An update on how Marion City Schools is inspiring a community of achievement. Update given in May 2015

1. STATE OF THE SCHOOLS
Marion City Schools
Second Semester Report

2. DISTRICT MISSION
The mission of Marion City Schools is to inspire
a community of achievement.

3. OUR VISION IS TO:
• Provide an innovative and rigorous instructional model to
ensure each student’s academic and personal
development
• Collaboratively establish a safe, respectful and caring
environment that promotes student learning
• Establish processes to communicate and collaborate
effectively with stakeholders
• Manage and prioritize human and financial resources
effectively to meet district goals

4. INSTRUCTION

5. LITERACY
COLLABORATIVE
Proven outcomes
• A positive effect on literacy teaching,
student learning and professional
learning communities
• Aligns with Ohio literacy standards and
meets requirement for response to
intervention
• All primary and literacy teachers will take
part in 60 hours of professional
development in literacy instruction
• A comprehensive
school literacy program
• Based on award-
winning work of Drs.
Irene Fountas and Gay
Su Pinnell

6. PROGRESS MADE
• 13 literacy coaches
completed extensive
training
• 15 teachers graduated
from Reading Recovery
training
• 26 teachers trained in
Leveled Literacy
Intervention

7. NEXT GENERATION
LEARNING
ENVIRONMENT
Teachers are creating a learning environment
that is personalized to meet students’ needs
by incorporating adaptive curriculum, project-
based learning and small group instruction
through a station rotation math model.

8. COURSE
OFFERINGS
• Spanish, biology and robotics
at Grant
• Global logistics, health tech 1
and 2, early childhood
education, exercise science,
psychology, sociology,
interpersonal communications,
oral communications, college
computer applications,
business communications at
Harding
• Subject acceleration at
elementary and middle
• Expand middle school
offerings to allow students
to earn more high school
credit
• Expand high school
offerings to allow students
more career and college
training

9. • College Credit Plus, Ohio’s new early college program, enables 7th-12th grade
students to earn college credit for free from any state university in Ohio while still
in middle and high school.
• Students can get more rigorous course work and get experience in college-level
work through courses offered at Grant and Harding, courses offered on college
campuses and online.
• Grant Middle School and Harding High School held meetings with parents and
students to explain how they can enroll and participate. Schools and the district
service center promoted the program in student course catalogs and on the
website.

10. A
33%
B
21%
C
14%
D
7%
F
7%
P
5%
S
13%
3RD QUARTER 2013-14
PERCENTAGE
A B C D F P S
A
37%
B
20%
C
13%
D
7%
F
8%
P
2%
S
13%
3RD QUARTER 2014-15
PERCENTAGE
A B C D F P S
ELEMENTARY GRADES

11. A
42%
B
24%
C
15%
D
9%
F
7%
P
3%
3RD QUARTER 2013-14
PERCENTAGE
A B C D F P
A
45%
B
22%
C
14%
D
8%
F
7%
I
0%
P
4%
3RD QUARTER 2014-15
PERCENTAGE
A B C D F I P
GRANT MS GRADES

12. A
29%
B
26%
C
18%
D
12%
F
11%
P
4%
3RD QUARTER 2013-14
PERCENTAGE
A B C D F P
A
29%
B
24%
C
17%
D
12%
F
13%
I
1%
P
4%
3RD QUARTER 2014-15
PERCENTAGE
A B C D F I P
HARDING HS GRADES

13. ENVIRONMENT

14. GEAR UP at Harding High School
Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for
Undergraduate Programs, known as GEAR UP, is a
federally funded initiative.
Marion City Schools is one of only four Ohio school
districts to receive funding through GEAR UP Ohio.
The program focuses on reducing barriers to college
access and completion.
The I CAN Center of Excellence, Marion City Schools
and The Ohio State University at Marion collaborate
on overseeing GEAR UP at Harding High School.

15. GEAR UP SUCCESSES
• Doubled number of students
completing and submitting
FAFSA by priority deadline. (From
40 to 79)
• Increased number applying for
Marion Community Foundation
scholarships by 48%. (From 29 to
43)
• Had more than 2,000 interactions
with more than 800 MCS
students.

16. LEADER IN ME
• Leader in Me is a whole-school
transformation model geared
towards developing leaders with
21st century skills.
• It’s credited with lowering
disciplinary issues and improving
school culture.
• Harrison currently has Leader in
Me. It will be expanded to
Garfield, Hayes, McKinley and
Grant.

17. ALICE TRAINING
More than 600 staff members went through ALICE active shooter
training provided by area law enforcement.
ALICE stands for:
• Alert as man people as possible about the danger;
• Lockdown, barricade the room;
• Inform, communicate intruders’ location and direction in real time;
• Counter, create noise, movement, distance and distraction;
• Evacuate, remove yourself from the danger zone if you can safely.

18. ALICE TRAINING
• The new guidelines differ from former
practice of locking doors and hiding.
• ALICE is endorsed by Department of
Homeland Security.
• MCS held a parents assembly in
March to discuss ALICE.
• District announced to parents that
Marion County United Veterans
Memorial Coliseum would be where
parents could pick up evacuated
students.

19. GRANT SPORTS/EXTRACURRICULAR
PARTICIPATION SEMESTER ONE
In an activity
42%
Not in an activity
58%
%
In an activity Not in an activity

20. GRANT SPORTS/EXTRACURRICULAR
PARTICIPATION SEMESTER TWO
In an activity
51%
Not in an activity
49%
%
In an activity Not in an activity

21. HARDING SPORTS/EXTRACURRICULAR
PARTICIPATION SEMESTER ONE
In an activity
53%
Not in an activity
47%
%
In an activity Not in an activity

22. HARDING SPORTS/EXTRACURRICULAR
PARTICIPATION SEMESTER TWO
In an activity
70%
Not in an activity
30%
%
In an activity Not in an activity

23. COMMUNICATION/COLLABORATION

24. ACADEMIC NIGHTS
• Schools throughout the district
invited parents and community
members to attend academic
nights.
• Grant and Harding promoted
their programs including music
and robotics.
• Elementary schools focused
heavily on promoting literacy
efforts.

25. WEBSITE IMPROVEMENTS
Newsletter stories on
web site
New design enables
cleaner copy/appearance
Job links on
front page

26. SOCIAL MEDIA IMPROVEMENTS
Abt. 900 more Facebook page
likes this school year
Abt. 450 more FB page likes this
semester
Increasing use of
videos
Utilizing (free) multi-
media tools to tell
stories

27. HUMAN/FINANCIAL RESOURCES

28. FISCAL REPORT
According to the April 30 comparison of fiscal year-to-date budgeted
revenue and the 2014 fiscal year-to-date actuals, Marion City Schools is:
• 2.7% (about $1.2 million) above projected revenue
• 0.44% ($188,618) below projected expenses
According to its five-year forecast, the district will maintain a positive
balance through 2019. An updated five-year forecast will be presented
to the school board at its May 18 meeting.

29. MEDICAID REIMBURSEMENT
Marion City Schools increased its Medicaid reimbursement by
utilizing an electronic database and directly billing Medicaid.
• 2014 fiscal year, $101,962 Medicaid reimbursement
• 2015 fiscal year to date, $210,729 Medicaid reimbursement
(Abt. $30,000 more expected through June)

30. UTILITY SAVINGS
The district is spending $589,227 less in utilities each year than in three-year
average benchmark established from 2006-2008.
That means MCS has realized more than $2 million in utility savings over the
past five years.
Our utility costs have decreased every single year since 2008.
Four of our eight school buildings are Energy Star qualified because of our
continued efforts for more energy efficient buildings.

31. ELECTRIC AND GAS COSTS
(DOLLARS)
$0
$200,000
$400,000
$600,000
$800,000
$1,000,000
$1,200,000
$1,400,000
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Series 1 $1,323,527 1,073,108 1,068,556 1,052,803 849,615 845,773
Electric and Gas Costs (Dollars)
Series 1

32. ELECTRIC AND GAS COSTS PER
SQ. FT. (DOLLARS)
$0.00
$0.20
$0.40
$0.60
$0.80
$1.00
$1.20
$1.40
$1.60
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Series 1 $1.53 $1.24 $1.24 $1.22 $1.02 $1.02
Electric and gas costs per square foot (Dollars)
Series 1

33. TECHNOLOGY UPGRADES
Wifi upgrade
• Increased access points from 150 to 395 during this school
year
• Cost of $111,828 a year. Federal Erate program to pay 85%
of cost in 14-15 and 90% in 15-16
• Increased access points enables us to use more
Chromebooks, iPads and other 21st century learning tools

34. CHROMEBOOKS
Marion City Schools purchased about 1,400 new Chromebooks this
school year. This enables us to teach 21st century learning skills and
prepare students for computerized standardized testing.
Current counts:
• Hayes, 3 carts of 30
• Garfield, 3 carts of 30
• Harrison, 4 carts of 30 plus 25 for Myon reading program pilot
• McKinley, 5 carts of 30
• Taft, 5 carts of 30
• Geo. Washington, 4 carts of 30 plus 25 for Myon
• Grant, 10 carts (mixed numbers) for total of 285
• Harding, 6 carts of 30

35. IPADS
• A $19,522 grant from GPD
Employees’ Foundation enabled
the district to buy 49 iPads for
autistic students and their teachers.
• It also paid for the See, Touch, Learn
school version app.
• Employees of GPD Group, which
includes a Marion office,
established the foundation to enrich
K-12 public education and support
medical and special needs.

36. COMPUTER EQUIPMENT RATIO
(includes stations in rooms/labs)
• Garfield: 1 device to 1.7 students
• Geo. Wash: 1 device to 1.5 students
• Harrison: 1 device to 1.4 students
• Hayes: 1 device to 1.4 students
• McKinley: 1 device to 1.7 students
• Taft: 1 device to 1.7 students
• Grant: 1 device to 2.5 students
• Harding: 1 device to 2.7 students

37. INSPIRING A COMMUNITY OF
ACHIEVEMENT

38. UNITED SERVICE DAY
Most of Harding’s student body and staff dedicated the day to
community service projects during the second annual United Service
Day.

39. GEAR UP’S PREXIE SIGNING DAY
Harding’s college signing day recognized 116 seniors accepted into either higher
education or the military.
Event praised seniors’ accomplishments and motivated other students.

40. DISTRICT ART FAIR/
HARDING SPRING CONCERT
Parents and community members packed Harding to celebrate
students’ dedication to art and music.

41. SPORTS
• Boys and girls varsity
basketball teams had
winning seasons.
• Only the second time in the
past 30 years that both
teams had winning seasons
the same school year.

42. ROBOTICS
Grant and Harding robotics teams competed in the VEX World
Championships held in Louisville, Ky.
Robotics teaches students teamwork, problem solving skills and
technology.