Crestwood Comments
April 2021
VOTE!!! ISSUE 6 May 4 FACTS
Levy Facts & Info – Issue 6
What is on the ballot?
Issue 6 – 1.25% earned income tax for 10 years.
What does Earned Income mean?
“Earned income” includes only the following items:
Employee compensation such as wages, salaries, and tips after payroll deductions (401(k) contributions, HSA contributions, health insurance premiums, etc.)
PLUS, Self-employment income from sole proprietorships and partnerships.
“Earned income” does not include items such as retirement income (e.g., pensions, social security), interest, dividends, and capital gains.
Who is taxed?
Any individual while a resident of a taxing school district is subject to school district income tax. Individuals who work, but do not live, in a taxing school district are not subject to the district’s income tax.
How is the tax collected?
For most residents in the district, the tax would be taken through your normal paycheck. The withholding is mandatory and would be set up by your employer.
What will Issue 6 fund?
Bussing of Students, along with fuel and maintenance of busses.
Maintenance of the Crestwood Primary, Intermediary, and High Schools
Salaries for Staff (Teachers, Administration, Maintenance, Cafeteria staff, etc.)
Classroom supplies, textbooks, etc.
Extracurricular Activities and Electives
How did we get here?
Crestwood Local School District (CLSD) operates similarly to a company. CLSD, like any typical company, must balance a budget to produce the goods and services it provides. The district's revenues include property tax, state and federal funding, grants, etc. (Figure 1). Expenditures for the district include salaries for all levels of administration, classroom supplies (textbooks, pencils, paper, etc.), bussing (incl. fuel and maintenance), etc. (See Figure 2).
CLSD has not been able to balance its budget without reductions in spending for quite some time. The district, in 2017, cut over $2.2 million in expenditures through reductions in 18 staff members, reducing building budgets, and asking for more grants to offset expenses. Since 2012, the district has eliminated 30 positions within the district.
Coupled with the staff reductions are the number of kids who’ve left the district through open enrollment in other school districts or enrolled in a STEM school. CLSD has 200+ kids who live in our district and attend an outside institution. With every kid lost comes a cost to the district. CLSD not only loses the revenue from each child but must also bus and/or pay funds to certain districts the child attends! This total amount equates to a loss of roughly $1,000,000 for the current 2020 school year.
CLSD has only successfully passed a levy for additional money since 1992, most recently in 2012. The continued costs of goods and services, which have continued to rise through inflation, have put a strain on the operations budget for Crestwood. Levies passed almost a decade ago do not adjust with the rise in property taxes and even expire. The result is CLSD near the bottom of Portage County tax rates. (See Figure 3)
What will happen if the levy fails?
CLSD must balance its budget; otherwise, it could fall under the scrutiny of state control. Further reductions across the board would be required to balance the budget. These necessary cuts would affect the district’s kids by eliminating or reducing the current curriculum.
Extracurriculars that could be affected by a levy failure:
Elimination of bussing for students in 9th-12th grade and K-8th grade live within 2 miles of their school building.
Programs and classes that could be cut or more expensive:
Pay to Play Programs (currently $200 per program)
Football
Baseball
Basketball
Wrestling
Softball
Volleyball
Track
Soccer
Cross Country
Bowling
Tennis
Band
Non-Essential Electives (Art, Music, etc.)
If further cuts cannot balance the district budget, our school would eventually fall under state control with no additional funding. Once under control by the state, the school board and administration will no longer control school finances.
The state could further reduce the curriculum and sports programs. An example would be cutting the curriculum to core subjects with one elective. This could result in shortened school days for our children.
Remember, we currently have 200+ students who already attend an outside district. If classes are cut, days are shortened, and electives are eliminated, our current class sizes will diminish due to kids seeking better opportunities. The district will lose even larger sums of money to outside schools.
If the levy fails, not only will the district have to cut all of the above to balance its budget, it will face an uphill battle trying to retain its current enrollment numbers.
Kindergarten
CPS Kindergarteners have been using what they know about letters and their sounds to read and write consonant-vowel-consonant words. They are working with digraphs, consonant blends, and sentence structure. In reading, students are comparing and contrasting nonfiction texts written on the same topic.
Kindergarten teachers continue collaborating with Kristen Patton to learn and practice AVMR strategies, assessments, and activities in math. Students are adding and subtracting within ten, including work with story problems. Work with finger patterns, ten frames, bead racks, and dice/domino patterns inform students' problem-solving.
Mrs. Brugmann hosted a clinical student from Kent State University, and Mrs. Delaney is hosting a clinical student from Hiram College. Kindergarteners are enjoying P.E. daily this quarter and are visiting the library this quarter every other week.
Preschool
First Grade
Band/Choir
Band/Choir - The students spoke with their voices and registration and showed a great interest in band and chorus:
Band - 47 students are in the 6th-grade band for next year - what a great turnout!!!
Chorus - 25 students are enrolled in Chorus.
We have 72 students enrolled in the two offerings - this is great as we are laying the foundation!
Summer Explorer Program
Collaboration with community partnerships and teachers to create a plan that will include additional learning opportunities for students showing learning gaps and creating needed support for students at risk.
The summer program will consist of four weeks after school ends for the summer, then another two weeks before school resumes in fall 2021.
The lessons will focus on Math and ELA and incorporate a PBL/Inquiry model with IXL implementation.
The criteria for selecting students will be similar to the spring boost program, and we will have two teachers at each grade level.
Spring Boost!
We have about 40-50 students that are eligible for the spring intervention program. The students/parents will have the following two options to choose from:
Two 45 minute sessions that are either before or after school on two-weekday combinations - Monday/Wednesday or Tuesday/Thursday
One session that is 2 hours long on Saturdays
We have four teachers assigned to the students, and they will work in small groups using intensive reading strategies and interventions to help students.
We have had a great response from families, and we are happy to provide this service to our students.
Social Emotional Learning
CMS continues to meet the needs of our learners by hosting socio-emotional learning activities. Before Spring Break, CMS hosted two socio-emotional learning days related to “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens”, and our next SEL activity is scheduled for April 21st. This school year, students have completed activities and participated in discussions centered around the following healthy habits.
Habit 1: Be Proactive: Take responsibility for your life.
Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind. Define your mission and goals in life.
Habit 3: Put First Things First: Prioritize, and do the most important things first.
Habit 4: Think Win-Win: Have an everyone-can-win attitude.
Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood: Listen to people sincerely.
Habit 6: Synergize: Work together to achieve more.
Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw: Renew yourself regularly.
Choir
Math
Students of the Month
Engineering
Graphic Design
The new Graphic Design class has been very busy this school year. Here is a list of projects we have done and plan on completing by the end of the 2020-2021 school year.
Large Welcome signage (over Gym Doors)
Large Sports Collage (over Bulletin Board)
Band Collage Banner (outside band room)
Best Schools banner: 3 large, 2 small (outside/ inside school)
2 Poetry banners (English hallway)
Guidance large poster of graduation requirements
Guidance graduation requirement brochure
Graphic Design Logo and Website
CHS Alma Mater Banner for Student Council
Teacher appreciation Mug Design
Senior Parents Firework Sponsor Banner
Inspirational Ceiling Banners
Window Perf for front entryway vestibule of CHS
Senior Banners for Purchase
Here is a list of projects we plan to have completed and hung at CHS/ CMS before the beginning of the 2021-2022 school year
Window perf for the OUTSIDE front entryway of CHS and the NEW CMS.
Personalized staff door window designs for all CHS and CMS staff members.
Band
The high school band sent in recordings for Ohio Music Education Association virtual solo and ensemble competition. Students that participated were Alexis Wilson, Lilly Engelhart, Raeann Quiggle, Alyssa Edwards, Autumn Sindelar, Sydney Coburn, Rachel Quiggle, Ally Sabol, Adeline Oliphant, Ethan Brady, Trenton Petrie, Payton McMahon, Cadence Olson. We sent 9 soloists and a flute trio, saxophone trio, and horn trio. All students that participated either received a 1 (superior) or 2 (excellent) rating.
The high school band performed on Wednesday, March 24, in a virtual Facebook live concert. It also has a link on Youtube. Students performed Joyful Joyful, Brick Street Encounter, and a percussion ensemble Bayport Sketch.
They are currently working towards their outdoor spring concert to be held on Wednesday, May 19th at 7:00 pm. Students will also record a piece of music for Ohio Music Education Association Large Group Virtual adjudication on May 8th.
Colorguard clinics will be held in the HS gym from 3-6 pm on Monday 4/19, 4/26, and 5/3.