The Drakkar: Winter 2023

LABRAE LOCAL SCHOOLS

THE DRAKKAR WINTER 2023

LaBrae Dedicates H.S. Gymnamsium athletes. His passion was evident in his 40-plus years of service as a board member on the N.E. OHSAA governing board.

In this role, Mr. Lopez worked diligently to advance the causes of high school student-athletes.

L-R: Bradley Gamlin, Russell Sewell, Michelle Fraelich, Lisa Gregory, Tim Gibson, and Karen Ancell

to honor Mr. Lopez for his impact on the community as an educator serving as a teacher, coach, principal, and superintendent at Braceville and following consolidation as a principal and The H. Alfred Lopez Gymnasium superintendent at LaBrae was dedicated in honor of Mr. before retiring in 1987.

Lopez at a recent home game.

Throughout his career, Mr. Lopez’s daughters, Lisa Gregory and Michelle Fraelich Lopez was an educator who believed passionately in accepted on his behalf. educational athletics and the The Board of Education chose value it has for student In December, LaBrae Local Schools honored the legacy of Al Lopez, former superintendent, high school principal, science teacher, and coach.

He played an integral role in leading the expansion of girls athletics as the OHSAA created post-season tournaments for volleyball, girls basketball, and softball.

Mr. Lopez is a member of the LaBrae Hall of Fame, and the Trumbull County Athletic Hall of Fame.

INSIDE BOE Changes.............. 2 Retirements ............. 3 Finances .................... 5 Bond Rate .................. 6 LaBrae HOF ............... 8

LaBrae Board Changes for 2024 Mr. Gary Morton has served a member of the LaBrae Board of Education since 2012. 2023 marks the end of his third term and his 12 years of tenure as a board member. Mr. Morton, a longtime community member, is a 1969 graduate of Leavittsburg H.S., and a 1974 graduate of Kent State University where he earned a bachelor's degree in education. Following graduation, Mr. Morton returned to teach and coach at LaBrae Local Schools. During his time as a teacher, he also worked during the summer months serving as a custodian and groundskeeper.

LaBrae Schools thanks Mr. Morton for his passion and commitment to his community and service to LaBrae students.

Mr. Gary Morton

Newly elected board member, Julia Shutt, resides in Leavittsburg, with her husband Byron. She is a native Clevelander, who has an extensive entrepreneurial background in photo-advertising and landscape design.

Since retiring to Leavittsburg five years ago, Mrs. Shutt has been active in the community. She works as a landscape design consultant, is on the Warren Township Zoning Board and, is the Zoning Board Secretary. She works for the Trumbull County Board of Elections on early voting and serves as a presiding judge on election day. Julia is an active member of First Community Church of Leavittsburg. When she’s not busy with her civic activities she can be found gardening with passion or boating on The Mahoning River.

Mrs. Julia Shutt

2024 LaBrae Board of Education Mr. Russell Sewell, Email: rusty.sewell@labrae.school Mrs. Karen Ancell Email: karen.ancell@labrae.school Mr. Bradley Gamlin Email: bradley.gamlin@labrae.school Mr. Tim Gibson, Email: tim.gibson@labrae.school Mrs. Julia Shutt Email: julia.shutt@labrae.school

2024 Board Meetings LaBrae Board of Education meetings are scheduled for the second Monday of each month.

Typically, the lone exception is the month of November, when the Board meets on the third Monday of the month. The meeting schedule can be found on the LaBrae website.

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LaBrae Staff Announce Retirement

Mrs. Sharron Harper

Mr. Vince Hanzes

Mrs. Sharron Harper, our school nurse, is retiring from LaBrae Local Schools at the conclusion of the school year. Prior to arriving at LaBrae in 1998, she had nursing experience at the Trumbull Career Center and Warren City Schools. A vast majority of her experience was in the private sector at hospitals in the Mahoning Valley. Mrs. Harper is a resident of the community, and her children are LaBrae graduates.

Mr. Vince Hanzes is retiring from a teaching career at LaBrae Local Schools effective March 1, 2024. Mr. Hanzes has been a high school social studies teacher at LaBrae High School since 1994. He has also served LaBrae students as a varsity assistant football and baseball coach throughout his years at LaBrae.

Congratulations to Mrs. Harper and Mr. Hanzes on their retirement milestone.

Both of these professionals have left an indelible mark on LaBrae students and the school community. LaBrae Local Schools thanks them for their service and wishes them health and happiness in retirement.

Once A Viking, Always A Viking 3

LaBrae Permanent Improvement Levy Passes The LaBrae replacement permanent improvement levy, or P.I. levy, was on the November 2023 ballot for voter consideration.

A replacement levy is a levy that is for the same purpose as the levy it intends to replace, but it restores the millage to the original voted millage.

LaBrae’s original P.I. levy was passed in 1984 for three mills. Over time, and due to Ohio’s H.B. 920, the voted millage gets reduced, also known as effective mills, as property values increase. In 2023, the effective mills for the P.I. levy were set at 1.45 mills.

With passage of the replacement levy, the levy restores the effective mills to the original voted millage.

Moreover, the purpose of the LaBrae P.I. levy is for providing funds for adding to, renovating, remodeling, rehabilitating, furnishing and equipping school buildings for school purposes, and improving sites. Proceeds from the levy are prohibited by law from being used to pay for wages or benefits of employees.

In recent years, P.I. funds have paid for the following: Boiler Repairs LED Lighting Mod-Tech Roof Entrance Doors Security Cameras Instructional Technology Technology Infrastructure

Furniture Paving and Sealing Security Enhancements Water Booster Pumps Field Improvements HVAC Upgrades/Repairs Miscellaneous Maintenance

The levy passed by seven votes with 1,055 voting in favor, and 1,048 voting in opposition. Taxpayers will not begin paying on this 5-year P.I. Levy until March of 2025, after the bond tax has expired. The levy will be subject to a renewal vote in November of 2028.

WHAT IS A DRAKKAR? This newsletter is an effort to enhance our school communication with our families and our community at large.

The moniker for the newsletter was selected in keeping with our mascot's Nordic heritage and the historical longships associated with the Vikings.

The Drakkar, the best known of the spectacular longships, were symbolic of the legendary Vikings. These ships were used primarily as vicious and brutal warships. Developed by majestic kings such as Olaf Tryggvasson, they were a symbol of the incredible Scandinavian power and were to these proud owners a highly valued material possession.

The Drakkar embodies the spirit of being a Viking!

The Drakkar is LaBrae's vehicle to communicate with our constituents. It is our opportunity to celebrate students and staff, as well as another medium for informing the LaBrae educational community about all things LaBrae.

LaBrae trusts that you'll find the content herein informative. Thank you for your continued support of LaBrae Local Schools!

The proceeds from this levy will position LaBrae to begin immediate work on replacing a Chiller at the LaBrae complex, as well as begin planning for a roof replacement at Bascom Elementary.

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LABRAE FINANCIALS Treasurer Brad Panak

LaBrae Revenues v. Expenditures Trend

LaBrae Locals Schools recently submitted the Ohio required financial five-year forecast. The District is forecasted to be in stable financial standing for the next four years. Since 2020, employee retirements and COVID-19 federal funding, helped the District reduce personnel and benefit costs. Also, Ohio increased funding for the new Fair School Funding formula in the current two-year state budget. The state is now funding the formula at 50% this fiscal year, and next year the formula will be 67% funded as the state moves toward fully implementing the formula over a six-year phase-in period, or three state budget cycles.

The federal dollars, in conjunction with increasing state funding, are the primary reasons for the current state of fiscal stability.

Employee costs paid in recent years by COVID relief funds are now being paid from the District’s general fund. Further, LaBrae’s federal COVID funds will expire at the end of this school year. The District will continue to monitor expenditures throughout the forecasted years, and implement cost-saving measures as necessary.

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LaBrae Reduces Taxes Again 2024 Bond Rate Set at 2.2 mills LaBrae Local Schools is reducing the rate of taxation in 2024 for the bond used to pay the outstanding debt incurred when the District built the LaBrae Complex. Even better news? The bond debt will be paid in full when Christmas 2024 arrives! This coming year marks the last year that LaBrae taxpayers will have taxes collected to pay construction debt obligations. The original debt to construct LaBrae’s grade 3-12 building was refinanced in 2011 as the District took advantage of historically low interest rates. The refinancing of the debt saved the District, and subsequently, LaBrae taxpayers, $631,644 in interest since 2011.

In 2023, LaBrae Local Schools was able to compound the aforementioned interest savings by continuing the return of unused principal from the bond levy to taxpayers. The 2023 tax rate on the LaBrae bond debt was reduced from 3.8 mills to 3.3 mills of taxation. In 2024, the bond rate will be reduced to 2.2 mills of taxation. For comparison, the 2016 tax rate on the bond debt was 5.7 mills.

From 2017-2019, the tax rate stood at 5.0 mills. The bond millage was lowered to 4.5 mills in 2020.

What does this mean for a property owner in our community? In 2016 at 5.7 mills, the owner of a $100,000 home paid $199.50 in taxes to help fund the bond obligation. With a reduction in millage to 3.3 mills in 2023, that same homeowner saw their tax liability lowered to $115.50.

This coming year is markedly different than in prior years as property values have increased, which contributes to the District being able to significantly lower the tax rate for the bond. With valuation increases averaging 33% across the county, the $100,000 previously valued home is nominally valued at $133,000 in 2024. The owner of such a home, at 2.2 mills will pay $102.41 in property tax for the bond. Despite the increase in value, the reduction in millage nets the aforementioned property owner $13.09 in property tax savings in 2024. In total, such a property owner is paying $97.09 less in annual property taxes than paid in 2016 when the tax rate was 5.7 mills. The Board is relieved to finally be in a position to pay off the construction debt, is grateful to our community for their support, and is excited to be able to have returned savings to taxpayers along the way.

Should you have questions regarding the information herein, please do not hesitate to contact the Superintendent or Treasurer at 330.898.0800.

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school finance 101: did you know?

Managing school finances is vastly different from managing personal finances. At home, you can use any part of your revenue to cover any one of your expenses. However, public schools use something called a “fund accounting" system. In a fund accounting system, revenues are deposited into specific funds based on the source and the purpose of the revenue. Money in each fund can only be spent for specific purposes and must be accounted for per state and federal Department of Education guidelines. Schools can not borrow funds from one fund and put them in another to cover incurred expenses.

District Revenue

General Fund

Permanent Improvement Fund

Cafeteria Fund

Activity Fund

Principal Fund

Salaries & Benefits

Improving, Renovating, Maintaining, & equipping school facilities

Food Services

Athletic Department

Items for Staff & Students

Expenses & Revenues

Student Council

Capital Outlay Purchased Services Other

Staff Wages & Benefits

Class Funds Other clubs & organizations

School Funding: Key Principles

Ohio's public schools are funded with local, state, and federal dollars. Of the funding revenue received by LaBrae Local Schools, 7% comes from the federal government, 24% from local property taxes, and 69% provided by the State. The state funding from the Ohio Department of Education & Workforce (DEW) is calculated primarily on enrollment numbers, property values, and the economic conditions of the families that live in the district. The local funding comes from taxes collected on real property within the district. As such, the more students enrolled, the more funding the district receives from the state. Additionally, as a district’s property values and average incomes increase, the state decreases the rate of funding, and conversely, it increases the funding rate as values and incomes decrease.

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LaBrae Hall of Fame Denise Conyers is recognized as an Outstanding Athlete in Track and Field. She was a 4-time State qualifier in both the 100m and 200m dashes. Her career at the state meet began as a freshman when she finished 5th in the 100m and 7th in the 200m. She followed that up with a 3rd place finish in the 100m and a 1st place state championship in the 200m her sophomore year.

In 1988, Ms. Conyers qualified for the finals in the 100m and 200m dashes and to the finals in the long jump in which she eventually placed 4th overall.

Ms. Conyers garnered a 3rd place finish at the state meet in the 100m her senior year. She set school records in indoor track (Long Jump 16’ 1”, 55m Dash 7.16, 400m Dash 62.8); and outdoor track (Long Jump 17’7”, 100m 12.25, 200m 24.87, 4x100 Relay 50.46.

Denise Conyers

She was a member of the National Honor Society; Buckeye Girls’ State; President of the LaBrae Lettermen’s Club; yearbook staff; Regional Teen Institute; and varsity cheerleader. Following high school, she ran for the University of Toledo and was a member of the M.A.C recordsetting 4x100m relay.

Ms. Conyers lives in New Hampshire. She is employed as a legal assistant for the law firm of McClain-Middleton in the area of trust and estates.

Bobby Cruse, who graduated from LaBrae High School in 1997, recognized as an Outstanding Athlete in Track and Field, having shattered records leading LaBrae to the State Championships.

Bobby Cruse

In 1995, while just a sophomore, he took 1st place honors at the Ohio High School DII State Meet in both the 100m (10.95) and 200m (22.33) dashes, assisting LaBrae in the district’s first and only state championship trophy in any sport. He went on to claim wins in Invitationals, Conference, District and Regional meets, setting the pace at the state meet by winning the 100m (10.63) and setting a new state record, the 200m (21.5), and 400m (48.82) dashes, achieving the Triple Crown of Sprinting, which has been done by only 12 others in the history of Ohio Track and Field. The LaBrae squad garnered a team 3rd place finish on the back of this performance. In all, he claimed seven individual state titles.

After graduation, he was invited to the national indoor track and field meet in Boston, where he took 1st place in the 200m dash. He also represented Ohio in the Midwest Meet of Champions (Ohio, Indiana & Michigan) where he took 1 st place in the 200m. He competed for Kent State University for four years, where he is a top 10 record holder in eight events. He was invited to the 2002 Olympic tryouts; however, an injury prevented him from attending.

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Class of 2023 Inductees

Voren Hughes, from the Class of 1986, was the premiere sprinter in Ohio short events all four years of his high school career at LaBrae.

He is inducted as an Outstanding Athlete in Track and Field.

As a freshman, Mr. Hughes qualified for the state meet in the 400m and made it to the finals. He experienced a breakout year as a sophomore, earning runner-up titles in the 400m (49.12) as as part of LaBrae’s 4x4m relay. He added his first state championship title in the 200m with a 21.89.

LaBrae High School tied for the team runner-up title that same year.

As a junior, Mr. Hughes added two more state championship titles – the 100m (10.99) and the 200m (21.64). Additionally, LaBrae’s 4x100m relay finished in 3rd place, earning him All-Ohio honors for the 6th time. His senior year was one of dominance rarely seen in the 108-year history of Ohio Track and Field. He swept through the season winning everything he entered.

He took all three regional spring titles in the 100m, 200m, and 400m races, and then took all three championship titles in those same three events at the state championships. His 100m time of 10.69 set a state record, which he then followed up with a 21.56 in the 200m and a 47.64 in the 400m. His total medal count included six individual state championship titles and two state runner-up titles. He earned All-Ohio honors nine times. Mr. Hughes competed for two years at The Ohio State University, lettering in 1987 and 1988. In 2016, he was inducted into the Ohio State Track and Cross-country Hall of Fame.

Voren Hughes

Jeremy Sewell, a 1997 graduate of LaBrae High School, is a lifelong member of the LaBrae community. He is being inducted as a Distinguished Alumni and Outstanding Athlete for Football, Basketball and Baseball.

Mr. Sewell was co-valedictorian of his class, and a member of Student Council, Beta Club and Letterman’s Club. He was a teacher’s aide and on the Homecoming Court. He earned 10 varsity athletic letters – 3 each in football and baseball; and 4 in basketball. As a sophomore, he made All County, All Conference basketball; as a junior, All County, All Conference football, basketball and baseball; as a senior, he was was named All District, All Ohio football. He made first team All County, All Conference in football, basketball and baseball; was nominated for Trumbull County Player of the Year, football and basketball; was Tribune Chronicle Trumbull County Male Athlete of the Year. He earned the NEO Chapter of the National Football League Scholar-Athlete Scholarship; was recognized in the College Football Hall of Fame; and received the OHSAA Archie Griffin Sportsmanship Award, OHSAA Scholar Athlete Award, and US Army Scholar Athlete Award. He was Mahoning Valley Coaches Association AllStar Football Classic defensive captain. He graduated from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in 2001 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering. In college, he was an active member of his fraternity and participated in service events such has highway cleanup efforts and worked with Habitat for Humanity.

He lives in Southington, Ohio, with his wife and children. He has served as a 9th grade football coach; LaBrae Band Boosters volunteer; LaBrae Youth Soccer Association volunteer; LAC coach and volunteer; and a Deacon at First Community Church of Leavittsburg.

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Jeremy Sewell He is listed as an inventor/key contributor on four patents for products used in the transformer industry.

He led the development of the Horace H. Sewell High Voltage Testing and Research Center in Newton Falls, Ohio. In 2019 and 2020, he was awarded a $1.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy for the development of a revolutionary new product of his invention to be used in the electric power distribution grid. He is active in several associations related to his industry.

LaBrae Local Schools

"Home of the Vikings" labrae.school

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