1	"Assessing the Performance Audit" Assessing the Performance Audit: How do we make the future brighter? Where do we go from here? November 9, 2006 Streetsboro Board of Education
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3	"Opening Remarks" Opening Remarks Cynthia Pennock-Hanish, President, Streetsboro Board of Education Thomas Giovangnoli, Superintendent, Streetsboro City School District
4	"The Performance Audit provided a..." The Performance Audit provided a detailed look at four key areas of our school district: Funding Human Resources Transportation Facilities
5	"The Key Conclusions" The Key Conclusions The Performance Audit: Affirmed the need to keep all current operating funding in place. Advised the Board to find a continuing source of funding for permanent improvements.
6	"Action Steps Have Begun" Action Steps Have Begun The Performance Audit Team shared many ideas with the Board and administration during the course of the audit. Many recommendations already have been implemented. Others will be in the near future.
7	"Key Conclusions" Key Conclusions The Performance Audit Team studied the District’s 5-Year Forecast in depth. Revenue Forecasts are Conservative and on target. Expenditure Forecasts are Cautious; the Board and Administration must be vigilant about trends in health care costs. District commended for producing a high-quality forecast
8	"The Bottom Line" The Bottom Line The Citizens of Streetsboro have the major duty to work in harmony with the District to provide a quality educational program for all students, pre-K to 12th grade. The School District manages taxpayer money well. That confirms the views expressed during the community survey in July.
9	"Peer District Selection" Peer District Selection: Auditor of State chose three districts from across Ohio to compare Streetsboro Districts were chosen based on a nine-point statistical model. One is in our region; the other two are more than 100 miles distant.
10	"The Selected Districts are" The Selected Districts are: Field Local Schools locally (Portage County) Heath City Schools in central Ohio (Licking County) Lake Local Schools in northwest Ohio (Wood County)
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12	"Compared to the peers" Compared to the peers, Streetsboro is a rapidly growing community Field is seeing some growth, especially in Brimfield. The Suffield area remains primarily a farming community. Lake is growing slowly. It is primarily a farming community. Heath is a mostly developed small city with its own school district, much like Mogadore or Rittman.
13	"Reporting to the Community" Reporting to the Community: Mark Abramowicz, Board Member (Funding) Barbara Cowling, Board Vice President (Human Resources) Thomas Giovangnoli, Superintendent (Teacher Recruitment) Kevin Grimm, Board Member (Transportation) Denise Baba, Board Member (Facilities) Todd Puster, Treasurer (The Road Ahead) Cynthia Pennock-Hanish, Board President (Closing Comments)
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15	Streetsboro’s Funding Reality: State Funding for Streetsboro City Schools Has Been Flat-Lined for 10-years
16	Streetsboro’s Funding Reality: State Funding as a Share of the School Budget Streetsboro City School Has Dropped for 10-years
17	Stable enrollment is not a realistic assumption in the Performance Audit. The District has added 65 students this year. This continues a trend that started in the mid 1990s.
18	Streetsboro is more dependent (by one third) on local tax dollars than the peer districts. This is the result of State decisions over which the District has no control.
19	"Peer Districts Operating Levy Record" Peer Districts Operating Levy Record Compared to the peer districts, Streetsboro has gone the longest without seeking additional taxpayer support and its last levy was the lowest of the peers. District Election Date Tax Rate Streetsboro August 2005 3.50 mills Field August 2006 6.00 mills Lake August 2006 8.75 mills Heath November 2006 7.20 mills
20	"Peer District Cost of Doing..." Peer District Cost of Doing Business Using the State funding data, the cost of doing business for school districts in Portage County is higher than the peer districts elsewhere in Ohio. District County Cost Factor Streetsboro (and Field) Portage 32 cents Heath Licking 25 cents Lake Wood 24 cents
21	"An Imperfect Comparison" An Imperfect Comparison Streetsboro is more dependent on local funding than the peer school districts. Streetsboro is growing faster than the peer school districts in building new homes, business and industrial facilities.
22	"The Performance Audit Shows the..." The Performance Audit Shows the Problem of Emergency Levies Emergency Levies provide a set amount of money, no matter what growth occurs in the community. In a rapidly growing community like Streetsboro, this lets potential additional tax dollars from new construction escape. With current expense levies, new construction provides additional dollars for the schools.
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24	"Do We Have Too Many..." Do We Have Too Many Teachers? The Performance Audit suggests that Streetsboro had 18 more teachers than the peer average last school year, one more principal and one more administrator. The community survey done in July said it is a Streetsboro community priority to hire more teachers to reduce class size.
25	What Matters to Streetsboro? The community survey identified classroom instruction and related spending as priorities for the District: Priority Agreement % 1. Purchase new textbooks and instructional equipment 84% 2. Hire additional teachers to reduce class size 71% 3. Purchase new computers and technology for students 67%
26	"So" So, What happened to those eighteen teachers? Seven teaching positions were reduced by Board action or attrition. Three were kept due to an addition of 65 students this school year. Four were kept to maintain the all-day every-day kindergarten program Four were kept to maintain additional course offerings and to reduce class sizes.
27	"So" So, What happened to the administrators? One principal was retained on staff. One administrator, the curriculum director, was placed on part-time status.
28	The District has used money where it counts: To improve student achievement. The State Report Card Performance Index shows these results:
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30	"Meet our Neighbors (and..." Meet our Neighbors (and our competitors) In the marketplace for the best teachers, Streetsboro is in competition with its neighbors in northeastern Ohio, not peers elsewhere in the State
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32	"How Do Teacher Salaries" How Do Teacher Salaries Compare with our Neighbors? Rank School District Teacher Base Salary % Difference 1 Aurora $36,225 +19.2 2 Hudson $35,795 +17.8% 3 Twinsburg $35,141 +15.6% 4 Kent $33,602 +10.6% 5 Stow $32,673 +7.5% 6 Ravenna $31,340 +3.1% 7 Streetsboro $30,390 +0.0% 8 Crestwood $29,011 -4.5%
33	"Does Money Matter" Does Money Matter? At the end of the past school year, three teachers left Streetsboro for higher paying districts nearby. One principal also left for a higher paying district.
34	"Where did the teachers go" Where did the teachers go? Aurora Hudson Solon Where did the principal go? Cleveland
35	"What does the District do..." What does the District do to recruit good teachers? Accepts applications from qualified teachers throughout the school year. Places qualified applicants in substitute or temporary positions to evaluate performance Recruits applicants at college fairs. Communicates with Streetsboro graduates majoring in education.
36	"Should Streetsboro Rank No" Should Streetsboro Rank No. 7 Today? The taxable value of property per student ranks No. 2 in Portage County. (Aurora is No. 1.) Streetsboro ranks in the top 20% of all Ohio school districts. Median household income of residents is above the State average. Streetsboro is the 12th fastest growing city in Ohio and 2nd fastest growing city in the Cleveland region.
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38	"Why does Streetsboro offer transportation..." Why does Streetsboro offer transportation for all students? High volume of traffic on State Route 303 near the main campus and on Frost Road near Wait Primary. No sidewalks are available near our schools that would let our children walk safely.
39	Streetsboro’s transportation costs are 25% less than the State average, according to 2005-2006 school year data.
40	"Bringing Special Needs Students Home..." Bringing Special Needs Students Home Can Save Money Moving specialized education programs into our schools when possible saves on transportation and tuition costs. This school year, a special education program for multi-handicapped children was begun at Streetsboro High School. This saves the cost of transportation to Kent or Ravenna as well as tuition costs.
41	"Bus capacity squeezed" Bus capacity squeezed The Performance Audit recommended cutting up to 3 buses. The addition of 65 students this year lowers that to 1. Children who live the farthest away from the main school campus, especially along Stone and Ravenna roads, ride the bus in excess of 30 minutes every day.
42	"Is a Bus Replacement Program..." Is a Bus Replacement Program Needed? The District this year is purchasing buses for the first time since 2002. The District has buses in its fleet that date back to 1988. These buses have traveled more than 200,000 miles. Ohio Highway Patrol 2006 bus inspection found more buses with mechanical problems than at any time in recent years.
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44	"Why do we need to..." Why do we need to invest in our facilities? Enrollment growth has resulted in cramped facilities, especially at Streetsboro High School. A two-classroom modular unit has been purchased for this school year for the high school. Expect more modular buildings in the near future.
45	"Commended for Saving Taxpayers Dollars..." Commended for Saving Taxpayers Dollars By Group Purchasing Some examples: Electricity, natural gas, trash hauling and other items are purchased through Ohio Schools Council group programs. Liability and Workers’ Compensation insurance is purchased through an OSBA group program. Equipment, school buses and many other items are purchased through various State or local group programs.
46	"Praise for custodial and maintenance..." Praise for custodial and maintenance operations The Performance Audit Team praised our custodial and maintenance operations. Commended for managing custodial overtime wisely. Commended for keeping our per-square-foot spending for custodial and maintenance supplies low.
47	"School Buildings are a community..." School Buildings are a community resource Custodial staffing at current levels allows evening community building use The community survey reported that it is a good use of funds to allow evening activities at our school buildings for little or no charge.
48	"Some Community activities that use..." Some Community activities that use our buildings Youth football Youth basketball Youth baseball/softball Scouts (boys and girls) PTA and booster clubs Homeowner associations City groups Church groups Many more
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50	Nearly 200 building permits per year have been issued in Streetsboro in the past five years. That level activity is expected for the foreseeable future.
51	Since 1998, 1,110 acres have been removed from the agricultural tax roles in Streetsboro. Yet 5,844 acres remain designated for agricultural use on the tax roles. This leaves a large portion of our community open for future development.
52	The population of Streetsboro has grown by close to 2,000 residents in the past five years.
53	The current level of population growth in Streetsboro is comparable to the 1950s when more than 4,000 residents moved to the community during that decade.
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55	Students coming to Streetsboro from elsewhere in Ohio primarily come from southeastern Cuyahoga County or neighboring Portage County communities.
56	Five of the six Ohio school districts from where our new students are coming had lower 2005-2006 State Report Card Performance Index scores than Streetsboro.
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58	"Looking Forward" Looking Forward The Performance Audit gives the Board and administration several good ideas. These ideas provide a foundation for future planning. The Board will evaluate all ideas against the standard of providing a high quality education for all children.
59	"The Key Conclusions" The Key Conclusions The Performance Audit: Affirmed the need to keep all current operating funding in place. Advised the Board to find a continuing source of funding for permanent improvements.
60	"For More Information" For More Information: The full report may be viewed at the auditor of state’s web site, www.auditor.state.oh.us. A link is provided from the school district web site, www.rockets.sparcc.org
61	"The Bottom Line" The Bottom Line The Citizens of Streetsboro have the major duty to work in harmony with the District to provide a quality educational program for all students, pre-K to 12th grade. The School District manages taxpayer money well. That confirms the views expressed during the community survey in July.
62	"The Board’s Promise to the" The Board’s Promise to the Streetsboro Community The Board will use the Performance Audit, Community Survey and other credible information to guide future decision making. The Board will not sacrifice any child’s education to fit into a sterile statistical model.
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