Literacy program case study announced
Riverside Board of Education members took a detailed look at their Tuesday evening meeting at the district’s five-year forecast, which predicts all positive year-end balances, and also were informed about a special announcement regarding the district’s elementary literacy program state level success.
Superintendent Scott Mann told the board that the district had just received an e-mail Tuesday afternoon from Dr. Laura Justice from The Ohio State University, stating that OSU and the Ohio Department of Education would like to partner for a case study on Riverside Schools to look into the district’s significant reading gains.
For the K-3 literacy section for the 2018-19 school year state report card, Riverside received a 94 percent grade and was one of 11 school districts in Ohio to receive an A letter grade on the this component. The previous school year, the district had 54.8 percent of their third-graders score proficient on the Ohio Third Grade reading test.
“Since we just found out about the case study, we’re waiting to hear about more details, but are thrilled to have this opportunity,” Mann said. “Truly, all credit for our literacy success is owed to our teachers and students.”
Oct. 29, the Ohio Department of Education representatives from the Committee on Teaching, Leading and Learning Committee along with State Support Region 6 members visited the school building to see the literacy work in the classrooms and to have a roundtable discussion with staff regarding their curriculum and training methods for employing reading strategies in the classroom, as previously detailed in the Examiner.
The specific programs utilized by Riverside has included the Heggerty Phonemic Awareness Curriculum and Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS), which provides educators with the background, depth of knowledge and tools to teach language and literacy skills. The literacy-focused training efforts began with the district’s receipt three years ago of a ODE’s Early Literacy Grant.
Regarding the five-year forecast, Treasurer Ronnie Fitchpatrick said Riverside is in “a good spot,” and the current school year is predicted to end with a balance of $10,089,712, followed by year-end balances in 2021 and 2022 of $10,848,445 and $11,096,212, respectively.
The treasurer cautioned that in the final two years of the forecast in 2023 and 2024, expenditures will slightly exceed revenues, so this issue will be monitored.
He also related that since the district is heavily reliant on state funding and there currently is no “official” state funding formula, Riverside will want to keep a close look at its upcoming predicted decline in average daily membership (student count), which typically is used by the state when a funding formula is utilized.
With a young certified staff and relatively few retirements predicted for the upcoming years of the forecast, salaries are expected to show increases of about 4.5 percent each year for salaries and wages, Fitchpatrick said.
During the elementary school report, Elementary Principal Mason Bryan invited the board and community to two activities that will be taking place Monday, Nov. 25 — Grandparents’ Day during the school day and also the district’s annual senior citizen Thanksgiving dinner from 5 to 7 p.m.
Grandparents’ Day activities begin at 8:30 a.m. and participants are asked to park in the high school east parking lot.
Also next week, junior high and high school students will be participating Monday and Tuesday in the “Pirate’s School of Real Life,” where they will select courses taught by their teachers in topics varying from Christmas crafts to cooking on a budget and vehicle maintenance as a segue into their Thanksgiving break.
In other action, the board:
• extended supplemental contracts to: Brittney McClintick, junior high basketball cheerleading; Jacob Herron, Tim Walls, Ryan Robinson, assistant varsity baseball; Kylee Ransbottom, Deanna McIntosh, assistant varsity softball;
• accepted a $1,027.81 gardening grant from the Bellefontaine Rotary Club that will be implemented by agriculture students; and accepted a $50 donation for the athletic department in the memory of John Freese;
• extended a supplemental contract to Nikki Jenkins as a coordinator of substitutes; and to nurse Samantha Boone for training hours outside of regular school hours specifically for the Mary Rutan virtual health clinic, to be reimbursed by the hospital;
• approved the locally-defined diploma seal requirements as directed by the ODE, which now include community service, fine and performing arts and certified student engagement; and
• approved the early graduation of Cameron Joseph Stevens.
The next meeting is 6 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 17, at the school library.