JACKSON-MILTON Officials discuss district finances

Voters will see two tax issues on the November ballot geared toward raising $1 million for the school district.
By SEAN BARRON
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
NORTH JACKSON -- Even though the Jackson-Milton School District faces some financial challenges, school officials think the district is going in positive directions.
More than 100 pupils, parents, teachers and others filled a section of the high school gym to attend Monday's second Jackson-Milton State of the Schools Summit.
Board members and officials used the community meeting to discuss the district finances, hand out awards and laud pupil accomplishments.
Finances
Increased health-care costs have taken a larger bite out of the district's $7.4 million general fund, district treasurer John Zinger told the audience.
The district also loses about $5,200 for each pupil who takes part in open enrollment and leaves the district, Zinger continued.
Open enrollment allows pupils to attend a school in an adjacent school district such as Western Reserve, Newton Falls or Mineral Ridge districts, explained Superintendent Warne Palmer.
This year 34 pupils left Jackson-Milton for other schools, and 10 are taking online courses, Palmer added. Three came to Jackson-Milton High School as a result of open enrollment.
The superintendent estimated that overall the district will lose about $228,000 in fiscal year 2003.
The 7.3-mill emergency renewal levy and a 0.48-mill permanent improvement levy will appear on the Nov. 5 ballot.
If both pass, they should generate about $1 million to the district, Palmer said.
He added that the district has implemented several Continuous Improvement Planning meetings designed to encourage feedback and information sharing. The four remaining meetings for the school year also are set up to assess the school's progress and areas for improvement, Palmer said.
Accomplishments
Kim Bauer, a seventh-grade English teacher, said she wanted seventh- and eighth-graders, who also attend the high school, to be recognized for their accomplishments. Last year she and several pupils started a school newspaper geared toward those grades.
"Students did their own marketing, editing and writing," Bauer said. Bauer added that the pupils put out nine issues last year or about one every two weeks.
Principal Joe Malmisur praised numerous pupils for their accomplishments, including 14-year-old Amanda Kay, who was one of 14 Ohio pupils selected to attend a forensics science academy at Clarion University in Clarion, Pa.
Malmisur added that pupils must now complete 24 credits to graduate -- three more than state requirements.