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LISBON -- Lisbon school building principals delivered a detailed overview of the latest state report card results for their students during the school board meeting Wednesday night.
Bottom line? There were areas of improvement and some evidence of growth, but they want to do better.
Both McKinley Elementary and David Anderson Jr/Sr. High School scored three out of five stars when the Ohio Department of Education released the 2022-2023 report cards for school districts statewide in September.
This year an overall five-star rating system in half-star increments, with a 5 being the best and 1 being the lowest score, was used. Scores were given for districts overall and for individual schools.
Both McKinley Elementary School and David Anderson Jr./Sr. High School met state standards. The district overall, though, received a rating of 2.5 stars, indicating the district needs support to meet state standards.
Both McKinley Elementary School Principal Dan Kemats and DAHS Principal Keith Edenfield broke down the numbers in the report cards for their buildings.
Kemats focused on achievement, which is based on test scores, progress, gap closing and early literacy. McKinley scored four stars for gap closing and early literacy, three stars for achievement and one star for progress.
"We're never happy with status quo. We always want to do better," he said.
Kemats explained how the elementary school works on small group interventions for reading to help students improve. In a nutshell, he said there were successes and there were things they can work on. They use the data to help them do their jobs better.
Edenfield said the junior high/high school showed a lot of improvement, with the graduation rate the only number that went down. The scores were two stars each for achievement and progress and three stars each for gap closing and graduation. Adjustments have been made on math curriculum.
A parent who was in the audience said she wasn't seeing standardized curriculum across the district, but Edenfield said they're using a brand new math program this year.
Board President T.K. Hiscox commented to the parent, "Our concerns are your concerns."
Edenfield said "the staff is motivated. We're diving into this together."
Both Edenfield and Kemats talked about chronic absenteeism being a problem for all districts.
Superintendent Joe Siefke said obviously the district wants to improve and some things have been put in place to do that.
In his report, Siefke talked briefly about state legislation that he said would negatively impact the district by taking away state funding and putting the responsibility for funding more on taxpayers. He said there was a meeting with state Rep. Monica Robb Blasdel, R-Columbiana, regarding the issue where area school representatives told her the state "can't create more financial hardship for our community."
In other business, the board approved first reading on updating some NEOLA policies, approved services as a member of the Coalition of Rural and Appalachian Schools for the 2023-2024 school year for $374, approved the name change for the Department of Education to the Department of Education and Workforce and approved workers for volleyball tournament games at the high school.
Athletic supplemental contracts approved included: Stephanie Myers as trainer for $1,500 for the winter sports season; varsity boys head basketball coach Chris Huckshold, varsity girls head basketball coach Ryan Snyder, varsity boys assistant basketball coach and youth league basketball coordinator Quinn Puskar, and varsity girls assistant basketball coach Nikki Meek.
The next school board meeting will be 5 p.m. Nov. 9 at the administration building.
mgreier@mojonews.com