Community Q & A

Q. How many of our kids attend community schools?

A. We generally have between 40 and 50 students enroll in community schools each year.

Note: Community or Charter Schools are an alternative to regular public schools and are established under rules set by the Ohio legislature which allow parents an educational choice for their children. These schools can be an extension of a public school district or they can be operated by a for-profit company. Some of the local charter schools are The Arts Academy in Lorain, Elyria Community Elementary and Life Skills of Elyria.

Q. What does it cost the district each year for the students attending community schools?

A.

All state aid for these students is transferred to the community school that they attend. This ranges from $5,700 to over $17,000 per pupil if they are a special needs student.

Q. Are we gaining or losing money through the process of open enrollment?

A. We have gained revenue most years through the process of accepting open enrollment students. Here is a recap for the past few years.

Q. Could we save money by not participating in the open enrollment process?

A. No, it would cost the district approximately $500,000 each year as you can not stop students from leaving the district via open enrollment to other districts.

Q. How is SAFE funded?

A. SAFE or the Latchkey program is totally funded through the fees that the parents pay to participate in the program, no general operating funds are used.

Q. How much does one (1) mill of taxes cost a district home owner?

A. One mill of taxes costs a district homeowner $30.63 annually per $100,000 of appraised value of their property. A one mill tax levy would cost the owner of a $150,000 home $45.95 per year or $3.83 per month.

Q. How are our athletic programs funded?

A. Gate receipts from all athletic events go to the Athletic Fund (300), which along with Booster Club and other donations cover the cost of uniforms, supplies, trophies, entry fees, and referees.

The Athletic Fund budget is approximately $80,000 - $90,000 each year.

In addition, the district general fund covers the cost of all coaching salaries, team bussing and some of the facilities costs for bowling and swimming. We have budgeted $510,000 this year on these costs for all extra-curricular activities.

Q. I have heard that we have fewer students than we did a few years ago and that we are expected to continue losing students. Do we know why we are losing students?

A. The local birth rate is down and also the loss of jobs in Lorain and Erie counties has caused our loss of students.

Q. What is the projected student enrollment in the district for the next 10 years?

A. With very few new housing starts and no new jobs coming to the area, we are predicting that we will move to an average of 130 students per grade by 2020. This would give us an enrollment of approximately 1,700 students in the district. Our current student enrollment is 1,910.

Q. What is the P.I. Fund?

A. The Permanent Improvement Fund is funded with 1.4 mills of our inside millage and per state law, may only fund the cost of capital expenditures such as renovation, repairing and maintaining buildings and grounds and the purchase of equipment. The P.I. Fund may not be spent on salaries or benefits.

Q. How much does the district receive in taxes for the P.I. Fund each year?

A. We are expecting to receive $415,000 this year. It can vary due to delinquent taxes and also due to the collection of prior years’ delinquencies.

Q. Can we use grant money to offset general fund expenses?

A. We do apply and occasionally receive grant funds. The problem is these funds are earmarked for specific initiatives and usually cannot fund current general fund expenditures. We recently have received or have applied for grants for tutoring, technology, and professional development.

We do receive federal and state grant funds which again cannot replace general fund expenditures. These funds are used for programs beyond normal curriculum expenditures (Title I (reading and math intervention), Special Ed).

Grants traditionally go to poorer and urban districts and many times Firelands does not qualify for these funds.

Q. I have heard that the state is mandating all day kindergarten. What does that mean for Firelands?

A. The state has mandated all day, every day kindergarten starting in the fall of 2011. We currently have two classes of all day kindergarten for which parents pay tuition. The state’s mandate will increase expenditures from the general fund for an additional kindergarten teacher and supply costs for more full day classes. The mandate will also reduce revenues as we will no longer be able to charge tuition for the all day program.

With no increase in state funding for all day kindergarten, our local cost will increase by approximately $150,000.

Q. How does Firelands compare with other area school districts on local tax support for education?

A. Firelands is last in Lorain County in what its residents pay to support education.

Q. What would Pay to Play costs be when compared to new millage costs?

A. Pay to Play fees vary in districts across the area. Amherst charges $400 while Midview charges $550 per athlete, per year with no limitation on how many sports or activities the student can participate in. Other schools charge by the sport, usually around $150 each. These fees are substantially higher than any proposed increase in property taxes might be for a new levy.

Q. Can alternative energy sources help us?

A. The payback on most alternative energy projects is around 30 years. It takes a substantial investment on the district’s behalf to build alternative energy sources. It is certainly something that must be considered if new construction moves forward.

In the mean time the district is moving forward with a HB264 Energy Conservation Project. The project will include lighting upgrades, boiler replacements and heating control upgrades at the high school and elementary buildings. The reductions in gas and electric usage will pay for these upgrades within 15 years.

Q. Are we using technology to cut costs?

A. Currently online texts are being purchased along with standard textbooks. Eventually fewer texts will be needed, but costs to purchase on-line materials will mirror publishing costs of standard textbooks. The district continues to use technology to save paper/copy costs, shifting many of our forms to on-line access and submission. We are currently using automated attendance calling to free up office staff time and are looking at switching to Voice over IP (using existing computer lines for phone communications) to reduce monthly phone line costs.

Q.  What are the plans for the Annex building at South Amherst Middle School?

A.  With the move of the Fifth Grade to Firelands Elementary, the Annex currently houses two small classes and two offices. The Board is reviewing different options including; 1) moving the BOE office there and closing the Henrietta Building; 2) closing the Annex to save utility costs, or; 3) leasing the space to other entities to generate some income. No decision has been made and more public input is needed.

Issues that must be considered are the Master Plan to eventually have all district buildings on one campus, costs for renovation of the Annex to accommodate board office requirements, and accommodation of the Firelands Community Day School (a private entity that rents space from the district at Henrietta).

Q. Please explain the emergency levy renewal that is on the May 2010 ballot.

A. This emergency levy was originally approved on March 19,1996 at 5.9 mills to bring in $820,000 annually for 5 years. It was then renewed in November 2000 at 4.29 mills and again in May 2006 at 3.07 mills to still bring in $820,000 each year. We are asking the voters to renew the levy for a third time, now at 2.74 mills to bring in the same $820,000 annually.

The law now allows emergency levies to be voted for a 10 year period as apposed to the former limit of 5 years. As this levy is currently in its 14^th year of collection, the Board has decided to ask the voters to renew it for the maximum 10 year period in order to save the costs of placing the issue on the ballot in five years. The levy millage is adjusted by the County Auditor each year as our district valuation changes so that we only receive $820,000 from this levy.

Q. What happens if the district runs out of operating funds?

A. By law, Ohio Revised Code 3316, the State has a specific set of steps that are taken when a district has, or is close to running out of money.

The State Superintendent may declare Fiscal Caution if they feel that the district is headed toward Fiscal Watch or Fiscal Emergency. The district would receive an official letter and would have to provide a written plan to avoid or correct the deficit.

Fiscal Watch is declared by the Auditor of State when the operating deficit for the current year is greater than 8% of the district general fund revenue for the previous year. In Fiscal Watch the Board must submit a financial recovery plan to the State Superintendent within 60 days.

If the operating deficit exceeds 15% of the district general fund revenue for the previous year, the Auditor of State will declare Fiscal Emergency. Once a district is placed in Fiscal Emergency, a Financial Planning and Supervision Commission will be appointed within 15 days and will taking control of running the district.

Q. What is the breakdown of our local tax funding?

A. Our local tax revenue based on taxes charged would breakdown to be just over 87% from Residential/Agricultural property, 5.6% from Commercial/Industrial/Mineral, 6.3% from Public Utility and 1% from personal property.

Q. How much state funding per pupil follows a student when they attend the JVS?

A. The JVS receives 80% of the state funding for each pupil or approximately $4,586 for each student.

Q. How percent of our budget goes to transportation?

A. In the 2008-09 school year we spent 7.56% of our general fund budget on transportation.

Q. How do our class sizes compare with the state?

A. According to a report the state released on class sizes in the year 2007-2008, Firelands and the state average was 18. No newer numbers are available. Several teachers have been reduced in Firelands over the past two years, increasing class sizes in the district.

Q. What is the square foot cost for utilities (gas and electric) for the district and how does that compare with other districts?

A.

Q. Why do bus drivers take their buses home?

A.  This is a practice that has been done here since the beginning, It can give some security -it makes it harder for vandalism, especially to multiple buses at a time.

Q. We see the buses pass the house all the time empty going to the HS or to start their runs.  Doesn't that cost the district money for them to be using them to drive back and forth instead of their own vehicles?

A.  For a lot of the routes the driver would still need to drive an empty bus to their first stop to begin their route in the morning, and again to return to the school after finishing their routes in the PM. We try to design the routes so they start and stop close to the driver’s home. Plus the school would need to have a secured lot and plug ins for all the vehicles.

Q. Do we reimburse drivers for their utilities if they plug in their buses?

A.  No. The drivers are required to keep them plugged in when the temps are below 30 degrees