January 27, 2025

As I shared in the last Bulldog Bulletin, I had the opportunity to speak at the Village Council meeting this evening, where I presented highlights from the District as well as the position of the District on the use of tax abatements as a residential growth tool by the Village. Below is the text of my remarks.

Good evening. On behalf of the Batavia Board of Education and the Batavia school community, I want to thank you for the opportunity to share about the direction of the District as we enter a period of growth.  We appreciated the presentation from Mayor Runck at our January Board of Education meeting and thank you for the time the council is granting tonight.

As I am fond of saying, there has never been a better time to be a Batavia Bulldog.  The completion of Bulldog Place has fulfilled the longstanding vision of the Batavia Board of Education to create an educational and community focused hub for all within the community to enjoy.  Our new buildings have provided the foundation for program expansions in core academic areas, electives, the arts, and athletics.  Our students and families enjoy access to spaces that are enriching and build a sense of community that is sorely lacking in our world.  Bulldog Place is busy 7 days a week from morning to night, whether it be school, extracurriculars, or community activities and events.  Our facilities exist for one purpose, which is to serve the community.

Not too long ago, Batavia had to host all fine arts programs in spaces not conducive to performances.  Through the vision of the Board and the generosity of the community, our arts programs have expanded dramatically, and each building has a dedicated theater space from which students can let their talents flow.  The new stage at the middle school has given rise to a middle school theater program, and students at Batavia High School performed the first fall play in recent memory utilizing the amazing theater space they are blessed with.

Academically, the District continues to make strides as students continue to emerge from the dark time that was the global pandemic.  The years since 2020 have not only been focused on academic recovery, but also how we re-invent educational delivery to meet the changed learning landscape that emerged from the pandemic.  

At the elementary school, there has been a strong focus on literacy and implementing the science of reading, in order to ensure that all of our students have the reading skills necessary to blossom as learners in our information rich society.  The elementary school has also heavily invested in personalizing academic interventions through the use of data, and breaking down the one size fits all approach that has dominated traditional educational approaches for decades.

At Batavia Middle School, the pandemic made clear that learning in isolation was harmful to young adolescents, and this has given way to the return of academic teams within the school day.  Transitioning through young adulthood has never been more challenging.  The Board of Education responded by investing in the middle school educational program, building a sense of belonging at school with teams of caring staff members who work collectively to meet the unique needs of middle school students.

At the high school,  there is a focus on ensuring that every student has a pathway, beginning with their freshman year, that will ultimately lead to a successful transition to the destination of their choosing upon graduation.  A significant amount of work has been done in the area of career awareness and readiness, and students at Batavia High School have never had more opportunities to engage in apprenticeships, internships, experiential learning, and workplace learning activities.  Through an investment by the Board, there are two staff members whose days are partially dedicated to directing career awareness and career experience activities for students.  The Board has also heavily invested in expanding elective opportunities for students, along with expanding the number of AP and honors courses available to them.  In an era of specialization, Batavia has embraced the comprehensive high school model, and believes that with a dedicated staff and clear focus on ensuring student success beyond high school, all things are possible.

All of these great things, however, do not happen without the ability to afford them.  In my 10 years as Superintendent, we have been very budget conscious and have lived within our means.  For the first five years of my tenure, budgets were extremely tight, and much of what I described to you was not possible, as the focus was largely on completing the master facilities plan, and operating dollars were thin.  However,  all throughout the construction process, the internal dialogue within the District was always about what our programs were going to look like once the building project was completed.  A phrase I have borrowed from one of our administrators and community members is that we want the insides of the buildings (i.e. our programming) to be just as beautiful as the outsides of our buildings and our campus is, and fulfilling this vision has been the focus even before the building project was anywhere near completed.

Around the time of the pandemic there was another issue brewing that I doubt anyone is aware of, and it has to do with something known as the State Education Budget Cap.  For years, Batavia was the only capped District in Clermont County.  In other words, we received less money from the State than the funding formula dictated that we should receive.  There were a number of reasons for this, none of which are worth the time to dive into.  The part of the story that matters is that there were about 40 districts like us around the state that were significantly impacted by the cap, and it was during the latter half of the pandemic that the District joined an advocacy coalition to help eliminate the budget cap in the the new (at the time) Cupp Patterson Funding Bill that went into effect beginning with the 2021-2022 school year.  It was this advocacy by the school district, coupled with very careful and prudent spending of pandemic era funding, which has allowed the District to be able to afford all of the programming additions which are making the insides of our buildings beautiful.  I am proud of the fiscal course we have taken as a school district, and all of the enhanced opportunities our students currently have.

But now we stand at a crossroad.

As I shared in a recent update to the community, we partnered with FutureThink to conduct an updated enrollment study for the next 10 years, based on neighborhoods not included in the 2017 enrollment study and new neighborhoods that are in the planning stages. The conclusion of the report is that within 10 years we can reasonably expect that we will grow to a size of over 3000 students.

Enrollment projections can be tricky, as any projection has to balance demographic trends, school enrollment trends, and real estate trends.  That being said, our historical enrollment has tracked fairly closely with our previous enrollment studies, and I believe that the influx of housing stock in the next 10 years will lead to a place where we are between 3000 and 3200 students by the mid 2030’s.

As I have shared previously with the Council, the real challenge the District will face in the coming years will be increased operational costs related to staffing.  

Throughout the District, we are well staffed for 200 students per grade level.  As grade level cohorts begin to cross the 200 student threshold, staffing adds start to become a reality.  To support the District at the 3000 to 3200 student level (which will range between 225 and 250 students per grade level), 38 additional positions (ranging from teachers to cooks to bus drivers) will be needed, at an estimated cost (in 2025 dollars) of 2.8 million dollars per year.

This brings us back to the issue of tax abatements.  

Throughout my tenure as superintendent, a top priority has been to live within the means provided to us by the voters, and to only consider going back to the voters to ask for additional operating money if it was absolutely necessary.  For a number of years I heard concerns that once we were in the new buildings, the District would have to go back and ask for more operating money.  Through our careful management of resources and advocacy at the State level for access to funds we had been denied through previous versions of the funding formula, we have been able to not only live within our means, but also grow academic programming that has benefitted all students, and avoid returning to the ballot to seek additional operating funds. 

However, the hard work that has gone into the managing of District expenditures is now threatened on two fronts.  

First, there are serious political and economic headwinds at the state level that present an uncertain funding future for public schools.  In an era of record inflation that affects all of us, schools are facing the prospect of, at best, smaller state aid increases than in recent years, or at worst flat or reduced funding as we enter the next two years of the State budget cycle.

Second, there is the growing impact that will be felt by the District as we continue to grow and not receive local property tax revenue on Streamside, Harvest Meadows, and the Red Barn Apartment Complex, along with the threat of continued housing growth within the Village coupled with new tax abatements.

Over the past several months discussions have been occurring between the District and the Village to determine if there is any common ground that can be found regarding a payment agreement to make up for abated taxes.

As we have been told several times, any agreement that would be acceptable to the Village would not include any compensation to the District for the taxes that have already been abated for Streamside, Harvest Meadows, or the new Red Barn Apartments.  When looking only at Streamside and Harvest Meadows,  during the portion of the fifteen year abatement cycle when the neighborhoods are fully developed, the District will forgo approximately $1.3 million dollars in tax receipts annually, and it is not possible for the us to calculate what will be forgone at Red Barn due to a lack of an understanding of established values for this project.

When looking at the past tax abatements and the cost of the anticipated abatement of the Bauman property, it is the belief of the District that if the Village pursued a growth strategy that did not include tax abatements, the District would be able to afford the increased operating costs of a growing student population without having to ask the community for additional operating dollars for the foreseeable future.  This would have presented the ultimate win-win, with the Village achieving its growth strategy and the District having the ability to support new students without placing an additional burden on taxpayers.

It is important to note that as a school district, we have no opinion on the growth strategy of the Village and the use of annexation to achieve the growth goals of the Village.  We do, however, have a very strong opinion on the use of tax abatement tools that transfer property taxes already approved by the voters, and redirects them to the pockets of developers and the coffers of the Village.  Regardless of the legality of such a strategy, it is wrong insomuch as it creates a harm for the agencies that are expected to serve all of the residents of both the Village of Batavia and Batavia Township.

Given the housing shortage regionally and the attractiveness of Clermont County and Batavia from both economic and transportation standpoints, growth will organically occur without tax giveaways.  While there was a time when economic incentives made more sense due to the lack of transportation infrastructure to easily reach the middle of Clermont County, that time has now passed with the completion of the 32 corridor project.  There is no need to enrich developers in the pursuit of residential growth at the expense of the community partners who will be responsible for serving new residents.  The recipe for successful development is already in place; available land, convenient access, and a market that is demand driven.  As the recent announcement of the new neighborhood on 222 proves, developers will locate within Batavia without tax incentives, as market forces already make building in central Clermont County attractive.

At the end of the day, this is not your money, regardless of what the Ohio Revised Code says. When you utilize a CRA and 100% tax abatement, you are taking money that belongs to the Library, Fire Department, Schools, and essential services provided by the County.  Taxes, at their core, should support the public good, and are not intended to increase the profit margin for a housing developer or increase the balance sheet of the Village.

As a school district, we do not have the ability to raise additional revenue without the consent of the taxpayers or the granting of funds from the State Legislature or from Congress, and we certainly do not have the ability to raise revenue by taking it unilaterally from others.

In order to fulfill our mission, it is not just our funds that must be preserved.  In today’s educational environment, we count on our partners who receive their share of local property taxes to assist in fulfilling our mission of meeting the needs of all children who enter our doors.  This is why any agreement that only looks at the school district is not an agreement that can garner our support.  

To create the type of community that we all want to be proud of, there can not be rifts between who does and does not pay their fair share of taxes, and the entire community will be negatively impacted if growth continues to be fueled at the expense of funding services that are the underpinnings of a strong and vibrant community.

With all of this being said, there are two possible options that would be acceptable to the District as the basis for an agreement to end the rift that currently divides the Village and the District.

The first agreement option, which is the less desired outcome on the part of the District, is one where the Village continues their current tax abatement strategy, and at a minimum both the District and CJFED are made 100% whole by the Village for all taxes revenues that are redirected through tax abatements, beginning with the Bauman development and including all future developments that contain new CRA and tax abatement agreements.

For the District to agree to this solution, “made whole” is defined as the calculation of the total revenue derived from the application of the effective millage of both the school district and CJFED per the annual effective rates tax table as published by the County Auditor.  Using the Bauman development as an example, when fully developed, the estimated annual hold harmless payment to the District from the Village would be just over $1.62 million dollars per year, and the hold harmless payment for CJFED would be just over $291 thousand dollars per year.  Any agreement would also have to stipulate that the same agreed upon formula covering the Bauman development will be utilized for all future tax abated developments.

The second agreement option, which is the preferred outcome of the District, is one where all future residential growth in areas annexed by the Village occurs without the use of CRA’s and tax abatements, which will allow property taxes to be distributed as originally intended by the voters.  As mentioned earlier, while we do not like the past practices that have led us to this moment, the District is willing to let bygones be bygones and not seek compensation for currently abated neighborhoods in the interest of resetting the relationship between the Village and the School District, in exchange for a cessation in the use of tax abatements on residential developments on the part of the Village.

From our perspective, this path is the best for all concerned.  It will settle past grievances, prevent new ones from forming, and will allow for tax dollars to flow as intended for the betterment of the entire community.

Should there be a desire on the part of the Council to have a collaborative discussion on these proposals, the District is willing to engage in a sit down dialogue, and you may reach out to either myself or Board President Bruner to establish a time where this may occur between selected members of the Board and the Council.

Thank you for your time and consideration of our position.

January 25, 2025

It’s been a long time since we have really experienced true winter conditions in Southwest Ohio!  Here’s to hoping that the worst of winter is behind us, and I hope you enjoy the warmup that looks like it is on the way for next week!

Part of my job as Superintendent is to advocate for the District within political circles.  At the State level, the Governor is preparing to release his version of the next two year operating budget, and over the coming months this plan will work its way through the legislature until a final version is signed into law by the June 30th deadline.

The coming State budget faces a number of fiscal challenges, and the funding model which was agreed to four years ago by the General Assembly, and subsequently re-affirmed two years ago, is at risk for not being completely funded in the next budget cycle.  To that end, I have written the first of what will be several advocacy letters during this current budget cycle in support of maintaining funding support for public education.  The letter can be found HERE.

In addition to advocating for our District with our State legislators, I, along with the Board of Education, have continued to stay engaged with the Village over the issue of tax abatements as a tool for spurring residential growth.  This coming Monday (January 27th), I will be delivering a response on behalf of the Board at the Batavia Village Council meeting, which will detail the position of the school district relative to any agreements that may be able to be reached between the Village and the District.  The text of my remarks will be released on Monday evening via the Bulldog Bulletin.

Finally, the Clermont Metropolitan Housing Authority has released information on the opening of housing waiting lists for a variety of units throughout the county to meet the needs of families from a variety of economic circumstances.  Applications for these lists open on Monday, March 3rd, and information about the process, including the types of housing available and number of spots on each list can be found HERE.

Stay warm and enjoy what looks to be a quiet weather week ahead!

All the best,

Keith

January 4, 2025

Happy New Year to you and your family!  As we turn the calendar to 2025, I wanted to take a moment to recognize a number of valuable community partners who helped make the holiday season special for many of our families.  From Thanksgiving food boxes to winter clothing to Christmas presents, we are thankful for the fantastic support we receive in furthering our mission of making a difference for our students.  Our partners in our holiday family outreach include:

7 Hills Church

American Legion

Batavia Police Department

Bill Brewer Foundation

Crossroads Church

Inter Parish Ministries

Lexington Run Neighborhood Association

Makers Church

Moms Food Pantry

Muscle Mechanics

Safety Net Alliance

Summerside Feeding Ministries

In addition, each of our schools took active parts in organizing outreach activities to support those in need.  At BES, parents and students actively participated in the BES Toy Drive organized by the Batavia Police Department. The BMS student council participated in outreach through their annual sock drive in November and Give Like a Mother Clothing Drive in December. AT BHS, the National Honor Society sponsored their annual school-wide canned food drive.  A number of District staff members also sponsored students in each building to make sure additional students received gifts for the holiday season.  This outpouring of generosity truly demonstrates what the Batavia community is all about.

Just before Christmas, the District was also given an extremely generous anonymous donation of over $7500 to help eliminate lunch charge debt for students at Batavia Elementary School.  The only request of this donor was that the gift be recognized publicly as an encouragement for others to give to help students and families who may not qualify for school meal assistance, but also may still struggle to make ends meet.  Should you wish to make a donation in support of this cause, you can contact Cassie McGowan at mcgowan_c@bataviaschools.org.  We are extremely grateful to this donor for their selfless generosity in support of our students.

Finally, as we settle into the winter months, closings and delays due to weather are things to think about and be prepared for.  Whenever there will be a closing or delay, our goal is to make and communicate a decision by 5:45am.  Closings will be communicated in the following order:

 1) Social Media (Facebook/X/Instagram) 

2) District Phone Call 

3) District Email

4) News Media

5) District Website

Given the geography of our District, there may be times when we close/delay due to the conditions of secondary/neighborhood roads, even if S.R. 32 appears clear. In general, if the forecast is uncertain, we will wait until the morning of a weather event to make a final decision about delays and closings.

Looking forward to all of the great things 2025 has in store for our District!

Keith

November 4th 2024

Election Day is here, and we are excited to be hosting several voting precincts on campus in Hatfield Court at 4 Bulldog Place.

There will be plenty of parking available throughout the day for voters, including expanded handicap parking in front of the voting entrance, and no other activities are scheduled for 4 Bulldog Place besides voting on Tuesday.

Below are two maps for the day. The first identifies parking locations for voters, and the second is a map for elementary car rider arrival (between 8:30am and 9:00am).

During both the high school/middle school arrival (7:00am to 7:30am), and the elementary arrival (8:30am to 9:00am), there will be extra staff on hand to help direct traffic, as well as signage to direct voters to parking locations.

If you plan on coming to vote during either of the arrival times, or during the middle school/high school dismissal (2:15 - 2:30), you will want to budget a few extra minutes for parking. For voters arriving at any other times during the day, traffic flow will not be an issue.

Looking forward to welcoming visitors to vote and getting to display our beautiful campus that we are lucky to call home each day!

All the best,

Keith

October 11, 2024

Cooler weather is finally here, and after some much needed rain last week it looks like we are in for a nice stretch of fall weather.  Below are several update items for this edition of the Bulldog Bulletin.

A new change, which has already been communicated by each building through their newsletters, is that lunch charges are now being converted to student fees at the end of each quarter.  Beginning with the start of the second quarter on Tuesday, all negative lunch balances are being converted to current year school fees, which must be paid prior to participating in extra activities including dances, field trips, and graduation exercises.  If you believe you qualify for meal assistance, the application for free and reduced meals is on our website at: https://www.bataviaschools.org/page/food-services.  

Also, funds can be deposited on your student(s) lunch account using this link https://www.spsezpay.com/Batavia/login.aspx.

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Regarding district technology, Ohio Senate Bill 29, which will become effective on October 24th, has modified language within Revised Code section 3319.327 requiring new annual notices for technology monitoring and student records.

As a part of our school safety plan and compliance obligations under the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA), the district regularly filters internet traffic of all devices that connect to the school provided network.  In addition,  all school owned devices are monitored for inappropriate student activity during the school day using GoGuardian.  This tool allows teachers to reduce digital distractions which impact the learning environment, and also alerts to electronic behavior that may pose a safety concern.

Beginning with the 2025/2026 school year, the general technology monitoring notification (above), along with information on all contracts with providers of digital services to schools that access student information, will be made available as part of our annual notices that are provided at the start of each school year.

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One of the benefits of having 4 Bulldog Place (the remaining portion of the old high school), is that community activities can occur during the day while school is still in session.  A prime example of this is election day.  In past years, our schools would be closed in order to provide enough space for the buildings to be used as polling sites.  This past year we were able to successfully hold elections on campus while still remaining in session for classes.  With the presidential election coming up in a few weeks, we are going to be making some modifications to our morning arrival traffic patterns, in order to accommodate both our voters and parents who drop their student(s) off.  There will be a separate message with written details and maps as we get closer, and on the day of the election we will have extra staff on hand to direct traffic.  For now, we just wanted to make you aware to plan for a little extra arrival time on November 5th.

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Finally, work has been ongoing in quantifying the impact of the new neighborhoods on the enrollment and operations of the District in the coming years.  Specifically, there are three actions we are currently taking to measure this impact.

First, we have commissioned a new enrollment study with FutureThink, which will take into account Streamside, Harvest Meadows, and Bauman; none of which were included in the last enrollment study (completed in 2017)  which was the basis for the recently completed building project.  In looking at our current enrollment compared to the project enrollment from the last study, we are currently at 2418 students, which is only 16 students less than the projected enrollment of 2434 for the 24/25 school year. (NOTE - these are slightly different numbers than those in the last Bulldog Bulletin, due to a different way in how pre-school was factored into the overall enrollment total.  The 2418 enrollment  number provides a true apples to apples comparison to the 2017 enrollment study).

While we do have space in the buildings for additional growth in the short to medium term, the real issue we will face in future years will be operating costs with increased enrollments from neighborhoods that are tax abated.

This brings up the second action step, which has been a deep dive into projected forgone tax revenues when Streamside, Harvest Meadows, and Bauman are fully developed.  Using currently available data on the County Auditor's website from the Streamside and Crosspointe neighborhoods, a model was built to estimate the amount of revenue the District will receive in property taxes once all plots of land have been filed with the county auditor, along with estimating the amount of revenue that will be forgone due to tax abatements on the improvement of the land (which is the value of the home).  In this model, we estimate that, once all 1309 proposed plots of land hit the tax duplicate, the district will receive approximately $559,000 per year in property tax revenue.  When looking at abated home values, we predict the amount of forgone property tax revenue will be approximately $3,800,000 per year, for a net deficit of approximately $3,200,000 per year when subtracting the realized land property tax receipts.

While some will make the argument that not every house will produce students for the District, even a conservative 50% of homes estimate would yield a net deficit of $1,600,000 per year.

The model used to arrive at these projections can be accessed here: 2024 Property Tax Abatement Impact Model

Last, once the new enrollment study is completed, we will be completing a staffing estimate study that will look at the cost of adding additional staff to support various increased enrollment thresholds.  This information will provide a true look at the impact that tax abatements will have on the District operating budget moving forward.

We expect that the new enrollment study will be completed in the next six to eight weeks, and the results will be shared when we receive them.

All the best,

Keith

September 5, 2024

As you may be aware, the proposed Bauman neighborhood development has created quite a bit of discussion recently, especially as it relates to the impact on the school district.  This week Channel 12 reached out regarding this issue in a story that aired Thursday evening, and I wanted to use this edition of the Bulldog Bulletin to share more information about this development, and the planning the District has undertaken in anticipation of future growth.

As it currently stands, the Bauman project will go before the Village Zoning Commission for a zoning change hearing on September 17th.  If the zoning change is granted, 794 homes will eventually be constructed on the parcels that were recently annexed by the Village of Batavia.  As part of the annexation, the Village is using an economic development tool known as a C.R.A. (Community Reinvestment Area) to provide a 100% tax abatement* for each home for a period of 15 years.  This abatement covers the value of the improved land (in other words, the home built on the land), which is the majority of the assessed property tax value.  The District will still receive property taxes on the value of the land before it was improved, but this accounts for a small portion of the total value.

When looking at the overall District operating budget, we receive about 60% of our operating dollars from the State of Ohio, and the other 40% from local property taxes.  So, for each new student who comes from this neighborhood, the District will only receive approximately 60% of the total funding.  Given the size of this neighborhood, it is reasonable to expect that there could be a significant future budget impact with the number of new students who may have to be accommodated at a reduced financial support level.

What makes this particular development so troubling is that in addition to its sheer size, it is also the third development that will be granted a 100% tax abatement* by the Village,  with Streamside being the first and Harvest Meadows being the second.  When all three developments are fully built out, these will conservatively bring at least 1400 new homes to Batavia, with little local tax revenue coming to the school District to support students from these neighborhoods until at least 2034 (using 2019 as the earliest date of a Streamside home beginning their 15 year tax abatement period).  For homes completed later in the building cycles for these neighborhoods, their 15 year tax abatement windows will stretch into the early 2040’s.

When I became Superintendent in the fall of 2015, the completion of the 32 corridor project was still many years away, and the Streamside development was in its planning infancy.  Within the school district, when work began on the final phase of the Board’s master facilities project (to complete Bulldog Place as we now know it) in the Fall of 2017, there was no way of knowing or planning for the Harvest Meadows or Bauman developments.  We did, however, know that growth was going to come once the 32 corridor was complete, and the new access to the central and eastern portions of Clermont County would make neighborhood development an attractive prospect.

At that time, the building project used two enrollment studies as the basis for planning.  The first enrollment study, completed in 2007 as part of the elementary school project, projected that by the end of the 2016/2017 school year, we would have 2,111 students.  The actual enrollment at the end of that school year was 2216 (+105).  The second enrollment projection that we used was completed in 2018, which projected that by the 2024/2025 school year we would have an enrollment of 2434.  Using current school year data, we are sitting at 2487 (+53) students enrolled.

While the enrollment studies have been fairly accurate, they did not take into account most of Streamside, nor Harvest Meadows and Bauman.  The 2018 study did assume growth in the county and Batavia into the late 2020’s, but it did not factor in tax policies that would incentivize growth at a pace that could outstrip the capacity of the District to serve new students without additional resources.

As for the planning of classroom space, the building project that just concluded did factor in growth during the design phase.  While the academic spaces in all three buildings are currently fully utilized, there is space capacity to bring on seven (7) classrooms at the elementary, four (4) at the middle school, and five (5) at the high school by reconfiguring programs that have spread out with the extra elbow room currently in the spaces.  In addition, the first floor of the old high school was deliberately preserved with growth in mind, and has ten (10) rooms that could be immediately used for classroom space, with an additional three (3) that could be converted to classroom space.

So, the issue with the Bauman development is partially about the tax abatement, but it is also about its scope.  When this project was originally announced, the plan was for 321 homes to be on the site.  This has ballooned to 794 in the plan revision, and it is the pace of development coupled with the reduction of funds through a 100% tax abatement that have the district concerned.

Since the opening of Streamside and Harvest Meadows, both Covid and economic conditions have served to temper new home construction to a level that is sustainable.  Students gradually enroll as homes develop, but at a pace where space and budgets can be figured out.  As there is every reason to believe that home construction and home buying conditions will improve in the next 1 to 3 years, it is safe to assume that these neighborhoods will grow faster than in the past, and that the new Bauman development will add significant challenges both to academic spaces and operating budgets.  In the short to medium term, there is space at Bulldog Place to accommodate incremental growth.  It is the wildcard of what happens when giant neighborhoods come on board all at once that raises concerns about future classroom space and operating funds given the potential impact of the tax abated properties.

It is important to know that the District supports the growth that is taking place in Clermont County, and when done in a responsible way, the addition of new neighborhoods provide value to the community.  However, when tax incentives are used to supercharge growth without consideration for the organizations that will serve the new residents, harm is caused to the community and existing taxpayers, and these are the reasons the District stands in opposition to the current Bauman development and all future annexation and tax abatement efforts related to residential development.

This is an extremely complex issue that I know generates strong feelings from a variety of perspectives.  There will certainly be more information on this matter in the coming months, and updates will be provided as details emerge.

All the best,

Keith

*NOTE - As of the writing of this edition of the Bulletin, it is the understanding of the District that the Bauman CRA has not been finalized.  However, in a 2023 pre-annexation agreement between the Village and developers, the same terms as the Streamside development are alluded to as the foundation for the Bauman CRA, leading to the conclusion that once complete, the CRA for the Bauman development will contain a 100% tax abatement.

August 19, 2024

Welcome back to school everyone!  Over the past few weeks I’ve been thinking a lot about the journey we’ve been on from Covid to construction, and the reality is that this is the first ‘normal’ school opening we’ve had since the fall of 2019.  It’s good to be back into a normal school routine after so many years of constant change, and I really believe this is the best school opening we’ve had during my time as Superintendent.

For this school year I am really excited about the things we will be working on throughout the District.

At the elementary school, our teachers have been hard at work implementing what they have learned about the Science of Reading.  The Science of Reading focuses on phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, comprehension, and writing.  Using this methodology, our goal is for all students to become effective and thriving readers.   The elementary school is also focusing on the launch of M.T.S.S. (Multi Tiered Systems of Support), which is an intentional focus on meeting specific needs of students both academically and behaviorally. New in the elementary schedule this year is “Team Time” which will focus on the individual needs of the students based on their data. 

At the middle school, I am thrilled that grade level academic teams are back for this school year.  The Board of Education has made a significant investment of resources to bring teaming back, and I am excited to see the positive impact teams have on both student learning and the daily student experience at the middle school.  Also new this year is a shift in the cell phone policy, with phones now not being allowed to be used at all during the school day.  During the first few days of school last week, it was so refreshing to see students engaged in conversation and enjoying interacting with one another without the distraction of screens.

At the high school, students will have an additional academic support opportunity with the launch of the Writing Lab.  This is a brand new space in one of our small group project rooms that will provide writing support.  Not only will this be beneficial for in class writing assignments, but it will also support students as they apply for acceptance at career centers, college, employment, and in seeking scholarships.

The high school is also offering a brand new Credentialing Lab, where students can earn in-demand industry credentials at their own pace during the school day.  For the launch of this initiative, participating students will be able to earn industry credentials in Health, Hospitality/Tourism, and Information Technology Pathways.  Students will also have the opportunity to engage in workforce placements as part of their high school curriculum.  

Finally, the high school is also focused on new cell phone norms, which, while not as restrictive as the middle school, do lean into the belief that phones should be used as little as possible during the day in order to remove distractions and return to a focus on learning.

At our opening day kickoff with the staff, I shared a challenge with everyone, which is that we want what is happening inside of our spaces to be just as awesome and beautiful as the outsides of our amazing facilities.  The initiatives we are working on this year are all focused on improving the academic experience for our students, and enhancing a culture of academic excellence that ultimately equips all of our students for success as graduates from Batavia.

As I’m entering my 10th year as Superintendent, I’ve never been more excited about what is ahead for us as a school community, and I’m looking forward to what promises to be an exciting school year.

All the best,

Keith

July 2, 2024

I hope everyone is having a nice summer so far! While last summer felt really long with the construction project, time is quickly passing by this summer as we work to welcome everyone back to school on August 15th. Below are a few items of note as we begin to think about back to school season in just a few more weeks.

As the 32 corridor project wraps up, the long expected growth in housing starts has become a reality in Batavia. As a tool to connect with both our new residents, as well as current residents without school age children, an annual report mailer has been created to highlight both the accomplishments and future direction of the school district. It has been a long time since we have sent out an informational mailer to the entire community, and we are excited for this to hit mailboxes around the community in the coming weeks. For a sneak peek, click on the link below:

2023_2024_BLSD_Annual_Report

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Over the past several weeks, the results from Ohio's State Assessments have been coming in, and they are now available to view in ProgressBook.

To view the scores for your child(ren), log into your parent Progressbook account at this link: https://pbaccess.hccanet.org/district

Once you have logged in, select 'Assessment Scores' in the left hand navigation window. For a screenshot of what this looks like, click on this link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GrWHybb22YhKE7orR3MYYlaRk51C7AXF/view?usp=sharing

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On our website, we regularly post flyers that both promote district sponsored activities, along with activities/events happening in the community that are of interest to and/or benefit Batavia residents. The most current flyers can be viewed here: https://www.bataviaschools.org/page/flyers

In addition, our website also contains all of our annual notices that we are required by law to share with our parents and community. This section of the website was given an overhaul last year to make it more user friendly, and it can be accessed at this link: https://www.bataviaschools.org/page/annual-notices

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As you may have heard, the Governor recently signed legislation (which received unanimous bipartisan support in both the chambers of the Ohio Legislature) requiring all schools in the State of Ohio to adopt a policy on cell phones, with the expectation that cellphone use will be limited during the school day, especially in academic settings.

For Batavia Elementary, there is no change in policy, and students will continue to not be allowed to use cellphones at all during the school day (with an exception for medical usages only), and parents are highly encouraged to not permit their child(ren) to bring a cellphone to school.

For Batavia Middle School, students will no longer be allowed to use cell phones during lunch (which was the only time usage was permitted during the 2023-2024 school year), and the expectation will be that all cell phones will be turned off and be stored in a backpack or locker during the school day (with an exception for medical usages only).

For Batavia High School, student use will continue to be permitted outside of the classroom , but in the classroom, the expectation will be that students are to enter classrooms with phones put away and are to only have them out when instructed by the teacher, which will be in very rare and limited specific academic situations.

More details will be sent out from each building as we get closer to back to school, but I wanted to make sure you were aware as this has been a big topic of discussion across the State.

Wishing you a safe and happy July 4th holiday with your family!

Keith

February 18, 2024

Despite the recent cold snap, it's been a good winter (at least for those who like warmer temperatures and no snow!) As spring is right around the corner, there are a number of things to share that are on the horizon for the District.

The renovations at 4 Bulldog Place are nearing completion. Below are images of the new weight room (the old kitchen), the new wrestling room (the old cafeteria), the new Board Office (the old high school office), and the new Board Meeting/Staff Training/Community Meeting Space (the old library). When completed, this building will have the same security systems (badges, keys, cameras, etc.) as the rest of the campus, and there will be a secure connection between this building and the new high school during the school day. The move of the Board office from Bauer Avenue will be completed by the middle of March.

For Bauer Avenue, a demolition contractor was recently selected through a sealed bid process, and work on preparing the building for demolition will begin in late March, with the actual demolition scheduled to begin in late May. In preparation for the final closing of the building, there will be an opportunity to purchase select remaining items at a community sale on February 21st and 22nd. More information on this event can be found by clicking on this link.

At Batavia High School, two upcoming annual events are the Band Boosters Quarter Auction on Saturday, February 24th at the elementary school, and the spring musical, which this year is "The Little Mermaid", on March 1st, 2nd, and 3rd at the high school. More information about the Quarter Auction can be found by CLICKING HERE, and you can purchase your tickets for the Little Mermaid by CLICKING HERE.

Finally, on February 21st, Batavia High School will be hosting a cancer awareness day in support of JoJo Belser, a freshman at BHS. More information on ways to support JoJo can be found on the flyer below.

Thank you as always for your ongoing support of Batavia and our Bulldogs.

All the best,

Keith

P.S. For the longest time I faithfully wrote the BDB every two weeks. In recent years the frequency has slowed, in large part due to the fact that each building now puts out a great weekly family update. Below are the links to each building's family newsletters for your ongoing reference:

Batavia High School

Batavia Middle School

Batavia Elementary

November 19, 2023

Happy Thanksgiving week to everyone!  As I write and speak about frequently, we have much to be thankful for in Batavia as a school district and community.  It’s hard to believe that just a few short months ago we were racing the clock to finish the campus enough to get school started, and now it feels like we’ve been home at Bulldog Place for a long time.  It is truly a beautiful finished product, and I hope you and your student(s) have been enjoying your experiences with these new facilities.

While the major building work is done, there are lots of behind the scenes construction activities still taking place.  At the middle and high schools, work continues on punch list items and the finalization of building systems (such as balancing the HVAC controls, which is no small feat in large spaces).  The middle school gym is also nearing completion, and should be open by the first week in December.  Behind the middle school, next to the bus circle, work is continuing on the installation of the final turf field, which should be completed by the first of the new year.  This field will serve as a practice space for youth, middle school, and high school teams, and is regulation size in order to host both soccer and football contests.  

Work is also continuing on the remaining part of the old high school.  The new front entrance and Board office spaces should be completed by the end of December, and the Board offices will move from Bauer Avenue up to 4 Bulldog Place in early January.  The new weight room (located in the old kitchen space), and new wrestling room (located in the old cafeteria), should be completed in late January/early February 2024.  Retractable batting cages for our baseball and softball teams are also being installed in the Hatfield Court gym, and should be ready for the start of the Spring 2024 season.

For Bauer Avenue, demolition work on the building will begin in February 2024, and should be wrapped up by the end of the school year.  This has been a bit of a process, as at one point there was a buyer for the building and property, but that deal ultimately fell through.  The plan is for the land to be returned to its natural state, with the Board maintaining ownership of the property for the time being.

Switching to important educational information, Batavia High School recently received big academic news, as the school was recognized on the Ohio 2023 AP (Advanced Placement) School Honor Roll list.  Batavia High School was one of only two Clermont County High Schools to make this list, along with Milford High School.  Across the State, less than 25% of eligible high schools earn this distinction, and this award underscores the hard work and dedication of not only our high school teachers, but all of our staff across the District in preparing students for success in high school and beyond.

Now that the election is over, I want to welcome Mr. Michael Enriquez back for another four year term on the Board of Education.  Michael has been a mainstay of the school board for many years, and the progress the District has made during his tenure can be attributed to his service as a Board Member.  This election also brings a new member to the Board, as Mr. Doug Ginn will begin his four year term in January 2024.  Doug’s support of Batavia through his involvement with our fine arts and athletics programs and his enthusiasm for serving the District will be a welcome addition to the Board.  Finally, Mr. Dennis Wells will be leaving the Board at the end of his current term in December.  Dennis has been an important part of the Batavia Schools community for many years, and his service during his term has been impactful on the positive outcome of the building project and direction of the District.  We are thankful to Dennis for his service to the Board, the District, and our community!

Finally, the District calendar will once again be filled with a number of fine arts performances as we welcome in the Christmas and the Holiday Season.  Please see below for a list of upcoming events. We hope to see you there!

• Friday, December 1st - BHS Band - Christmas in the Village (5:30pm)

• Saturday, December 2nd - Breakfast with Santa - Batavia Elementary (9-11am)

• Monday, December 4 - BHS Band - Batavia High School (7:00pm)

• Thursday, December 7 - 2nd Grade Program (6:30/7:30pm) - Batavia Elementary

• Wednesday, Dec 13 - BHS and BMS Choir - Batavia High School (7:00pm)

• Tuesday, December 19 - BMS Band  - Batavia High School (6th grade 6:30pm/7th and 8th grade 7:30pm)

Thank you as always for your support of our District!

All the best,

Keith

October 3, 2023

It's hard to believe a month has gone by already since the campus opened! The breaking-in of the new buildings is well underway, and with each day more and more of the punch list items are being completed. The grass is also starting to come in, trees are being planted throughout the campus, and the parking lot lighting continues to be installed. Thanks again for everyone's continued flexibility as all of the construction loose ends are taken care of!

Over the next month there are a number of activities that will be taking place on and around campus that are worth noting:

• Thursday, October 5th - Homecoming Parade in Downtown Batavia beginning at 6pm

• Friday, October 6th - Homecoming Game vs. New Richmond - 7PM at Holman Stadium

• Thursday, October 12th - Bulldog Place Open House and Ribbon Cutting - 6PM to 8PM (Ribbon Cutting 7PM at BHS)

• Saturday, October 28th - Batavia Band Boosters Craft Fair - 9AM to 3PM at Batavia Elementary School

• Monday, October 30th - Batavia Baseball Trick or Treat Event - 5:30PM at the Holman Athletic Complex Baseball Field

• Saturday, November 4th - Batavia Rotary Spaghetti Dinner - 4PM to 7PM at Batavia Elementary School

• Saturday, November 11th - Batavia Athletic Boosters Social - 7PM at Norlyn Manor

Finally, we are looking for bus drivers to join an amazing group of people in our transportation department. Paid training and sign on bonuses are available. For more information, use this link.

Looking forward to seeing you at these events over the next month!

All the best,

Keith

September 6, 2023

It's been an exciting week at Bulldog Place! Our first two days at the elementary school have gone extremely well, our middle school and high school open houses were filled with students and families eager to get their first glimpses of their new school spaces, and we get to welcome our middle and high school students back to school tomorrow for their first day of classes.

As the traffic patterns for arrival and dismissal will be new for everyone, it will be important to have a little extra patience as things work themselves out during the first few days. We will have extra support from the Batavia Police Department to help direct traffic in the morning and afternoon for the rest of this week. If you will be dropping your student(s) off at school, make sure to view the drop off maps and videos for the middle and high school here: https://www.bataviaschools.org/article/1226581

Also, please note that the school zone times have changed for this year. Here is the new schedule:

Old State Route 32 Entrance

On 7:00am  Off 9:15am

On 2:00pm  Off 4:00pm

Batavia Road Entrance

On 7:00am  Off 9:15am

On 11:15am  Off 12:45pm

On 2:00pm  Off 4:00pm

For those attending after school events, there is plenty of parking for everyone, but a few of the lots aren't necessarily visible from Bulldog Place. If you find the lots in front of the schools are full, be sure to check out the middle school bus circle lot and the student lot behind the middle school (both highlighted in yellow in the photo below).

Finally, school breakfast/lunch menus and free/reduced price lunch forms for families can be found on the food service page at this link: https://www.bataviaschools.org/page/food-services

For families who completed free/reduced price meals last year, it is important to complete this paperwork again for this year as soon as possible.

As it looks like the heat is going to break in the next few days and fall will start to set in, we couldn't be more excited for the campus to finally be open and to have all of our students together at Bulldog Place. Wishing you a great start to your school year!

All the best,

Keith

On Disappointment and Change

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When I was sophomore in high school I was waiting in eager anticipation of being able to leave campus during my junior year during lunch.  My high school was in the middle of an east coast town with lots of dining options close by, and it was an upperclassmen tradition to walk to lunch with friends.

As that school year was drawing to a close, the administration made an announcement regarding a change in the policy.  Beginning in my junior year, only seniors would be allowed to eat lunch off campus, and only if they earned what was known as a ‘privilege pass’.

I won’t waste words telling you how unpopular this decision was, and how we as students chafed at it.  My 16 year old self at the time felt that it was grave injustice, and I remember being more than a little resentful that something I had been waiting so long for had been suddenly snatched away.

My older self, however, understands completely why this change was made.  Restaurants were complaining about the behavior of the students, various student actions while off campus during the day were less than school appropriate, and student safety, simply given the amount of traffic in our town, was certainly at risk.

Every change has an impact…. The secret to living a contented life is understanding and accepting that there is a reason for every change, and that, given time and space, deeper understandings and meanings regarding the change will reveal themselves.

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Joe Burrow’s comments during his recent contract signing revealed a lot about how to deal with disappointment.  The credit he gave to the three years he sat the bench at Ohio State, and the lessons he learned about dealing with disappointment and using it as a tool to learn and grow, speak to the leader he has become at the young age of 25.

This antidote revealed an axiom about life….. Growth doesn’t happen during the good times, it always happens during moments of trial.

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Recently my son ran a cross country race at a course I have been a spectator at for many years.  This year, to be compliant with OHSAA regulations, the second mile of the course was changed, taking out several features that made this course stand out from other cross country courses on the fall circuit.

When I learned of the changes, I immediately formed a narrative in my head about the negatives of the changes.  I had thoughts such as ‘the course won’t be as good’, ‘they ruined a good thing’, ‘it won’t be as much fun’, etc., etc.

After a day or two of feeling this way, I caught myself and reminded myself that:

A) there were probably some good reasons for the changes, and

B) perhaps I should see the course for myself before jumping to conclusions about it.

On race day I had the chance to run the course as a spectator several times before watching my son run.  After about the third race, I found myself glad they made the changes. 

From a spectators point of view, the changes made the course much more accessible to view runners, and from an athlete's perspective, the course provided a finishing time that could be used to measure progress during the season (where in years past the time from this race usually was disregarded as the course ran slow).

This experience reminded my once again of the wisdom of Herbert Spencer, to whom the following quote is attributed:

There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments, and which cannot fail to keep a person in everlasting ignorance—that principle is contempt prior to investigation.

August 22, 2023

When you are in the home stretch of a project, you always have to be able to adjust to things that are outside of your control, and we’ve had more than a few of those in the past few weeks! While the buildings are really close to being finished, we are at a point where we need to prioritize campus access for the construction crews to finish their work prior to holding public events in our new spaces. With that being said, the following adjustments are being made to our opening schedule:

1. The elementary school will open as scheduled, with the first day of school on Tuesday, September 5th.

2. The elementary open house schedule remains the same:

• Grades 3 - 5 Tuesday, August 29th from 5 – 7pm

• Grades Pre K - 2 Thursday, August 31st from 5 - 7pm

3. The campus open house and ribbon cutting on August 30th is postponed to a date to be determined later this fall.

4. The first day of school for middle and high school students is being moved to Thursday, September 7th.

5. The middle school open house dates have been moved, and will now be as follows:

• Grade 6 - Tuesday, September 5th from 4 - 6pm

• Grades 7 and 8 - Wednesday, September 6th from 4 - 6pm

6. The high school will be holding an open house for students in grades 9 - 12 on Tuesday, September 5 from 4 - 7pm.

While we have worked extremely hard all summer to maintain our opening schedule, the delays from a summer of rain proved to be just a bit too much to overcome in the end. I appreciate your understanding and flexibility as we work to get to the finish line. It’s all going to be worth it, and we can’t wait for your student(s) to get to experience these awesome new spaces.

Keith

August 12, 2023

If you have been by the campus in the last few weeks, you have seen a flurry of activity as the final push is underway to complete the buildings in time for the opening of school on September 5th.  The good news is that, barring some type of unforeseen circumstance, school will open on time for all three buildings. 

As the weather has continued to be an issue for completing site work (which has also impacted some schedules for non-academic areas of the new buildings), there will still be work continuing after the start of school.  Areas where we can expect work to be continuing after September 5th include the gyms, locker rooms, and stages, along with landscaping, exterior lighting, and final surfacing and striping of some parking areas.  Given the ongoing challenges in the construction industry as a whole, we have been very fortunate to have construction partners who have gone above and beyond to meet the many challenges of the project in our effort to complete the areas of the buildings and campus necessary to open on schedule.

Looking ahead to the next three weeks, the internet is expected to be live by this weekend, all HVAC systems will be operational by next week, the base course of asphalt should be completed by August 21, our temporary occupancy certificates should be issued by August 22,  we welcome back our teachers and staff members on August 23rd, all furniture should be installed by August 28th, and our campus open house is on schedule to be held on August 30th from 5 - 8pm (More details on the open house will be sent out next week).

Next week we will be hosting our home football opener against Williamsburg on Friday, August 18th.  A separate communication will be sent by Wednesday, August 16th with details regarding parking and game day logistics.

For students who take the bus to school, bus stop information is now live in the Ride 360 app for this school year.  If you need information on how to access Ride 360, please use this link: https://www.bataviaschools.org/page/transportation 

Two additional notes on transportation for this year: 

First, due to the changes in the bell schedules, how bus routes will operate, and bus capacity constraints, bus passes will no longer be allowed.  

Second, for those who drive to Bulldog Place regularly, the school zone flashing light times have changed for next year. These zones are regularly patrolled by law enforcement, so please make note of these times:

Old State Route 32 Entrance

On 7:00am  Off 9:15am

On 2:00pm  Off 4:00pm

Batavia Road Entrance

On 7:00am  Off 9:15am

On 11:15am  Off 12:45pm

On 2:00pm  Off 4:00pm

Finally, this summer the District Annual Notices page was completely redesigned.  All of the required annual notices that the District publishes can be found at this site: https://www.bataviaschools.org/page/annual-notices

While we’ve needed every minute of this long summer break to get Bulldog Place ready, I am anxious for our students to return, and can’t wait to see everyone in the coming weeks for what will be a great school year!

All the best,

Keith

July 22, 2023

I hope this edition of the Bulldog Bulletin finds you enjoying summer and time with your family and friends.  The past few months have been busy at Bulldog Place as we prepare for the start of the school year on September 5th.  While the weather we have had this summer has not been totally kind to the construction schedule (especially the outside work for getting the parking lots installed), we are still on track for the buildings to be substantially completed by the end of the second week of August.  While there will be construction activities that continue after school begins (most notably in both gyms, the remaining portion of the old high school, and outside site work), the major construction activities in the classroom and office areas will be wrapped up in time to welcome our staff back on August 23rd and for our community open house on August 30th.  For updated photos, including the removal of the old high school wing and recent aerial shots of the campus, please use this link.

As we begin to think about back to school season, each building has updated back to school information on their web pages.  For the most up to date information, you can use the links below:

Batavia High School:

• Newly Enrolled Student Scheduling Event

• Freshman Orientation Event

• Student Schedule Pickup

Batavia Middle School:

• Summer newsletter with important dates

Batavia Elementary School:

• Summer Newsletter with important dates

• Summer reading ideas

Over the next few weeks a significant amount of paving will take place, and the campus will begin to have a more finished look to it.  The next bulletin will focus on traffic patterns and how to navigate the new campus, plus additional information on the open house and updated construction details.

Finally, just as a reminder, these are the new school hours for next year:

Batavia High School: 7:25 - 2:15

Batavia Middle School: 7:30 - 2:20

Batavia Elementary School: 9:00 - 3:20

Wishing you a nice end of July!

Keith

May 9, 2023

It’s hard to believe that we are in the home stretch of the school year and that we will be celebrating the Class of 2023 in a little over a week!  Graduation season is always an exciting time, as our seniors have worked hard over many years to reach this special moment in their lives.  The graduation ceremony will be held on Thursday, May 18th at Truist Arena on the campus of Northern Kentucky University beginning at 7pm.  If you have family members or friends from out of town who are unable to attend, the ceremony will be live streamed at this link: Batavia High School Class of 2023 Graduation

With the school year coming to a close next Friday (5/19), we are busy with end of the year activities as well as with packing for our moves over the summer.  On Monday afternoon (5/22), the utilities will be turned off to the old high school wing to prepare for the beginning of demolition, which gets under way on Friday (5/26).  During this transition week, phone and internet service may be temporarily disrupted.  We will communicate if there is an outage that lasts more than a couple of hours (and hopefully there is none at all)!

Once demolition begins on the old high school wing, access to Bulldog Place will be extremely limited, as there is extensive site work that must be completed prior to our opening in the fall.  Parking for any activities at the athletic complex or the elementary school will be limited to the elementary lot only.

As for the buildings themselves, things are moving along, with lots of activity both inside and outside of the buildings, as the focus shifts towards the many finishes and detail work that bring these projects all together.

Click HERE for the latest photos from March, April, and May 2023

Click HERE for the latest walkthrough video, which was filmed in early May.

An additional transition beyond just the buildings will occur with our phone systems as well this summer.  We are moving our phones from an outdated server based model to a cloud based system.  This switch will be occurring during the first two weeks of July, which is normally our quietest time of the summer.  While we do not anticipate issues, the possibility exists for some down time during the switchover.  We will communicate more about this shift as we get closer to the implementation date.

Finally, please mark your calendars for Wednesday, August 30th, which is the date for the campus open house and ribbon cutting ceremonies for the buildings.  Planning is well underway for this important event and we can’t wait to celebrate this very special occasion with the entire community.

All the best,

Keith

March 23, 2023

We are getting into the home stretch with the construction project, and a big thanks goes out to everyone for your patience with the access and parking challenges.  This week the last major HVAC equipment was lifted onto the building roofs (which was cool to watch but caused another road change to adapt to!)

As we move into the spring and our last season dealing with only one main entrance, the elementary afternoon dismissal time, from 3:30 - 4:15, is a time to avoid entering the campus unless you are picking up a student from the elementary school.  For all after school home games and practice pickups, please plan on arriving at 4:15.  Once elementary dismissal has concluded, the elementary parking lot will be open for spectator game parking.

As brick is rapidly going up on the outside of the buildings, there are major changes to how the inside of the buildings look.

Click HERE for the latest video walkthrough and click HERE for the latest construction photos.

In planning for next fall, August 30th is the date that has been set for the campus wide open house and ribbon cutting ceremonies at the new buildings.

Also new for next fall will be an adjusted bell schedule.  The high school and middle school will operate on a new schedule that is set 5 minutes apart from each other.  This will allow for additional partnership opportunities between both buildings, including staff sharing, course opportunities for students, and student collaboration (ex. Joint HOPE Squad projects, student mentoring, etc.)  A closer relationship between the buildings will also aid in the transition of our middle school students to high school, as a strong start to freshman year is an important foundation for student success throughout high school.  Additionally, with the move away from transportation runs to the old middle school site on Bauer Avenue,  the consolidation of the middle and high schools on a single bus schedule will allow for enough time to cover the District from a transportation timing perspective.

This move also allows the elementary day to shift forward by twenty-five minutes, with the school day starting at 9:00 and ending at 3:20pm (car rider and bus arrival will start at 8:40, car rider dismissal will be 3:20, and bus dismissal will be 3:30).  This will bring our elementary school day into closer alignment with neighboring districts and allow our youngest students to arrive home earlier.

2023-2024 School Times

High School:  7:25 - 2:15

Middle School: 7:30 - 2:20

Elementary School: 9:00 - 3:20

Finally, this weekend the High School is putting on their spring musical production of “The Music Man”.  This production marks the final theater shows that will be held on the elementary stage, with show times Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 7pm, and a special Sunday matinee at 2pm.  Tickets can be purchased at the door or in advance using this link: https://www.showtix4u.com/event-details/72810

All the best,

Keith

January 25, 2023

Just a few thoughts on winter weather and snow day notifications to get this edition of the bulletin started.

The general rule of thumb is to make a decision about whether school will be in session or not by 5:45am on days where the weather is questionable. If there is a doubt about how the forecast will turn out, we normally wait until the morning of the weather event to evaluate roads and make a final determination about the school day.

The exception to this would be a weather event where there is reasonably high confidence the night before regarding inclement weather the following day, and in that case we would communicate in the evening.

The standard expectation should be that in the absence of a communication, the District is open and operating on a normal schedule.

Also, if you have made any recent changes to your contact information (email and/or phone number), please make sure to update your information in Final Forms, in order to ensure you are reached whenever District communications are sent.

https://batavia-oh.finalforms.com/

While we have recently seen a return to more winter-like weather, the overall weather pattern has been great for the construction project. Below is a video filmed within the last few weeks that splices together walkthrough footage from both the high school and middle school projects:.

Both buildings continue to be on track for move in by the last week of July (High School) and first week of August (Middle School).

Finally, as we get closer to the completion of the buildings, we are starting to turn our attention to planning for the ribbon cutting and grand opening of Bulldog Place. We have tentatively identified August 30th from 5 - 8 as the date for our community wide open house and campus celebration, and are looking for volunteers who would be interested in helping to plan the event!

If you would like to be involved in the planning process, please fill out the Google Form using the link below:

https://forms.gle/qZYc62gXoJdwvza7A

All the best,

Keith

December 1, 2022

As we welcome December and the Holiday Season, I hope you and your family had a good Thanksgiving and are entering this time of year on a positive note.

In the cycle of school calendars, we are in a phase where Christmas and New Year’s are both on weekends, which stretches the time between the Thanksgiving and Winter Breaks to include a partial fourth week of school (December 19th to the 21st).  On these three days our elementary and middle school students will operate on a normal school schedule, and our high school students will be taking their first semester exams.  

Another reason for the shorter winter break is the last day of school is May 19th next year, in order to accommodate for all of the finishing construction work that must occur at Bulldog Place as we welcome our new buildings next fall.  If you ever need an extra school calendar to hang on the fridge, electronic copies are always available on our website: https://www.bataviaschools.org/documents/district-calendar/289501

Even though it seems far away, work is already underway on the 2024/2025 school calendar, which should be completed and approved in early 2023.

On the construction front, a fresh batch of photos from November are now available here: https://www.bataviaschools.org/page/construction-updates

At the new high school, the roof is almost completely installed on the academic side of the building, and the exterior walls are nearly complete and ready for roof steel on the gym/cafeteria/fine arts side of the building.  At the middle school work on the roof has begun as well, and in both buildings classroom walls are going up and work is continuing on the HVAC, electrical, and plumbing systems.  Within the next few weeks you should notice the exterior brick walls turning blue, which is the color of the air barrier application system.  Once the air barrier is in place work will begin on the installation of the exterior brick.

In the frequently asked questions section, the most asked question lately has been ‘What is that small building that can be seen next to Old 32?”.

Despite looking like a half finished garage or small shed, this building is actually known as the construction mockup structure.  Before installation of things like windows, brick, roof flashing, air barrier, etc. on the main buildings, they are first installed on the mock up.  This gives each building trade the opportunity to work through installation issues and inspectors the chance to review work to ensure that when the real installation occurs it happens according to design specifications.

Finally, the month of December always brings a number of performances from our music department, and we are excited to have our full slate of performances back for the first time since COVID this year.  Below is a listing of events that we hope to see you at!

All the best,

Keith

November 3, 2022

Just a few quick items as we close out the week.

First, on Saturday Bulldog Place will be bustling with activity as the annual Rotary Spaghetti Dinner will be hosted at the elementary school from 4 - 7pm and Donkey Basketball will be returning to Batavia High School beginning at 6pm. Tickets for both events will be available at the door and it will be a great way to spend the evening with you family and friends!

Second, just a reminder that school will not be in session on Tuesday, November 8th for election day, as voting will be taking place at both the elementary and middle school. This day is also a professional learning day for District staff members.

Finally, on the construction front the roof is currently being installed on the academic side of the high school, with the exterior brick scheduled for the north side of the building (see photo below) in the next few weeks. By Thanksgiving the exterior walls should be completed on both buildings and we are sill on target to have both buildings completely enclosed and ready for indoor winter work by Christmas.

November 3, 2022

Just a few quick items as we close out the week.

First, on Saturday Bulldog Place will be bustling with activity as the annual Rotary Spaghetti Dinner will be hosted at the elementary school from 4 - 7pm and Donkey Basketball will be returning to Batavia High School beginning at 6pm. Tickets for both events will be available at the door and it will be a great way to spend the evening with you family and friends!

Second, just a reminder that school will not be in session on Tuesday, November 8th for election day, as voting will be taking place at both the elementary and middle school. This day is also a professional learning day for District staff members.

Finally, on the construction front the roof is currently being installed on the academic side of the high school, with the exterior brick scheduled for the north side of the building (see photo below) in the next few weeks. By Thanksgiving the exterior walls should be completed on both buildings and we are sill on target to have both buildings completely enclosed and ready for indoor winter work by Christmas.

All the best,

Keith

October 25, 2022

One of the most frequent questions I have received recently involves what will become of the current middle school once the move out is complete next fall.  Up until recently, the answer to that question was the building being scheduled for demolition and the land being returned to green space with ownership retained by the Board of Education (similar to the old elementary school site at 315 Broadway).

In the past several months however, there has been interest expressed by multiple groups regarding the purchase of the building and property.  Under Ohio Law, the Board of Education is allowed to sell assets such as buildings and land at a public auction through a sealed bid process.

Given the interest that has been expressed, the Board passed a resolution at the October Board Meeting authorizing a public bid process.  On November 16th at 3:30pm there will be an opportunity for all interested bidders to walk the building and site.  On December 7th at 3:30pm, all received sealed bids will be opened.  After the opening of bids, the Board will have the opportunity to consider the received bids, and will choose to either act on accepting a bid at the December 21st Board Meeting, or reject all bids as unsatisfactory at that point.  Should all bids be rejected (or none received), the original demolition plan will be followed.

More information about the bid process can be found on the District website at the following link: https://www.bataviaschools.org/article/884588

Also, just a few upcoming event dates that are of interest to the entire community:

Wednesday, October 26th - 6pm - BHS Financial Aid Information Night

Thursday, October 27th - 5:30pm - Title I Parent Meeting, 6:00PM - Title I AR Reading Event

Saturday, October 29th - 9am to 3pm - Band Boosters Craft Fair at BES

Saturday, November 5th - 4pm to 7pm - Rotary Spaghetti Dinner at BES

Saturday, November 5th - 6pm - Donkey Basketball at BHS

All the best,

Keith

October 6, 2022

It’s hard to believe that we are almost done with the first quarter of the school year. I hope the start of fall and the school year to date has been good for you and your family.  Inside the District there are lots of exciting things happening as we head into the second quarter and anticipate the holiday season.

We have been very fortunate with the outstanding fall weather we have had as the buildings continue to take shape.  Recently, an 8 part in-depth video walkthrough of the high school was released on Facebook and Twitter (@bataviaschools).  All videos in this series, including two brand new videos that focus on the middle school, can be found on the District YouTube Channel.

The next major milestone for the buildings will be the completion of the roofs in order to reach ‘dry-in’ status.  This is the point where the buildings use temporary heat during the winter months in order for work to continue on interior sections of the buildings.  The current dry-in target for both buildings is the second week of December.  Looking down the road a little further, the high school is expected to be completed by July 27, 2023 with the middle school following on August 4, 2023.  Assuming no unforeseen delays, this will give about a month to move in and prepare for the opening of school on September 5, 2023.

Attendance: As everyone is now in the back to school routine, one of the things we have been looking at are attendance rates at each building, and how current rates compare to the 2018-2019 school year (which was the last full pre-covid school year).  The chart below shows the September 2018 attendance percentage by building along with the September 2022 percentage.

As we continue to work towards a full recovery from several years of the pandemic, getting back into the regular routine of school attendance is an important focus.  For this school year, each building has a goal of achieving a daily attendance rate that approaches 94 percent.  While the pandemic certainly introduced a number of tools that made learning online easier, there is still no way to truly replace the in-person instruction that is missed during an absence.  While we continue to want students to stay home when legitimately ill, being at school at all other times is a critical component to student success.

District Wide Safety Exercise: As part of our safety plan, each fall a district wide safety exercise is held.  This year we will be conducting this exercise across all three buildings on October 10th.  This exercise will test multiple parts of our safety plan, including communications.  On the day of the exercise, test communications will be sent using our email and social media channels.  Communications sent on the day of the drill will include the word ‘TEST’ at the beginning and end of each message.  Once the drill has been completed a message will be sent to the entire district indicating the end of the safety exercise. 

Seeking Substitute Bus Drivers: Everyone in the know appreciates how awesome our bus drivers are and the great job they do getting our students to and from school safely each day.  As we head into the winter, we are still in need of substitutes who can step in and cover routes during the inevitable sickness season.  Not only do we offer paid training and a bonus structure, but it is also a great way to serve both the District and the community.  For more information, you can contact Shawn Young at the transportation office (young_s@bataviaschools.org or 513-732-0935).

Important Dates: Looking ahead, there are several important calendar dates to keep in mind as we round out October and head into November:

End of Quarter 1 - Thursday, October 13th

Fall Break - Friday, October 14th to Monday, October 17th

Begin Quarter 2 - Tuesday, October 18th

Batavia Band Arts and Crafts Show - Saturday, October 29th @ BES

Batavia Rotary Spaghetti Dinner - Saturday, November 5th @ BES

Election Day/No School - Tuesday, November 8, 2022

All the best,

Keith