Wednesday, May 16, 2012
District makes moves to keep pace with student growth
The Avon Local Schools approved its 2012 fiscal forecast that projects the district will hire around 27 new teachers over the next five years at the board of education’s Tuesday meeting at Heritage North Elementary School. Ten teachers are projected to be hired in 2013, 5½ for 2014 and 2015, and six in 2016 in order to align with school’s anticipated growth at the middle- and high-school levels, board treasurer Kent Zeman said. “This district has the lowest expenditure per people in the state. While that’s a good thing on the budgetary side, it doesn’t always translate to a good thing on the instructional side,” Zeman said. “I think this board is recognizing that we need to ensure that our instruction is appropriate for our students.” Also…
Thursday, March 8, 2012
School board will take time to consider several options
After Tuesday's narrow defeat of the proposed $32 million bond issue to build a new Avon Middle School, the Avon Board of Education is going to take some time before deciding which path to take next, board president Kevin Romanchok said Wednesday. When the bond issue went down in the November election, the board had just a few weeks to get it on the March primary ballot. Whatever is eventually decided on -- whether it's the same bond issue, a modified version of it, or a bond issue to do additions and improvements to the existing middle school -- it will not go up for a vote until the November election, Romanchok said. That means the district has time to talk with the community, get input from its architect, and talk with each other. A …
41.456745
-82.010496
Avon Local School District
35573 Detroit Rd, Avon, OH
/articles/school-board-moving-on-after-bond-issue-loss
1073560
/locations/6540790
41.445415
-82.030023
Avon Middle School
3075 Stoney Ridge Rd, Avon, OH
/articles/school-board-moving-on-after-bond-issue-loss
1073658
/locations/6540791
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
What do you want in a new Avon Local Schools superintendent?
With current Avon Local Schools superintendent Jim Reitenbach leaving at the end of the school year, the search for his replacement is on. The Board of Education expects to have a replacement hired by early May. This week, it is holding forums to get public input on the hiring of a new superintendent. The second and final forum is at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Heritage North Elementary School. Today, let's talk Avon schools and their future direction. What do you think are key qualities for a new superintendent? Do you want experience, or do you think the district needs a younger voice? What do you think are the key issues facing the district, and what role will/should a superintendent play in those issues? Talk amongst yourselves in the comments…
Public input sought by firm hired to help find replacement for Jim Reitenbach
What's important in a school superintendent? Let your opinion be known at a public forum at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Heritage North Elementary School. Avon is looking for a new superintendent as Jim Reitenbach has announced he intends to resign at the end of the school year. Finding Leaders, the firm hired by the Board of Education to help find a replacement for Reitenbach, will be running the forum, district treasurer Kent Zeman said at Tuesday's school board meeting. About ten residents showed up at Monday's forum at Avon Middle School. Finding Leaders will also be getting feedback from school staff, PTAs and booster clubs, Zeman said.
41.45684
-82.01079
Avon Heritage North Elementary School
35575 Detroit Rd, Avon, OH
/articles/forum-to-discuss-superintendent-search
1073878
/locations/6161376
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Treasurer Kent Zeman warns district may have to ask for a levy to cover losses from the bill.
Changes announced this week to a controversial state bill expanding the use of taxpayer-subsidized scholarships for students to attend private and parochial schools were not enough to win over the Avon Board of Education. “The district is still opposed to any diversion of local taxpayer dollars to fund any private school program,” Treasurer/Chief Fiscal Officer Kent Zeman said. Last week, the board joined more than half of Ohio’s 614 school districts in formally opposing House Bill 136, the Parental Choice and Taxpayer Savings Scholarship Program. “In its current state, we certainly disagree with the premise of the bill,” said Board President Kevin Romanchok. The bill would have allowed any child whose family earns $95,000 a year or less…
41.456745
-82.010496
Avon Local School District
35573 Detroit Rd, Avon, OH
/articles/board-of-education-opposes-state-voucher-bill
1073560
/locations/6011307
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Board set to begin search for replacement
In a surprise announcement at Tuesday's Board of Education meeting, Superintendent Jim Reitenbach said that he intends to resign on July 31, 2012. "I've spent one-third of my career here," Reitenbach said. "Nine districts in 39 years, I've been here longer than anywhere else." Reitenbach has been superintendent since 1999. He retired in 2009, and was immediately rehired at a lower salary while being able to draw his state pension. "Without a doubt this is the best place I ever worked," said Reitenbach after the meeting. "It's a wonderful district and community. I have to thank everyone who has made it possible. It's a team effort -- the students, the staff, the teachers, the administration, the parents, the community. It's been an honor …
41.456745
-82.010496
Avon Local School District
35573 Detroit Rd, Avon, OH
/articles/schools-superintendent-jim-reitenbach-to-resign
1073560
/locations/6005809
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Some at meeting angry over no public comment before vote
The $32 million bond issue to build a new Avon Middle School will be on the March primary ballot after the Board of Education approved it at a special meeting Wednesday at Heritage North. The bond issue was defeated by less than 200 votes -- 3,903 to 3,726 -- in the Nov. 8 election. Ohio's primary election is March 6, 2012. In order to be on that ballot, the bond issue must be filed with the Lorain County Board of Elections by Dec. 7. The bond issue would cost homeowners an additional $38.29 per year for every $100,000 in home valuation. Some residents who came to the meeting were angry that there was no opportunity for public comment or discussion before the vote. Former superintendent Bob Barnhardt said after the vote and before the …
41.445415
-82.030023
Avon Middle School
3075 Stoney Ridge Rd, Avon, OH
/articles/middle-school-bond-issue-going-on-march-ballot
1073658
/locations/5921320
41.45684
-82.01079
Avon Heritage North Elementary School
35575 Detroit Rd, Avon, OH
/articles/middle-school-bond-issue-going-on-march-ballot
1073878
/locations/5921321
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Special meeting to decide whether to put $32 million levy on March ballot
After the narrow defeat earlier this month of Issue 8, the $32 million levy to build a new middle school, Avon's Board of Education has a decision to make. And the decision has to be made right away. The board will hold a special meeting at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Heritage North Elementary School to decide whether or not to put the levy on the March 2012 primary ballot. If the levy is going to be voted on in March, it must be filed with the Lorain County Board of Elections by Dec. 7. The levy was defeated by less than 200 votes -- 3,903 to 3,726 -- in the Nov. 8 election. Now the board needs to decide if the voters will be more receptive to the idea of a new middle school so soon after voting it down. The numbers in the levy would not …
41.45684
-82.01079
Avon Heritage North Elementary School
35575 Detroit Rd, Avon, OH
/articles/school-board-to-decide-on-middle-school-levy
1073878
/locations/5903715
Friday, November 11, 2011
Two levies to be combined into one
Wanting to avoid what interim board president Kevin Romanchok described as "voter fatigue" with school levies, the Avon Board of Education approved a plan at Thursday's meeting to combine two operating levies set to expire into one. The now-single levy received a unanimous vote for a resolution of necessity, which is needed to submit to the Lorain County Auditor to determine millage. The board would have to approve submitting it to the voters by Dec. 7 to get it on the ballot for the March primary vote. 'This way, we're not putting one on the ballot and then coming back six months later asking for another one," Romanchok said. The levies would be 10-year levies. Since these are renewal levies, said treasurer Kent Zeman, there would be no …
41.45684
-82.01079
Avon Heritage North Elementary School
35575 Detroit Rd, Avon, OH
/articles/school-board-talks-levies-school-calendar
1073878
/locations/5786591
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
All the results are in
Updated at 12:39 a.m. It was a good night for incumbents and a bad night for levies in Avon. One-hundred percent of the votes in Avon are in. In the elections for Avon City Council, he at-large race had challenger Mark Yonchak and incumbents Clinton S. Pelfrey, Craig Witherspoon and Dan Zegarac competing for the three open spots. Zegarac was the top vote-getter with 3,792 votes (29.43 percent), followed by Witherspoon (3,704 votes), Pelfrey (3,551) and Yonchak (1,838) The Ward 1 race saw incumbent Bryan Jensen defeated challengers Steven Balmert, Bob Butkowski and Dennis Ginley. With 100 percent of the vote in, Jensen finished with 864 votes, 45.16 percent of the votes. Incumbent Daniel Urban defeated challenger Susan Harrison in Ward 4 …
Tim E
6:53 pm on Thursday, March 8, 2012
By the way I disagree about the long term affects of our property values. The effect high property taxes has on housing is to drive the value down. Case in point read this. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2814601/posts We ought to be smart about this and understand the long term (greater then 10 years )need before we committ ourselves to a big mortage being pushed to us by construcution … more ›