Dear Avon Residents,
It is with a great deal of pride and excitement that I welcome everyone to the 2012-2013 school year. We are a district with a tradition of excellence and I look forward to working with everyone to ensure that continues.
Teachers and administrators continue to work hard to align our curriculum with the Ohio Common Core Standards (English Language Arts and Mathematics) and the Ohio Department of Education State Standards (Science and Social Studies). The Common Core State Standards are intended to provide a consistent, clear understanding of what students are expected to learn so they can be successful in both college and their careers. Assessment is an important piece of the educational process and our staff continues to write and refine assessments that measure the knowledge level of our students. Development in this area will continue to be a major focus of what we do.
Providing experiences outside of the classroom for our students is also important for their development. Our extra-curricular and co-curricular programs continue to grow and develop. I encourage our students to take part in a club activity or athletics. These activities are extensions of the classroom and provide invaluable lessons that are different from the classroom experience.
Avon continues to grow! As a result, we as a district need to provide the appropriate space and learning environment for our students. We will have a no new tax rate bond issue on the Nov. 6 ballot that will provide the district with the resources it needs to accommodate our growth. Passing the issue would allow the district to restructure current debt and issue new debt so there would be no increase in the 5.3 mills of bond-issued debt that residents currently pay. This is a no new tax rate issue that provides sound educational space for our students and accounts for projected growth.
I encourage any individual or group with questions about this issue to contact me directly or attend one of the public forums that will be scheduled in October. Our goal is to make sure all residents have the correct information so they can make an informed vote on Nov. 6.
Lastly, our new website is up and running. We want the website to be a place where students, parents, staff and our community can find the answers or resources they are seeking. Please don’t hesitate to provide us feedback so that we can make that a reality for all groups.
We are proud of what we do as a district and we will continue to strive to provide the best possible experiences for all of our students. The relationship between home, school and the community is critical. On behalf of the Board of Education, I thank you for your continued support.
With Eagle Pride,
Mike Laub
Superintendent
I'm glad you raised your question, because you raise a misunderstanding that many people have, namely that all school levies put money into some sort of general fund that can be used in any way the district decides. In fact, this is actually a bond issue, not an operating levy. In this bond issue, the money raised goes exclusively to the proposed construction projects and cannot be used for employee salaries. An operating levy, on the other hand, would go to operational costs, including but not limited to employee compensation. This is NOT an operating levy. This is a bond issue. Thanks for the opportunity to clarify! Also, thank you to Mr. Laub for a positive message for the start of another great year!