Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Andrew Sprang
Superintendent
Sue Lehmann
Treasurer
The Changing Landscape of State Funding
When residents talk to me about state funding, they frequently state that districts receive about $6,000 per student through state foundation payments. This is a misconception. That figure
relates to what the state calls the base per pupil amount. The base per pupil amount for this school year is $6,010 per pupil. In actuality, schools receive just a portion of that figure based
upon its state share index.
The state calculates a state share index (SSI) for each school district. SSI is used to measure the wealth of the district in terms of the property tax base and the ability to raise money. The
calculation uses the property valuation (3 prior years average), income and wealth of the district to determine SSI. For FY18, Fostorias SSI is set at 77.4%. This means that FCS will receive
77.4% percent of the per pupil amount in base aid or $4,651 (6010 x .774). The remaining 22.6% is expected to be raised through local tax dollars.
In addition to base aid, districts receive additional funding primarily based on the demographic data of the district and the student body. This can include special education, economically
disadvantaged, gifted education and transportation funding to name a few.
Base aid and additional funding are combined to arrive at the total funding amount. At this point, the state compares the districts funding to the year prior and then takes corrective action to
correct imperfections in the formula. They apply a cap to districts which would experience a significant gain in funding. FCS is funded on the cap which is limited to a 3% gain in FY18. The
total lost by the district as result of this cap is $3,276,442 this year.
Districts who would receive less than the year prior once the formula is applied are placed on the guarantee. The guarantee does just what it indicates. It provides the district with the same
amount of funding from the prior year.
In the prior fiscal year 52% of school districts in the state were funded on straight formula; however, a significant pivot has occurred this fiscal year resulting in just 27% of the districts being funded on
the formula. This means that 73% of public schools now are funded using one of these correcting measures, the guarantee or the cap.
As you can see by this chart, there is a significant rise in the districts funded on the guarantee. This is 2017 Tentative Residential Valuation Changes
largely occurring due to change in valuations. Many school districts which are small and agriculture heavy
Tentative Tentative Tentative
are growing faster than the state. Current Agricultural Use Values (CAUV) values spiked in 2014 and have County County County
consistently fallen since. This decline is predicted to continue into 2020. On the flip side, residential values Increase Increase Increase
are rising. Of the 41 counties going through reappraisal or a triennial update, 11 are expected to have double Ashland 12.2% Auglaize 8.9% Mahoning 2%
digit increases in their residential values. FCS is not impacted by the changing CAUV values, but we are Ashtabula 5.7% Clinton 11.1% Mercer 6.8%
seeing residential values increase. Hancock County experienced this in tax year 2016, payable in 2017 and Athens 7.1% Darke 12.2% Morrow 8.1%
Seneca and Wood County residents are experiencing revaluations now. Increase to residential property Butler 8.6% Defiance 7.9% Perry 7.9%
values are not just happening here, the increases are indicative across the state. Clermont 14% Delaware 11.9% PickA 9.9%
Fulton 10.4% Franklin 13.7% Preble 7.6%
Reductions in agriculture valuation along with increases to residential valuation mean there will be an ongoing
shift of local tax burden from farmers to homeowners. This shift will impact our rural neighbors more than FCS Greene 5.4% Gallia 5.2% Putnam 11.1%
residents because little agriculture makes up the districts total valuation. Knox 8.1% Hamilton 5.2% Richland 4.6%
These valuation changes will impact state aid (recall the SSI calculation) as we move into the 2020-2022 Madison 15.7% Hardin 6.2% Seneca 5%
biennium. Changes in valuation will also push more districts onto the guarantee and further exacerbate a Montgomery 6.3% Harrison 1.5% Shelby 6.5%
flawed funding formula. Noble 8.8% Henry 9% Trumbull 3.1%
The combination of a funding formula which isnt working properly and uncertainty about the 2018 elections Summit 7.8% Jackson 7.4% Vanwert 3.3%
leave school district treasurers uneasy about predicting state revenue in their five year forecast. For those Wayne 6.5% Licking 13.4% Wood 10.2%
who follow the districts five year forecast, you will want to watch for updates to this important line of funding.
Source: Public Finance Resources: Empowering the Publics Financial Leaders
Jenny Abell
Student Services
The Student Services department has been busy providing students with social, behavioral, of the district. My individual focus has been through attending community events and making
and academic needs the interventions and services needed to experience school success. personal contacts with parents. Additionally, I have committed to determine and establish a
Here are some areas of focus since the beginning of the school year. resource guide to school and community agency resources which target non-academic barriers
and have begun exploring interventions and educational options for our most behaviorally-
Professional Development Provided challenged students. Lastly, there has been an analysis of the special education Report Card
During the 2 days of fall conferences, a 2-hour in-service on Trauma-Informed Care was data for the past two years, which includes identified patterns and trends, and sharing of the
provided by the Family Resource Center (FRC) Mental Health Therapist, Marcia Kostoff and information with all special education staff to begin brainstorming what educational strategies
Case Manager, Tonya Hinke to each of the buildings and all staff, including bus drivers, have proven successful and what changes may be needed to benefit these students to close
the achievement gap.
Summary of information discussed:
1) Frequency (1 in 4 students have experienced trauma) and how trauma can impact school Special Education Profile
performance: Lower GPA Higher rate of school absences Increased drop-out More Our Special Education Profile was received at the beginning of the year. As a district, we
suspensions and expulsions Decreased reading ability accomplished our compliance standards with no Action Plan needed. Compliance has been
2) A trauma informed approach: Realizes the widespread impact of trauma and understands and continues to be an area of strength and focus for the district. This includes meeting all
potential paths for recovery; Recognizes the signs and symptoms of trauma in students, state-mandated timelines and producing high quality, standards-based documents focused
families, staff, and others involved with the system; Responds by fully integrating knowledge on students accessing and progressing within the general education curriculum. Continual
about trauma into policies, procedures, and practices; Seeks to actively resist re-traumatization communication with special education and related services staff, provision of frequent feedback
4DX Focus needed to ensure compliance, and communication of updates on policy/procedural change is
In regards to goals for the year, through the 4 Disciplines of Execution (4DX) process, there provided. Our goal will be to shift our focus from compliance to improved instruction to get more
has been a focus on how student services can impact the District Goal of increasing our of our students earning proficient scores on the state tests, as this becomes an area of focus
Performance Index by: Reducing chronic absenteeism and improving community perceptions on the Profile beginning next year.
Fostoria City Schools
Science Curriculum Selection Update
You may remember from the fall of the review process. Following
newsletter, one of the curriculum these presentations, the group will
focuses for the 2017-2018 school narrow the options down and have
year is reviewing the needs of our information on them available for
science department K-12. The public review on the Fostoria City
committee has committed many Schools webpage. Look for these
hours to reviewing potential new items to be posted in January.
curriculum materials in an effort The committee welcomes your
to find the best fit for the staff and feedback, the goals of this new
students at FCS. adoption will be to provide the
The next steps for the committee resources necessary to best meet
will be to attend presentations the needs of our students for
from the companies that have the 2018-2019 school year and
made it through the first round beyond.
We are very proud of the students efforts during the 1st quarter and look
forward to seeing continued growth in those areas in the remaining months
of the school year. I believe a large part of this success can be attributed
to the goal setting that students are doing on a weekly basis. Each student
identifies three goals related to their GAP (Grades-Attendance-Personal
goal) and identifies action steps to achieve them. Students also review
these with their SUCCESS teachers and accountability partners each
week. At the start of the 2nd quarter students had the opportunity to define
new goals and action steps to help to continue their progress in the three
GAP areas and aide their development as young adults.
Begin with the End in Mind means to begin each day, task,
While we are extremely pleased by these improvements, just as important or project with a clear vision of your desired direction and
to us are our students social and emotional well-being. It is no secret that destination, and then continue by flexing your proactive
bullying, harassment, intimidation, etc. exist in the interactions of students. muscles to make things happen. One of the best ways to
This issue has only increased in recent years as the use of social media incorporate Habit 2 into your life is to develop a Personal
and other digital modes of communication have become more and more
Mission Statement. It focuses on what you want to be and
common. Fostoria Junior/Senior High School is committed to ensuring a
supportive and safe school climate where all students are accepted and do. It is your plan for success. It reaffirms who you are,
puts your goals in focus, and moves your ideas into the Students at FJSHS have begun writing their personal
are able to learn and grow. mission statements and these will be displayed proudly
real world. Your mission statement makes you the leader
In order to accomplish this goal, FJSHS aims to; of your own life. You create your own destiny and secure throughout the building for their peers and visitors to view
Identify what is and what is not bullying - Many behaviors that look the future you envision. as they walk through the hallways.
like bullying may be just as serious, but may require different response
strategies. Also, identifying what to look for aswarning signsthat students
might be involved in bullying and who might be at more risk for being
involved.
Establish a safe school climate - Often the first step to preventing bullying is
making sure the students, teachers, and administrators alike areeducated
about bullying. Engaging the parents and community members in the
efforts to build a safe school climate are also critical. The more information
there is being shared, the better students can be assisted.
Assess and respond In the interest of our students we will act in
accordance with our policies to assess every incident brought to our
attention and to address it to create a satisfactory resolution for all
individuals involved. Sophomores Justus
Moreno and Miquela
Parents can also play a key role in preventing and responding to bullying. Mundy stand with
If you know or suspect that your child is involved in bullying, there are Jack Patterson of
several ways to help. the Fostoria AmVets
Recognize thewarning signsthat your child is involved in bullying. They
could be being bullied, bullying others, or witnessing bullying. Although as they present their
these signs could signal other issues, you should talk to your child if they recently completed
display any sort of behavioral or emotional changes. Many timeskids will raffle board. FJSHS
not ask for help, so it is important to know what to look for. If your child is received a request from
at immediate risk of harming himself or others,get help right A. the AmVets for students
Talk to your childabout bullying. Opening lines of communication before who would be interested
your child is involved in bullying makes it easier for them to tell you when
something happens. It is also important tocommunicate with the schoolto in volunteering to
help prevent bullying before it starts. complete the board. A
If you know or suspect bullying has occurred, finding out what has combined total of over
happened with your child is the primary concern. Understanding what 20 hours of work was
has happened can also help in communicating with the school about the put into the project over
situation. the last 6 weeks. This is
We greatly appreciate your help addressing matters of this kind. A
another great example
collaborative relationship between students, parents and the school is of student service and
essential to establishing a positive, safe school culture. leadership benefitting
our community!
Fostoria City Schools
FJSHS celebrated Veterans Day this year by recognizing two former Fostoria Redmen. Dennis Smith, Class of
1966 and Vietnam veteran, spoke to students about his experience in the military and the history of Veterans
Day in the United States.
Also honored at the celebration was World War II veteran, Sherry Hayfield. Sherry left school in 1944 at the
age of 16, lying about his age so he could enlist in the Navy and serve his country. As a result, Sherry never
Holiday Cheer[leaders]
received his diploma from Fostoria High School. It gave us great pleasure to present Mr. Hayfield with his On Saturday, December 2nd the Fostoria Jr High Cheerleaders
official high school diploma as recognition for his commitment to service for our country and community. volunteered at Fostoria Community Hospitals Breakfast with
Pictured below from left to right are: Sherry Hayfield (WWII veteran), Calob Keller (Student Body President), Santa. The cheerleaders assisted in setting up, frosting cookies,
Caleb Brough (Student Body Vice President), Dennis Smith (Vietnam veteran), Dustin Smith (FJSHS staff making crafts, serving
member), and Andrew Sprang (Superintendent). donuts and juice to children
Fostoria High School celebrated the season of thanks by Avondre Reed for his great looking design. of the employees at Fostoria
giving back to our community with our first annual Community Community Hospital. The
Service Day. Students in Mr. Loomiss Leadership I and Thank you to Fostoria VFW Post, Burger King, Fostoria event was a great way to
Leadership II ACHIEVE courses presented this idea in early Pizza Palace and Kroger and our other private donors for allow our cheerleaders to be
October and began contacting local businesses as well your generous contributions to our efforts.
as writing press releases and distributing flyers that would involved in the community.
allow citizens to submit their residence as one in need of And the biggest THANK YOU to our beloved city. We greatly Those in attendance were
assistance with yard maintenance and other small tasks appreciate the support you give our students and teachers. Selena Denny, Neveah
around the outside of their homes.
Peck, Emma Pletcher, Elesia
After weeks of planning by these students this event became Guerra, Trinity Day, Libby
a reality on Friday, November 17 when nearly 200 Fostoria Welly, Belinda Burkett, Keiah
High School students and staff ventured into the community Flowers, McKinzie Johnson
and serviced over 35 residents throughout the city of
Fostoria. Hundreds of leaf bags were filled throughout the and Aleena Williams.
day while other small jobs were also completed, including
cleaning out mulch beds, washing windows and clearing
other debris from lawns.
Michele Wolf,
Athletic
Director
As our winter teams are now full
swing into their seasons, here is a
brief reflection on the successes
of our fall programs. The volleyball
team finished their season 16-
8, including a sectional win over
Genoa and a 4th place finish in the
NBC. Congratulations to Tyriana
Settles for getting her 1000th kill!
Receiving league honors were
Tyriana Settles (1st Team), Dakota
Thomas (2nd Team), Meredith
Grine (Honorable Mention), Mary
Harris (Honorable Mention) and
Oriana Settles (Senior Academic).
The district level honors included
Dakota Thomas who received
Honorable Mention and Tyriana
Settles who was voted Player of Wrestling 2017-2018
the Year.
The football team finished their
Varsity/JV Boys Date Place Time Opponent
season at 5-5 with big wins over
Oak Harbor and Toledo Scott Basketball 2017-2018 12/16/2017
12/22/2017
A
A
10:00 AM
10:00 AM
Mohawk Duals
Findlay Trojan Inv.
to start off the year. League Date Place Time Opponent
honors included Devin Mauricio 12/15/2017 H 06:00 PM Tiffin Columbian 1/5/2018 A 05:00 PM 45th Annual A Classic Woodmore
(1st Team WR), Collin Rice 1/6/2018 A 10:00 AM 45th Annual A Classic Woodmore
(Honorable Mention OT, Senior 12/19/2017 A 06:00 PM Eastwood
12/22/2017 H 06:00 PM Rossford 1/9/2018 A 05:30 PM NBC Quad @ Elmwood
Academic), Monty Stahl (2nd
Team C, Senior Academic), Skyler 12/23/2017 A 06:00 PM Arcadia 1/13/2018 A 10:00 AM Carey Classic
Garcia (2nd Team QB), Jace Boff 12/28/2017 A TBA Holiday Classic Evergreen 1/16/2018 H 05:30 PM NBC Dual v Eastwood w/Clay
(Senior Academic) and Weston
12/29/2017 A TBA Holiday Classic Evergreen 1/19/2018 A 04:00 PM Van Buren Invite
Weimerskirch (Honorable Mention 1/20/2018 A 9:00 AM Van Buren Invite
K). All Northwest District Honors 1/4/2018 H 06:00 PM Otsego
included Skyler Garcia and Devin 1/9/2018 A 06:00 PM Woodmore 1/27/2018 A 10:00 AM Galion Covert Wrestling Inv.
Mauricio, both 2nd Team Offense 1/12/2018 H 06:00 PM Elmwood 2/3/2018 A 10:00 AM NBC Championship @ Lake
Division VI. The roster will be 1/18/2018 A 06:00 PM Seneca East
graduating 13 seniors in May 2018
1/19/2018 A 06:00 PM Genoa
and will have a new look next fall.
The golf team lost two key seniors
to graduation in Trey Yates and
1/25/2018
1/27/2018
H
A
06:00 PM
06:00 PM
Lake
Hopewell Loudon
Varsity Bowling 2017-2018
Dalton Cook and welcomed new 2/2/2018 A 06:00 PM Rosford Date Place Time Opponent
faces to the roster. Jacob Counts 2/6/2018 H 06:00 PM Eastwood
led the team as overall scorer. 12/18/2017 A 4:00 @ Fremont Ross
The cross country team had 2/9/2018 A 06:00 PM Otsego 12/20/2017 H 4:00 Eastwood
two full rosters for boys and girls 2/16/2018 H 06:00 PM Woodmore 12/21/2017 H 4:00 Fremont Ross
this year and was able to gain 2/20/2018 H 06:00 PM Carey 1/3/2018 A 4:00 @ Rossford
success, in addition to a snapshot 2/23/2018 A 06:00 PM Elmwood 1/13/2018 A 11:00am NOBC Tourny @ Rossford
of a bright future. Dylan Sheets
qualified for the regional meet in 1/16/2018 A 4:00 @ Eastwood
Tiffin for the 2nd year in a row,
finishing in 25th place with a time Varsity/JV Girls 1/17/2018
1/20/2018
A
A
4:00
8:30am
@ Fremont Ross
Port Clinton Tournament
of 17:22.53, which was much
improved from last year. The girls
team highlighted their season
Basketball 2017-2018 1/25/2018
1/29/2018
H
H
4:00
4:00
Rossford
Woodmore
with a 5th place finish at the NBC Date Place Time Opponent 1/31/2018 H 4:00 Eastwood
Championship meet. League 12/15/2017 A 06:00 PM Otsego 2/7/2018 H 4:00 Fremont Ross
honors included Dylan Sheets 12/16/2017 A 06:00 PM Lakota **Sectional & District Tournament dates & Time are TBD.
(1st Team), Erika Gonzalez 12/21/2017 H 06:00 PM Lake
(2nd Team), and Cashara Durst 12/28/2017 A 06:00 PM Wapak Holiday Tournament
(Honorable Mention).
The girls tennis team had a turnout 12/29/2017
1/2/2018
A
H
06:00 PM
06:00 PM
Wapak Holiday Tournament
Genoa
Swimming 2017-2018
with record numbers, giving
several players the opportunity 1/5/2018 A 06:00 PM Elmwood Date Place Time Opponent
to play JV matches. The team 1/11/2018 H 06:00 PM Rossford
12/27/2017 A 05:00 PM Willard/Tiffin Columbian
experienced increased success 1/18/2018 A 06:00 PM Eastwood
over last year and was led by 1/23/2018 H 06:00 PM Otsego 12/30/2017 H 10:00 AM Ada High School
doubles team Kyhra Baeder and 1/26/2018 H 06:00 PM Woodmore 1/16/2017 A 05:30 PM Sylvania Northview
Shanelle Smith and singles player 2/1/2018 A 06:00 PM Lake 1/20/2017 A 9:30 AM SJCC/Willard/Colonel Crawford/Calvert
Abrianna Swartz. 2/8/2018 A 01:00 PM Genoa 1/27/2017 A 10:00 AM NCOSL Meet @ Colonel Crawford
For up to date results and athletic 2/10/2018 H 06:00 PM Seneca East 2/3/2017 A 9:00 AM Margaretta High School
news, follow us on Twitter @ 2/15/2018 H 06:00 PM Elmwood 2/5-2/10 A TBA Sectional Swim Meet - Exact date TBA
RedmenRundown FOR ANY CANCELLATION OR RESCHEDULE UPDATES, PLEASE FOLLOW US ON TWITTER AT FOSTORIA ATHLETICS @REDMENRUNDOWN
Fostoria City Schools
From the Food Service
Department
As a reminder to parents/guardians, the State of Ohio requires
that schools have a policy in place regarding lunch charging.
In order to meet the requirement, Fostoria City Schools has
implemented a policy concerning charging school lunches.
Students will be allowed to charge a maximum of two lunches
($5.00). Repayment for any charged meals is expected the
next school day.Students who have reached their charge limit
will be offered an alternate meal that consists of a peanut butter
and jelly sandwich and a milk or juice. There is no charge for
the alternate meal. Students that do not have funds to pay for
their meal and are not able to charge should notify the first
food service staff member in line and will be given an alternate
meal. Students over the charge limit will not be allowed to
purchase or to charge ala carte items.
The purpose of this policy is to ensure consistency and fair
practices with student lunch accounts throughout the district
while making sure that no student goes without eating.
Prepayments for student accounts are strongly encouraged.
Negative balance status can be avoided by making payments
in the form of cash or checks at the school building before
meal service or with debit card or credit card online.
Parent/Guardians may check balances for food service
accounts on line at www.fostoriaschools.org Click on Total
Access school dining system online lunch payments. You
can also sign up for an email notification when your students
account balance is low.
Please call the Food Service Office for assistance with online
payment system or any questions about school lunch. Holly
Reinbolt, Director, hreinbolt@fostoriaschools.org, Donna
Elchert, Secretary, delchert@fostoriaschools.org or call 419-
436-4114.
Foods like whole grains and fruit release energy more slowly
than candy or sugary drinks because they have fiber in them.
So when you eat toast, cereal, or a banana, your energy lasts
longer than If you had sweets or a fizzy drink.