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2006 Levy: Frequently Asked Questions |
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If this levy passes, when will there be another one? The Board of Education and administration have publicly committed to do everything possible to make this levy last three years. If a levy is passed in 2006, the District does not anticipate seeking another operating levy until 2009, barring unforeseen circumstances such as an unanticipated enrollment increase or further major cuts in state aid. What is the District doing to ensure that only residents of the School District attend the Shaker Heights schools? Registration requirements have been made more stringent in the past 5 years. New registrants must now present three documents (up from two) proving residence within the School District. Families moving within the District must return to the Registrar’s Office with proof of their new residence. Additional techniques:
We believe that these enforcement strategies have helped reduce the incidence of improper enrollment. In 2004-05, 304 students were investigated and 32 were withdrawn for non-residence. In 2000-2001, 267 students were investigated and 61 withdrawn. Other school districts have requested information about Shaker’s prevention and enforcement techniques. Every suspected case of improper enrollment is investigated. In most cases, the student is found to be legitimately enrolled. In many cases, a staff member or resident observes behavior (such as a student’s being dropped off at a bus stop) that raises suspicions that a student is not a resident. Upon investigation we frequently find that the student’s child care arrangements, joint custody, or other family factors lead to unusual routines that may appear suspicious. How many District staff members have retired and been rehired? What is the financial impact? Of the District's roughly 800 employees, 20 are rehired retirees. There is no extra financial burden placed on the District. The retire-rehire option allows the individual to begin accessing his/her retirement annuity which generates a fixed income. The same individual is able to return to work after two months. The retirement check that a retired employee receives is totally funded through his or her retirement system. That does not cost the District anything, and both State Teachers' Retirement System and the School Employees' Retirement System (which includes nonteaching employees) believe that they save money as well. Six retired teachers returned as full or part-time teachers; teachers return at step eleven since state law implies that a district can grant only ten years of experience when hiring a teacher and this placement is supported in the collectively bargained agreement. This placement saves the district money. Another four retired teachers returned as tutors in positions paying less than half of their former teaching salaries. Eight are retired administrators who were rehired with the feeling that they were valuable to the organization and could easliy find jobs in neighboring districts at the same or higher salaries. Finally, two supervisors are rehired retirees. All,but one of the twenty, worked for Shaker prior to retiring. The remaining rehired retiree worked for the SHPD prior to joining the Shaker schools as security supervisor. Due to changes in positions and contract language, these twenty employees earn almost $300,000 less than they would earn pre-retirement. However, since some of the rehired retirees moved to lower paying positions, it can be concluded that the expense variance is neutral. Rehiring a retiree doesn't cost the district more but neither does it save the district a significant amount. Rehired teachers save the most averaging about $18,000 per rehired teacher. Why is part of Cleveland in the Shaker Heights School District? Are residents of that area eligible to vote on the levy? In Ohio, school district boundaries are not always coterminous with municipal boundaries. An area of Cleveland around Shaker Square (about one square mile in area) has been part of the Shaker Heights City School District since 1912 (see shaded area of map). Residents of this portion of the School District pay the same school taxes as do residents of Shaker Heights. They are entitled to send their children to the Shaker Heights schools and they are entitled to vote on Shaker school levies, bond issues, and Board of Education candidates. What are the facts about the survey conducted about the levy? Triad Research (based in Cleveland) is doing the survey. The School District has used the firm on a regular basis to see what residents are thinking about a number of school-related issues. The firm conducted surveys for the Shaker schools in 1986, 1989, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1999, 2002, and the current one in 2006 for a total of eight surveys in the past 20 years. The survey results have helped the Board of Education and staff identify issues that need to be addressed and refine our communications. It is particularly valuable in identifying concerns of taxpayers who do not have children in school, with whom the schools do not have regular direct contact. The cost is $21,300. This was paid by the School District. Download 2006 survey results (84 pages, PDF). Will the District consider drilling for natural gas on school property to save money on heating bills? Representatives of the School District have spoken with Bakerwell, the company involved in exploratory drilling at Canterbury and Shaker Heights country clubs, about the possibility of drilling on school property. The School District studied the possibility of drilling for gas in the late 1970s. An evaluation by engineers and exploration experts commissioned by the District in 1988 reached 2 conclusions: 1) There was no geologic evidence to warrant exploratory drilling 2) Even if there were gas, the number of wells required to produce adequate service would encroach on the use of the school grounds as playing fields. Accordingly, the District dropped the idea but will revisit it if Bakerwell recommends it. There are safety and environmental concerns as well economic issues to consider. How many Shaker Heights children attend private schools? Has this number increased? About 16.4% of school-age children in the Shaker Heights City School District attend nonpublic schools. Since 1979, when the District began collecting private school attendance data, an average of 16.3% per year of school-age children in Shaker have attended nonpublic schools. The proportion ranged from a high of 18.3% in 1979 to a low of 13.8% in 2003. View the full table. Is the District considering a buyout to encourage retirements? Buyouts are very costly to districts and, therefore, do not have any financial benefit. Also, in Shaker Heights, a buyout could have a negative impact on staff quality as it did in the late 1980s. The district is, however, examining other retirement incentives. Why don't the schools operate more like a business? The schools use business models where appropriate, for example, in bulk purchasing with other school districts, in negotiating better insurance rates, and in analyzing custodial and maintenance staffing. However, unlike a private business, the schools are obligated to provide education to all children, and to provide programs that meet the needs of a student population that is highly diverse with respect to interests, aspirations, backgrounds, and disabilities. Unlike the private sector, public schools cannot focus their efforts on the most profitable or popular programs, nor can they refuse admission to a student with learning difficulties.
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