Good Evening:
“Nobody will ever deprive the American people of the right to vote except the American people themselves and the only way they could do this is by not voting.”
—Franklin D. Roosevelt
If you have any friends or neighbors who would like to start receiving my weekly e-mail updates please let me know and I will be sure to add them to my e-mail list. Or if they like they can sign up on the homepage of my website at www.danlangshaw.com.
SINCE MY LAST SCHOOL BOARD UPDATE
The School Board met on October 3rd for a Board Work Session. The Board also got another update on the Bond Issue for the November Ballot. High School wireless project is now complete and there is wireless access throughout the building. Board got an update on the progress of the Cuyahoga Valley Academy grant which is a joint effort with the CVCC. Board was given update on ways the district is informing senior citizens in the community about district events being free for seniors to attend. Board had discussion on exploring Medicaid funding and reimbursements to the district for providing certain programs for special needs students in the district. Superintendent Vittardi gave the Board a full update on the progress of the school district’s strategic plan. Board had discussion on the district rules and policies for re-entry at district events. Board had discussion about creating a voluntary board local scholarship for high school seniors which board members would make a donation to, but the majority of the board decided not to since most already contribute to other scholarships. The Board also had discussion about the high school fight song and whether or not that it needed to be written down and the whole board did not feel it to be necessary. The Board also reviewed the October Regular Meeting agenda items, and such other matters that came before the Board.
Preliminary State Report Card Results
The Ohio Department of Education released available district report card data. Although the release is incomplete, it does give districts enough information to be able to project what their designation will be, as well as individual grade level assessment results, Graduation Rate, Annual Yearly Progress designation and Value Added designation. This year, North Royalton outperformed the state average in percentage of students proficient or higher in all nineteen of the compared tested areas. These tested areas include math and reading at grades 3 through 8 and grade 10, as well as science in grades 5, 8, and 10. Social studies and writing are tested in grade 10. The district also matched or outperformed ODE designated Similar Districts in 15 of the 19 compared testing areas. Rounding out the measured indicators include 11th grade for selected students which are not compared with state and similar districts. All together, the district met 26 indicators of achievement. Other measures included on the report card are Annual Yearly Progress (AYP), Value Added (VA), Graduation Rate and Attendance Rate. AYP is a measure of achievement of subgroups of students including economic status, disability status, ethnic status, and others. VA is a measure of student growth over time. North Royalton City Schools met the benchmark for graduation rate and well as AYP and VA. The Attendance Rate and Performance Index have not been finalized, as well as individual building report card information. Based on the criteria that have been used in past calculations of state report card status, North Royalton City Schools are pleased to announce that our district will be designated as Excellent for the twelfth year in a row. Congratulations to all our teachers, staff, students, parents and community for this great honor.
The School Board met on September 27thth for a Special Board Meeting. The Board approved Appropriations for the 2012-2013 Fiscal Year. Appropriations reflect the new real estate tax as of now. Wages are down this new fiscal year but are spending more on medical and fringe benefits. The district is spending more on special education since the need has increased. Overall appropriations are up only 1% this new fiscal year. For fiscal year 2013 the percent of revenue for the General Fund is 21% state funding and 79% local funding.
On September 29th, I held my Monthly Constituent Coffee at the Coffee Club. Special thanks to those who stopped by. I hold these monthly coffees in order to stay in touch with fellow residents and listen to their feedback. There is no appointment necessary. Simply stop by and talk to me. I will keep you posted when my next monthly coffee in October will be October 25th from 6pm-7pm.
November 6, 2012 Presidential General Election Information
Voters will be casting ballots for President, U.S. Senate and Members of Congress, Ohio Senate and the Ohio House of Representatives, County Prosecutor and County Council members, Judicial candidates, State Board of Education seats, School Bond Issue, City Charter Amendments as well as other local and state issues. It is important for voters to be prepared to cast their ballots. The voter registration deadline is October 9, 2012. Voters who have moved or changed their name since they last voted, need to complete and return a new Voter Registration Card. After a voter has registered, they will receive a post card that lists their ward, precinct, and voting location. To avoid lines on Election Day and to allow extra time to study the ballot, all registered voters may Vote by Mail. Vote by Mail ballot applications are available at the Board of Elections website: www.boe.cuyahogacounty.us, by calling the Board of Elections at 216.443.3298, and at all public libraries. Vote by Mail voting starts October 2, 2012. Please make sure you VOTE in this important election
Bond Issue (Local Ballot Issue #112) Update
If you go to www.northroyaltonsd.org and open the “Bearly a Minute” window you can see various video responses to questions relating to the bond issue that are being done. A whole series of these short answers are planned to address some of the questions many of you may have.
Here is a link to some information from the Shape Our Kids Future Committee: http://www.northroyaltonsd.org/public/files/ShapingFuture.pd
And for those of you who wanted the website for the Shape Our Kids Future Committee it can be found at: http://nrkidsfuture.com/
Many of you have been asking about my position on the bond issue or about various aspects of it. You can find my statements regarding the upcoming bond issue that I have given on the record on my website at www.danlangshaw.com or click on the links below.
A common question I get asked by constituents is how much the bond issue is going to cost home owners. Below is the cost of the proposed bond issue by home value:
$100,000 market value home – $81.27 per year
$150,000 market value home – $121.91 per year
$200,000 market value home – $162.55 per year
UPCOMING MEETINGS AND EVENTS
October Regular School Board Meeting on October 8th at 7:00pm @ NRHS Community Room, 14713 Ridge Rd., North Royalton, OH 44133.
Coffee with School Board Member Dan Langshaw
If you are a constituent living in the North Royalton School District, you are invited to attend my next monthly constituent coffee on October 25th at the Coffee Club located at 500 E Royalton Rd. in Broadview Heights from 6pm-7pm. FREE small coffee for all those who attend. I hold these coffees in order to stay in touch with fellow residents and listen to their feedback one on one. There is no appointment necessary. Simply stop by and talk to me.
North Royalton Educational Foundation Meeting on November 8th at 4:00pm @ North Royalton Board of Education Office Conference Room, 6579 Royalton Rd., North Royalton, OH 44133
E-mail Updates
If you have any friends or neighbors who would like to receive my e-mail updates please let me know and I will be sure to add them to my e-mail list. They can also click on this link on my website to sign up at: http://www.danlangshaw.com/contact/e-mail-newsletter-sign-up/
Stay In Touch with me through Social Networking and the Web
If you like to keep in contact with me you can also check out my Website at www.danlangshaw.com or follow me on Facebook or Twitter at Langshaw4board
My Contact Info
If you ever have any questions or concerns please feel free to give me at call at 440-596-0078 or e-mail me at dan.langshaw@northroyaltonsd.org.
Have a great week!
Dan Langshaw
North Royalton School Board Member
440-596-0078
“Putting Students First”