News and Information from Pickerington Schools

News

PLSD Is “Knowing Thy Impact” Like Never Before

By Alesia Gillison, Chief Academic Officer/Assistant Superintendent

At Pickerington Schools, the beginning of the school year looked different by design, and the results of our new initiatives have been successful. This is attributed to our excellent staff, students and families!

Our collective theme for the school year is Knowing Thy Impact, which highlights our team’s positive impact on our students, families and community. The first teachers that children experience are parents and family members, and by building strong partnerships with families, we will work to bring our Plan for Progress’ three pillars — Academic Excellence, Efficient Operations, Modern Facilities — to fruition. This year, we are committed to continuing to work together through all relationships: • Relationships with students • Relationships with parents • Relationships with the community • Relationships with colleagues

Knowing Thy Impact on Staff and Students

Just before classes began, we intentionally welcomed staff back with a Convocation that focused on honoring them for their commitment to students and families. And things began differently for our students as well with our first staggered start to the school year. The initiative intentionality allowed students to get acclimated to their school routines and meet their teachers, counselors, administrators, and new classmates. The staggered start schedule allowed students to ease into their school year and begin building relationship foundations. The responses from students, staff and families have been positive, and the staggered start is something we intend to continue at the beginning of the next school year.

Knowing Thy Impact on Students, Staff, and Families

We also opened this school year with three new district goals that will continue to move us from good to GREAT!

By the end of the 2024-2025 school year, a minimum of 80 percent of Pickerington students will meet typical growth as measured by the iReady Reading and Math diagnostics. This is an average yearly increase of eight percentage points over the next three years. *Typical Growth is the average annual growth of students at each grade and placement level. iREADY Reading (K-12) and iREADY Math (K-8).

By the end of the 2024-2025 school year, a minimum of 80 percent of Pickerington students will demonstrate proficiency on the English Language Arts and Math Ohio State Tests (OSTs). This is an average yearly increase of eight percentage points over the next three years.

By the end of the 2024-2025 school year, a minimum of 80 percent of Pickerington students will indicate a sense of belonging on the Panorama survey. This is an average yearly increase of eight percentage points each year over the next three years. *Panorama is a survey provided to Pickerington students grades 3-12 twice a year to measure student perceptions of their classroom experience.

Knowing Thy Impact on Students, Staff, Families and the Community

Engaging the entire Pickerington community is also a key component of achieving our goals for the year. The Pickerington Family and Community Day Festival was the first of many community engagement events that will be held during the year. Other planned events include the Night of Engagement in December, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration in January, our annual CommUNITY Fair in April, and the Night of ExcELLence in May. Keep watching our social media channels and district website for details on these events throughout the school year.

Capturing the Joy of Learning

Our team snapped pictures from each school during the first week of classes for the 2022-23 school year and we are delighted to share these pictures with you. Please scan the QR code or visit https://tinyurl.com/CapturingJoy to view the pictures, grouped by school. We will continue to add pictures to these folders throughout the school year for you to view and download, if you’d like.

Increases in Home Values Don’t Equal the Same Increase in Taxes — Here’s Why

By CFO/Treasurer Ryan Jenkins

As home values appreciate in the district, tax rates are reduced so that the aggregate tax collections for the school do not increase. The following graphic shows an assumed 24 percent increase in district taxable value, and the impact on three different homes. The graphic is showing ONLY taxes calculated for the district. As the chart shows, three different homes appreciate at three different rates — Home A at 15 percent, Home B at 20 percent, and Home C at 30 percent. The taxes calculated for these homes in 2022 are shown at the bottom of the chart.

Although home values are increasing, the calculated taxes are not increasing by the same amount. In fact,

Home A’s tax bill would fall by 1.37 percent; Home B’s tax bill would only increase 2.91 percent; and

Home C’s tax bill would increase 11.49 percent even though Home

C’s value increased by 30 percent.

That’s because the tax rate falls from 34.769 mills (or $1,217 annually per $100,000 of market value) to 29.784 mills (or $1,042 annually per $100,000 of market value). So, while market values increase by 24 percent, tax rates will fall by 14.4 percent.

What does this mean for the

Pickerington Schools 2.80 mill bond issue that is on the November 8, 2022 ballot? Even though the levy is a new levy, the existing millage for aggregate bond collections, even if the bond issue passes, is forecasted to fall by ½ a mill. This will make the new levy ‘feel’ like or be similar to a renewal in that tax rates won’t increase while the community continues its commitment.

Pickerington Family & Community Festival

Students, staff and families were bubbling with excitement during the first ever Pickerington Family and Community Festival on Sept. 17th. The event, presented by Pickerington Schools, ran from 3-6 p.m.in Pickerington High School Central’s parking lot. View pictures and more event details by scanning the QR code or visiting https://www.pickerington.k12.oh.us/news/fam-fest.

Pickerington Schools Makes Building Offer Seeking to Reduce Overcrowding Concerns

The Pickerington Schools Board of Education approved a Purchase & Sale Agreement (PSA) at its August 8, 2022 regular meeting. The PSA is a contractual offer for the district to purchase the property located at 13430 Yarmouth Rd. NW in Pickerington.

The property is currently owned by West Fairfield OH, LLC, and was most recently leased to the Ohio Center for Occupational Safety and Health (OCOSH). OCOSH was a division of the Ohio Bureau of Worker’s Compensation. The district offered $3 million for the purchase of the property.

Ryan Jenkins, Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer for the district said, “The PSA is just like when a private individual writes a contract to purchase a home. The PSA is the legal offer to buy the property.”

Jenkins also noted that the PSA creates a 90-day window to conduct due diligence, which involves items like title searches, environmental testing, and other inspections to ensure the property meets the intended needs and is safe for district use. He projects the district will close on the facility sometime in mid-November. “That is assuming the due diligence doesn’t turn up any ‘deal-breakers,’ which we are not anticipating,” Jenkins said.

“Purchasing the property allows the district to accelerate its facility plan as a part of its Plan for Progress,” said Dr. Chris Briggs, Superintendent. “We will be able to renovate the building to hold preschool classes, and this will dramatically increase the space available in elementary schools. There are currently about 15 classrooms across 4 elementary schools that are used for preschool instruction.”

Briggs also mentioned that the facility may be used for other functions like professional development meetings for the Academic Services Department or other adult learning and development.

As part of its Plan for Progress (more info can be found at https:// www.pickerington.k12.oh.us/p4p), the district will ask voters to approve an $89.930 million bond issue at the November 8, 2022 general election to: • Build a new junior high school that can house up to 1,300 students. • Renovate all of Ridgeview Junior

High to convert it to a building holding separate Kindergarten through fourth grade elementary students and fifth and sixth grade middle school students, which will be made possible with the purchase of the Yarmouth property. This will create an eighth elementary school that will house about 450 students, and a fourth middle school that will house about 450 students. • Add 24 additional classrooms at

Pickerington Central High School housing up to 650 students, upgrade the cafeteria expanding capacity by 200 additional students, and install secure entryways. • Add 18 additional classrooms to

Pickerington High School North housing up to 470 additional students, and install secure entryways. • Renovate and upgrade multiple elementary schools to accommodate growth, making room for up to 375 additional students.

Vanessa Niekamp, Board President, said, “We project the purchase of the building on Yarmouth Rd. may allow us to create up to 20 additional classrooms for preschool students who are currently enrolled at Pickerington, Sycamore Creek, Tussing and Violet Elementaries. This is much needed space at these elementary schools. But perhaps more importantly, we will now not have to renovate Heritage Elementary into a preschool learning center, which will allow us to renovate Ridgeview Junior High into an eighth elementary school and a fourth middle school.” To read the full article about the bond issue and property purchase, scan the QR code or visit https://www.pickerington.k12.oh.us/ news/yarmouth-purchase/.

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