Welcome to the 2015-16 school year. This time of year brings great excitement with the energy our children and staff bring to our schools. The summer has allowed us to re-energize, train, and repair as we welcome back our students. We had 169 employees greet our 1,375 students on the first day of school.
As I begin my sixth year as Liberty-Benton Local School’s superintendent, I continue to be pleased with the overall direction of the school district. I feel fortunate to be part of a team that continues to oversee the operations of the school district. As we enter the 2015-2016 school year the district’s financial condition is in excellent shape and we continue to add curriculum offerings in a prudent fashion, giving our students a wide variety of pathways towards success.
The senior class of 2015 ACT results have been received and they produced the highest average composite score in our history. In addition to this, new record highs were set in all subject areas. The chart below is a summary of past results dating back to 1991-92. It was the 2001-02 school year that L-B’s scores started to outpace the State of Ohio’s average (orange on the chart).
Liberty-Benton has expanded the number of College Credit Plus (formerly Dual Enrollment) courses offered, making ours one of the most comprehensive post-secondary programs in the area. We have also added vocal music programs and expanded options through Millstream.
This past summer we were able to negotiate employment contracts with unions that represent our non-teaching staffs. All this was accomplished within a few hours of negotiations and enables the district to continue living within our means. My job as superintendent is to make sure we stay on this path of improvement, which I am committed to do, and to live within our budget.
The last time the district passed new money for the school district was in 2009. This levy, along with concessions from the unions, allowed us to weather a difficult financial time. Since then, we have operated every year with a balanced budget and did not spend more than we received. Today, we have a balance of just over $6 million. The Board is considering using some of that money to address inadequate space for learning and safety conditions on the Elementary/Middle School building.
I would like to wish all of our students and staff the best as we start back to school. Let’s work together to make every day a great day to be a Liberty-Benton Eagle!
Jim Kanable, Superintendent Liberty-Benton Local Schools