Featured in this Newsletter:

Message from the Superintendent: Redistricting
VIDEO: Celebrating Our Principals
Dates to Remember
High School Redesign Spotlight
Curriculum Department Update
Primary Health Solutions: School-Based Health
By-the-Numbers Financial Update
In Case You Missed it on Social Media

Message from Superintendent Deborah Houser:

As we continue our journey toward implementing the K-6 Redistricting Project for the 2025-2026 school year, I want to thank everyone who has taken the time to share their feedback and insights through our initial survey. Your voices are invaluable as we work to reimagine our elementary schools in ways that will best support student growth, family involvement, community connection, and fiscal responsibility.

We’re carefully analyzing the survey responses and community input we’ve gathered so far. This feedback will shape preliminary boundary options that reflect the values and needs of our Middie community. Our goal is to create boundaries that allow students to thrive in their neighborhood schools, promoting a closer connection between home and school. We believe this approach will foster stronger relationships, reduce travel times, and increase opportunities for family engagement.

Over the next few months, we will offer additional ways for you to be involved, including community meetings where you can review and provide feedback on proposed boundary options. Each meeting will be an opportunity for us to hear directly from you, and your continued input will help us refine our plans to ensure they are effective and equitable for every student. We are committed to a transparent process and will provide updates at each step, so you remain informed and engaged.

Thank you for your continued involvement and support. This is a transformative project, and together, we’re building a future that aligns with our shared commitment to student success, community connection, and efficient resource use.

#MiddieRising

Learn more about our K-6 Redistricting Project

K-6 Redistricting Project Timeline

Redistricting FAQ Website (created by Woolpert)

Celebrating Our Principals:

October is National School Principal Month! Watch as our students share what they love most about their amazing principals.

Dates to Remember:

11/3 - Daylight Saving Time Ends

11/5 - Personalized Learning Day

11/27 - 11/29 - No School, Thanksgiving Break

High School Redesign Spotlight: A Thrilling Success for Experiential Learning Days:

This fall has been an exciting time for our high school as we continue to transform education through our Experiential Learning Days. Students have been diving into hands-on, immersive learning experiences that connect the classroom to the real world in meaningful ways. Many collaborations across disciplines are occurring weekly. One of the highlights so far has been the "Night of the Middie Dead," a fantastic showcase of student creativity, collaboration, and school spirit.

Held at the historic Sorg Opera House, this event was a huge success, with a strong showing of support from our dedicated staff. Many teachers worked closely with Mr. Pearce and his students on incredible projects that truly brought the night to life. The art department crafted zombie portraits that stunned and impressed attendees, while students from Middie Common Grounds produced magnets and keychains featuring exclusive "Middie Dead" designs.

But the creativity didn't stop there—students even dressed in full zombie costumes, adding a fun and immersive element to the event.

The "Night of the Middie Dead" was the perfect culminating event, bringing together learning, creativity, and community. It’s another example of how our high school redesign gives students and staff the chance to collaborate and bring learning to life.

Curriculum Department Update: Hitting Our Stride and Moving the Needle:

As we enter the heart of the school year, it’s exciting to see students and staff hitting their stride and digging into the core curricula. Thanks to the hard work and dedication of our teachers, we’ve made great strides in student achievement. MCSD's State Report Card score has improved from a 2 to a 2.5—an accomplishment that reflects the collective effort of our entire school community.

This progress comes as we continue to deepen our work in several key areas. We are now in year three of our ELA core adoption, and it’s clear that teachers have truly embraced the curriculum, bringing their own flair and creativity into their lessons.

Additionally, our third year of working with math coaches is yielding positive outcomes as teachers refine their practice and deliver high-quality instruction that resonates with students. The combination of these efforts is starting to move the needle in a significant way across our district.

We couldn’t be more proud of how everyone is stepping up, from our dedicated teachers continually innovating in the classroom, to our hardworking students engaging with the material and growing each day. This momentum is only going to build as we push forward.

Let’s keep it up! Together, we are making a difference for our students and our community.

Message from Primary Health Solutions:

Improving the health of children is a primary goal of our practice. Our school-based health centers provide access to health services during the school day, with transportation provided by the schools to and from appointments.

This improved access to health care services results in improved health outcomes for the children served. Children are only treated with the consent of a parent or guardian. Parents/guardians are welcome at appointments, but not required. This allows children to receive the services they need without losing much class time, and families from losing income and time away from work.

The services that may be provided include Medical, Dental, Mobile Dental Unit, Behavioral Health, and Vision Care.

By-the-Numbers Financial Update:

Middletown City School District has a list of 20 peer districts ranked by the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce that most similarly align with MCSD's demographics. The top five districts for the 2023 school year were Hamilton, Mansfield, Massillon, Springfield (Clark County), and Warren City School Districts.

When comparing these similar districts to MCSD, our expenditures per pupil were 11.4% and 13.5% less than our similar counterparts in 2018 and 2023 respectively.

While using these similar districts in 2018 and 2023, MCSD spent more per student on instructional, staff, and pupil support from 65.8% to 65.4% in 2018 and increased it by 3% to 68.5% compared to our peers of 65.5%.

This increase in services for our students was accomplished by reducing our building operation expenditures by 2.7% per pupil while maintaining our administrative costs at 11.1%.