Molnar's Community Update

The Quality Facilities goal has three objectives focused on enhancing, maintaining, and developing facilities and spaces that meet the academic and extracurricular needs of students, staff, and the community through a master plan. The development of a master plan is quite an undertaking but the majority of the work will be accomplished through the district’s Facility Advisory Committee (FAC) in collaboration with the Ohio Facility Construction Commission. Ongoing projects are focused on enhancing infrastructure, modernizing facilities, and creating more dynamic learning environments.

The recent progress of the new MakerSpace, Robotics & Automation Center, Comet Corner, and main restrooms at Steele High School showcase a series of tangible improvements in both infrastructure and dynamic learning environments. The future development of the new Transportation Center and the athletic upgrades at the high school stadium are excellent examples of the dedication to protecting community investments and modernizing our facilities. These efforts not only align with the long-term vision but also reflect the school district’s dedication to providing high-quality spaces that support the needs of students, staff, and the wider community. Below are a few important updates relating directly to the Quality Facilities goal and its three objectives:

• The Facility Advisory Committee had its first meeting of the 2024-2025 school year on October 30th. The FAC reviewed the new strategic plan, two facility assessments, and an update of the transportation and athletic projects. You can watch the October 30th FAC meeting on the Amherst Schools YouTube Channel for additional information. (Quality Facility Goal - Objective #1.2)

• The Amherst Board of Education approved a Football Field Feasibility Study conducted by Field Source Sports Field Consulting in June. In July, the Field Source consultants presented their recommendations to the Amherst Board of Education at the July Board Meeting. The recommendation from Field Source was to convert the grass football field to artificial turf to increase athletic and extracurricular use for students, community groups, and all stakeholders. You can watch the July 22, 2024 Board Meeting on the Amherst Schools YouTube Channel for their full recommendation. (Quality Facility Goal - Objective #2.1)

• The Amherst Board of Education approved a resolution by the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission (OFCC) to participate in the Expedited Local Partnership Program (ELP) in September. The OFCC will partner with the district’s Facility Advisory Committee to begin the development of a facility master plan during the 2024-2025 school year. (Quality Facility Goal - Objective #2.2)

• The Amherst Board of Education approved a Capital Improvement Planning Study conducted by Fanning Howey in December 2023. The Fanning Howey report was completed in September. The report details all major and minor improvements and upgrades necessary to maintain our four school buildings. The report categorizes all improvements into three priority timeframes. The total cost of the future maintenance is over $67 million in capital improvements. The Facility Advisory Committee and OFCC will begin a review of the recommendations. The community can access the independent full report here - Fanning Howey Capital Improvement Study. (Quality Facility Goal - Objective #1.1)

• The bids for the new Transportation Center were accepted into the district on October 16th. All bids were reviewed by our Construction Manager at Risk firm, C. T. Taylor Construction. The guaranteed maximum price (GMP) for the Transportation Center is $10.6 million and came in under the estimated $12 million. Great news! The projected start date is January 2025 with a projected completion date of December 2025.

The Community Connections goal of our strategic plan, aimed at establishing consistent, inclusive communication to strengthen relationships with businesses and citizens, has made significant strides across its five core objectives. These objectives focus on enhancing engagement through unified communication platforms, targeting diverse audiences, and fostering community collaboration. Below are updates related to the Community Connections goal:

• We’re working to consolidate district communications under one platform to create accessible, inclusive messaging that resonates across language, cultural, and diverse backgrounds. Currently, the district uses SchoolMessenger for communication, but in line with the upcoming expiration of our Finalsite contract next year, both the Alumni Committee and the district are exploring new website hosting options. Rachel Mellen, District Communications Specialist, has reached out to other districts for feedback on various website platforms. The Alumni Committee hosted three website demos at their November 6th meeting to select an optimal platform. Additionally, Doug Cogdell, District Tech Supervisor, has requested demo access for a program called Parent Square, which could serve as a future platform for the district. Our CometsLive! students are currently trying the student-side of this program to familiarize themselves with and potentially support our engagement efforts. (Community Connections Goal - Objective #1)

• The Alumni Committee has met multiple times this year, with the next meeting scheduled for December 4th. Superintendent Molnar and Alumni Liaison, Russ Marty, have been coordinating the meetings and have been actively collecting alumni contact information at various local events, like "Walking on Wednesdays", with the intention of developing a robust alumni distribution list. This database will enable more regular communication with alumni through future newsletters and help the district stay connected with this key group. (Community Connections Goal - Objective #2)

• To bring local businesses closer to district activities, Tech Supervisor Doug Cogdell has partnered with local establishments to broadcast CometsLive! events on televisions at venues such as Ziggy’s, Brew Kettle, and the Eagles. When there are no live events, these televisions showcase school-related information, like student activity profiles, the school calendar, and promotional events. Additionally, sponsorships are now available to further integrate businesses into our school activities. The district is also exploring the possibility of "watch parties" at these locations for away games. (Community Connections Goal - Objective #3)

• To ensure our diverse community has easy access to communications, the district has secured PGLS (Piedmont Global Language Solutions) Translation Services, allowing staff to access translation support instantly for meetings, calls, and conferences. S’more licenses for all district and building-level newsletters have been acquired, enabling translations in multiple languages. This ensures non-English-speaking families can stay informed and connected. (Community Connections Goal - Objective #4)

• The District Leadership Team has initiated professional development on cultural humility, working with Dr. James Knight on strategies and through a book study of his work Heart: A Journey toward Cultural Humility. These efforts underline our commitment to fostering a community environment that respects and values diversity. (Community Connections Goal - Objective #5)

Together, these actions reflect the District’s progress toward creating a more connected, inclusive, and engaged community, bridging relationships with both internal and external stakeholders.

The Financial Stability goal has two major objectives focused on maintaining a balanced budget while expanding student programs and creating more fiscal awareness among all community stakeholders. The purpose of the first objective is to provide more fiscal awareness through consistent and transparent communication from the Treasurer's Office. The purpose of the second objective is to maintain a balanced budget through prudent discretionary spending, strategic budgeting, and prioritizing district initiatives through wise planning. Below are a few important updates relating directly to the Financial Stability goal and its two objectives:

• The Amherst Board of Education, Treasurer, Superintendent, and Assistant Superintendent have been working with financial consultant David Conley from Rockmill Financial on the development of a District Taxation Policy. A comprehensive taxation policy helps establish fair methods for collecting future revenue, ensuring that all taxpayers contribute appropriately. A clear taxation policy promotes accountability and transparency. This transparency builds trust with the community, as taxpayers can see exactly how their money supports local schools. The goal is to have a taxation policy completed by January 2026. (Financial Stability Goal - Objective #1)

• The Treasurer created a complete levy history from 1972 to present which includes all new, renewal, replacement, and bond issue levies. The document lists the levy, purpose, millage, and passage rates. The levy history document can be found on the Treasurer webpage on the district website or you can access it here - Amherst Levy History. (Financial Stability Goal - Objective #1.2)

• The Treasurer continues to post the annual appropriations, assumptions, and five-year forecasts on the district website under the Treasurer Department webpage. (Financial Stability Goal - Objective #1.1 and #2.3)

The Retention & Recruitment action plan centers around our goal to attract, maintain, and support the highest quality staff to address the diverse needs of our school district. One objective is to provide competitive salary and compensation to attract high quality, talented staff members. A second objective is to build the capacity of the staff to maintain high expectations through good, quality professional development. A third objective is to develop a robust onboarding process for classified and certified staff that includes mentoring and department specific training. Below are a few important updates relating directly to the Retention & Recruitment goal and its three objectives:

• In September and October, district representatives attended career expos at Bowling Green State University and Kent State University. Both events targeted students in various courses of study, including the Education Departments. The traditional time frame for a school district to recruit is in the spring, so being able to get on campus and share information about Amherst in the fall should increase our name presence and interest levels when we do post open positions in February-April. (Retention & Recruitment Goal - Objective #1.3)

• A schedule has been established to allow new classified staff to attend onboarding sessions with their supervisor, human resources department, payroll, and union representative. This will allow new staff members an opportunity to learn more about the district, ask questions, review expectations, and meet with their new colleagues and team. (Retention & Recruitment Goal - Objective #3.1)

• In recent Professional Development (PD) days, the district has offered several opportunities for staff to attend personal wellness, financial wellness, and nutritional guidance. Alternative topics like these allow staff members (some of which don't have classroom responsibilities) the option to grow and learn outside of their normal job responsibilities. We have received positive feedback on these offerings and will look to include more in the future. (Retention & Recruitment Goal - Objective #2.1)

At Amherst, we are very fortunate to have a great learning environment and it all starts with having exceptional people working here! The Retention & Recruitment Action Team is working to enhance our processes and procedures to keep Amherst great!

The Student Programs and Services goal has five objectives that prioritize creating an educational environment that supports the overall well-being of our students. Our objectives are focused on strengthening the continuum of educational services for both gifted and special education students; developing cohesive district-wide frameworks for Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) and Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS); preparing students for diverse pathways to success after high school; building strong partnerships with parents; and fostering cultural humility. These objectives support our work toward creating an environment that supports and celebrates each student’s unique journey through the Amherst Schools. Below are updates related to the Programs & Services goal:

• This year, there are several teacher professional development initiatives. Intervention specialists and general education co-teachers are attending workshops focused on effective co-teaching strategies, and teachers across the district are engaged in gifted education professional development as part of their initial training or ongoing annual requirements. Additionally, the district is reviewing and updating the gifted education service guidebook in collaboration with each school building and the district's Gifted Supervisor. (Student Services and Programs - Objective #1)

• The district recently hired a Wellness Coordinator through a partnership with the ESC of Lorain County to focus on student well-being. On the November 5 professional development day, teachers and staff were given time to analyze student data and reflect on teaching practices. Additionally, each school building is currently reviewing the levels of support available for addressing students' academic, behavioral, and social-emotional needs. (Student Services and Programs - Objective #2)

• Another key initiative is supporting college, career, military and workforce readiness. Amherst Steele High School teacher John Agostinelli secured a $1.6 million grant to establish an advanced manufacturing program. In addition, Marion L. Steele High School introduced SchoolLinks this school year, a software program designed to support college and career readiness, as well as graduation planning for students. (Student Services and Programs - Objective #3)

• Another area of focus is enhancing parent engagement and communication. The literacy committee recently met to discuss and plan strategies for involving parents more effectively. Moreover, the district adopted S’more, a communication platform that allows families to engage with school and district updates in their preferred language and with additional accessibility features. The district is also working to connect parents with resources to help them better understand and support the needs of the whole child. (Student Services and Programs - Objective #4)

• Lastly, we are working to create professional development for our staff that is aimed at fostering a more inclusive and supportive educational environment. The district partnered with Dr. James Knight of Leading with Humility, LLC, to work closely with district leaders and deepen their understanding of cultural humility in education. Additionally, the ESC Director of Wellness & Prevention led professional development sessions on restorative practices for administrators and district leaders, helping them build skills to address conflicts and support students' social-emotional growth. (Student Services and Programs - Objective #5)

The Amherst Schools - A Community of Excellence

mike_molnar@amherstk12.org

440-988-4406

The mission of the Amherst Schools is to educate, equip, and empower all students to choose their path and make a positive impact in our community and beyond.

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