On Thursday, November 4th, students in AP Psychology researched one of their 5 senses and created a fun sensory experience for students at Bradley HS that displayed the capabilities of their researched organ. Students explained how our sense organs relay information to the brain to create perceptions, and discussed an interesting fact about the sense they researched.
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.
Parent-teacher conferences are Wednesday, February 15th. The sign up period has ended. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact teachers directly via email.
