Parent focus groups give input on the future of school district

Parents helped the school district plot a course for the next five years.
By JEANNE STARMACK
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
AUSTINTOWN -- Parental involvement is the key to keeping Austintown a great school district.
Or maybe it's keeping the schools updated with the latest technology.
The district has to stay competitive with others, that's for sure.
What's the real key? What's the vision for Austintown's future in the next five years, and how will the district get there?
Maybe it's all of the above. And more.
Falcon Fair at Fitch High School on Wednesday put parents in focus groups to give input on directions the school district should take in the next five years. They were given some information on the state of the schools first.
The district is holding its own financially, at least for the next two years, district Treasurer Barb Kliner told them. But the uncertainty of school funding, an impending decrease in tax money and inflation make it hard to predict a certain future, she said.
She and Superintendent Doug Heuer also gave preliminary reports from a Blue Ribbon Performance Audit, done by the state auditor, that should be final by January.
How district compares
The audit is comparing Austintown with 10 similar school districts in the state that are considered excellent, Heuer said. So far, results are looking good -- per-pupil expenditures are virtually the same, around $7,800, for Austintown and its peer group. The comparison is also close in expenditures for direct instruction, support services such as transportation, buildings, libraries and nurses, noninstructional services and extracurricular activities, Kliner and Heuer said.
Salaries are slightly higher in Austintown, Kliner said, but 74 percent of its teaching staff have master's degrees or higher and 30 percent have 25 or more years of experience.
Staffing per 1,000 pupils is about the same, with Austintown coming in at 110 and the peer group registering around 115. But the comparisons are virtually equal, Heuer said.
He also said the district performance as measured by state report-card benchmarks is about 92 percent. It has increased steadily from 1998, when it was about 62 percent.
Achievement test performance levels are at an all-time high, with a performance index score of nearly 100 percent, he said. Fitch's graduation rate is also high, at 98 percent.
But the district is facing some problems, such as aging buildings and old technology, he said.
Parents' thoughts
Parents then went to their groups to figure out challenges and major opportunities for the school district, and to say what their hopes are for the district.
"From the presentation, I would say technology," said Doug Schneider. He and his wife, Mary, have two daughters in the district.
"Parent involvement is important," said Mary Schneider. "With better parent involvement, we wouldn't have problems we have passing levies and getting things we need -- like technology."
Maintaining excellence in the schools and incorporating the community into them will help, said Dianne Eyster.
Nathan Offerdahl, who has a daughter in second grade at Woodside, said he thinks erosion of the tax base is going to be a challenge. Forum Health and Delphi Packard Electric are in trouble, and General Motors is not secure, he said. He favors discussion of regionalization, and also likes the idea of more gym classes to fight an increase in childhood obesity.
Michelle Reed, who has a daughter in elementary school and one about to start kindergarten, said parents need to be involved with their kids after school to help with homework and other activities.
"Parental involvement -- this [the focus group] is a real good example of what we need," said Mary Schneider.
The school district will compile the results of the focus groups and present them to the school board, Heuer said.