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Dear Community,
It was an extreme honor for me to be with the 358 graduates of the North Royalton High School Class of 2018 on Friday, June 1 at the State Theatre. I got to know many of the graduates sitting on that stage through events that occurred in and around our schools over the years. Through plays, concerts, sporting events, interactions in classrooms or the hallways, I have been able to watch these young adults grow. I knew some even longer from either watching them in city rec activities or helping to coach them in softball during their munchkin-ball days. There was even one person on that stage whom I have known from the exact second she was born...my daughter, Micaela. Regardless of the length of our relationship, one thing is true, and that is each one of our new graduates has been and will always be part of our North Royalton City Schools' family.
At the Board of Education meeting on June 11, the Board passed the first resolution needed to place a renewal operating levy on the November 2018 ballot. Below you will find some additional information on that renewal levy, which will be at no additional cost to our homeowners.
I hope all of you have a wonderful summer, and I am looking forward to welcoming our students back to school on August 20!
Please take a moment to read this newsletter and stay informed about what is happening in our schools and with the Board of Education. I encourage you to also read the latest edition of the
Bear Way
, the District's digital magazine, by
clicking here
.
I welcome your thoughts and comments. Please call me at 440-582-9030 or email me at
[email protected].
Sincerely,
Greg Gurka
Superintendent
North Royalton City Schools
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June 2018 UPDATE
Starting this summer, residents will begin to see preliminary work on-site at North Royalton Middle School and North Royalton High School as a part of North Royalton's district-wide improvement program.
The District's architect, TDA, and construction manager, Hammond Construction, are currently reviewing design development documents and producing estimates for the North Royalton High School and Elementary School projects. There will be early site work at the high school starting in late July. Bids are currently being accepted for a new bus and emergency vehicle access loop which will be located on the east side of the building. This work is being completed this summer and fall in preparation for construction of the building addition in the spring of 2019. The installation of an access loop will allow the District to maintain traffic flow patterns during the school year while the building addition is being constructed.
At the middle school, contractors will be working to replace the heating and cooling systems in the purple and gold gyms. The project is currently out to bid and materials are being procured for a late summer start of the work. All systems will be replaced and in operation by fall of this year.
Tennis Courts
 As part of the North Royalton City Schools' agreement with the City of North Royalton for the use of athletic facilities, the District is in the process of upgrading and improving the tennis courts at Memorial Park. This includes fence repairs and surface upgrades. Work should be complete in the next few weeks.
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Graph 1 compares our monthly operating receipts to the prior year actual for the first 11 months of our fiscal year (July 2017 through June 2018). It further estimates our collection through our fiscal year end. You will notice two large collection points in our fiscal year which are August and February. These two months are considerably higher than the others due to real estate collection, which represents over 70% of our revenues.
Graph 2 compares our monthly operating expenditures to the prior year actual for the first 11 months of our fiscal year (July 2017 through June 2018). It further estimates our expenditures through our fiscal year end. You will notice a consistent expenditure pattern throughout our fiscal year due to salaries and wages being evenly distributed throughout our fiscal year.
Graph 3 illustrates the current actual cumulative monthly operating revenues and expenditures for the first 11 months of our fiscal year (July 2017 through June 2018). It further estimates our cumulative revenues and expenditures through our fiscal year end. You will notice a gradual increase in both revenues and expenditures as we approach our fiscal year end where revenues and expenditures eventually meet.
Graph 4 illustrates our fiscal year to date operating expenditures by category for the first 11 months of our fiscal year (July 2017 through June 2018). Salaries & Wages represent approximately 59%, Fringe Benefits 24%, Purchased Services 12%, Materials, Supplies & Textbooks 3%, and the combination of Capital Outlay and Operational Fees 2%.
LINKS to DISTRICT FINANCIALS:
Click here for the North Royalton City Schools' five-year forecast.
Interested in reading more? District financial information such as our annual financial reports, forecasts, tax rates, etc., can be found by
clicking here.
Biagio Sidoti, Treasurer
North Royalton Board of Education Passes First Resolution for Renewal of District's Operating Levies
At the North Royalton Board of Education meeting on June 11, the Board passed the first resolution for a renewal of the District's three upcoming operating levies. This first resolution authorizes the treasurer to request the millage needed to combine the three levies from the Cuyahoga County Fiscal Officer. The second resolution that will be voted on at the July 9 regular Board meeting is a resolution to place the issue on the ballot. The District will be combining the three separate 10-year operating levies that will require renewal in 2019, 2020, and 2021, into one combined issue on the November 6, 2018 ballot. This renewal levy will not increase taxes.
After analyzing the costs to the District of placing three separate issues on the ballot, as well as the community's voter fatigue, the North Royalton City Schools' Financial Advisory and Audit Committee recommended to the Board of Education that the three levies be combined into one 10-year renewal levy at no additional cost to the homeowner. This renewal levy is necessary to provide the funding in order to maintain current programs and services and, again, will not result in any additional costs to the homeowners or businesses.
"The District has been openly discussing these operating levies for sometime and was willing to consider all points of view on how to proceed," said President Dr. Susan Clark. "The consolidation of these operating levies is a sound recommendation, a recommendation arrived at through community engagement, and one which will serve our schools for at least another 10 years."
Residents are encouraged to contact a Board of Education member, Superintendent Greg Gurka, or Treasurer Biagio Sidoti with any questions. Residents also are invited to attend the July 9 meeting at 7 pm in the Community Room at North Royalton High School.
North Royalton Board of Education Approves New Contract for North Royalton Education Association (NREA)
The North Royalton Board of Education approved a new three-year contract for the District's teachers at the June 11 board meeting. The contract with the North Royalton Education Association (NREA) will begin August 1, 2018. Teachers will receive a 2% increase each year of the contract. The NREA agreed to health care concessions that will allow the District to help manage ever-rising healthcare costs. This concession will save the district approximately $450,000 a year when implemented fully across all benefit plans.
"On behalf of the Board of Education, I commend the members of the collective bargaining team who worked diligently and collaboratively to negotiate a fair employment agreement," said President Dr. Susan Clark, North Royalton Board of Education. "Representatives of the NREA and the District's administration worked together many long days to create an agreement that positions the District to achieve its 21st-century learning goals for our students. We respect and support our teachers and believe this contract shows our commitment to them, while also ensuring the District's financial health over the term of the agreement."
"We talk about doing things 'The North Royalton Way,'" said Superintendent Greg Gurka, North Royalton City Schools. "This negotiation was an example of that with mutual respect for one another, problem-solving, and working together to come to a fair agreement that allows the District to remain fiscally stable in the years to come."
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North Royalton City Schools Recognizes Master Teachers
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North Royalton City Schools Director of Personnel Pat Farrell; Master Teacher
Janele Kauffman; Jennie and Charlie Weible & Associates, Co., CPA.
Not pictured: Amanda McClain, Master Teacher
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Janele Kauffman, M.Ed., seventh-grade intervention specialist at North Royalton Middle School, and Amanda McClain, M.A. Ed., a second-grade teacher at Albion Elementary, were designated as "Master Teachers" by the Ohio Department of Education. The North Royalton Board of Education recognized Kauffman and McClain at the June 11 Board meeting.
The Master Teacher program selects teachers based on the following criteria: consistent leadership; focused collaboration; distinguished teaching with a focus on student and environment; distinguished teaching with a focus on content, instruction and assessment; and continued professional growth. The Master Teacher designation is valid for five years.
McClain has been with the District for 13 years. She received her Bachelor of Science in Education degree in 2003 and Master of Arts in Education degree in 2008 from Baldwin Wallace University. When asked what inspired her to become a Master Teacher, she said, "My inspiration for Master Teacher came from a relative (also a teacher) who has told me for years that she believed in me and that I could do it. I wanted to challenge myself this year and try something that I had never done before."
Kauffman has been teaching at North Royalton Middle School for nine years. She received her Bachelor of Science in Education degree from Kent State University in 2006 and her Master of Education degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Cleveland State University in 2009. Before starting with North Royalton City Schools, Kauffman spent two years teaching in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District. When asked what inspired her to become a Master Teacher, she said, "Fellow educator Amanda McClain inspired me the most to become a Master Teacher. The designation of Master Teacher has been an accomplishment on my educator bucket list for a few years to advance my teaching skills by focusing and reflecting on my current teaching practice. However, Amanda encouraged me to go through the process with her. She is not only a great friend, but has also pushed me to try new things professionally."
Special thanks to Weible & Associates, Co., CPA, a full-service accounting firm located in Broadview Heights, and a business partner of North Royalton City Schools, for sponsoring the Master Teacher Award for many years.
North Royalton City Schools Recognized Terry DeLap as
2017-18 Friend of Education
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| The DeLap family: wife Janice, daughter Jessica, and Terry with Superintendent Greg Gurka |
North Royalton City Schools recognized Terry DeLap as the 2017-18 Friend of Education at the June 11, 2018, regular board meeting. DeLap is a business owner, parent, and long-time supporter of the District. This annual award goes to a person or persons who significantly contribute to North Royalton City Schools, help inspire and empower students, and dedicate themselves to making North Royalton and Broadview Heights great places.
As a parent, DeLap always has been a supporter and advocate for his child. As a local business owner, he makes sure that students and staff are taken care of in many ways. "For example, last year there were several national news stories about students who couldn't afford to eat lunch and were ashamed to ask for help," said Superintendent Greg Gurka, North Royalton City Schools. "Shortly after that news story aired, Terry told me he wanted to make sure this would never happen to North Royalton students. So, he set up an account that children could use in the event they either forgot their lunch money or couldn't afford lunch."
DeLap also volunteers and leads the District's levy campaigns. "As the owner of The Cleaning Authority, supporting an issue that might raise your customers' taxes might not be a wise business decision. However, as a true friend, it means putting your neck out and taking a stance as only a friend would do. So, when asked by the bond issue committee if he would help, he not only stepped up but, as a friend, did so with no thought or care of losing business because maybe someone disagrees with it," said Gurka. In addition, DeLap also serves on the District's Business Advisory and Strategic Plan committees.
"Friends are people that you can count on in good times and bad, and they are there to lend a helping hand at the drop of a hat," said Gurka. "As I have gotten to know Terry over the last several years, I have learned that anyone would be proud to have him as a personal friend! Our Friend of Education is more than that-he is truly a friend of our entire community."
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News from Cuyahoga Valley Career Center
 Click here to read th "News Flash" Update from Cuyahoga Valley Career Center, featuring all the outstanding work and accomplishments of the North Royalton High School students who attend CVCC.
Congratulations, students! #NRInspireGreat
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Be sure to visit #NRInspireGreat as well as our
district Facebook page
for pictures and stories from all of our buildings.
Other Useful Links for you . . .
to read the district's Quality Profile.
to read the latest edition of the
The Bear Way
Click here
for the NR Board of Education meeting minutes and agendas.
Click here for meeting dates for 2018.
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