Repeated Message

10 out of 26 indicators and an 86% graduation rate. Wow!  This is just embarrassing. Why would you want to publicize that? Dayton Public and Cinccinatti Public are kicking Middletown's butt!

Today's Journal....

WATCHING YOUR TAX DOLLARS
Districts balance costs, academic achievement
School officials say focus is on efficiency, classroom spending.

State funding cuts and economic conditions have forced school officials to find ways to control costs in their districts while trying to meet academic standards.
Of the 10 public school systems in Butler County, nine operate below the state average spending per pupil of $10,571 for the 2010-11 school year. However, the link between higher spending and academic achievement doesn’t always match, a Middletown Journal examination shows.

Ross Local Schools has the lowest per-pupil cost, $8,444, more than $2,000 below the state average, but receives the state’s top grade, Excellent with Distinction.

WONDER WHAT THE ROSS SCHOOL DISTRICT IS DOING TO ACHIEVE SUCH HIGH MARKS WITH LESS MONEY THAT MIDDLETOWN IS NOT DOING......REALIZING THAT PERHAPS ROSS DOESN'T HAVE NEAR THE LOW INCOME/SECTION 8/DISCIPLINE ISSUES THIS TOWN HAS. KINDA BLOWS THE THEORY THAT YOU HAVE TO SPEND ALOT PER STUDENT TO ACHIEVE EXCELLENT RESULTS, DOESN'T IT?

OH WAIT.....HERE'S A NOTABLE RESPONSE FROM A ROSS OFFICIAL.....

“I think that’s the result of a culture of efficiency that we’ve established in the district that’s been here for a long time,” said Superintendent Greg Young. “We’ve always tried to do things as efficiently as possible, offering the very best education we can with the resources we have.
“We try to stay mindful of what our community’s capacity is,” he said. “Anything we do, we do it first class, but we sometimes have to limit what we can offer.”

"WE TRY TO STAY MINDFUL OF WHAT OUR COMMUNITY'S CAPACITY IS" HMMMM.

Middletown City Schools is the only district in the county that spends more than the state average, but has one of the lowest scores on the state report card. It’s per-pupil average is $10,844.

THE ONLY DISTRICT. SOUND LIKE A GOOD INVESTMENT FOR THE TAXPAYERS? WOULD YOU WANT THIS STOCK IN YOUR PORTFOLIO?

But according to Treasurer Kelley Thorpe, a comparison with the other county districts doesn’t quite tell the whole story.
“If you compare us to similar districts across the state, based on the economy in the district and the type of students we have, we’re actually on the low side of the middle,” she said. LOW SIDE OF THE MIDDLE?

One factor is the number of students on free and reduced lunches.
“There are different things that we spend money on that other districts aren’t,” Thorpe said. “One of our elementary schools has 95 percent free and reduced lunches, and we’re not allowed to collect fees for workbooks and other items to those students, so that drives our costs up.”

THEN, WHY DID CIRCUMSTANCES DICTATE THAT WE PUT OURSELVES IN THIS PREDICAMENT? WHO FORCED CITY LEADERS/SCHOOL OFFICIALS TO TAKE ON SO MANY STUDENTS WHO REQUIRED THIS SPECIAL MONEY-DRAINING ATTENTION? IF IT AFFECTED THE DISTRICT IN SUCH A NEGATIVE WAY, WHY WAS IT DONE OTHER THAN REVENUE VIA GOV. HANDOUTS FOR THE CITY? CITY LEADER'S FISHING FOR REVENUE WHILE PENALIZING THE SCHOOL DISTRICT WITH LOW PERFORMING STUDENTS. IN THE BEGINNING, THE CITY DID HAVE A CHOICE TO ACCEPT OR REJECT SO MUCH POVERTY COMING INTO THIS CITY.

Right in the middle of the county districts is Hamilton, but one notable thing about its numbers, according to treasurer Robert Hancock, is that 60 percent of the budget goes toward student instruction — that is, teacher salaries.
“We have the lowest percentage for administrative expenses which helps us direct more dollars to the classroom,” he said. “Our building operations costs are second lowest in the county as a percentage of total expenditures. The dollar savings are $3.4 million as compared to the state average.

WHY DOES IT SEEM THAT MIDDLETOWN HAS A VERY HIGH COST ON ADMIN. EXPENSES? WHY DOES HAMILTON HAVE LOW COST ADMIN? IDENTICAL ISSUES/SIMILAR DEMOGRAPHICS AS MIDDLETOWN, RIGHT?

NEW SCHOOLS DON'T HELP. SPENDING MORE PER STUDENT DOESN'T HELP. GETTING RID OF ALL THE LOW INCOME/SECTION 8/I DON'T CARE TO LEARN/ DISCIPLINE PROBLEM STUDENTS AND THEIR "I DON'T CARE IF MY KID HAS AN EDUCATION" PARENTS MAY HELP.