October 2023 Regular Board of Education Meeting

Treasurer Schumacher reported as follows:

The auditors will be here next week for 3 days and hopefully they will be close to being done when they leave.

Interest is still really good.  We were told in a meeting last week that mortgage rates should reach 8% by year-end.  Economists don’t believe investment rates will go much higher.  57% of economists are now saying the US will be in a recession in July of 2024.  Of course, they said we would be in a recession by now, and it hasn’t happened, but they are still saying recession is inevitable.

As you see, the GEER grant and the SWSF fund both now have 0 balances.  They are done.  The Homeless Grant has a negative balance showing funds to be drawn down.  We are actually going to record the expenses from Mike Grimwood’s purchase card and are asking if we can give Mike a stipend for his work on the “Ready Room”.  If agreed, we will place the stipend on November’s Board agenda for your approval.  When everything is posted for the “Ready Room”, we will have spent about half of the $16,000 grant which is still much lower than what we had planned to spend on the “Ready Room”.  We are open for suggestions.  It must be spent by June 30, 2024.

We received the Final #1 foundation report for FY23 and ODE is telling us the Final #2 for FY23 will be issued in November.  We have received the Foundation Calculation for FY24.  This should include all adjustments to the formula for FY24.  Originally, ODE was telling us that the traditional schools would be receiving their update in October, so the CTE’s figured we would get ours by December.  Surprise, the CTE’s received ours in October, also.  So when we get the Final #2 for Fy23, we will give the full comparison of FY23’s state funding compared to the estimated FY24 state foundation funding.

We have been told that the Sports Gaming monies, like the Lottery monies will help to fund ODE to pay for school funding.  Those monies will not be issued separately to the schools.  It will be thrown all into one pot.

It looks as though we may have under-estimated personnel and benefits.  We will wait to see how it goes in the next few months.

That is all for this month’s financials.  I will let Mr. Grady talk about legislative actions.

Meghan Townley attended as EAP representative.

Pioneer recently hosted an Associate School Principal meeting in the Pioneer Room. Topics for principals included updated student graduation pathways for all seniors at Pioneer that are tracked and shared with home schools, updates on Work Based Learning, Quality Program Review process and Honors Diploma Updates. Student Services provided information on Live and Learn and Mrs. Young shared information with principals covering discipline and attendance of students.

Associate School Counselors met at Pioneer with Mr. Burtscher and the Student Services Department this month as well.

Pioneer will host “Pastries for Parents” on October 19th at 8:00am. Parents and guardians will be welcomed in the Arena with coffee and pastries and a brief program about Pioneer and what we offer students. At 8:30am parents and guardians will be released to visit their students in lab to see first hand what their student works on in lab.

Students have been participating in exciting real-world experiences recently.

Medical Students held a blood drive in partnership with the American Red Cross. In early November, the medical students will visit a blood bank and medical facility.

Carpentry students traveled to Ridgefield to spend a day at the Carpenter’s Union learning firsthand what it takes to complete the journeyman’s program.

Criminal Justice and Homeland Security will visit Ashland University on October 17th to hear from many different criminal justice departments and programs from around Ohio.

Culinary Arts students prepared lunch for the Associate School Principal’s meeting and they will be working with Chef Burke to prepare the meal for our Fall Advisory Committee Dinner on October 23rd.

Pioneer will send over 40 students to the Fall SkillsUSA Leadership conference in Columbus.

Superintendent Nickoli reported as follows:

A requirement for our Student Wellness & Success Funds is that we establish a planning partnership with at least two community partners.  We have elected to partner with the Mid-Ohio Educational Service Center and Catalyst Life Services who provides our mental health supports.  Both have been outstanding partners for several years and we greatly value the services they provide to our students.

As previously reported, enrollment is very strong this school year.  Our only program on the RIF list this year is our Meat & Animal Science Program which will  continue to be combined.  This has been the case for many years due to the nature of the work done in the lab.

I am asking that you approve a Memorandum of Understanding with the Galion City Schools for Career Coaching services.  We have hired Mr. Mike Follett, a retired teacher from the Plymouth-Shiloh Local Schools to serve the students of Galion in this capacity.  I believe Mr. Follett will do an outstanding job in this capacity and we are very fortunate to have him serve the staff and students of the Galion City Schools.

October 19                    Pastries with Parents

October 21                    Strategic Planning Core Team Meeting

October 23                   All-Advisory Committee Dinner Meeting

Oct 29 – Nov 8               8^th Grade Tours

November 15                Ralph Phillips Business Partner of the Year Dinner

November 10                Veteran’s Day Celebration

November 12-14           Ohio School Boards Association Capital                                                                                               Conference & Trade Show

I am asking that you accept the resignation of Mindy Owen as our Payroll Clerk contingent on her hiring as the Superintendent’s Secretary.  Mindy started at Pioneer as our Student Services Secretary before moving to the Board Office.  I am so pleased that she is excited about taking on this new challenge and know that she will do an outstanding job.

I am also recommending that you approve three (8) Dock Days for Ms. Melanie Studer, Family and Consumer Science Instructor at Colonel Crawford.  She is asking for unpaid leave to follow her son’s college basketball team on two trips.  The first is a trip to Miami in December.  She will use her Personal Leave for three days and is then asking for the remainder of the time to be unpaid.

All other items are common for this time of year.