Ontario Local Schools is hoping to revamp its intervention and enrichment opportunities for students in k-12 for the subsequent school year.
One enrichment proposal that stirred up some debate at the board meeting on Tuesday evening was the idea to eliminate all Advanced Placement (AP) courses, and instead, offer dual credit courses to the high school students.
Speaking on behalf of many concerned parents, Karen Andrew commented, “I feel that dual credit may be good, but eliminating either AP or dual credit in favor of the other would narrow the opportunities for our students and put them at a distinct disadvantage.”
She further stated, “Not all Ohio colleges will accept dual credit classes…AP and dual credit are both necessary if we want our students to compete with students from other schools and if we want Ontario to compete with surrounding communities.”
High School Principal Chris Smith said, “We’re not looking at eliminating any rigor in our curriculum, or eliminating a course just to go to dual credit. The only way that we would eliminate an AP course to go to a dual credit course is if it had the same amount of rigor.”
He also stated that the school is looking to offer dual credit courses that align with AP coursework and that those who are in dual credit courses are allowed to sign up and take an AP exam if they so desire.
Parent, Marianne Gasiecki, said, “It seems redundant to me if we know that the dual credit courses are going to be set up just like the AP; I don’t understand why we don’t just keep the AP.”
Superintendent Lisa Carmichael noted, “We contacted a number of colleges and universities and asked them point blank if a student makes application there. More often than not, nine out of ten said that they don’t even look to see if the student has AP courses. They’re looking at GPA, and they’re looking at SAT scores. They’re not even looking at the transcripts.”
Board member Sam VanCura added in, “We have a choice of offering the AP course and you will get an AP credit if you pass the test. Or you can, with a dual credit course, pass the AP test and have all three together. So in my opinion, it’s better to have three than one.”
While AP courses are still being offered at the school, they may all be eliminated in the 2014-2015 school year, which includes AP English 11, AP English 12, AP Chemistry, and AP Calculus.
Other ways that the school is looking to improve in regard to enrichment/intervention opportunities includes setting aside 20 minutes during recess time for intervention/enrichment opportunities for grades k-5, holding honors classes at the middle school, and creating new elective courses and dual credit courses at the high school.
In other news, Treasurer Randy Harvey presented a five-year forecast on the school’s budget. Looking at the general property tax revenue, the school is forecasted to have a drop from about $8.7 million in 2011 to $8.4 million in 2014. “And that’s simply because the tax values are dropping,” said Harvey.
The school saw some increase in state funds, going from $2.2 million in 2011 to about $2.4 million in 2014. However, Harvey noted that Ontario should have received a $2.6 million increase.
“We are a very under-funded school,” he said.
In regard to the cash balance, the school is looking at $4.1 million amount in 2014, down from $5.3 million in 2011. In 2018, that balance is anticipated to lower to about $313,000, a number based on if school levy did not pass.
Also present at the meeting were middle school instructor and FCCLA adviser, Jennifer Klaus, and some of her students. Together they gave a presentation on a “flipped classroom,” in which students watch videos on YouTube and bring that knowledge from the video clip to classroom the following day, enabling them to spend more time with hands-on activities.
The next board meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 13, shifting a day later from its usual Tuesday meeting time.
