State of the City Address

          I am proud to report that the Middletown City School District is performing better, and at a lower cost, than it has for years.  We have made substantial progress toward our goals, and we have the right people and programs in place to ensure that we continue to improve in the years to come.

Three years ago, when we hired Greg Rasmussen as Superintendent, we set three broad goals for the district:

One -- Increase student achievement through high quality instruction in our classrooms;

Two -- Establish a more collaborative, positive environment for students, staff, parents and community members; and

          Three -- Operate within a balanced budget.

These three overall goals have remained our focus, with refinements and updates each year. I would like to briefly review the district’s performance against each of these goals.

First, student achievement has increased. 

          Performance Index score has increased from 82.3 to 87.2.

The Performance Index is an overall measure of how students in the    district have performed on all of the state-tested subjects and grade levels. It measures movement between the 5 scoring levels, not just whether      students passed.

Our 5 point rise in the Performance Index may not sound like a large increase, but it was the second biggest in Butler County and also the second largest of all 18 “Comparison Districts” that the state of Ohio has identified as sharing similar demographics with Middletown.

In the ranking of all districts in Ohio based on Value-Added measures, Middletown ranked 126 out of 832 in 2012

Value Added is the best indication of individual student growth. It determines how much the “normal student” is expected to learn in one year and then compares actual student growth to that target. Our students have grown significantly more academically than is expected or “normal” for a student to grow.

The only districts in Butler County that ranked higher than Middletown on Value-Added this past year were Lakota and Ross.

Only two of the Comparison Districts had better Value Added scores.

          We have achieved these improved test scores by improving the quality of instruction in our classrooms, through more focused professional development programs together with academic support specialists who support the teachers as they apply new teaching methods in their classrooms.

Second, we are creating a more positive climate and culture in our school buildings.

Our schools are safer, more orderly, and energized with a positive attitude toward learning.

          The number of suspensions is down 46.9% in three years.

          The number of expulsions is down 49%.

The number of arrests – the consequence for the most serious or violent student disciplinary offenses – is down 77%

There are some doubters who will say, the number of disciplinary violations is down only because teachers are discouraged from reporting students to the office.

However, we survey our teachers anonymously each year, and the results of this survey contradict the notion that administrators are ignoring or suppressing discipline issues.

The percentage of teachers who agree or strongly agree that Middletown City Schools is a good place to work has gone up 21.4%

The percentage who agree or strongly agree that student behavior initiatives are having a positive impact has gone up 22%

The percentage who agree or strongly agree that their morale is positive is up 33%

The percentage who agree or strongly agree that they feel celebrated as a teacher is up 29%

          A key factor in building a positive climate has been focused on redefining the role of the central administration as one of support for the work that our teachers do in our classrooms every day, and on collaborative decision-making where everyone is heard and respected.

          Another major initiative that has contributed to the improved climate is district-wide implementation of Positive Behavioral Supports, a system of teaching clear expectations as to student behavior and responding with consistent consequences in the event behavior does not meet those expectations.  One component of this effort is Middie P.R.I D.E. –Performance, Respect, Integrity, Determination and Effort – that provides each building with a framework to discuss behavioral expectations and reward good examples of Middie PRIDE.

Third, we have improved our academic results and our climate while operating within a balanced budget, despite a significant reduction in revenue.

From fiscal year 2009 to this fiscal year, 2013, the district’s general fund revenues decreased by 5.5 million dollars

We made corresponding reductions in expenses without substantially impacting          student programming.  Some examples of changes that have resulted in savings:

We kept our focus on our core mission of educating children while      outsourcing transportation, custodial and maintenance;

Reduced preschool and nursing costs while increasing the number of children served;

We closed Verity middle school, and redistricted the elementary schools, while creating a dedicated 6^th grade center to ease the difficult transition to middle school and high school;

                   Partnered with the City for shared office space;

Energy savings through more efficient monitoring and maintenance

Every employee in the district -- union and not -- agreed to two 1% reductions in pay, while at the same time doubling the percentage of health care premiums that they pay;

I would like to stop here and say the obvious, that we could not do what we do, and improve results, without the hard work and dedication of our teachers and all the other staff that support our teachers. Remember, these are the same employees who say that their morale is high and Middletown Schools is a good place to work. They accepted these reductions in pay and benefits, and continue to give us 110%

                   Reduced 12% of staff overall/total of 83 positions

                             20% of administrators reduced

                             7% of teachers

                             16% of Other Professionals

                             26% of support staff

          We continue to re-examine the way we do business, analyzing if the current method is working, and if not, finding a way to do it better. The result is more efficient operations and better results.

Conclusion:  While we celebrate our progress toward our three primary goals, we recognize that we continue to face many challenges.  We also recognize that, for parents and taxpayers, the improvements cannot come fast enough.

Although the departure of Greg Rasmussen surely will be a loss for the district, the Board is confident that Sam Ison has the leadership skills, experience and knowledge of our district to build on our momentum.  We expect to continue to increase academic achievement, build a positive atmosphere conducive to learning, and operate within a balanced budget, focusing our limited resources on our core mission of student learning.