WESTERN HILLS PRESS
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WEDNESDAY, MAY 1, 2013
BECAUSE COMMUNITY MATTERS
St. Teresa students pile ice cream on principal’s head By Kurt Backscheider
kbackscheider@communitypress.com
M
ost students would be disciplined if they smashed ice cream on their principal’s head. At St. Teresa of Avila School, such an act is celebrated. As their older peers cheered them on, the school’s kindergartners took pure joy in building an ice cream sundae on their principal’s head Friday, April 26. Piling scoops of ice cream, pouring syrup and squeezing whipped cream on the head of St. Teresa Principal Sharon Willmes was the kindergarten class’s reward for raising the most money for the school’s fourth annual walk-a-thon. The kindergartners collected more than $1,500 for the fundraiser, which supports the school’s Parent Teacher Group (PTG). Covedale residents Karen Meyer and Becky Bass, who are co-presidents of the PTG, said the annual walk-a-thon is one of the biggest fundraisers for the organization. “Every student is asked to raise at least $5 in order to participate in the walk,” Meyer said. “We don’t have a final count, but so far this year’s walk-a-thon has raised more than $6,500.” All the money the PTG raises goes directly back to the school to benefit students and teachers, she said. This year the group is using
St. Teresa of Avila kindergartner Donté Shavers pours caramel syrup on Principal Sharon Willmes’s head during the school’s walk-a-thon fundraiser Friday, April 26. The kindergarten class raised the most money for the walk-a-thon, earning them the prize of making an ice cream sundae on their principal’s head. KURT BACKSCHEIDER/THE COMMUNITY PRESS
proceeds from the walk to renovate the school cafeteria. Bass said plans include repainting the cafeteria and buying new tables. In addition to getting to spend the afternoon walking
along Rulison Avenue, students enjoyed snow cones from Kona Ice and more than 100 students won raffle prizes donated by area businesses and organizaSee PILE, Page A2
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she is on the swim team and plays violin in the orchestra. She also is a member of her church youth group. Dalton became friends with a Guatemalan foreign exchange student and has been to visit her twice. If you have questions about delivery, or if your child is interested in becoming part of our junior carrier program, please call 853-6263 or 853-6277, or email circulation manager Sharon Schachleiter at sschachleiter@communitypress.com.
Dalton
GAME ON
MOCK CRASH
Sportsman of Year voting starts May 1 See story A8
Seton, Elder students learn lesson. See story A6
CE-0000552891
Honors B1 McAuley award eighth graders
Oak Hills school levy first in 16 years By Monica Boylson mboylson@communitypress.com
The Oak Hills Local School District officials said they take pride in the fact that the school district has been off the ballot for 16 years. Officials point out that families of several graduating classes have never seen a levy on the ballot during the time they spent in the district schools. But that is changing as voters in the Oak Hills district will Johnson decide on Tuesday, May 7, whether or not to support a fiveyear 4.82-mill preperty tax levy to raise $5.2 million for operating costs for the school district. Yohey The levy would cost the owner of a $100,000 home $145.34 per year, according to the Hamilton County auditor’s office. Oak Hills district Treasurer Ronda Johnson said that district is seeking the levy because fiscal forecast for 2014 indicates the district drops below a “60day cash balance,” a number they identified “as an appropriate and adequate benchmark for fiscal health.” Additionally the district projects a deficit within three years without additional revenue. The school district determined that a 4.82-mill levy would generate smallest amount of revenue needed to maintain current programming for the next five years. The last time Oak Hills had a levy on the ballot was in 1997 when residents passed a 3-mill operating levy and a 3.77-mill bond issue to build Rapid Run Middle School and make improvements to the high school. The levy was projected to last five years. In 2007, the board voted to transfer 4.56 inside mills from the general fund to a permanent improvement fund to generate revenue and to prevent putting a levy on the ballot. This left 2 mills of inside millage in the general fund. Inside millage is not voted on by the public; outside millage is voted on by the public. The general fund is for operating expenses, such as sala-
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ries; the permanent improvement fund other expenses such as textbooks, technology and building improvements. “Since the last levy in 1997, we hope our taxpayers feel that we have met community expectations in both financial stewardship and academic programming,” Oak Hills schools Superintendent Todd Yohey said. If the levy doesn’t pass, cuts would have to be made to balance the budget. “A list of cuts has not been identified,” Johnson said. “After 16 years off of the ballot, we do not feel our community needed a list of threatened cuts. We do know, however, that cuts will directly affect academic programming.” Delhi Township resident Greg Rybarczyk, 33, said he will support the levy to make sure programming is not affected for his three children. “The fact that the school district has not asked for an operational levy since the late ‘90s is impressive and indicates their commitment to wise spending with the dollars brought in, all while maintaining an ‘Excellent’ rating. In addition, the tax rates are among the lowest in the area and enacting this levy deals with the projected cash balance shortage in 2016 in advance before it becomes a crisis and ensure the fiscal health of the school,” he said. “Since home values are still well off their highs of 2007, the current impact is at a discount and if all three (including the Delhi parks and fire levies) pass, the cost to me is under $20 a month, money well spent and easily made up.” Delhi resident Jean Seta, 57, said she too will support the levy. “We’ve got great schools,” she said. “But I’m not happy about having to pay more taxes.” There is a Vote No for the Oak Hills Levy Facebook page with 15 “likes” though no one who posted on the site would respond for a comment. So, how does Oak Hills compare to other nearby school districts?
Oak Hills Local School District
» The district has been rated excellent the past 11 years. » There were 7,727 students enrolled in the district as of fiscal year 2011 with an average cost per pupil of $9,652. See FIRST, Page A2 Vol. 85 No. 24 © 2013 The Community Press ALL RIGHTS RESERVED