IN THIS ISSUE

Financial Update .... 2

Massillon Places Renewal Levy on November Ballot ..... 3

Welcome to the Team! ...................... 4

Connect with us! .... 5

Testing Update ....... 5

ACTE Scholarship Winner ..................... 5

Student Summer Trip to Costa Rica ...........6

How Can Using Legos in Schools Increase Students’ Stem Success? ....................7

Fall Sport Schedules 2015/2016 .............. 8

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MASSILLON CITY SCHOOLSProud Past. Hopeful Future.

SEPTEMBER 2015Volume 5, Issue 1

930 17th St. NE Massillon, OH 44646 330.830.3900

www.massillonschools.org

We are off to a great start this 2015-2016 school year with new and exciting changes. This year,

we began offering no-cost breakfast and lunches to all students in the school district. This comes as a result of receiving assistance from a feder-al program called Community Eligibility Provision (CEP). The program will be in place for four years and has already proven to be beneficial for our school system. So far, we have seen a 13.5 per-cent increase in lunches served and an astound-ing 42.5 percent increase in breakfasts served. As we look to transportation, we have implemented a four-tier bussing system that has allowed us to cut trans-portation costs while maintaining efficiency. While the new system is still a work in progress, we look forward to seeing the positive impacts it will have long-term.

Superintendent’s Message

The Massillon City Schools are heading in a positive di-rection, and in order to keep this momentum, we must main-tain the current funding. In order to stay out of debt, the Massillon City Schools will need to pass the upcoming renewal levy on the ballot in November. We want to remind everyone that this is not a new tax. The original levy was passed in 1996 and has been renewed every five years since that time. Passing this renewal levy will keep the Massillon City Schools out of debt, according to the five year forecast. It will also allow the district to maintain its current operations and programs. I would like to thank the Massillon Community for its continued support for the Massillon City School District. We look forward to a bright future for our district!

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REVENUE

ACTUAL

General Property Tax (Real Estate)

Income Tax

Unrestricted Grants-in-Aid

Restricted Grants-in-Aid

Property Tax Allocation

All Other Revenues

TOTAL REVENUES

$13,195,846

$ 35,760

$20,162,831

$ 475,512

$ 2,694,211

$ 2,075,235

$ 38,639,396

$14,535,555

$ 26,017

$ 20,272,504

$ 1,570,628

$ 2,989,337

$ 1,915,600

$ 41,309,640

$ 14,890,602

$ 24,043

$ 22,763,659

$ 1,884,823

$ 3,006,024

$ 2,233,573

$ 44,802,724

$ 14,879,674

$ 13,666

$ 22,426,855

$ 1,952,671

$ 3,260,232

$ 1,701,106

$ 44,234,205

APPROPRIATED FISCAL YEAR

FISCAL YEAR

FISCAL YEAR

FISCAL YEAR

2016201520142013

OTHER F INANCING SOURCES

EXPENDITURES

OTHER F INANCING USES

Advances-In

All Other Financing Sources

Total Other Financing Sources

TOTAL REVENUES & OTHER FINANCING SOURCES

Personal Services

Employees’ Retirement/Insurance Benefits

Purchased Services

Supplies and Materials

Capital Outlay

Other Objects

TOTAL EXPENDITURES

Operating Transfers-Out

Total Other Financing Uses

TOTAL EXPENDITURES & OTHER FINANCING USES

EXCESS REVENUE OVER EXPENDITURES

$ 101,076

$ 257,439

$ 358,515

$ 38,997,910

$ 21,773,435

$ 8,182,486

$ 6,280,686

$ 736,599

$ 253,528

$ 656,354

$ 37,883,089

$ 4,852

$ 4,852

$ 37,887,941

$ 1,109,970

$ 16,810

$ 611,118

$ 627,928

$ 41,937,568 $

20,652,189

$ 8,322,313

$ 7,149,179

$ 860,846

$ 361,822

$ 626,869

$ 37,973,218

$ 514,372

$ 514,372

$ 38,487,590

$ 3,449,978

$ 3,014

$ 546,358

$ 549,372

$ 45,352,096

$ 20,648,304

$ 8,199,437

$ 7,656,176

$ 975,013

$ 450,763

$ 725,271

$ 38,654,964

$ 375,000

$ 375,000

$ 39,029,964

$ 6,322,131

$ 3,014

$ 456,890

$ 459,904

$ 44,694,109

$ 21,361,540

$ 9,747,208

$ 8,468,690

$ 1,057,970

$ 476,537

$ 743,719

$ 41,855,664

$ 375,000

$ 375,000

$ 42,230,664

$ 2,463,444

FINANCIAL UPDATE

It is hard to believe that I have been here for three years; time

truly flies the older we get. Dur-ing this time the district has seen many changes handed down from the state – Common Core, Test-ing, Third Grade Reading Guar-antee, Report Cards, Evaluations, etc. As with any change, there is always a cost – adding new text-books, Chromebooks, instructional supplies, professional development, staff, etc. Accompany this with ag-ing buildings, increasing costs in utilities, insurance, etc., the bot-tom line can get away from us very quickly if not monitored closely. The Board of Education and Administra-tion at Massillon City School District is committed to being transparent and fiscally accountable with the tax dollars entrusted us by the citizens of Massillon. However, we are also committed to providing the Massil-lon students an education which will prepare them for the future.

Listed to the right is a chart which shows the past three years’ ac-tual figures and this year’s estimated figures.

By: Sandy Moeglin, Treasurer

www.massillonschools.org 3

Massillon Places Renewal Levy On November Ballot

In August, the Massillon City Schools Board of Education

voted to place a 4.6 mill emergency renewal levy on the Nov. 3 ballot, which is not a new tax.

“In 2012, the community passed an emergency levy for new operating dollars. During that time, we promised we would not ask for new money for years to come. The Massillon City School District is intent on keeping that promise,” said Superintendent

Richard Goodright. “However, in or-der to maintain financial stability, it is critical that the district’s upcoming renewal levy is passed.”

The renewal levy generates $2.0 mil-lion annually for the Massillon City Schools. It was first passed in 1996 and has been renewed every five years since that time. According to Massillon’s five-year forecast, pass-ing this renewal will keep the district out of debt and allow it to maintain

current operations and programs.

If the renewal levy would not pass, the district would have to begin looking at areas to cut, such as busing, staff and instituting pay-to-participate fees.

The Massillon City School District is dedicated to fiscal responsibility, long-term planning and transparency. It is continually looking for ways to reduce costs without affecting the excellent education provided to students.

Issue 344.6 Mill Emergency Renewal

NOT A NEW TAX

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WELCOME TO THE TEAM!

The Massillon City School Dis-trict is pleased to welcome

five new hires to our administra-tive and support staff this year! If you see one of them walking by, make sure to stop and say hello.

Olivia Bronczek, Communications Coordinator, will act as a liaison between the

school district and community, while coordinating public relations efforts, including publications, social media and special events. As a graduate of Massillon City Schools, she is looking forward to highlighting the positive things happening within the district.

Dr. Amy B. Hol-lingsworth, Tech-nology Integra-tion Specialist, comes to Mas-sillon from the

University of Akron, where she worked in The Department of Biol-

ogy. As a Google-Certified Educator, Dr. Hollingsworth will help the en-tire school district be “Fully Google” by supervising a one-to-one Chromebook initiative in grades four through 12, while also increas-ing the district’s digital platform and paperless classroom founda-tions. She said she is very excited to work with teachers who want to make a difference in kids’ lives and to help the district leap forward.

Elaine Karp, Stu-dent Services Director, will be in charge of pro-viding services for students with

special needs. Her goals at Mas-sillon are to look at the district as a whole and create professional de-velopment training in areas that will benefit the district. She also plans on looking at how the district provides inclusion services and support for children with special needs and mak-ing improvements where she sees fit.

Rebecca Moore, Special Educa-tion and Parent Involvement Co-ordinator, will ser-

vice students on IEPs, work on de-veloping parent involvement within the school and community, and work with the United Way and Red Cross on different projects throughout the school year. She earned her Master’s in Education in School Counseling from the University of Dayton in 2006 and her Master’s in Educational Lead-ership from the University of Cincin-nati in 2011. Her goal for this coming school year is to work closely with intervention specialists and teach-ers to plan even stronger IEPs, while helping students, their families and the community get excited about the education Massillon provides.

J e v o n n e Smith, Di-rector of Curriculum, will lead the d e v e l o p -ment of the district-wide

curriculum initiatives for pre-K through twelfth grade. Most recently, she served as the administrator/curriculum and instruction specialist at Cleveland Metropolitan School District. She is looking forward to taking on a new challenge, working on developing a curriculum that increases student achievement and prepares students effectively for the new Common Core Standards, collaborating with the staff and administration team and getting to know the needs of the community.

ADVERTISEMENT

MEET MASSILLON’S NEW ADMINISTRATORS

www.massillonschools.org 5

CONNECT WITH US!TESTING

UPDATE

Washington High School Student Shares Success Story at ACTE Conference

Mackenzie Slicker recently spoke to a group of 500 ca-

reer-tech educators during the Ohio ACTE Annual Conference in July. Mackenzie, an exercise sciences/sports medicine student at Wash-ington High School, was one of the

Darrell L. Parks Student Scholarship winners. She told the crowd just how much CTE (and her teacher) impacted her life and prepared her for the future. “My career and technical class has enhanced my intelligence, not only in sports medicine but in every other aspect of academics,” said Slicker. “I’m lucky enough to have a car-ing teacher like Mr. Sifferlin, who has helped me further my educa-tion and put me on the correct path.” Mackenzie received $1,000 for her ACTE scholarship and plans to attend Miami University after high school.

www.massillonschools.org

WEBSITE

TWITTER

@MassillonSchool

FACEBOOK

www.facebook.com/MassillonCitySchools

As we begin the school year, we want to give parents a pre-

view of the types of test students will be taking throughout the year.

MAP assessments test students in math and reading. The test is administered to measure growth over time. Results from MAP as-sessments are used to guide instruction in the classroom.

GRADES K-3—MAP ASSESSMENT (MEASURES OF ACADEMIC PROGRESS)

GRADES 4-10—ACT ASPIRE The ACT Aspire is a test written by the ACT that assesses student readiness in English, math, read-ing, science and writing. The test is taken in order to readily prepare our students for college level tests.

This year, the PARCC test will be replaced by AIR assessments. AIR assessments are state-mandated and catered specifically to Ohio’s educational standards.

GRADES 3-10—AIR ASSESSMENTS (AMERICAN INSTITUTES FOR RESEARCH)

E-NEWSLETTER

Visit www.massillonschools.org and click on School Communication.

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STUDENT SUMMER TRIP TO COSTA RICA

Over the summer, a group of 24 students and four teachers

spent nine days in Costa Rica in June. Anyone who had completed two years

of Spanish at any point by the end of the school year was eligible for the trip. The students ranged from upcoming juniors (sophomores dur-ing the 2014-2015 school year) to graduates from the class of 2015. The goal of the trip was to expose the students to another culture and allow them to see how other people live. Those who had taken several Spanish classes were able to use their language skills during the trip. One of the highlights of their trip was a visit to an elementary school in Monteverde, where the group saw what schools are like in Costa Rica. The local students performed tradi-

tional folklore dances and taught the Massillon group children’s songs. Be-fore they left, the Massillon tour group donated an entire bag full of school supplies for the Costa Rican students. On the other days of the trip, the group toured a coffee plantation, went to the active volcano Poas Vol-canao, visited La Fortuna Waterfall, went kayaking, planted a tree in a

reserve, went zip lining in the rain forest, went horseback riding and went to Manuel Antonio National Park, where many students saw the Pacific Ocean for the first time. On the group’s last night, they par-ticipated in a folklore evening in San Jose, which included dining at a beautiful restaurant on top of a

mountain where they could see the entire city lit up at night. After din-ner, a local dance troupe performed and taught the students dances. Before the trip, a private Facebook group was set up for families. Stu-dents and teachers uploaded pic-tures to the page so that parents could see what was happening dur-ing the students’ stay in Costa Rica.

“The best thing was watching the kids get out of their comfort zones and watching them do things they wouldn’t have usually done,” said Amy Petro, Spanish Teacher at Washington High School. The dis-trict would like to continue this trip every other year so more students can explore other cultures.

“That’s how you grow. The students also learned a lot by trying new foods and learning the culture because they really had to use the language. My students did not want to leave!”

www.massillonschools.org 7

HOW CAN USING LEGOS IN SCHOOLS INCREASE STUDENTS’ STEM SUCCESS?

One of parenthood’s greatest pains is the Lego stage of child-

hood, where the tiny bricks end up all over the floor. Invariably, parents will step on one little brick on the lino-leum, and curse. They will find the bricks everywhere. Or they’ll find the Lego theme song, “Everything is Awe-some!” running through their head. Now, imagine that one set of Legos, multiplied by 60. Tens of thou-sands of Legos. That is the reality of veteran teacher Toni Remenar-ick’s classroom this school year. You see, Remenarick is leaving the comfort of her math classroom to head up the new Lego Robot-ics program at the Massillon Junior High school, and she can’t be more excited. And overwhelmed. With over 50,000 Legos to keep track of, plus her new set of fifth through eighth graders, she’s taken on quite the task. But it’s one she has fully embraced. “The coolest thing about this program is that it is so hands on,” Remenar-ick said. “This gives every student a chance at being a leader. Kids lit-erally get to see the results of their

projects come to life, in real time. Feedback is instant and student led. Students own their ideas and have endless opportunities to explore.” As many educators know, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) can be difficult for stu-dents who read below grade level or have learning disabilities. There are always gifted students who pull back or drop out of school, not because they aren’t smart, but because they are not engaged. The Lego Edu-cation Program changes all of this. Right in those formative years of adolescence in junior high school, when children are learning about themselves, and what they are good at, many feel stigmatized by labels such as “below-average reader,” or “struggling in math.” They might begin hating science or hating math, because they are struggling in their core subjects. The Lego Pro-gram in Massillon is adding another avenue for student achievement. It’s such a simple, yet powerful solu-tion to a common educational prob-lem. Students feel like they aren’t

good at school. But even traditionally struggling students can excel with Legos. The program makes it easy to extend learning, nurture student collaboration, and increase students’ perception of their potential. That child who may have believed they were bad at math may now envision himself as a successful engineer. The shyest student in the room may become the leader who all the stu-dents go to for help with their design. It doesn’t matter if you are a boy or a girl - Legos allow all children to shine. “It doesn’t matter where students are starting from,” said Dr. Amy Hol-lingsworth, the District Technology Integration Specialist. “They can all start building from one place, one brick at a time. The potential we are building in our students is at the core of any amazing STEM program - nur-turing the individual to achieve their highest potential. This flexible learn-ing environment challenges all our students, no matter where they’ve come from. And leading stu-dents toward research-ing what other stu-dents have done in other Lego schools

enhances their 21st Century skills. This Lego program is everything that is right in education, and I’m energized to see where the students take this.” So while many teachers are hanging bulletin boards and arranging their classrooms, Toni Remenarick is stra-tegically placing tens of thousands of Legos around her room. She is truly getting ready to build the social skills of a typically difficult age group, one brick at a time, along with student designed Lego creations.

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FALL SPORT SCHEDULES

VARSITY BOYS FOOTBALL SEASON

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Perry

GlenOak

@Warreng Harding

@Steubenville

Bowsher

@Austintown-Fitch

Ursuline

Mt. Healthy

St. Vincent - St. Mary

@Canton McKinley Senior (Consolidated with Timken July 1, 2015)

@Springfield

Alliance

Perry

Minerva

@Northwest

@Louisville

@Canton South

@Garfield

Orrville

@Minerva

Usruline

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@Canton Central Catholic

Canton McKinley Senior (Consolidated with Timken July 1, 2015)

Minerva

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@Ellet

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@GlenOak

@Perry

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@Field

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Marlington

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Northwest

@Ashland

Green

Orrville Invitational

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East

Perry VB Invitational

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@Dover

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Tallmadge

Canton McKinley Senior

Chippewa

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@Wadsworth

Louisville

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Perry

@New Philadelphia

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@East Canton Invitational

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@Stark County Championships

@Tuslaw Invitational

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VARSITY BOYS G O L F S E A S O N

VARSITY BOYS SOCCER SEASON

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CROSS COUNTRY S C H E D U L E

2015/2016 GO TIGERS!