Vandalia Butler Citizens for Education

When we moved here to Vandalia five years ago, my kids were just beginning their schooling and we needed to find a proper school district that would educate our kids.  Right away, we moved into an area where we were welcomed with opens arms, and I could tell this community valued taking care of each other.  My daughters loved school right away, and they fell in love with many of the school’s activities.  My daughters will never pass up a Kona Ice day, they both loved the father/daughter dances at Demmitt, my oldest one loved hanging out with her friends during the Smith Camp Kern trip, and I spent some quality daddy daughter time with them making Gingerbread houses for a school competition.  My wife and I are grateful for all of those that have had a hand in teaching our daughters.

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• This is a levy renewal that provides $4,447,000 annually.
• This amount represents 12.5% of this year’s total revenue projections.
• The renewal of this levy is critical to maintain current day-to-day operations.
• If approved, this levy will change the length of the levy from 5 years to 10 years.
• Voters have approved this 5 year levy five times.
• Placing a levy on the ballot for an election is a large expense. By extending this from 5 to 10 years we save those dollars on another election in 5 years.

On March 17, 2021, Vandalia and Butler Township residents will be asked to renew the levy that is in place for the schools.

Over the last few years, I have really tried to learn about schools as much as I can. It is a very sophisticated finance world to say the least.

Most people agree Ohio’s school funding model probably isn’t the best. Local communities are asked to take on the bulk of the burden.

Funds coming into our district from the state seem to be decreasing but yet the state is requiring more and more.

Over the last few years, it seems to me more folks have engaged the schools to learn more. The district under the previous leadership of Brad Neavin and under Rob O’Leary today has truly embraced these inquiries.

The leadership has made the effort for transparency and for open discussions. The district suffered a major loss when Bruce Sucher passed, but the school board has answered the bell.

Eric Beavers, as the treasurer, continues to find ways to save the district money. He has refinanced bonds to save the tax payers millions roughly $2.3 million dollars, he has lowered pay to play and many other items. I recently sat through a presentation where Eric Beavers highlighted the “Fiscal Stewardship” of the district and was amazed by the steps the district has taken. This information can be found on vbcsd.com inside the Quality Report for 2016-2017. The high school and the other schools are beaming with school pride and the sense of school spirit has been reinvigorated in Vandalia. The school held its first ever district wide pep assembly and the kids in our neighborhood were still talking about it over that weekend. For me, the best investment I can make is to invest in our local community and a major part of that is investing in our schools. If you have questions reach out to the board office, you will be amazed how willing they are to discuss. Please support the schools on March 17th.

Jeff Bardonaro
Vandalia-Butler Class of 1998

• Average Daily Student Enrollment was 3,077.48, with State average of 2,824.14
• Receives $1,137.63 per student from the State and LESS than State average of $3,703.14
• Spends $10,198.73 per student and LESS than State average expense of $11,164.17
• Spends 69.87% of each dollar on salary and benefits while the State average is 73.87% per dollar
• Average administrative salary is $68,666.43 and LESS than State average of $78,561.81
• In the 2017 graduating class, 7 of the top 10 highest academically ranked students participated in Aviator Athletics
• There were 96 students who participated in College Credit Plus courses during the 2016-2017 school year.  Those students earned 841 college credits and 265.92 high school credits
• A total of 575 kindergarten through third graders used iPads and the eSpark program to enhance their education.  Students completed 28,173 activities using learning apps and videos
• Vandalia-Butler City Schools was named to the 7^th Annual AP District Honor Roll for expanding opportunity and improving performance for Advanced Placement students.  More than 75% of the students at Smith Middle School either made the Principal’s List or Honor Roll at least one time last year
• Butler High School’s National Honor Society had 129 members:  72 seniors, 57 juniors
• Morton Middle School had 46 seventh and eighth grade students participate in the National Junior Honor Society.  Inductees into NJHS must maintain a 3.5 grade point average and are considered for membership based on accomplishments including service leadership character and citizenship
• 196 Kindergarten through third grade students at Demmitt and Helke Elementary read 3,516 books during the summer by participating in the Kids Read Now program.
• Vandalia Preschool received a $1,500 grant from James Patterson and the Scholastic Reading Club.  Teachers began creating their own specialized lending library for preschool students.  These students will be able to check out and take home a book in the form of a literacy bag
• Butler High School was included in the 2017 list of best high schools in the nation by U.S. News & World Report in their annual Best High Schools Rankings, based on performance on state assessments and how well students are being prepared for college