Author: Stacie Raterman

The last time Hilliard City Schools was on the ballot was in 2016. However, last night at the Board of Education meeting, Treasurer Brian Wilson delivered the five-year forecast with news that due to tight fiscal management, the district will not need to ask taxpayers for a levy increase until 2024. That will be a full eight years between levy requests.

“During the 2016 campaign, the board of education and district officials promised our community that if it passed, we wouldn’t be on the ballot again for four more years,” said Board of Education Member and Finance Committee Member Mark Abate. “We understand the tax burden for our residents, and we are proud to be able to stay off the ballot even longer.”

In the five-year forecast, Mr. Wilson predicts Hilliard will not see a significant increase in revenue from the new state funding model. However, “Property taxes in 2020 and 2021 came in significantly better than projected in 2017,” he said. He also noted, “salaries and benefits are significantly less in 2020 and 2021 than originally projected in 2017. Part of this is a result of COVID as we reallocated staff to handle the changes in the learning environment. We were also able to use some of the federal dollars to offset some of our costs that would normally fall in the General fund.”

In early winter, Superintendent David Stewart and Deputy Superintendent Mike McDonough will bring back together the Master Facility Planning Committee. Before the pandemic, this group of community members, staff, and business experts conducted an extensive facility assessment on each building throughout the district. Reconvening this group will help the district create short-term and long-term plans for our facilities while maintaining current funding levels. In addition, although our schools have been well maintained, we must assess whether the costs associated with repairing facilities and mechanical systems are no longer a prudent investment of taxpayer dollars. 

We would like to announce a new staff appreciation award that will be given to Hilliard City School employees.  The Embrace, Empower & Inspire Award will be presented throughout the school year to staff members who exemplify the values of the Hilliard City Schools and make exceptional contributions to our district. These staff members demonstrate the Hilliard Way by making a difference every day, investing time in others, and pursuing excellence.

We hope our students, families, community members, and staff will take some time to nominate the staff member they feel best meets the criteria.  You can watch the a video and get more details this web page.

We know our students, staff, and community are excited to start the new school year and have been waiting for our return to school safety protocols. We also understand our community is passionate and has strong beliefs on the issue of masks. Regardless of your opinion on the use of masks in schools, we know that what we all want is what’s best for our students, staff, and our community.  While we do not wish to distract from the excitement of a new school year, we also know that parents and students are eager to know the protocols that we will utilize when school starts on Thursday, August 19.

As we begin the 2021-22 school year, we will continue our practice of relying on local public health officials for guidance on safety protocols and utilizing Hilliard’s COVID-19 data to inform the decisions we make.  We will closely monitor our community’s transmission rates, our students and staff’s positive case rates, and the number of quarantines of both students and staff. If data trends determine we need to make changes to any of our protocols, we have the ability to adjust swiftly and in a targeted fashion.  Today’s decision is data-driven, and as data shifts in either direction, our protocols could also change.

At the August 9 Board of Education meeting, the Board authorized the Superintendent to make decisions on the use of masks on a classroom, building-wide, grade level, or district-wide basis.  They also charged the Superintendent with notifying the Board of any such changes within 24 hours and making regular reports to the Board on district COVID data.

With regards to the use of masks, effective August 19, 2021, we will begin the school year as follows:

• All PreK-6^th grade buildings will require the use of masks by all individuals in the building (students, staff, and visitors). When outside, masks are not required.
• 7^th-12^th grade buildings will be “mask friendly,” and we strongly encourage the use of masks by students and staff.
• All unvaccinated staff, regardless of grade level, will be required to wear a mask.
• Per federal mandate, all individuals will be required to wear masks on school busses.
• We will follow quarantine guidance from the Ohio Department of Health. You can click here to read an overview or click on this link to see a classroom exposure flowchart.

As you are probably aware, public health officials strongly recommend the use of masks by all individuals entering school buildings, regardless of vaccination status.  Those same officials also encourage all eligible individuals to be vaccinated against COVID-19. The Hilliard City Schools echoes these recommendations.  For students who have the option as to whether or not to wear a mask, we would ask that families educate themselves on the Ohio Department of Health’s quarantine guidelines.  These guidelines direct schools to make quarantine determinations based on the use of masks and vaccination status.  It will be important that families take this into consideration when they decide if their 7^th-12^th grade student will wear a mask at school.

As we continue into the school year, any district-wide change in protocols regarding the use of masks or other considerations will be made based upon a review of the following data:

• The proportion of COVID-19 cases of school-aged children in the Hilliard City School District;
• COVID-19 Analytics and Targeted Surveillance (CATS) data in three areas:
  • Percent of student absences
  • Percent of staff absences
  • Rate of nurse visits of CLI/ILI per 1,000 students;
• Positivity Rates and Case Counts in Hilliard City School District Community;
• Other data as deemed relevant by federal, state, and local medical experts.

Additionally, we will also continue the same safety protocols and mitigation strategies in our schools from last year.

Mitigation strategies 

•  Physical Distancing: Individuals will be physically distanced by 3 feet when possible.
• PPE: Desk and table sneeze guards will be available for students and staff upon request, including in the school cafeterias.
• Hand Washing/Hand Sanitizing: Increased hand washing will continue to be emphasized throughout the school day. Hand sanitizer will continue to be placed in classrooms and throughout the buildings. Students will be encouraged to sanitize their hands throughout the day.
• Cleaning and Disinfecting: Routine cleaning protocols will continue throughout all school buildings and buses.

Transportation  

• Face Masks: Per federal requirement, face masks will be required to be worn by all students, staff, and school bus drivers while on the bus.
• Hand Sanitizing: Hand sanitizer will be available on all school buses.
• Assigned Seats: Students will have an assigned seat and will be seated up to the bus capacity.
• Cleaning and Disinfecting: Each bus will continue to be cleaned and disinfected daily.

Building protocols

• Visitors and Volunteers: Visitors will be allowed in the schools when the principal deems a necessary visit and an appointment is scheduled. Pick-up/ Drop-off of students or items will still be outside the front doors. Visitors in any building must wear a mask.
• Air Flow/HVAC: The building HVAC systems will continue to be programmed to bring in more outside air throughout the day. All air handling systems will utilize the maximum MERV rating filter that they are rated for.
• Water Bottle Fillers/Fountains: Water bottle filling stations will be open for use. Water fountains will continue to be closed.

Foodservice  

• All enrolled students are eligible to receive one breakfast and one lunch daily at no charge for the 2021-2022 school year through United States Department of Agriculture waivers.
• Cafeteria Seating: In order to provide sufficient information for contact tracing, there will be assigned lunchroom tables.
• Hand Sanitizing: Students will be encouraged to wash their hands and/or use hand sanitizer before lunch periods.

Contact tracing and quarantine 

• Hilliard Schools will follow quarantine guidance from the Ohio Department of Health.  You can click here to read an overview, or click on this link to see a classroom exposure  flow-chart.

I can assure you that nobody is excited about the fact that we are once again faced with these difficult decisions.  Please know that they have been made after a great deal of deliberation and with a focus on student safety and our ability to keep students in school every day.  What I do know is that if we, as a community, make a collective commitment to the strategies that have been shown to reduce the risk of COVID transmission, a full return to “normalcy” is possible.

Please remember, the guidance school districts are getting can change quickly. While these are the protocols in place today, if information or guidance from health officials changes, our plans could also change.

David Stewart

Hilliard City Schools Superintendent

Since the beginning of Covid, Hilliard City Schools has worked with our local health officials to guide our safety practices. District Leadership and the Board of Education remain committed to the safety and well-being of our students and staff.  District leaders will continue to analyze local data and safety procedures with health officials.

At this time, we are in the process of finalizing our plans for the opening of the school year. We are waiting to receive and review all state and local recommendations.  However, we will require masks on school transportation per a federal regulation that is in place until at least September 13, 2021.

Please note, there is a special Board of Education meeting on August 4, 2021; however, this will be held in executive session to consider the appointment, employment, dismissal, promotion, or compensation of a public employee or official. Therefore, there will be no time for public comment, nor will there be any action taken after the executive session. The next regular Board meeting is on August 9.

If you find yourself with a few extra minutes these days, why not check HomeAccess to confirm your contact information is up to date.  It is especially important we have an accurate MAIN/PRIMARY phone number listed as well as an e-mail address.  These pieces of contact information are used by the district and your child’s school building for emergency and important notification messages, like snow days!  You can also view and sign off on the student handbook and purchase the Technology Protection Plan for any student in grades K-12.  August 19 will be here sooner than you think, so why not do this all now, and not have to worry about it before the first day of school?  Here are some links to help:

View the Technology Protection Plan  (to enroll/purchase, go to: https://MyPaymentsPlus.com )

How to update Registration Information/Contacts and more in HomeAccess