We have been asked to clarify questions about the 3-item Bond and Operating levy on the November 7, 2023 ballot: Issue 13. We list questions from our contacts, from conversations and dispel rhetoric heard around the District as we share our message. Feel free to send your questions to info@shakersfuture.com
Please reach us at info@shakersfuture.com if you cannot find an answer to your question.
Essentially for two items: the Pre-K Program and Building Improvements.
We will be asked to cast one vote for the three-item, Issue 13. There are two Building improvement bond issue items: 6.45 mills per $100,000 home valuation for 37 years and a 0.5 mill per $100,000 home valuation [Permanent improvement], which will last forever. The third item on the ballot is an operating levy, 3.0 mills per $100,000 home valuation, also a permanent levy, that will go into the General Operating Fund.
The Board has no detailed plans about HOW the General fund surplus from the new money generated will be used for operating expanded Pre-K, despite property tax being assessed beginning January 1, 2024: Expanded Pre-K at Ludlow will NOT occur until Fall, 2025.
The annual cost of Shaker Pre-K is currently $9,000 for full day and $2,000 for half day. Wraparound services are extra. There is a sliding scale for financial aid that reduces the out-of-pocket expense. As of October 10, there are no formal details on implementing a new sliding scale. If the bond issue passes, there will still be out-of-pocket expenses IN ADDITION TO the tax dollars earmarked for Pre-K.
The Board of Education has stated that the sliding scale for Pre-K tuition in 2025 and beyond will be “similar” to the current model. There has been no confirmation that the financial aid assessment will result in $0 of tuition for any families.
The General Fund surplus could be used for Pre-K. The Board has no detailed plans about HOW the General fund surplus will be used for operating expanded Pre-K if the levy passes. As of June 30, 2023, there was a balance of $70,657,055 in the General Fund. Per the Interim Treasurers Report, July 2023 The current monthly cash flow estimates, including actual data through July indicate that the June 30, 2024 cash balance will be $66,559,259.
Fall, 2025. Funds from the operating levy [3.0 mills], if passed, will begin being assessed and collected by the County beginning January 1, 2024, despite Ludlow opening expected 17 months later.
It is unclear if parents will parents utilize a Pre-K at Ludlow. The District has not provided research that assess the barriers to entry between Shaker parents and the Pre-K program. It is unclear if the district has an data to make decisions on need, or family inclination to utilize a District Pre-K program.
The School District promised collaboration with the existing independent Pre-K providers in Shaker. The District contacted those programs ONCE between January 1 and September 25, 2023. We currently have a Public Information Request dated September 29, 2023 to confirm any additional meetings. There has been a confirmation of receipt, but no further response.
YES! Public Pre-K for all students is an excellent leveler to address the opportunity and achievement gaps that exist in our school system. However, without a complete plan for execution by the School District, it is liable to become a missed opportunity.
Are we sure this money will be used for Pre-K?
NO. There is no specific language on the ballot that requires this money to be used for Pre-K. The Board of Education that holds office while the funds are being collected will have the final say in how and where that money is spent.
Will the School Administration Offices move to Ludlow?
It is unclear. The Board discussed demolishing and moving the Administration Building to the second floor of Ludlow School if the demand for Pre-K were low.
Is the renovation of Ludlow part of the ballot issue?
NO. The funding for Ludlow is being paid for with Certificates of Participation [COPS], not levy funds Ludlow renovation is NOT part of this issue.
NO. Per the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission (OFCC) which administers the funding for community-based projects, and is currently offering a 37% funding match, the Shaker School District can revise its plan based on the needs of its residents. The School District has 13 months to pass a levy if the November 2023 Bond issue fails and can also apply for an extension.
The only alternative plan with that the District has is a "Warm, Safe and Dry" [WSD] option for the next 40 years. It is only an extrapolation of previous expenses on the Middle School projected onto other district buildings. No further analysis, detailed plan of WSD or customization has been developed.
NO. The District leaders keep talking about equity, yet our students from Moreland continue to be bussed the furthest distance from their homes despite 4 geographically closer schools. Our leaders continue to leave Moreland behind and neighbors in Moreland seem convinced that this is the best plan. If the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion department really did DEI work for the district then there is no way this would go without explanation or at least be mentioned as a regret. There is no commitment to assess and change attendance zones. The proposed plan leaves Moreland students in a disparate position for more than thirty-six years and $302.9 million dollars later with special attention to smaller school buildings and no plans for bussing.
Absolutely not. We want the schools, our students and faculty to succeed. We can still be loyal to the schools AND community by holding the district accountable for carrying out a plan that represents everyone.
Saying NO is not binary: if we say NO to the proposed plan, we aren’t holding students education ‘hostage,’ we are voicing a differing opinion and asking for a better plan. [~Board member Heather Weingard, September 26, "We cannot hold our kids’ education hostage because of the process."]
We acknowledge that is gut-wrenching to oppose the plan
We support and need for this to be the best plan put forward. We, and the community support education and children by voting no on a high-cost plan that has not proven to benefit educational outcomes There are many of us who will vote NO who are lifelong supporters of the schools, current and former members of the Shaker Schools Foundation, alumni, neighbors, and friends of the schools. We want a plan that is detailed, prioritized, and has measurable outcomes that impact education.
The first and foremost responsibility of the Board is educational excellence/outcomes. The Board needs to revise the plan and deliver a more prudent proposal that is a sustainable plan and budget to finance capital and operational needs for our school in the future BEFORE committing to 37+ years of debt service.
Work with the City to reduce tax burden:
Split the pre-K levy from the facilities levy and pass as a stand-alone item
Split the facilities plan into 3 phases, each requiring their own vote so each can be determined on their own merits at the time the funding is needed.
Phase 1 – Woodbury & Middle School
Addressing Shaker Middle School as the greatest facility need and the Woodbury renovation most clearly defined.
Focus the new facility committee on getting finalizing details for making Woodbury 6-8 and put it separately on the 2024 ballot.
Phase 2 – Elementary Schools
Several items to be analyzed and detailed. Task the new facility committee with this plan with a target date of May 2025 ballot.
· Independent analyses of cost of addressing HVAC, security, and classrooms.
· Compare this to the cost of the “Fernway standard”. Fernway was a unique opportunity – not the standard. If we wanted the standard, need to go back to one K-5 facility for the entire district.
· Simultaneously, analyze attendance zones and two-way bussing.
· Simultaneously, analyze optimal location for grade 5 needs.
Phase 3 – High School
Begin work on resolving High School needs NOW and in 5-7 years
General fund & operating levy: detail the next operating levy needed to improve K-12 classroom outcomes, reduced administrative costs
Saying no is not a binary decision: No to the plan does not equate a no to the schools. In fact we support a comprehensive plan that benefits our students educational goals. When we see and experience human infrastructure crumbling on the inside of our buildings, why are we focused on bricks and mortar?
We can do better. We must do better
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