menu” of potential cuts. The Board was directed to derive cuts to stop deficit spending in two years. These are cuts in addition to the combined $5 million in cuts over the last four years.
• May 1: The Fiscal Oversight Commission met to discuss a rough draft of a fiscal recovery plan it is responsible to submit to the state. In this plan, cuts and future revenue sources (levy) are defined. The Cloverleaf Board of Education submitted a plan which cuts $800,000 next school year. The commission has directed the Cloverleaf Board to cut an additional $200,000 to $300,000.
• May 15: The Cloverleaf Board of Education meets to discuss additional cuts for next year.
• May 21: The Cloverleaf Board of Education passes a resolution recommending the final plan to the Fiscal Oversight Commission. This is a Fiscal Emergency procedure as directed by the state.
• May 24: The Fiscal Oversight Commission votes to accept the final draft of Cloverleaf’s fiscal recovery plan.
• June 6: Deadline for submission of the fiscal recovery plan to the state for approval by the Fiscal Oversight Commission.

I will let you know more about the plan in this column and other media outlets. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we continue through the Fiscal Emergency process.

Until next time … Go Colts!

April 14, 2012

Do you know of a Cloverleaf employee who has made a significant impact on your child? Do you know a community member who has volunteered tirelessly for Cloverleaf Schools for no other reason than his/her love of the district?

If you have answered “yes” to either of these questions, you may want to consider nominating this person for the Cloverleaf Pride Award.

The Cloverleaf Pride Award was established to recognize individuals who have provided exemplary service to the Cloverleaf Local School District. The award acknowledges the service of both a community member and a Cloverleaf employee each year based on the following criteria:

• Number of years of service
• Type of service
• Academic involvement
• Extracurricular involvement
• Specific incidents that make a candidate worthy of the award

A committee comprised of a cross-section of Cloverleaf employees and community members will be assembled to review the nominations to determine a community and employee winner of the award.

 If you would like to nominate someone for the Cloverleaf Pride Award, log on to our website at http://www.cloverleaflocal.org/ for more information. The nomination deadline is April 24.

Until next time … Go Colts!

March 19, 2012

I hope you had an opportunity to watch the WEWS-TV 5 Academic Challenge show this past St. Patrick’s Day. If you did, you likely felt the same Cloverleaf pride I felt watching our students win the televised match against two other school districts. What you may not know is our Academic Challenge team takes part in similar competitions throughout the school year. The 2011-12 team is one of the most successful ever.

Aside from winning the WEWS Academic Challenge television show, the team also won the ONN Brain Game television program earlier this year.Cloverleaf is grateful to Westfield Insurance, which sponsors both high school quiz shows.

The team earned both the Summit County and Medina County Academic Challenge league championships as well — a feat accomplished for the first time in the history of our school district.

In addition, Cloverleaf competed in the Ohio History Bowl this year, which is the state qualifier for the National History Bowl. The team not only placed in the top division, but sophomore Brian Easterling and senior Sarah Winnicki each qualified for the individual National History Bee in Mount Vernon, Virginia. Sarah was among the top 10 in the state and Brian was the only sophomore in Ohio to qualify for the varsity division!

As in sports and music, there is always a great coach behind every great team. A special thank-you goes to Cloverleaf’s own Cameron Flint for his years of hard work and dedication to developing a world-class Academic Challenge program. Congratulations to Mr. Flint and the entire team for qualifying for the National Academic Challenge tournament in Washington D.C. this June.

Until next time … Go Colts!

Feb. 27, 2012

 
Because of our Fiscal Emergency status, there have been multiple rumors about the potential that Cloverleaf would eliminate all sports for the 2012-13 school year. As superintendent, I will not advocate for the elimination of the athletic program.

Aside from the obvious educational benefits of athletics, there is a huge financial loss to the school district for every student who leaves a district through open-enrollment to attend another public school because athletic opportunities are not available. Again, I will not advocate for the elimination of the athletic program.

Can the state Fiscal Commission – which is now overseeing Cloverleaf’s finances -- make us eliminate all sports? Technically, yes. However, I was informed by an Ohio Department of Education representative that of the 39 school districts that have been in Fiscal Emergency, none were forced to eliminate all sports. I could only speculate that once such a decision is researched, it is determined to be bad for students and bad for the budget. Why then, would a district do it?

Until next time … Go Colts!

Normally, straight wings would cost less money.  That is exactly why I asked that the original design include straight wings.  During this design phase, I learned there is a 36-inch high-pressure gas line that cuts diagonally across the property.  I was advised the gas line is not a safety concern for a school property, but did have implications for construction.

Although asphalt can be laid over the gas line and cars/buses can drive over the line, we were not permitted to construct the building over it in case any service ever needed to be performed on the line.  With the planned straight wings, we would have had to build one wing directly over the gas line.  I asked about moving the gas line and was told it would likely cost more than $1 million to do so.  Since spending that large amount of money could be avoided by tilting the wings, that is what we did.  Therefore, we actually saved money by tilting the wings outwardly.

Thank you to those of you who have shared your questions regarding the new building.  As I hope you can understand after my columns these last three weeks, every detail of this building was carefully planned to ensure we received the most benefit for our sales tax dollars. 

Until next time … Go Colts!

Feb. 6, 2012

Last week, I started a three-part series on the most common myths associated with the new elementary school. This week’s Myth No. 2: “School districts all over the state are constructing buildings they can’t afford to operate. Cloverleaf has now joined that crowd.”

Though it is no secret we are facing tough financial times in our school district, it is not because of the new elementary school. Since this building was constructed with sales tax dollars, not operations dollars, we are actually saving operations money because of the increased efficiencies of the new building!

Here are three of those efficiencies:

• This building was designed for LEED accreditation (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). Despite the fact the new building is air conditioned and the previous three elementary schools were not, LEED buildings are constructed to save as much as $100,000 per year on energy bills.
• We now have one less bus route with the new school. That saves money on bus wear, fuel and driver compensation.
• We will be achieving multiple efficiencies due to the “economy of scale” of combining grades PK-5 in one building. With three elementary schools, we used three gymnasiums for physical education, three art rooms, three music rooms, three cafeterias and three offices. With the new building we are running two physical education schedules in one gym (the gym divides in half), two art rooms, two music rooms, one cafeteria and one office. The net result is we have saved many thousands of dollars in operational and staffing expenses by combining into one building.

 I’m sure there are yet undiscovered ways of increasing our efficiency because of our new campus setting. To have a state-of-the-art building and save operations money is a double blessing to this school district. 

Until next time … Go Colts!

Jan. 31, 2012

One week ago, we held the “grand opening” ceremony for our new elementary school. With 600 people in attendance, it was an historic day in our district that no one who was there will soon forget.

Having had the privilege of being part of the new elementary school project since its earliest stages, I have had the opportunity to address numerous people about the new building. Understanding I don’t have a venue to address everyone about the building, I thought I would use this column as a forum for the next three weeks to address the three most prevalent “myths” that have been brought to my attention since the construction began.

Myth No. 1: The district used operating funds for this building, which has led to a declaration of “fiscal emergency” by the state.

I’m sure this myth is perpetuated by the fact the state auditor declared fiscal emergency the same week as our grand opening. No operations money was used for the construction of our elementary school! The new school is being funded by the Medina County 0.5 percent sales tax. Will we be using operations money to run the school, maintain and clean it? Absolutely. In fact, that will be the topic of next week’s column. 

Every time anybody shops in Medina County, whether a resident or not, he/she is helping to fund our new elementary school. I am grateful to work in the only county in the state in which this is possible. I look forward to sharing more information about our elementary school project in the next two weeks.

Until then, Go Colts!

Jan. 10, 2012

By the time you read this column, we will have already made our move to the new Cloverleaf Elementary School. I am overwhelmed by the support we have received from our community for the move. With more than 300 people helping us, the move is most definitely a celebration of our Cloverleaf community coming together and uniting all 10 communities it represents. It is a proud day for our school district and, more importantly, for the children of Cloverleaf.

Once again, I invite you to come to the new school and join the celebration by attending our Grand Opening Ceremony on Jan. 28 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. It will be yet another historic day for our district. It’s a great day to be a Colt!

Until next time, Go Colts!

Dec. 10, 2011

Do you or someone you know have a desire to help our school district with your time and talents? Do you desire to be part of Cloverleaf history? If so, we have a great opportunity for you. As you know, we will be transitioning from three elementary schools to one this January. To help save money and promote community pride in our schools, we are inviting you to help us move.

In order to accomplish this large task, we need teams of volunteers at our current three elementary schools as well as the new school. We will have moving trucks at all schools which will provide a continuous flow of boxes to the new school.

Our official move day is Jan. 13. Students in grades PK-12 do not have school that day. We plan to move from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. If you can’t help us the whole day, we certainly welcome you for any part of the day. If you would like to take part, please contact our community information coordinator at John.Gladden@CloverleafLocal.org or call 330-721-3521 to reserve yourself, your family or your organization. I look forward to seeing you and working with you on this historic day in Cloverleaf Local Schools.

Until next time, Go Colts!

As winter weather sets in, I am often asked how a snow day is determined. The potential impact the decision has on student safety, childcare arrangements, parent work schedules, etc., is not taken lightly. Therefore, we use all the information available to us to make the best decision we can. Even trained meteorologists aren’t always accurate with weather predictions; however, we use their information and more to determine whether to call a snow day.

When snow is in the forecast, our transportation supervisor begins traveling the roads at 3:45 a.m. to assess conditions. At 4 a.m., I begin monitoring local radar as well as updated forecasts. At 5 a.m., I receive a status report from our transportation supervisor. If conditions warrant, I drive district roads at this time as well. I also communicate with other county superintendents about the status of snowfall in neighboring districts.

By 5:45 a.m., a decision is made to have school, delay school, or close school. If the decision is made to delay or close, students/parents will receive an AlertNow automated phone call and the local broadcast media are informed immediately. The information also is posted immediately on our district Web site. Unfortunately, the weather doesn’t always cooperate with our time schedule, which can cause delays in communication.

The end result is that with 119 square miles in our district, we do the best we can with the information we have available. Again, it is not a decision taken lightly. Our first concern is always the safety of Cloverleaf students. The worst part of determining a snow day is that no matter the decision made, it will be upsetting to some. That’s part of the job I don’t look forward to, but have come to accept.

Until next time … Go Colts!

Nov. 19, 2011

The Ohio Department of Education recently has released student testing data that compares all districts in the state. The method used for comparison is the Performance Index score. The Performance Index is a snapshot of our combined student performance on state tests (Ohio Achievement and Graduation Tests). The scoring range is 40-120.

Cloverleaf’s district score for the 2010-11 school year is 100.1. I thought you may find it interesting to see the progress we have made:

History of the Cloverleaf Performance Index:

2010-11 100.1

2009-10 99.7

2008-09 98.3

2007-08 98.3

2006-07 98.6

2005-06 98.6

2004-05 98.6

2003-04 95.7

2002-03 93.2

Our 2010-11 Performance Index score places Cloverleaf 261^stof 612 school districts in the state. Despite the financial challenges we face, we are going to do our very best to build on our successes and increase our state rank in the coming years.

Until next time … Go Colts!