The Experience Official Newsmagazine of Mariemont City Schools
#WARRIORSUMMERSNAPS - Page 3
BOARD TAKES ACTION - Page 5
MHS INTERSESSION - Pages 6-7
Tradition.
AUGUST 2018 Community.
Innovation.
Welcome back!
To address both the facility and financial issues in the district, the board voted to place a combined 2.5-mill operating and a 5.75-mill permanent improvement issue on the November 6, 2018 ballot. You can read more about this request in this newsletter and will continue to hear about this in the coming months. We believe in being open and honest with our residents about the great accomplishments of our students and staff as well as the challenges we continue to face together as a community. The unfortunate reality is that, if the November 6 issue is not approved by voters, there will be a serious shift in how our schools operate. We cannot continue to maintain the current level of excellence that exists in our schools without additional funding. Please take some time to understand this important issue better as it does impact all residents. We have led a very open and honest discussion for the past two years about what our residents expect out of our schools and how they want to address the serious facility and operating challenges that lie ahead. Now all of this planning has been turned into an initiative that requires action from our community. We take our responsibility of ensuring you are informed about what this issue is and what it means for the future of our schools and our community very seriously. In the meantime, we are excited to have students and staff back in our halls engaging in new and exciting opportunities every day. We appreciate the continued support of our families and residents as you are the backbone of our efforts. Our motto is scholars of today, leaders of tomorrow and you help to make that possible. As always, I am excited for the possibilities of our district and look forward to yet another incredible school year!
Steven E. Estepp Superintendent
2
treasurer’s
At Mariemont City Schools we believe strongly in maintaining excellence. We are an exceptional school district that provides a great value to our community. However, it is up to all of us to maintain this excellence. Last spring, the Mariemont City Schools Board of Education took multiple steps to address the facility and financial needs of the district. The unanimous votes brought to an end a two-year community process and put a plan in place to avoid nearly $2 million in budget cuts over the next few years.
update
update
superintendent’s
I always love the beginning of a new school year when the excitement is palpable and the possibilities of what can be accomplished in the year ahead are limitless. The 2018-19 school year promises to be one of new opportunities, exponential growth and continued excellence. I cannot wait to see what our students and staff can create and learn in the year ahead.
The start of a new school year brings much excitement and anticipation. We are hopeful for the future and the wonderful opportunities that come with being part of a new classroom, grade level or school. We are excited to see new faces and to be reunited with old friends. My job as the Treasurer of Mariemont City Schools is to ensure that we have plans in place to fund the excellent quality of education that our community expects. This way all our schools can continue to enjoy the educational experiences and programs that our students get on a daily basis. We have reached a point in our financial story where action must be taken in order to maintain the excellence that is Mariemont City Schools. As shown in the district’s Five-Year Forecast (which can be found on the district website), we are facing a very significant and serious situation this fall. After much engagement with the community, the board has placed a combined issue on the November 6, 2018 ballot. This initiative will, among other things, avoid nearly $2 million in budget cuts over the next few years. It is important for our residents to understand why this request is being made and how it impacts the school district’s financial bottom line. To begin with, Mariemont City Schools is effective and efficient in our day-to-day operations. We have stretched the 2014 operating levy to last four years, one year longer than promised, despite losing $1 million in state aid during the last three years. While strong fiscal management has helped, dollars from our last levy can only sustain us for so long. New funds are needed in order to maintain the current level of staffing and programs that exist in our excellent schools. In addition, the forecast shows our plans for addressing the critical facility needs that exist primarily at the high school. If new funding for these maintenance issues is not secured in November, the district will be forced to address these problems with the existing funds we do have. This means that the $1 million per year in needed maintenance and repair costs just to keep the high school operational will be taken out of the day-to-day operating budget. These funds are what pay for teachers, utilities and resources for students throughout the district. A funding shift of this magnitude will be felt not just at the high school, but across all grades levels and schools. This is a very serious situation. That is why the district will be sharing information with residents during the next few months about the November 6 ballot initiative. Please take some time to review the factual pieces and ask any questions you may have. We believe in sharing important information with our residents and want you to know how the future of our schools will be impacted based upon the actions taken by voters on November 6.
Tom Golinar Treasurer/CFO
www.mariemontschools.org
#WarriorSummerSnaps This summer we asked you to share your favorite summertime memories with us by using the hashtag #WarriorSummerSnaps on social media. Here are some of our staff’s most memorable moments of the summer.
Steven Estepp,
Erik Vanags,
Mariemont High School
Superintendent I was selected as one of three superintendents in the state of Ohio to receive a professional learning scholarship from the Buckeye Association of School Administrators to participate in a global learning experience culminating in attendance at the International Global Leadership Summit in Berlin, Germany. Mariemont City Schools has had high school students participating in the summit for the past several years and was featured this year for its work to foster global citizenship and pivotal skills like collaboration and communication within students— in large part through educational travel. This experience reinforced my belief in the power and importance of student travel to make learning relevant and build strong global citizenship competencies.
Jill Colaw,
Mariemont Elementary
Annette Engle,
Terrace Park Elementary
Mary Sexton,
Mariemont Elementary We attended Nerd Camp in Parma, Michigan. Educators, authors and librarians from all over the country spend two days learning and teaching each other the importance of reading and writing for all. Many important topics were discussed, but the overarching theme was that students must have time to read and write every single day. Also teachers who teach reading and writing must also be writers and readers!
The Service Projects Abroad group had an amazing journey to Peru! We spent about a week in the highlands, visiting Macchu Pichu and then three days in a small village on the shores of Lake Titicaca. While in the community the students had a wonderful, immersive experience through a home stay with the Aymaran people. The service project was to help the community establish its Eco tourism footprint.
Nicole Parr,
Mariemont Junior High School Attending the Ohio Writing Project workshop, Teaching with and Evaluating Sources, was an enriching experience! I came away with engaging strategies to enhance students’ critical literacy skills by examining interesting historical documents. This is valuable in a digital world where students have access to so many sources at their fingertips.
Child Find Policy Mariemont City Schools Child Find Policy requires that all children below twenty-two (22) years of age residing within the district who have a disability, regardless of the severity of their disability, and who are in need of special education and related services are identified, located and evaluated in accordance with all federal regulations and state standards. For children birth through age two, a disability means that a child has a behavior, cognition, communication, physical development, sensory development and/or social or emotional development deficit. For children ages three through five years of age, a disability means that a child has a documented deficit in one or more of the following areas: communication skills, hearing abilities, motor functioning, social-emotional/behavior functioning or vision abilities. For school-age students, a disability means a person having one or more conditions such as autism, developmental handicap, hearing handicap, multi-handicap, orthopedic and/or other handicap, emotional/behavioral handicap, specific learning disability, traumatic brain injury or visual handicap. If you are aware of a child who you think may have a disability, please contact Linda Lee, Special Education Supervisor, at 513-272-7517.
AUGUST 2018
3
Board Takes Action to Avoid Significant Cuts to Programs
Mariemont City Schools took action to place an important issue on the November 6, 2018 ballot. The combined 2.5-mill operating and 5.75-mill permanent improvement issue will address dayto-day operating expenses as well as ongoing maintenance, renovation and safety enhancement needs throughout the district. If approved by voters, it will allow the district to avoid nearly $2 million in cuts to programs and staffing for the next few years. “We know that our Mariemont Schools are an excellent value to our residents,” said Board of Education President Nan Dill. “We also do not take the idea of asking for additional tax dollars lightly. But the facts are that our schools need more funds for both our daily educational programs as well as important facility problems. We need additional funding or we must enact cuts that could put our excellence at risk.”
This past spring, the Mariemont City School District Board of Education voted to approve the Mariemont High School Master Facility Plan, completing a two-year community engagement process. Hundreds of residents, parents, students, staff members and administrators volunteered time, resources and expertise to assist the district in the creation of the plan. What started as an initial information gathering phase back in August of 2016 turned into a multifaceted system of community teams, surveys, construction plans, school chats, design workshops and more that spanned two complete school years.
Fall 2016 The district and community began the initial assessment phase to look at the high school facility needs and what could be done to protect the community’s investment and ensure an excellent education for students.
Spring/ Summer 2017 A 25-member Steering Committee made up of residents, parents, staff members and administrators began to meet with architects and construction experts to develop possible solution options for the high school. More than 250 community members participated in a series of design workshops to provide feedback.
Fall 2017 Over 100 community members and staff volunteered for six different facility teams to look closer at the high school needs in areas of design/ architecture, learning spaces, technology, finance, arts and athletics. Additionally, a third-party community survey was conducted in which 71% of those surveyed agreed that action needs to be taken at Mariemont High School.
2016 2
Take a look back at the Master Facility Plan milestones and learn where we are now in the process to alleviate the finance and facility deficits the district faces. 4
www.mariemontschools.org
The 2.5-mill operating levy is the lowest operating request in the district’s history. It pays for day-to-day operating needs such as teachers, utilities and supplies. It is expected to meet the district’s daily operating needs for the next four years. The 5.75-mill permanent improvement issue will generate funds to address the necessary renovations and repairs at the high school as well as provide security enhancements and address ongoing maintenance needs at all schools across the district.
Community Finance Committee and Community Project Committee along with architecture and construction experts as well as the district’s owner’s representative firm. If the issue is approved by voters then Mariemont Schools will have the funds it needs to maintain the excellence that currently exists in the schools. If the issue is not approved then nearly $2 million in cuts will be made in the next few years in order to address critical safety and mechanical needs as well as balance the district’s operating budget.
The combined issue reflects the input received from hundreds of touch points with community members during a two-year community engagement effort. The final plan reflects the recommendations of the
“We have engaged in conversation with our community for more than two years now of how to address these serious needs,” said Dill. “Now the focus turns to what voters decide.” To learn more about the levy request, read the FAQs or look over the Master Facility Plan, visit the Levy Information page of the district website at www.mariemontschools.org.
November 6, 2018 Fall 2018 Winter/ Spring 2018 May 2018 The district commissioned the Community Finance Committee and the Community Project Committee to create recommendations that combined the needs of the high school with the desires of the community. Final presentations were presented to the Board of Education in April.
The Board of Education unanimously voted to approve the Mariemont High School Master Facility Plan including the final scope and budget which was presented by the district’s architectural, construction management and owners representative firms. In addition, the board took the first of two required votes to place a combined operating and permanent improvement issue on the November 6, 2018 ballot.
June 2018 The Board of Education unanimously voted to proceed with the combined ballot initiative after seeking and receiving certification from the Hamilton County auditor following the May meeting.
In order to make sure every resident’s voice is heard this November, all community members are encouraged to register to vote or update their voter registration information. Voter registration cards can be picked up at the Board of Education office or at many district events throughout the fall. The deadline to register to vote is October 9.
A combined 2.5-mill operating and 5.75-mill permanent improvement issue will appear on the ballot. The operating request, which is the lowest millage amount in the district’s history, covers expenses such as teachers, utilities and supplies. The permanent improvement funds will generate an estimated $43 million to address the renovations at the high school as well as provide security enhancements and other ongoing maintenance needs at all schools throughout the district.
2017 2018 AUGUST 2018
5
Intersession As part of the Mariemont City Schools Destination 2026 strategic vision, the district is preparing our students to be global learners and deeply committed members of the community and world. We strive for our students to be strong communicators and work collaboratively with others and well as build positive relationships with everyone around them. Thus, Warriors BEyond was born, a district initiative designed to get our students out from behind their desks to experience the world around them. Warriors BEyond initiatives are well integrated into the culture at both Mariemont and Terrace Park elementary schools with Explorations and after school programming. Mariemont Junior High School students experience Expeditions on a weekly basis and culminate their time at the school with a trip to Washington, D.C. And this year, students at Mariemont High School got in on the Warriors BEyond action when the school launched the inaugural Intersession. “Intersession is a week-long opportunity for our high school students to submerge themselves in a skill or activity that align with their interests and passions” said Director of Technology and Strategic Initiatives Brent Wise. “We have seen tremendous benefits from the Warriors BEyond learning happening in our other buildings and knew that those opportunities should even get better once a student gets to high school.” MHS students were given the choice between a teacher-led course, an Experienceship (hands-on shadowing program in a career field that interests them) or off-site college exploration with their families. Intersession took place the week of May 21-25, 2018, with staff and students spreading out all over the city, and even the world with trips to Austria and Iceland. Throughout the week, MHS students completed service projects, learned the history of their hometown, grew their culinary expertise, explored the outdoors and even impressed a room full of the city’s savviest business leaders with their own proposals. In total, 17 courses were offered by our staff members while 16 students participated in an Experienceship throughout the community and 44 students visited colleges and universities. “Looking back, I am very pleased with how Intersession turned out for both our staff and students” said MHS Principal Dr. Jim Renner. “A lot of planning went into making this first-ever Intersession a success and I can confidently say that every single student was exposed to an experience they would not have gotten in a typical classroom setting. I am looking forward to making this an annual tradition and something for our students to look forward to at the end of each school year.” 6
www.mariemontschools.org
Intersession Classes Offered:
20th Century Film Adulting 101 Are you a Gamer? Game Design Business Boot Camp Chasing Cincinnati From Scratch Healthy Inside and Out It’s a Climb Landscape Design Not Bored with a Board Order in the Court Outventures Project Runway Serving Cincinnati Sportstistics Travel abroad trip to Austria Travel abroad trip to Iceland
Experienceships Completed: Camargo Animal Hospital Cincy Magazine Forensic Psychiatrist Dr. Ed Connor Honest Auto Care Mariemont Capital Mariemont Elementary School MedVet Nease Chemical Red Cross Terrace Park Elementary School Wellington
Colleges Visited: Case Western Reserve University Colorado State University Denison University Furman University Loughborough University Loyola University Miami University Montana State University Northern Kentucky University Northwestern University Roosevelt University University of Cincinnati University of Dayton University of Georgia University of Kentucky University of Michigan University of Wyoming Xavier University
AUGUST 2018
7
29 MHS College Planning for Parents of Seniors – 7:00 p.m.
28 ME Parent Info Night (Grades 1-4) – 6:30-8:30 pm.
28 ME Kindergarten Welcome Coffee – 8:30 a.m.
27-31 Sixth Grade Camp Kern
24 MJHS Fall Sports Pictures – 3:00 p.m.
23 Me Camp Kern Meeting – 7:30 p.m.
23 TPE Parent Info Night (Grades 1-6) – 6:30-8:30 p.m.
23 ME Parent Info Night (Grades 5-6) – 6:30-7:30 p.m.
22 ME Flag Raising Ceremony – 9:00 a.m.
22 First Day of School
21 Kindergarten Supply Drop-Off – 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
20 Kindergarten Parent Info Night – 6:30 p.m.
20 ME Supply Drop-Off (Grades 1-6) – 1:30-2:30 p.m.
20 ME School Kit Pickup – 8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
August
17 Board of Education Meeting – 7:00 p.m.
13 MHS College Financial Aid Info Program – 7:00 p.m.
7 MJHS Back to School Night Out – 5:15-6:45 p.m.
3 Labor Day, No School
September
31 MHS Athletics Hall of Fame Ceremony – 6:30 p.m.
30 MJHS Parent Info Night – 7:00 p.m.
2 Warrior Way | Cincinnati, Ohio 45227 www.mariemontschools.org
www.mariemontschools.org
UPCOMING DATES
www.mariemontschools.org
PAID
Cincinnati, OH Permit No. 1082
Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage
To get the latest updates, “like” us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
Visit the district homepage to subscribe to district news, view the latest Now in 90 and A Warrior’s Words videos, check out the ConnectME podcast, and read ConnectME, the official blog of Mariemont City Schools.
Find us on