Message from Superintendent Rizzo
November 2022
District Updates
It is hard to believe that we are approaching the holidays and the winter season! First and foremost, I wish our entire community a Happy Thanksgiving. I hope everyone enjoys time with family and friends, and we look forward to the busy, but exciting month of December! Thank you to all of our students and staff for their continued hard work, and to our families that have supported the district!
I want to take some time and update our community on some important topics relating to the District. In October, I held my Fall Community Forum at the Williamstown Legion: Coffee with the Superintendent. We had a nice public turnout, and I was very pleased with the collaborative discussions that took place. Some of those discussions are topics I want to address below:
Cyber Charter:
The topic of cyber charter has been a focus for myself and the administrative team, and it should be a concern for our tax payers. Below you can find the copy of the presentation that was shared at the district's November 10th board meeting.
When I arrived at Williams Valley, the cyber charter enrollment the district was responsible for was astronomical. We have gained back 30 students since last Spring, but it is not enough. At the current trend, we are paying $15,000 for each regular education student and $38,000 for each special education student. We are expected to spend nearly $3 million dollars of taxpayer money on students that are not enrolled in our district, when that money could provide opportunities for our Viking students.
I acknowledge that the cyber charter rise was a burdened expenditure long before I came in as superintendent. But it is on me, with the support of our administrators and staff, to provide more options in hopes to bring OUR students back. How are we currently improving our educational options for students who prefer cyber? First, we are revamping our Williams Valley Cyber Program by allowing interested students to take courses offered on the same platforms as cyber charter is providing. We are providing opportunities for families to select hybrid schedules where students can be fully online or take selected courses in the school while taking others online. We are creating flexible schedules that create personalized learning pathways and in-person support. We are informing families that choose our program, that they can have full access to counseling, interventions, and career readiness programs.
Students that attend the Williams Valley Virtual Program will have the same opportunities that our brick & mortar students receive. Students that graduate from our virtual program are eligible to walk with their peers at graduation and receive a diploma from Williams Valley School District!
Staffing
Like most districts in the surrounding area, we have experienced the busiest time from July to this Fall in hiring and retaining staff. From a district perspective, we are in a much better position than many other districts. All vacancies that we needed to fill from the end of last school year have been replaced with quality educators! We have been successful in filling most positions and currently, we have a strong enough staff population in both buildings to deliver quality instruction. Although transitions aren't ideal, we have been effective in providing students what they need.
Current vacancies for professional and classified positions are below:
Elementary:
Special Education Teacher
Instructional Aide(s)
Secondary:
Full-Time 2nd Shift Custodian
Upcoming Dates
November 28: No School
November 29: No School for Students/Parent Conferences
December 1: School Board Meeting (HS Library) @ 7:30PMDecember 2: Spelling Bee
December 8: High School Choir & Band Concert @ 7:00 PM
December 15: High School Blood Drive
December 15: Elementary Choir & Band Concert @ 7:00 PM
December 23: Early Dismissal
December 24-January 2: School Closed for Holiday Break