Category: News

As you have heard, the Ohio Department of Education recently released the Ohio School Report Cards for the 2022-23 school year.  We’re thrilled to share some exciting news about one of the components of the report card:  Progress.  The Progress Component is based 100% on the district’s value-added score.

The value-added score is made up of two components:  overall growth index and effect size.  I am pleased to report that, according to the Ohio Department of Education, Hilliard City Schools was ranked #1 out of 607 public school districts on the overall growth index and #15 out of 607 districts on effect size.

Value-added looks closely at the growth all students are making based on their past state test performances.  In short, value-added measures how much our district’s teachers grow student performance, regardless of where students start, over the course of a year’s time.  It is a true representation of our commitment to every student, without exception.

The Progress Component (based 100% on value-added) measures the academic performance of students compared to expected growth on Ohio’s State Tests. This calculation uses a “value-added” model of measuring academic growth that compares the change in the achievement of a group of students to an expected amount of change in achievement that is based on the students’ prior achievement history.

I want to congratulate every employee and every student of the Hilliard City Schools for this achievement.  This is a testament to their hard work and dedication to being Ready for Tomorrow.

David Stewart – Superintendent

The Ohio Department of Education recently released the Ohio School Report Cards for the 2022-2023 school year. We are pleased to announce that Hilliard City Schools continues to make positive gains in our goal of ensuring that every student, without exception, is Ready for Tomorrow. 

One change in this year’s report card is the inclusion of an “Overall” rating.  The Overall rating is out of 5 possible stars, in increments of .5 stars.  The Ohio Department of Education has clarified that an overall rating of at least 3 stars indicates that a district or school has met state standards. We are proud to share that Hilliard City Schools has earned 4.5 out of 5 stars, affirming our commitment to academic excellence.

We are particularly delighted to have received 5 stars in Progress and Gap Closing. Progress measures the growth made by all our students based on their past performance, reflecting our dedication to continuous improvement. The Gap Closing component evaluates our efforts in reducing educational disparities among student subgroups, emphasizing our commitment to equity and inclusivity.

In the category of Achievement, Hilliard City Schools received four stars. This component assesses student performance on state tests.  Within this component, we are also excited to share that our Performance Index Score, which is a measure of all tests taken by all students, continues to increase as well.

Hilliard City Schools received three stars in both Graduation and Early Literacy, which indicates that the district is meeting state standards. Graduation evaluates the percentage of students who graduate with a regular or honors diploma, while the Early Literacy component assesses reading improvement and proficiency levels in grades K-3. These areas will be a focal point for our continued improvement efforts.  Specific to the Early Literacy component, this year, we launched new K-12 English Language Arts Curriculums. The Wit and Wisdom program is the new resource that our professionals chose to support this new curriculum.  It is designed for our younger learners and will empower students to read challenging texts, write effectively, and speak clearly and logically. We believe these initiatives will lead to even greater gains across our district.

At Hilliard City Schools, our vision is to Embrace, Empower, and Inspire students, families, and the community through an active partnership.  While we will never be defined solely by state test scores or local report card results, we are pleased to celebrate the success of our teachers and students.  While we recognize that there is always more work to be done, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to all of our parents, students, staff, and community members for their unwavering support and the work that went into this success. Together, we will continue to raise the bar for educational excellence in Hilliard for every student, without exception.

Superintendent David Stewart

Many people have seen the City of Hilliard develop a new comprehensive plan.  According to their web page, they launched Hilliard by Design to significantly update the city’s 2011 comprehensive plan.

While we congratulate the City Leaders for creating such a forward-thinking document, we hear that some in our community need more clarification on what the city can do with land owned by the school district. The short answer is they can not buy or sell property owned by the Board of Education without the Board’s approval, nor have they ever tried to. The Board appreciates the opportunity to collaborate with our city partners on projects that impact the schools.

Currently, the Hilliard School Board of Education will continue working on the District’s Master Facilities Plan, or MFP. An MFP is the product of a data-driven process that guides capital planning decisions over the next 5-10 years. The process takes into account community and stakeholder feedback, which results in transparent decisions about:

• Educational programs
• Facility use
• Capital investment

This MFP will address many fundamental questions:

• What kind of schools will best prepare students and inspire them to achieve their full potential for the future?
• How many students will attend our schools in five years? Ten years?
• What is the correct number, size, and location of schools to best serve these students?
• Where do we need new schools?
• Which current buildings should be replaced, expanded, modernized, or repurposed?
• What is the cost and schedule to make these changes?

You can click here to access the web page to learn more about the District’s MFP process. If you want to participate in the process moving forward, please email us by clicking here.

You may have read that all Franklin County residents’ properties have been assessed this year.  This part of a regular procedure ensures fair taxation based on area changes.

In Hilliard, residential property values have increased by an average of 34%. Residents may wonder if their taxes will increase at the same rate or if the school district will gain extra funds. The answer to both is no.

A law passed in 1976, House Bill (HB) 920, protects homeowners from significant tax increases by limiting growth on taxes. While rates went up, each property owner will be impacted differently.  You can click here to access the Franklin County Auditor’s web page to search for your specific property.

HB 920l also prevents school districts from collecting extra revenue from rising property values unless approved by voters. An exception is the “inside millage,” or the 4.45 mills of property tax that Hilliard receives that grows with inflation, which may fluctuate with property assessments.

Hilliard maintains its reputation as an excellent place to live, and our top-rated schools contribute to this success. We remain committed to providing value for your investment in education. For questions about school finances, please click here for our Fiscal reports on the District web page.

Be Well Event Offers Parents Resources on Addiction, Mental Health

Community leaders are joining together this fall to offer a free event for parents interested in learning about spotting the signs of substance use addiction.

Be Well: Prevention, Awareness, & Recovery, will be held Sept. 20 at Hilliard Darby High School. The free event is open to adults only. The first 300 guests will receive a free meal.

The event will begin with dinner and a resource fair in the school’s cafeteria from 5 to 6 p.m. A simulated teenage bedroom, known as Can You See Me Now?, will be on display in the school’s stage area. Parents are invited to tour the interactive bedroom to learn to spot risky behavior.

A presentation to include panelists of local first responders, health and wellness experts, and school officials will follow from 6 to 8 p.m. in the performing arts center. Experts will discuss substance abuse (including vaping), mental health, recovery, and addiction prevention.

“Our hope is to educate parents,” said Norwich Township Administrator Jamie Fisher. “We feel like this event will not only support our mission of promoting a healthier way of living but provide resources to help individuals make better choices.”

“Research shows one of the best ways to reduce the chances of teens using drugs by 50 percent or more is having an adult or parent have conversations with them about alcohol and drug addiction,” said Dawn Steele, who serves as an attorney with the City of Hilliard Recovery Court.

Research also shows 50 percent of teenagers have misused a drug at least once.

“We want parents to know they should not wait,” said Hilliard Chief of Police Michael Woods. “Don’t wait to have a conversation with your teen, don’t wait to ask for help, and don’t wait before a small problem turns into an addiction.”

The program is funded by Norwich Township Opioid Settlement Funds. Other cooperating partners include the City of Hilliard Division of Police, Norwich Township Fire Department, Hilliard City Schools, and HART (Health, Awareness & Recovery Together).

No RSVP is required.