Superintendent: I'm Not Ashamed We Lost 'Distinction' Tag

Twinsburg school officials sounded off on the recent ratings from the Ohio Department of Education.

Despite losing the tag of "Distinction," Twinsburg school officials are still happy about the district's performance on the state report cards. "We were disappointed about losing that tag, but we have to celebrate the fact that our students have done extremely well," Superintendent Kathryn Powers said at Wednesday's school board meeting. Preliminary data was released Wednesday by the Ohio Department of Education ranking each school district in the state.  Twinsburg was rated "Excellent," for the 2012-13 school year, ending its streak of four-straight years of "Excellent With Distinction." "I’m shocked and amazed that we can perform to the high level that we are and yet because of how it’s calculated, we lose our tag of 'distinction,'" …

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Friday's Final Thought

School Levy: How Will You Vote on It? (POLL)

Twinsburg City School District put a 4.9 mill levy on the Nov. 6 ballot. How will you vote?

Twinsburg schools has a 4.9 mill levy (Issue 69) on the ballot for the Nov. 6 election. The school board approved the levy in June which will cost the owner of a $100,000 home $150.06 annually. That would generate $3.8 million for the district each year, alongside the $3.2 million in cuts and changes earlier this year. But some residents have raised questions about asking the community for more money when teachers are still getting step increases each year and the district is paying into administrators' pensions, also known as "pickups." Those issues mixed with the fact that the district has $25 million in its reserves, when it was originally projected to be around $23 million, have some voters concerned. However, the school board and some…

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POLL: Twinsburg Schools' Levy Approved; How Will You Vote?

The Twinsburg School Board approved putting a 4.9 mill new tax levy on the November ballot

The Twinsburg Board of Education unanimously approved putting a new tax levy on the November ballot Thursday. The 4.9 mill new tax levy will go before the voters on Nov. 6. It means the owner of a $100,000 home would pay $150.06 annually. That would generate $3.8 million for the district each year. "We’ve implemented operational changes over the past two years, however, the district is still operating in the red," Board President Ron Stuver said. Earlier this month Treasurer Martin Aho's five-year forecast predicted the district would be in the red $12.8 million by 2016. If approved, the levy would leave $550,000 in the district's reserves by 2016. “It is absolutely essential to the future of the district that this passes,” Board Member …

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Treasurer: District Out of Cash by 2016

Twinsburg Schools' Treasurer Martin Aho presented the latest five-year forecast at Wednesday's board of education meeting

If financial trends stay the same, the Twinsburg City School District will run out of money by 2016, according to Treasurer Martin Aho's five-year forecast. Aho presented his latest findings at Wednesday's board of education meeting, sharing with the board that by his estimation the district’s cash reserve will be completely depleted and short $12.8 million by 2016. In July 2012 it should have $23.2 million in the reserve. The five-year forecast is designed to provide the administration, board of education and the public a general indication of a probable future financial position of the district based on information currently available. Aho said these estimates are fairly conservative. Want more school news? Sign up for our eNewsletter! …

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What Do YOU Think About the Teachers Union Deal? (Poll)

Last week the school board approved a contract change and extension between the district and teachers union

Last Wednesday it was announced that both the school district and teachers union approved a new contract agreement, including increasing employees' share of healthcare and pay freezes. This could save the district over the next two years the district could save $425,000. The new agreement increases the employees' share of their health-care premium from 6 percent to 10 percent, starting next school year. Teachers will get about a 2 percent raise next year, carried over from the previous contract, but will take a pay freeze for the 2013-14 school year. This contract could be extended to 2014-15, including health-care concessions  and the pay freeze, if the district believes it has "sufficient funds" based on the five-year forecast. So what …

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justathoughtor2

7:53 am on Friday, June 1, 2012

Sometimes it is better and more efficient to buy a new car than to try to repair the old one.   more ›

PHOTOS: District Says Farewell to 386 Years of Service

The school board honored the 15 educators and staff members who are retiring this year

The Twinsburg City School District said goodbye to 15 employees during Wednesday's board of education meeting. The retirees had 386 years of combined service in the district. Here's the list of the retirees and how long they have been in Twinsburg:

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School Board Approves $2.5 Million in Employee Cuts

The Twinsburg Board of Education approved the final stages of $3.3 million in cuts and revenue

Nearly a year-and-a-half ago, the Twinsburg City School District began the process of changing it's financial future. On Wednesday night, it finally came to a close. The board of education  approved $2.5 million in staff cuts, starting next school year, by a 4-1 vote. It was the final step in the process of making cuts and adding new revenue, totaling $3.275 million. The staff cuts will affect 11 certified employees -- mostly teachers -- and 23 classified staff members. Some classified staff will lose their jobs, while others will see reduced hours, and some will be repositioned. In total 58 positions have been affected in some way, including positions removed by attrition and reductions through job sharing. “The decisions to do this have …

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Schools Will Take Twinsburg's 'Temperature' Using Phone Survey

After spring break the school district will ask residents to take a survey over the phone

As the changes to the Twinsburg City School District continue, the administration wants to get more feedback from the community. A community phone poll is being developed -- launching the week of April 16 -- to provide feedback on residents' satisfaction with the district's performance, especially regarding the recent $3.2 million changes. "We are curious to hear what the community thinks of the value of education and we want to be able to respond to concerns that are being raised," Superintendent Kathryn Powers said of the "temperature check". District officials will use voter registration records to contact 320 residents, -- chosen at random -- to take the survey, which should take 15 minutes to complete. An online survey will be posted …

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School Board Makes First Operational Changes

The board of educations approved both an increase in preschool tuition and charging mileage for outside use of buses

The first shots have been fired in the battle to cut the Twinsburg City School District's budget for the 2012-13 school year. The school board voted Wednesday, approving the first two operational changes to the target of $3.2 million dollars in cuts and revenue. It unanimously approved increasing the fee for typical peer models (non-disabled students) at the preschool to $1,500, an increase of $500 from last year. Board President Ron Stuver said the fees Twinsburg charges are low compared to other area programs, and they may raise it again in the coming years. For now the move will generate roughly $18,000 per year, including snack fees. While developmentally disabled children attend for free, there are 28 peer models at the preschool, …

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