2024 Alliance City Schools Annual Report by Alliance City Schools

A Message from Your Superintendent BOARD OF EDUCATION

As our team reflects on another school year of strengthening the community by preparing our students for life, college and careers, we are eager to highlight just some of the many accomplishments of our staff and students -- your children, grandchildren, relatives, neighbors and friends! Making the greater Alliance community even stronger is as much about the journey as it is the results. In this year’s Annual Report, you’ll read not only about our successes, but also our partners in this journey, our challenges, and our vision for the future. In short, you’ll see firsthand that our core values of high performance, leadership, and caring citizenship are alive and well!

Rob Gress #ProudSupt

Mrs. Suzie Dennis - Board President

Mrs. Suzie Dennis has served as a member of the Alliance Board of Education since April of 2022. She is currently serving as the president of the board and has previously served as vice president. Mrs. Dennis spent much of her career in education as a teacher and guidance counselor at ACS before retiring in 2014.

Ms. Beth Canfield-Simbro - Board Vice President

Ms. Beth Canfield-Simbro joined the Alliance Board of Education in June of 2022. She is currently serving as the vice president of the board. Ms. Canfield-Simbro is an associate professor for the education department at the University of Mount Union. She is a strong supporter of Alliance City Schools.

Ms. Elayne Dunlap

Ms. Elayne Dunlap joined the Alliance Board of Education in January of 2016. During her time on the board, she has served as vice president and president. Ms. Dunlap spent most of her career in education with Alliance City Schools. She was recently awarded the 2023 Lifetime Educator award by the Stark County ESC for her dedication to education in Alliance and Stark County.

Mr. Tyler Kinser

Mr. Tyler Kinser has served as a member of the Alliance Board of Education since January of 2022. During his time on the board he has served as vice president and president. Mr. Kinser shows great dedication to and support of the students and staff and can be seen at many events cheering on the Aviators.

Mr. William Koch

Mr. William Koch has served as a member of the Alliance Board of Education since January of 2014. During his time on the board, he served as president and vice president. Mr. Koch is a life-long resident of Alliance and a proud graduate of Alliance High School. He served as a teacher and coach for many years in a neighboring district before retiring and joining the Alliance Board of Education.

Approximately 2,900 students 7 9 297 127 496 1,971

2024 GRADUATION INFORMATION

The class of 2024 graduated on Sunday, May 19

Number of Graduates: 215

Summa Cum Laude: : 17

Magna Cum Laude: 4

Cum Laude: 1

Honors Diplomas: : 40

56 STUDENTS RECEIVED NEARLY $1 MILLION IN LOCAL SCHOLARSHIPS

Five students were awarded the Investment Alliance Scholarship providing them with a four-year, full-tuition scholarship to the University of Mount Union and one student received a two-year, full-tuition AllianceWorks scholarship to attend Stark State.

DONATIONS

Alliance City Schools is grateful for the generosity and support of local business, organizations and community members. Donations of any kind are greatly appreciated and go towards providing the best possible educational experience for all students attending Alliance City Schools.

• Alicia Yoder

• Alliance Christian Center

• Alliance Elks

• Alliance Equipment Company

• Alliance Firefighters Charities

• Alliance Kiwanis Club

• Alliance Rotary Club

• Alliance Ventures

• Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity at UMU

• Amber Ferrall

• American Legion

• Arrowhead Orchard

• Aultman Alliance Community Hospital

• Broadway Iron & Metal

• Brunners Farm Market

• Canton Habitat for Humanity Restore

• Carol Hampu

• Chet’s Ice

• Cintas Corporation

• Consumers National Bank

• Daniel James

• Dehoff Flowers

• Dr. Mark Hostettler

• Dr. Mungo

• East Manufacturing Corporation

• Goris Properties

• GPD Group

• Greater Alliance Foundation

• Green Farms Country Market

• Grove Appliance

• Harbor Freight

• Heather Billingsley

• Home Depot

• Improved Benevolent Protective Order (Elks)

• John Horan

• Karen Brush

• Ken Ganley Kia of Alliance

• Logan McGee

• Mary Jackson

• Mastrioanni Family

• McDonalds The House Organization

• Meijer

• Morgan Engineering

• Northeast Ohio Excavating

• Ohio Gratings, Inc

• Paragon Heart Group

• Paula Andreani

• Pauli Electric

• Pinter Powerwashing

• Quota Club of Alliance

• Robertson Heating Supply

• Roy’s Wash & Lube

• Sarchione Ford

• Sebring Trophy

• Simplay3 Company

• Staples, Inc.

• Stark Community Foundation

• Step 2

• Steve Stohla

• Stout Family Foundation

• Timken Company

• Traps

• Wally Armour Chrysler Dodge Jeep

• White Physical Therapy

• WJ Egli Co.

COMMUNITY PARTNERS

Alliance City Schools is fortunate to have a number of community partners who support the students, staff and families in a variety of ways. From donating food and supplies to funding after school programs to ensuring the safety of all and so much more, the district is grateful to have such dedicated businesses and organizations to call community partners.

University of Mount Union

Rodman Public Library

Greater Alliance Foundation

Early Childhood Education Alliance

The YMCA

City of Alliance

Family Empowerment Ministries, Inc.

Stark County Educational Service Center

State Support Team 9

Child & Adolescent Behavioral Health

Alliance Area Chamber of Commerce

Alliance Area Development

MAC Trailer

The YWCA

Alliance City Health Department

Stark Education Partnership

Alliance Police Department

Alliance Fire Department

Ben Curtis Family Foundation

Stark County Hunger Task Force

Alliance Rotary

ACADEMICS

PBIS

Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports is an evidence-based framework that helps to support a student's behavioral, academic and social-emotional health. All schools in the district implement the PBIS framework in a variety of ways, including incentives, behavior matrices, behavior cards and classroom rewards.

During the 2023-24 school year, Alliance Elementary School demoed a new incentive program for a third of their students. The program utilizes a paycheck the students earn that they can then use to purchase incentives or small prizes throughout the school year. The previous program utilized percentages for students to earn incentives, but it was difficult for the 2nd and 3rd graders to understand. The new program, which will be fully implemented for the 2024-25 school year, offers students the chance to learn about financial literacy while also keeping up behavioral expectations.

Special Education

• Number of students with special needs: 588 students or approximately 20%

• Graduation Rate: 89.36% for students with disabilities, far exceeding the 64% target

Alliance City Schools offers a continuum of services for students with special needs. The offerings range from self-contained classrooms to co-taught classrooms, differentiation on academic instruction, and related services when needed. The high graduation rate indicates the district's dedication to ensuring all Aviators are prepared for life after high school.

Gifted

Alliance examines and processes the results of the required whole grade screen for reading, math, superior cognitive ability and creative thinking to identify students as gifted and talented. ACS teachers are given professional development when they have a gifted student in their class so they can appropriately differentiate the instruction to keep the student growing, engaged and learning. 287 students, or approximately 10% of the district, was identified as gifted in at least one area during the 2023-24 school year

• 42 new identifications were made in the 23-24 school year

• 100% of gifted 3rd graders scored either Accomplished or Advanced on both the ELA OST and Math OST

GIFTED AREAS

English Learners

Alliance City Schools had 9 English Learners (EL) in the district who spoke either Spanish or Mandarin as their primary language. EL students are offered additional support by the district to ensure they are able to effectively participate in school instructional programs. The support can include translating devices, co-teaching and collaboration, translation and interpretation services, progress monitoring and assessments using the Ohio English Language Proficiency Assessment. Parents and families are encouraged to be involved in their child’s educational progress and additional support can be offered to them as needed.

College Credit Plus

Alliance High School offers a number of college level courses for the students to take through Ohio’s College Credit Plus Program. While still in high school, students have the ability to earn college credit from local colleges and universities. The program promotes rigorous academic pursuits and is free to all students who participate in the program.

College Credit Plus by the numbers

138 students participated in CCP 1,089 college credits were earned from the Summer of 2023 to the Spring of 2024

22 courses were offered

Career Tech Education

The Alliance Career Tech Planning District received the highest rating possible with five stars being awarded on the annual CTPD report card released by the State of Ohio.

Alliance High School is a member of the career tech planning district (CTPD) allowing students to take part in CTE programs offered at Alliance, Marlington and Salem. Between the three schools, 15 programs are offered to students to take during their junior and senior years of high school. Students can elect to take part in one of these programs their last two-years of school to gain hands-on, work-based learning experiences and have the opportunity to earn industry recognized credentials and college credit when applicable.

• 189 AHS students took part in CTE programs

• 97% of the Class of 2024 CTE Seniors in AHS programs received an industry recognized credential

• 100% of the Class of 2024 CTE Seniors in AHS programs participated in work-based learning experiences outside of the classroom

• 96.7% of the CTE Students in AHS programs from the Classes of 2024 & 2025 earned an overall score of proficient or higher on their CTE technical skills assessments

Alliance Preschool

Alliance City Schools opened its first solo preschool building during the 2023-24 school year. Previously housed at Alliance Early Learning School, the growing program was moved to the former Parkway Elementary School. Minor renovations took place to classrooms to ensure they were ready for the preschoolers to attend the first day of school. The school houses 7 preschool classrooms and an indoor play area where students can work on their gross motor skills.

The preschool program offers two sessions, one morning and one afternoon, allowing the students to acclimate to a school environment for 1-3 years before heading to kindergarten at Alliance Early Learning School. For the first year, approximately 172 preschoolers attended school at Alliance Early Learning School.

Alliance Preschool received 5 Star Rating from Step Up to Quality!

ATHLETICS

HIGHLIGHTS

EBC Championships - 8th Grade Football, AMS Boys Track, AMS Girls Track (co-champs), AHS Girls Tennis, AHS Baseball

Athletics by the numbers

276 high school students took part in sports

170 middle school students took part in sports

4 EBC championships

5 college commitments

1 state champion

Stark County Player of the Year - Girls Soccer: Avery Horning, Girls Tennis: Jillian Lohnes

D3 State Offensive Player of the Year: Brendan Zurbrugg

Stark County Coaches of the Year - Girls Soccer: Matt Horning, Girls Tennis: Steve Cabassa, Boys Wrestling: Dave Pennington, Baseball: Jeff Graffice

• Aidan Mozden won the State Championship in wrestling, the first time since 1983

• The Girls soccer team won their first district championship in school history

• Alliance made history by hosting the first ever Girls Top Gun Wrestling Tournament with the Alliance Girls Wrestling team taking first place

• Ben Craig qualified for the State Swim Meet for the third year in a row where he placed 12th in the 100 freestyle and 8th in the 100 backstroke

• Abigail Mozden placed 3rd at the State Wrestling Tournament

• Avery Horning and Jackson Eddy placed 6th at the State Wrestling Tournament

• Jayla Callock was first girls basketball player to make all county in over a decade

• KaTino Horton and Rhyan Johnson qualified for the Middle School State Track Meet

Fall Sports

• Middle School Boys Club Soccer

• Middle School Football

• High School Football

• High School Boys Golf

• High School Boys Soccer

• Middle School Coed Cheer

• High School Coed Cheer

• Middle School Coed Cross Country

• High School Coed Cross Country

• Middle School Coed Golf

• Middle School Girls Club Soccer

• High School Girls Golf

• High School Girls Soccer

• High School Girls Tennis

• Middle School Girls Volleyball

• High School Girls Volleyball

Winter Sports

• Middle School Boys Basketball

• High School Boys Basketball

• High School Coed Bowling

• Middle School Coed Cheer

• High School Coed Cheer

• High School Coed Cheer Competition

• High School Coed Swimming

• Middle School Girls Wrestling

• High School Girls Wrestling

• Middle School Boys Wrestling

• High School Boys Wrestling

• Middle School Girls Basketball

• High School Girls Basketball

Spring Sports

• High School Boys Baseball

• High School Boys Tennis

• Middle School Boys Track

• High School Boys Track

• High School Girls Softball

• Middle School Girls Track

• High School Girls Track

ARTS

Alliance High School

• Concert Band

• Marching Band

• Pep band

• Jazz Orchestra

• Choralaires

• Concert Choir

• Jetsetters

• Drama Class

• Photography

• Drawing

• Sculpting

• Media Arts

• Digital Productions

Alliance Middle School

• Band

• Jazz Band

• Choir

• Show Choir

• Visual

• Arts

Kindergarten-5th Grade

• Visual Art

• Music

Best Community for Music Education

For the 4th year, Alliance City Schools was selected as a Best Community for Music Education by the NAMM Foundation. This achievement highlights the dedication of the district and music department to providing all students at ACS with a high-quality music education. The district received this prestigious musical distinction in 2019, 2022, 2023 and 2024.

316 students participated in music programs at AMS 250 students participated in music programs at AHS

Fine Arts Showcase

Students in kindergarten through high school participated in the 2nd annual fine arts showcase in the spring. For over a week, students of all ages participated in a number of concerts and had their artwork displayed in a district-wide gallery housed in the gym at Alliance High School. The art show featured nearly a thousand pieces of student work ranging from crafts to drawings to sculptures. Alliance City Schools is proud to offer students the chance to showcase their excellent work, whether it’s musical talents or visual artistic talents, in a week-long celebration of the arts.

Artful Living at Alliance Preschool

Although the students at Alliance Preschool don’t have formal specials like art and music, the students still receive lessons in each through classroom lessons and lessons provided by Artful Living. This program brings an instructor into the classrooms where they teach the students about instruments, sing songs and let them experience what it’s like to play music. The students have so much fun singing, dancing and learning all about music.

STAFF RECOGNITIONS

Rookie of the Year: Adam Filo

Adam Filo was selected as the Alliance City Schools Rookie Teacher of the Year. As a first year teacher, Adam has made a positive impact at Alliance High School where he teaches in the history department. He is known by the students and staff for bringing Filo Fit Fridays to AHS. Every Friday he wears a fun outfit every Friday with the sole purpose of making the students and his colleagues smile. He’s even recruited fellow staff members to take part.

Teacher of the Year: Stephanie McKnight

Stephanie McKnight was selected as Alliance City Schools Teacher of the Year. A veteran teacher of 15 years, Stephanie has spent much of her time building positive relationships with the students in her sports medicine career tech program. She is a leader amongst the staff and does all she can to help anyone who needs it. Whether that’s volunteering her time as an athletic trainer, collecting shoes for students or spreading her tech knowledge with her colleagues, Stephanie is a true example of what it means to be an Aviator.

CHALLENGES

Reduction in DPIA Funding

During the 2023-24 school year, Alliance City Schools saw an over $600,000 reduction in Disadvantaged Pupil Impact Aid funding. This funding is given to districts who have students qualifying for free and reduced lunch. Due to a change in how the money was distributed, more students in districts across Ohio qualified for the program, which did not see an increase of funding. The additional qualifying students reduced the amount of funding the district received causing the district to be impacted.

Decrease in Enrollment

Alliance City Schools saw a decline in student enrollment during the 2023-24 school year that was greater than in years past. The district numbers were down by approximately 60 students, which led to a decrease in funding. For every student attending ACS, the district receives approximately $8,000. The decrease in enrollment led to a funding decrease of nearly half a million dollars.

Reduction in Staff

Due to the decrease in funding from low student enrollment and DPIA, the district had to reduce the number of full time staff to compensate for the funding shortfall. Many of the positions reduced were created in 2020 and after to utilize the ESSER funding the district received during the COVID-19 pandemic and had to be spent by 2024. The number of staff decreased by 27 full time positions through a reduction in force and attrition by way of retirement or staff leaving the district.

Filling Vacant Positions

Like many districts around the country, Alliance felt the staffing shortage. Positions were difficult to fill, especially classified positions such as bus drivers and aides. The district advertised for the vacant positions on a number of platforms, but found it difficult to get applicants. As the school year came to an end, an increase in applicants allowed many of the positions to be filled for the 2024-25 school year, including a full staff of bus drivers for the first time since before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Projects in Progress

Alliance City Schools had a number of projects taking place during the 2023-24 school year with some continuing into the 2024-25 school year. Projects included the completion of the Alliance Middle School turf football field and track, the Rockhill Soccer Fieldhouse, renovations to the Glamorgan Castle, plans for creating single occupancy restrooms at Alliance High School and renovation of the old auto body lab at AHS into the new culinary arts program.

Navigating Use of AI

With artificial intelligence available to all with sites like ChatGPT, navigating the use of it by students and staff has been a challenge for the district. We encourage our staff to incorporate the use of AI in their lessons when possible to encourage students to learn to use it responsibly. AI will be available to them in future careers and it is important they know how to use it properly as a tool to assist in their work not as a tool to replace their work.

FISCAL STEWARDSHIP

Alliance City Schools is committed to being open, honest and transparent with its finances. Building a culture of trust where all students and employees will thrive and we focus on achieving the results that the Alliance community needs, expects and deserves.

FUND

LOOKING FORWARD

New Culinary Arts CTE Program

In November of 2023, Alliance City Schools was awarded $3 million to add a culinary arts career tech program at Alliance High School. The program will be located in the former auto body space, which is being transformed into a classroom, industrial kitchen and small restaurant. The construction is expected to begin in the fall of 2024 with the program beginning the 2025-26 school year.

Increase In Enrollment

Following the decrease in enrollment for the 202324 school year, Alliance City Schools is already seeing an increased number of students returning to the district or enrolling for the first time. The enrollment increase is occuring districtwide, including at Alliance Early Learning School and Alliance Preschool where the number of students is significantly higher than in years past.

Glamorgan Castle Updates

Plans for the renovations to Glamorgan Castle have been finalized. The district will retain ownership of the historic buildings, but will not

return to the building. Instead, plans have been made to revert most of the castle to its original floor plan, which will allow for community members and guests to enjoy the building more than in years past.

The basement of the Castle will be converted into a premier meeting space with a state-of-the-art conference room, smaller meeting rooms and more. The goal of this space is for community entities to rent it as a unique and effective meeting location that would then allow the meeting attendees to tour the rest of the building where they will learn about its history.

Updated Restrooms at AHS

The restrooms in the South lobby of Alliance High School are in the process of being renovated into a set of single-occupancy restrooms that can be utilized by any individual. It will include six to eight individual restrooms that will offer full privacy. The district plans to continue updating the restrooms at Alliance High School with the end goal of having all converted into the same style of single occupancy restrooms.

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