Dear Community,

On June 3, 2016, North Royalton High School held its 110th commencement program at the State Theater in Playhouse Square.  One only had to hear the tremendous speeches by two of our outstanding students, Celine Chehade and Jessica Mitchell, to know that our students are not only special people, but that they have all the tools to be successful in whatever they chose to do in life.  Congratulations Class of 2016.  We know you will make a difference in our world.

Yesterday, the Board of Education passed a resolution at a special Board Meeting to allow Treasurer Biagio Sidoti to certify the millage of a proposed bond issue with the county.  The bond issue, in the amount of $88,900,000 will build one new elementary school to replace the three existing buildings, renovate and build new at the high school and renovate the middle school.  The total cost of the project will be $94,837,207, with $4,536,267 being supplied by the State of Ohio Facilities Construction Commission and $1,500,000 being supplied through local funding, thus resulting in the $88,9000,000 bond issue.  Upon certification from the county, it is expected that the additional cost to a homeowner of a $200,000 home would be less than $19 per month.  This is arrived at because the middle school bonds are set to expire in 2018.  In essence, the community would be continuing the middle school bonds and adding an additional 3.13 mills, which includes a .5 mill maintenance fund dedicated to the maintenance of the buildings only.  This additional cost to the homeowner for the entire project would be less than $19 per month for a $200,000 home ($18.26).  These numbers will be finalized in the coming days from the county.

The Board of Education has scheduled a special meeting for  Tuesday, June 21 at 6:30 PM  in the North Royalton High School community room.  The purpose of this meeting is to act on a resolution to specifically place the bond issue on the November ballot.  Per revised code, it is necessary for the Board of Education to act on these resolutions in separate Board of Education meetings.  

Many thanks to the Community Engagement Task Force who has recommended to the board this plan to address the educational and facility needs of all students and provide opportunities and classes required for student-centered learning.  This comes after more than a year of meetings, facility tours, surveys, coffee discussions, public meetings, and many other forums to engage as many residents as possible.  With this plan, our students will be learning in classrooms and buildings that allow collaboration, creativity and innovation, critical thinking and problem solving, as well as the ability to utilize technology in a 1:1 learning environment.

I would also like to wish everyone a relaxing summer. While we are busy planning for the start of the 2016-207 school year on  August 24 , summer is also a time for us to reflect on the past while we make those plans. I am confident that the new school year will be a rewarding year for our students and staff.  Yes, there will be challenges to face, but I know with the passion and commitment of our students, parents, staff, administration and the entire North Royalton community, we will overcome anything that comes our way and continue to inspire and empower learners.
 
I hope that you find this monthly newsletter informative and a good way to keep you up to date on the happenings of our schools and the Board of Education.  I would welcome any thoughts and comments that you have in regards to this or anything dealing with the North Royalton City Schools.  Please call me at  440-582-9030   or email me at  greg.gurka@northroyaltonsd.org.


Greg Gurka, 
Superintendent
North Royalton City Schools

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Table 1 compares our monthly operating receipts to the prior year actual for the first eleven months of our fiscal year (July 2015 through May 2016).  It further estimates our collection through our fiscal year end.  You will notice two large collection points in our fiscal year which are July and February.  These two months are considerably higher than the others due to real estate collection which represents over 70% of our revenues.

   

Table 2 compares our monthly operating expenditures to the prior year actual for the first eleven months of our fiscal year (July 2015 through May 2016).  It further estimates our expenditures through our fiscal year end.  You will notice a constant expenditure pattern throughout our fiscal year due to salaries and wages being evenly distributed throughout the year.


 
Table 3 illustrates the current actual cumulative monthly operating revenues and expenditures for the first eleven months of our fiscal year (July 2015 through May 2016).  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 closing the gap between revenues and expenditures.

 
Table 4 illustrates our fiscal year to date operating expenditures by category for the first eleven months of our fiscal year (July 2015 through May 2016).  Salary and wages represent approximately 61%, fringe benefits 23%, purchased services 11%, materials supplies and textbooks 3% and the combination of capital outlay and operational fees 2%.
 
  
LINKS to DISTRICT FINANCIALS:

Click here for the North Royalton City School District 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 City Schools

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Master Teachers Recognized at June Board of Education meeting


Congratulations to Deborah Cammarata-Syroney, who was designated as a "Master Teacher" by the Ohio Department of Education.  She was recognized at the June 13 North Royalton Board of Education meeting.  Also recognized for renewing their Master Teacher certificate were Beth Iafigliola, Beverly Schultz, Mark Skor and Gina Stabile.

Cammarata-Syroney teaches foreign language at North Royalton High School; Iafigliola is a music teacher at Albion Elementary; Schultz is a seventh grade teacher at North Royalton Middle School; Stabile is a sixth grade science teacher at North Royalton Middle School; and Skor is a math teacher at North Royalton High School.

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 a period five years.

Special thanks to Weible & Associates, CPA, a full-service accounting firm located in Broadview Heights and a North Royalton City Schools' business/school partner, for sponsoring the Master Teacher Award for many years.  A New Leaf Florist donated the bouquets of flowers.


Pupil Services Department Provides Update at June Board Meeting

Director of Pupil Services Julie Bogden gave an informative update to the board members at the June board meeting regarding her department and initiatives that were completed this year and goals for the 2016-17 school year.  Pupil Services oversees the services offered to our special education students, including occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech/language therapy, as well as manages the district's intervention specialists and aides. They also coordinate the extended school year program.  Pupil Services also is responsible for the district's gifted education program, servicing grades 3-8, as well as high school advanced, honors and AP classes.  School psychologists, counselors and nurses also fall under the Pupil Services Department.  

Registration, residency and custodial paperwork is another important function of this department and occurs year-round.  When students require home schooling or home instruction, it is coordinating through Pupil Services.  

Initiatives for the 2015-16 that were completed include consistency in IEP writing, setting new guidelines for evaluation reports, long-term plans for gifted services at the elementary level, concussion protocols, 504 guidelines and staff training, as well as completed the Step Up to Quality Process in our preschool.

Initiatives for the 2016-17 school year include early intervention at the kindergarten, dyslexia identification and interventions, co-teaching training, professional development for teachers to support students identified as gifted in math at the elementary level, and impact achievement in reading and math for students with disabilities.


North Royalton Middle School Welcomes Erin Calabrase as New Assistant Principal

Erin Calabrase is joining North Royalton Middle School as an assistant principal. Calabrese is a former graduate of North Royalton High School and received her B.A., AYA Integrated Language Arts from Muskingum University and her Masters in Education Administration from Ashland University.  She has been teaching English at Solon High School since 2004.  "Her knowledge of curriculum and of Response to Intervention (RtI) will be an asset to our middle school and our district as a whole," said Superintendent Greg Gurka.  "She is personable, hard working and a great fit for our district."  She has been a girls' basketball and softball coach at Normandy High School, North Royalton High School, Solon High School and Ursuline College. 

2016 State of Ohio School Bus Driver Road-E-O Runner Up is North Royalton City Schools' Bruce Abbott


On Saturday May 7, at Westland High School in Galloway, Ohio, state finals for school bus drivers and the driver skills Road-E-O took place. The top drivers from across the state competed at the regional level on April 23, with the top six from each region being invited to the state contest. These top 48 drivers vied for the trophy by taking a written knowledge exam, and then testing their driving skills. Such events as reverse serpentine, offset streets, student pick up and drop off procedures, depth perception, and railroad crossing procedures completed their day of competition. 
 
Congratulations to North Royalton City School's bus driver Bruce Abbott who was runner-up in this challenging competition, as well as all our bus drivers who competed in these competitions and provide safe and enjoyable rides to/from school each day for our  students.  
 
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Other Useful Links for you . . .  

Click here
to read the spring 2016 Community Engagement Taskforce "Community Input on the Future of Education" presentation

to read the North Royalton City School District's Quality Profile.  

to read the Spring 2016 North Royalton "Bear Way" magazine.   

to read the Winter 2016 Your Royalton Schools printed newsletter.

for the 2016-17 School Calendar 
 
Click here
for the NR Board of Education meeting minutes and agendas.  Click here for meeting dates for 2016.