Date of Meeting: 3/20/2023
Format: In-person
Meeting Summary:
The meeting was called to order at 6:00 p.m. Three students were presented with the Lions Club Good Award. No one from the community had comments to share. The Board voted to approve an assortment of budgetary and personnel matters in addition to district policies. They approved the upcoming 8th-grade trip to Washington D.C., and the softball team trip to Florida. The Board accepted a $450 donation from Rootstown United Methodist Church designated to offset cafeteria costs for students who are behind on payments.
Superintendent Andrew Hawkins reported that the new website is live and the community survey on facilities will launch tomorrow (March 21) and stay open for two weeks. Results from the survey will be used to inform upcoming Board decisions about whether and how to proceed with school facilities renovations.
Highlights from principal reports: elementary and middle school students are doing test prep for the upcoming state proficiency tests; as part of “project lead the way” a robotics course will be added to the middle school curriculum for next year in addition to an elementary STEM curriculum; the high school hosted motivational speaker Christopher Milo and will be hosting None for Under 21 on April 28; high school drama club is showing dramatic growth; the district has had good athletic success, with four coaches named coach of the year, four sports winning league championships, and 40% of the student body participating in spring sports.
Under old business, the Board will hold a special meeting on April 10 to make decisions about moving forward with facilities renovations. Two critical decisions will need to be made at that time: will the district be on the ballot with a bond issue in November? And will the district accept OFCC (state) funds to support the building project?
Under new business, the district has been notified that Southeast Schools athletics will be moving to the Mahoning Valley Conference effective at the end of the 2023-24 school year. That will leave only five schools in the Portage Trail Conference. Rootstown Schools will need to explore their options. Superintendent Andrew Hawkins and Athletic Director Keith Waesch will be having discussions with their counterparts in the other affected districts.
Superintendent Hawkins delivered his annual State of the Schools presentation. Total student enrollment in the district is 1032, with 142 employees and a budget of approximately $15 million. 158 residents are attending Biomed Academy. Of the 440 high school students enrolled at Rootstown, 82 are enrolled in College Credit Plus and 56 attend Maplewood. As a result, there are very few students in the high school in the afternoons. State school report card results for Rootstown declined in 2021-22; district-wide pass rates were 59% for Math and 63% for English Language Arts.
Highlights of “what’s new this year” include a new language arts curriculum at the elementary level; new doors in all buildings and windows in the elementary school; cameras installed in all busses; new district website; donor wall and flagpole installed at the stadium; Purple Star designation (supportive of military families and veterans) for all buildings. The district now provides one-to-one Chromebooks for all students; the technology coordinator now has 3000 devices to track and maintain.
Priorities for next year: address aging facilities; keep Rootstown students in Rootstown; improve student performance on local, state, and federal assessments; add STEM courses in all buildings.
Meeting adjourned at 7:13 p.m.
Which members of the board/council were present: All present: Board Members Jennifer Curall, Todd McEwuen, Craig Mullaly, Tom Siciliano, Amanda Waesch. Superintendent Andrew Hawkins, Treasurer Connie Baldwin
Was there a public notice of the meeting that included the time and place of meeting: Yes
Was an agenda of the meeting or handouts available to visitors: Yes
https://www.roversk12.org
Are minutes from previous meetings posted/available: Yes
Name of Observer: Rhonda Richardson