Superintendent Presents School Report Card and Final Strategic Plan;
Board Approves Settlement Agreement for Lawsuits with Agricultural Society
Berkshire Board of Education – Regular Meeting, October 14, 2024
Meeting Details: The meeting was held in the Auditorium of the Berkshire Local Schools Complex, 14155 Claridon Troy Rd, Burton, Ohio 44021 at 6:00 pm. The meeting was in person only with no virtual attendance option. A video of the meeting is posted here. View the agenda online and any attached documents here by selecting the meeting tab and then the meeting date. The notation of minutes refers to the time posted on the video for the discussion of the item listed.
Board Members Attendance: Jody Miller, Vice President, and Board members Dan Berman, Linda Stone and Bryan Wadsworth. Board President John Manfredi arrived at 6:38pm.
Staff Attendance: Superintendent John Stoddard and Treasurer Beth McCaffrey.
Meeting called to order at 6:00 pm
Mrs. Miller conducted the meeting in Mr. Manfredi’s absence.
Pledge of Allegiance
Approval of Agenda - Approved unanimously without discussion
Approval of Minutes for September, 2024 - Approved unanimously without discussion
Observer Note: This report is based on the Board meeting video that started 8 minutes before the actual meeting began at 6:00pm.
No Public Participation
10:10 min Treasurer’s Report
Financial Statements
The Treasurer submitted a statement to the Board and to the Superintendent showing the revenues and receipts from whatever sources derived, the various appropriations made by the board, the expenditures and disbursements and the balances remaining in each fund. The financial statements for the period ending September 2024 have been submitted subject to audit and include: Financial Summary, Appropriations and Revenue Summary, Check Register Recap, and Bank Reconciliation per ORC 3313.29.
Observer Note: See Financial Statement details in the meeting agenda available online.
Donations - Unanimously approved from the following sources:
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OHSAA (Ohio High School Athletic Association): $2,000.00 for Athletic Enrichment
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Jersey Mike’s Middlefield: $1,611.00 for the Ag (Agriculture) Program
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Mary Blaha Memorial Fund: $500.00 for PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports)
Mrs. Miller thanked the donors, noting that the Board seems to have donations at every meeting.
Ohio Public Employees Deferred Compensation Program
The Board unanimously approved without discussion authorizing the Treasurer to execute the plan documents to establish a 457 plan with Ohio Public Employees Deferred Compensation Program.
Observer Note: A 457(b) plan is a tax-deferred retirement savings plan. Funds are withdrawn from an employee's income without being taxed and are only taxed upon withdrawal, which is typically at retirement.
11:56 min Superintendent’s Report
Personnel - Unanimously approved
The Board unanimously approved the hiring of many Certified and Classified staff. A full list is available on the October 14 meeting agenda online.
Volunteers - Approved
Board members Mrs. Miller, Mrs. Stone and Mr. Berman approved the volunteers listed below. Mr Wadsworth, as one of the volunteers, abstained.
Bryan Wadsworth Track & Field Head Coach
Bryan Wadsworth Indoor Track & Field Coach
Aimee Green Indoor Track & Field Coach
Mrs. Miller and Mrs. Stone congratulated the cross county teams who “are rockin’ it” at all levels.
Contracts - Unanimously approved
The Board unanimously approved the following contracts:
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Re-Education Services, Inc. - 2024-2025 School Year (Student specific; two contracts)
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Cardinal Local Schools Special Education Agreement (1 of 2)
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Cardinal Local Schools Special Education Agreement (2 of 2) Reviewer Note: Two different Cardinal Local Schools Special Education Agreements were approved.
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Chardon Local Schools Special Education Agreement
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Summit Educational Service Center
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Auburn Career Center Equity for Each grant
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First Student - MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) Observer Note: First Student is a Transportation Service.
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Millstone Management - change order
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Butler County Educational Service Center
Mrs. Stone asked if the special education agreements were for children who will be in the early learning center or Badger Lab. Dr. Stoddard said the three contracts (the two Cardinal Local Schools Special Education Agreements and one Chardon Local Schools Special Education Agreement listed above) were for their vocational program.
Mrs. Stone asked what services are being provided by the Butler County Educational Service Center? Dr. Stoddard explained that they were coming to train teachers how to use Artificial Intelligence to automate their work to save time.
Science of Reading (SOR) Stipend Payments - Unanimously approved
Dr. Stoddard explained that SOR is state-mandated training for all certified teachers in the science of reading. There are two training levels: 1) 21 hours of training accompanied by a $1200 stipend and 2) a 7-hour training with a $400 stipend. Stipend payments of $1200 were requested for 15 teachers along with a $400 payment for 1 permanent substitute teacher. Berkshire will pay the stipends and request reimbursement from the state.
Authorize Superintendent and Treasurer to execute Change Orders - Unanimously approved
The Board authorized the Superintendent and Treasurer to execute change of orders related to the Preschool Modular project not to exceed $15,000 per change.
16:45 min Old Business
Agricultural Society Settlement Agreement - Unanimously approved
The School Board has reached an agreement with the Geauga County Agricultural Society, settling both the eviction and drainage lawsuits between the two parties. Mr. Berman commended the professionalism and integrity of the individuals who were part of the dispute process, noting that the conflict was” very ugly” initially.
There was no further discussion about the lawsuits or the settlement.
Observer Note: The Geauga County Agricultural Society (Ag. Society) and Berkshire School Board have been in two protracted legal disputes. The first was over the Ag. Society’s termination request for Berkshire to vacate the building at 14259 Claridon Troy Road which the school was using for their diesel repair and students with special needs job skills classes. The building also houses a bus maintenance garage. The second lawsuit was over flooding on the fairgrounds, which the Ag. Society contended didn’t exist before construction on the new Berkshire campus.
The Court combined the eviction and drainage lawsuits into a single settlement. The agreement has two key elements. First, the Board will pay the Ag. Society $84,383.31; after receipt of payment, the Ag. Society will dismiss both lawsuits with prejudice.
Additionally, the Ag. Society agreed that the Board may continue to occupy and use the disputed building, rent free, through July 31, 2025. The Board will voluntarily vacate the premises on or before that date.
The Board and Ag. Society will bear their own attorneys’ fees and costs. The full settlement agreement is available in the meeting agenda online.
17:50 min New Business
Burton Public Library Board Member Appointment
The Board unanimously approved the appointment of Heather Tromba to fulfill Judge Forrest Burt's unexpired term ending December 31, 2026.
Observer Note: Judge Burt died unexpectedly in September 2024.
18:25 min Strategic Planning Presentation - State of the School
Executive Summary of the Presentation:
Student Achievement; Financial Overview; Enrollment Trends; Programs and Initiatives, and Mission and Future Goals
Student Achievement
Dr. Stoddard presented the latest school report card which is made up of 6 indicators:
1. Achievement (28.6%)
2. Progress (28.6%)
3. Early Literacy (14.266%)
4. Graduation (14.266%)
5. Gap Closing (14.266%)
6. College, career, workforce and military readiness (N/A)
The percentages are that indicator’s weight toward the overall rating.
He noted that the college, career, workforce and military readiness component is “report only” and therefore not factored into the overall rating. This indicator will be added next year.
For perspective, Dr. Stoddard showed the 2022 and 2023 Report Cards. In 2023, the school scored an overall rating of 3.5 out of 5 stars. In 2024, the school earned 4 out of 5 stars. He noted they have increased their achievement levels every year since 2020, as shown in a Performance Index graphic slide.
23:37 min Financial Overview
Dr. Stoddard reviewed the estimates made in May 2024 and the actual FY2024.
Key points:
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Beginning balance was $4,416,373
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Revenues of $21,272,060 were higher than estimated
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Expenditures of $2,626,298 were lower than estimated
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Annual Surplus (Deficit) was $(354,238), $329,583 less than estimated
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Ending Cash Balance was $4,062,135, higher than estimated
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Carryovers were $566,782, $416,782 more than estimated due primarily to unanticipated special education costs, including placement in outside programs and special transportation
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Ending Cash Balance was $3,495,353, $87,199 less than estimated
Dr. Stoddard pointed out that the $87,199 difference in a $21 million budget is comparable to being off by $.40 in a household budget. He commended the Treasurer for her financial forecasting, noting that the school receives the Auditor’s State award every year.
Dr. Stoddard also noted that he and the Treasurer are constantly looking for ways to reduce spending and increase revenue, including grants.
26:36 min Enrollment Overview
Enrollment has been trending up, from 1,329 students in 2020-21 to 1,378 students in 2024-25.
Open enrollment has declined during the same timeframe, from 259 to 213. The school is accepting fewer open enrollment students as the school reaches capacity. Dr. Stoddard said Berkshire is the only school in the county with a positive trend line in enrollment.
27:46 min Programs and Initiatives
Early Childhood Center (ECC)
This is the first year for a full-fledged preschool. There are 32 preschool students in the class
The preschool serves three groups of students:
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Cubs: Students most at risk who in the past would have been transported to the program at the Metzenbaum Center.
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Explorers: Mixed class of students with special needs as well as those who are typically developing. This is the most popular program.
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Buddies: Program for typically developing students only.
The ECC also offers Badger Care, morning and afternoon programs, previously called the “latchkey program” run by the YMCA. Declining enrollment numbers prompted the school to bring the program in-house. Currently they have 9 students in the morning and 16 in the afternoon.
The preschool curriculum is The Creative Curriculum for Preschool, the most widely used program in the country. They also use Footsteps 2 Brilliance for pre-K to 3rd grade homeschoolers to build early literacy skills. Footsteps works across any mobile platform with or without an internet connection. Anyone in the school district is eligible to use it.
ECC is currently using classrooms at KSU Burton while the pre-K module building is being completed. Completion is expected in early December with a goal to move the program over winter break. The building will have 8 classrooms, a reception area and 2 offices. It will house the Jumpstart preschool and all early childhood programs.
Berkshire Elementary School
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Received the PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support) Gold Award from the Ohio Department of Education, jumping from Bronze to Gold in a single year. Of 3599 state elementary buildings, only 41 received gold. Dr. Stoddard cited accuracy of implementation, tiered systems of support, ongoing training and professional development for staff, family and community engagement, and a positive school climate as reasons behind the award.
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Using Sources of Strength curriculum for health and wellness classes. Students are asked to think about, develop and practice positive social and emotional skills.
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Have a “Strategies for Success” time for K-4 where students work on reading and math skills. Allows time for teachers to work with any student who is deficient in an area.
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Still using hands-on learning to promote creativity and collaboration.
Berkshire Middle School
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Earned PBIS Bronze Award (one of 300 middle schools in Ohio)
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Use Sources of Strength curriculum as a supplement in the classroom to promote good mental health and coping strategies. No stand-alone class.
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Offer many student clubs and activities, including Science Olympiad, Math Club, Chess Club, Coding for Girls, Student Council and Recycling Club.
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Offer Strategies for Success period where teachers can focus on helping students with deficiencies.
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Offers hands-on, project-based lessons to foster communication, collaboration and creativity.
Berkshire High School
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Earned PBIS Bronze Award
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Strong art program with high student participation
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Since moving to their new building, they have seen exponential increase in participation in music programs. Band, choir and drama are now integrated into the school day.
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Have 21 varsity sports
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Pathways to College Readiness which offers a college preparatory curriculum as well as AP classes. The college classes are held in the high school building. The KSU Geauga curriculum is also available to students.
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Started many different career and workforce readiness pathways.
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Medical assistant. Students can earn their certification. The school works with both University Hospitals and Cleveland Clinic. UH offers tuition reimbursement to students who go to work there so they can finish any medical degree they choose.
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Intro to Diesel Mechanics. Two-year-old program in conjunction with Auburn Career Center (ACC). Will transition to Industrial Technology Agricultural Ed. pathway next year, also in conjunction with ACC.
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104 students (about half of juniors and seniors) are participating in an ACC program
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Manufacturing careers. Starts with a certified production technician course. Working with the Alliance for Working Together Foundation (AWT) to create pre-apprenticeships in manufacturing careers at such companies as Great Lakes Cheese.
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Agribusiness pathway started this year.
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Learning Through Internship in collaboration with the Greater Cleveland Partnership and AWT.
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Special Education Work Study, called the Badger Lab Vocational Program. Students go out to one of 27 different job sites where they get job training and learn employability skills.
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Working on an apprenticeship with Preston Superstore. The school will convert the Ohio Department of Transportation facility across the street from Preston into a Career Tech Center which will feature automotive work.
40:32 min Stakeholder Engagement (Strategic Plan)
The school’s Strategic Plan was recently finished. Dr. Stoddard thanked the over 35 committee members who were part of the process that included teachers, administrators, parents, grandparents, community members without school-age children and business people. They had representatives from all five townships in the district. Dr. Stoddard felt like the body was “...all-encompassing and representative of the school district.”
Dr. Stoddard reviewed the timeline for the strategic planning process that began last December and was completed last month.
The Committee Identified 7 core values through many processes, including feedback from the community:
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Character & Integrity
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Community Relationships
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Career Readiness
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Trust
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Excellence
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Accountability
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Respect
Using the community survey as a starting point, the Committee also performed a S.W.O.T. (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis that identified 6 focus areas for the district:
1. Strong Academic Excellence
2. Involve the Community and Families in More Events that Bring Them into School
3. Inter-school Relationships and Greater Interconnectedness
4. Communication with Non-family Stakeholders
5. Alumni Relations/Relationship Building & Maintaining
6. Emphasize Meritocracy (Dr. Stoddard explained that the school wants their students to want to be the best they can be)
Dr. Stoddard reviewed their mission and vision statements.
The mission statement is: “Berkshire School District exists to encourage lifelong learning, inspire students’ highest achievement, and prepare critical thinkers who embody leadership, character and citizenship.” In short, he said, they exist to “encourage, inspire and prepare.”
What they hope to become in the future is stated in their vision statement: “The Berkshire Local Schools will become the premier school district, universally recognized for dynamic student-centered learning, innovative pathways for future readiness, risk-taking, collaborative partnerships, and the accomplishments which enable our children to thrive in the real world.”
The statements led them to three main goals:
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Improve academic performance by 10% by the end of the 2024-2025 school year;
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Establish and monitor cross-grade level collaboration practices that support student transitions, teacher-team data analysis and problem-solving, and maximizing shared resources by the end of the 2024-2025 school year;
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Improve communications and strengthen relationships with alumni, families, and community members beginning with the 2024-2025 school year.
Dr. Stoddard concluded by noting they’ve presented a school district that is showing:
44:53 min Audience Questions
Dr. Stoddard invited questions from the audience. Observer Note: Most of the audience questions were inaudible on the video. Answers from Dr. Stoddard are provided here.
Question: inaudible
Answer: Each building has taken those goals and created action plans to measure how they are achieving the three goals.
Question: inaudible
Answer: The beauty of continuous improvement is that you continuously improve and that you’re never finished. “We know our work is never finished and we want to keep getting better.”
Question: Can you speak to the part of the report card that isn’t showcased by stars that is 76%. How does that compare to other schools? Observer Note: the questioner seems to be referring to the college, career, workforce and military readiness indicator on the report card.
Answer: Compared to other schools in the county, Berkshire is at the top for that indicator. A lot of the things that count in that indicator are things that Berkshire is specifically good at, like apprenticeships, internships and military enlistment which might not be the focus for other districts. He said it’s not fair to judge that indicator because it’s not fully reported yet. Dr. Stoddard did predict they’ll look even better in that category next year because it’s their focus.
Mr. Manfredi entered the meeting at approximately 6:38. Mrs. Miller continues to run the meeting.
Question: inaudible
Answer: The school is working with Geauga Senior Center and has programming with them, such as inviting them in for early screenings of music programs, band concerts, and drama performances. Seniors are also invited to read to elementary students and to participate in book studies with high school English students. In addition, they are working on a senior prom for the senior citizens hosted by students. As for Fairmount Arts, they are coming in to work mainly with the special needs population, putting on different visual, creative and performing arts workshops. The school is continuously trying to reach out to all segments of the community to involve and engage them in the schools, in keeping with the Strategic Plan goals.
Question: Do Berkshire high school students participate in the career fair hosted at Mentor High School by AWT (Alliance for Working Together Foundation)?
Answer: They haven’t in the past but are working with AWT to recreate a pre-apprenticeship that leads to the apprenticeship at Great Lakes Cheese. They will start sending classes to AWT to work on those programs. The school did a career fair with Ohio Means Jobs at Cardinal High School.
Question: Do we have an 8th grade Science Olympiad team?
Answer: Yes. Dr. Stoddard suggested that the parent contact Mrs. Hochschild, the teacher who runs the team, for information.
Dr. Stoddard added that Great Lakes Cheese and ATW help the school with a middle school robotics team. That experience provides real skills that students will use in the manufacturing world.
Mrs. Miller thanked Dr. Stoddard and the Strategic Planning Committee for their hard work and their comprehensive plan.
52:32 min Board Discussion
Next meetings will be November 18, 2024 (third Monday) and December 9, 2024. All meetings are at 6:00 PM at the Berkshire Board of Education Auditorium, 14155 Claridon Troy Road, Burton, Ohio 44021.
53:00 min Executive Session
No executive session called.
53:26 min Meeting was adjourned
Observer: Rooney Moy
Editor: Anne Ondrey
Reviewer: Sarah McGlone
Submitted 10/21/2024
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