5/24/2012 - West Side Leader
     

Dunn notes need for levy this year

NORTON — Norton City Schools Superintendent Dave Dunn painted a cautiously optimistic picture of the district at the May 21 Norton City Schools Board of Education meeting.

His State of the Schools address was split into four topics — facilities, academics, finances and vision — and he detailed the current climate of the school district.

Dunn said the district has dealt with heavy budget cuts from the state of Ohio, with revenue decreasing $784,000 since 2008, while next year the reduction is in the $760,000 range.

“We have operating money through fiscal year 2014,” Dunn said. “We’re still in deficit spending, so the clock is ticking. We don’t want to overburden taxpayers. We understand the concern about raising taxes. We looked at raising property tax, income tax and earned income tax. The two we talked about the most were earned income tax, which is on earned income tax and not retirement, and traditional property tax. As we move forward, the intent is to put a 1.9-mill property tax operating levy [on the ballot] in November.”

The superintendent talked about what the district learned after the failure of a 2008 levy. He said he talked to taxpayers who said they were in difficult financial times and needed the district to tighten its belt.

“I feel like at this point we have demonstrated fiscal responsibility,” Dunn said. “In the past four years, we’ve reduced at every level. We’ve all made sacrifices to reduce the budget and maximize our income. The only way we have to generate funds is through open enrollment, so we took as many [students] as we could. We’ve been able to net almost $2.5 million. I feel like our staff gets it. I do believe the teachers and employees in Norton understand the difficult financial times we’ve been in, and as a result we’ve been able to restructure health care [benefits] and save $3.4 million.”

Financial expenditures looming include a new district-wide energy management system. The existing system is operating under an old DOS (disk operating system) program. Other items include roof replacements or repairs throughout the district, as well as a redesign of the Norton High School entrance. Dunn said a design decision is forthcoming.

“Unfortunately, one of the things in the news in many districts is school security, especially high school security,” Dunn said. “We’ve certainly had a concern that our office is located away from entrance doors and that creates a potential for higher risk than we would like.”

Another concern for the district is its aging high school stadium. Dunn said architects are currently designing a new stadium to be paid for with funds borrowed against an existing permanent improvement levy, meaning no additional tax dollars are generated. The stadium could be in the same location or on new property the district is considering. Dunn said those parcels include land adjacent to Norton High School and also on Medina Line Road.

At the end of the address, Dunn said land acquisition is integral to the district’s future.

“Regardless if we buy the land adjacent to us or some other location, we have to develop a facility plan for our buildings that includes a provision for the land that we have or we’re buying,” he said. “There’s no kidding, Cleveland-Massillon Road is going to change. We have buildings that are old, and we need to spend significant money to update them, replace them or shut them down. That’s sooner than later.”

In talking about the student body, Dunn stressed Norton youths are offered a wide variety of programs and activities ranging from sports and music to drama and art. He noted that 80 percent of outgoing Norton High School students are attending college, while 50 percent of the class had a 3.0 or higher grade point average. Dunn used these statistics to challenge the district to keep up with technological offerings for future students.

“When we talk about the basics our students get in Norton, we don’t take a backseat to anyone,” Dunn said. “It does concern me what kind of technology experiences have we been able to provide in our computer labs and science departments. I think moving forward we have to have a vision of Norton that’s different from what we’re used to. … I look forward to working on it.”

In other board business, students of the month were honored: Elliot Clarkson (Norton Primary School), Meghan Messacapo (Grill Elementary School), Madison Bennett (Cornerstone Elementary School), Emily Wolverton (Norton Middle School) and Sean Blake (Norton High School).

Also during the meeting, the board approved retirements for Cornerstone Elementary kindergarten teacher Jolane Billings, Cornerstone Elementary first-grade teacher Debra Blewitt, Middle School secretary Sharon Phillips and Norton High School career technical teacher Gary Ruckman.

“This is a bittersweet time of the school year, saying goodbye to good people,” Dunn said. “We again this month are losing some absolutely topnotch people that are stars in our educational system, and we’ll miss you tremendously. Thank you for your service.”

The next school board meeting is set for June 18 at 7:30 p.m. in the Norton High School Library, 4128 S. Cleveland-Massillon Road.

• Akron Council addresses missing 19-year-old
• Old memories meet new era at Rotary Camp
• Falls Council OKs sale of State Road property
• Hindu temple welcomes public for opening celebrations
• Norton Council preparing opposition to Internet café bill
• Peninsula residents take Council to task for actions, behavior
• Boston still seeking sewer funding
• Richfield Village welcomes former mayor at meeting
• Granger fiscal officer retiring in July
• County Council OKs pay raises
• Seventh Neighbors Day Akron set for May 25
• Take Back Day a hit
• West Side News & Notes
• Green has new buyer for Belden Lodge
• Old memories meet new era at Rotary Camp
• Manchester Education Foundation formed
• Springfield officials hear passionate pleas about photos
• County Council OKs pay raises
• Coventry trustees move forward with demolitions
• Springfield applying for grants
• South Side News & Notes