JUST THE FACTS - LEVY ITEM #4
Safety and security at our schools is paramount to our students and staff, yet State Aid funding does not identify any specific funds for this purpose and the federal E-Rate program used to pay for Internet access and network upgrades at schools cannot be used to fund safety and security efforts, even though they must use the school's network to function.
JUST THE FACTS - LEVY ITEM #3
After-school and summer programs provide important learning opportunities for students and child care for families. Research shows that school-based programs involving certified teachers are more effective than those provided by other organizations and/or that involve volunteers.
Attendance Winners for August / September -- Walton Elementary / Middle School
https://youtu.be/uJooLir_SwA
JUST THE FACTS - EMPLOYMENT COSTS
Based on your feedback, we're going to circle back to the average costs of employment for teachers and service personnel in Roane County Schools this school year.
The average costs of employment include not just the salary paid to each individual but also the costs mandated by federal or state law to cover workers compensation costs, health insurance, retirement contributions, Medicaid and Social Security, and an allowance for substitutes - yes, state law mandates substitutes be hired for certain positions.
Employees are then required to pay their own portions of the costs of health insurance, retirement contributions, and Medicaid and Social Security taxes, so the average salary is not a reflection of actual take-home pay.
JUST THE FACTS - LEVY ITEM #2
Next up in our series of informational posts on the November 5, 2024, School Excess Levy proposal is Levy Item #2, $243,500 annually to support classroom technology, advanced coursework, and co-curricular and extra-curricular programs, including but not limited to Advanced Placement and Dual Credit courses, academic competitions, band, choir and/or theater, Career and Technical Education programs and student organizations, Future Farmers of America, and Future Business Leaders of America, student transportation to and from extra-curricular programs, and related equipment.
JUST THE FACTS - LEVY ITEM #1
As we get closer to the November 5, 2024, General Election, where voters will consider 4 excess levy proposals including one from the Roane County Board of Education, we will highlight each item in that levy proposal to better inform voters of what is at stake.
First up is Levy Item #1, $480,000 to annually to support reduced class sizes below required student-to-staff ratios, employ school nurses and counselors, and perform facility maintenance and related activities at all Roane County schools not provided within the State Aid formula.
The 2024 West Virginia Black Walnut Festival is here!
Students will return to school on Tuesday, October 15.
Be sure to check out the Livestock Sale and Show at the Paul L. Cummings FFA / 4-H Barn and the Black Walnut Festival Band Competition at County Stadium!
With the new Spencer Middle School completed, we close the final chapter in the school facilities transformation that we started after voters approved a historic school bond levy in November 2018.
This funding, which could only be used for facilities improvements and not for salaries, supplies, or any other costs related to the school system, provided the catalyst that led to over $30 million in school facilities improvements over the past six years.
And each year, the BOE has LOWERED the tax rates levied on Roane County property owners, leading to a tax rate in the current tax year of nearly half of what the voters authorized.
Originally focused on just five projects, sound design and management by The Thrasher Group and superb financial planning by Roane County Schools administration led each project to finish well under-budget, enabling a second round of projects to be completed without any additional burden on taxpayers.
Some have criticized the new field surface at County Stadium - a necessary improvement given the increased use of that field from recess, practices, and games by Spencer Middle as well as the growing soccer programs at SMS and RCHS and youth leagues. As discussed at the time, though, any funds that remained in the bond construction fund would have been marked for the local contribution to the new Spencer Middle School. Undertaking this important improvement not only provided Roane County students with a state-of-the-art, low maintenance field surface for over the next decade, but also made sure that Roane County received its fair share of state school building funds after nearly 30 years without a new school building.
Safety and Security Will Always Be a Priority
Since 2019, we have made over $10 million in improvements at our schools to better support the health, safety, and security of our students and staff - not counting $20.5 million in new construction to provide Spencer-area middle school students with a modern, healthy, safe school building.
All Roane County schools are protected with a Safe Schools Entrance, while as of last year, over 40% of the schools in WV did not have one.
All of this was made possible by the 2018 School Bond Levy, federal COVID relief funding, the School Building Authority of West Virginia, and the Roane County Commission.
Further improvements are planned pending passage of the school excess levy this fall, including:
- Full-time school safety officers
- Upgraded outdoor surveillance and security systems
- Classroom alert systems to compliment phones, radios, and other communications equipment
The results are in: Roane County continues to climb the charts!
Roane County's middle and high school programs are among the best in the state, with top 15 marks in Reading and Math in 7th and 11th Grade.
Overall, SchoolDigger.com puts Roane at 22nd, up from 39th last year.
New school year means new bus schedules!
You can find all of our bus schedules on our website here - https://www.roanewvschools.com/documents/home/bus-schedules/227286
With the new Spencer Middle School now open, Spencer-area routes have all been adjusted to reflect a new bus pickup and drop-off pattern.
ICYMI: WV MetroNews highlighted our Community Open House and Pup Rally at the new Spencer Middle School yesterday.
https://wvmetronews.com/2024/08/14/parents-and-students-get-a-first-look-at-spencer-middle-school/
VIRTUAL SCHOOL APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN
Applications for our full-time virtual school are now open.
https://forms.office.com/r/yG7YwRKEc6
Students must have at least a 2.0 GPA from last semester and have no more than 5 unexcused absences to be eligible to enroll. Once in our virtual school, students must maintain a 2.0 GPA each semester and may only change their enrollment at the semester breaks.
The 2024-25 school year is almost here!
Before students start back next week, we have two big community events planned this week:
Wednesday, August 14 @ 11 am - Community Open House and "Pup Rally" for the new Spencer Middle School
Thursday, August 15 @ 6 pm: Board of Education Community Forum on Our Excess Levy Proposal at the new Spencer Middle School
EXCESS LEVY COMMUNITY COMMITTEE
The Board's Excess Levy Community Committee will hold a special meeting on Wednesday, August 7, 2024, via Microsoft Teams. The only agenda item will be to discuss feedback from school-based committees on the topic of an excess operating levy. Information to join this meeting is found here:
Microsoft Teams
Meeting ID: 247 620 744 562
Passcode: sGdDoq
Dial in by phone
+1 304-553-7794,,837630210# United States, Charleston
Phone conference ID: 837 630 210#
Join us on August 14 as we open the new Spencer Middle and introduce Flora to the Spencer community!
Who's ready for school?
Please check your child's start date below.
Happy August, everyone! We're so excited to see our students in just a few weeks! Mark your calendars for your school's Open House event.
It's not too late to register your child for Roane County Schools' Collaborative PreK program.
Please call 304-927-6400 for more information and to obtain a registration packet. The first day of school for or PreSchool children will be August 28!
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS FOR A PERFORMANCE SERVICES PROJECT
Pursuant to WV Code 5A-3B-1 and SBA Policy Section 210, the Roane County Board of Education is seeking Proposals from qualified energy services companies to implement an energy efficiency project at four Roane County school locations.
Qualified companies are invited to contact Richard D. Duncan, Ph.D., Superintendent, at the Roane County Board of Education Office [rdduncan@k12.wv.us or (304) 927-6400] to obtain a copy of the complete Request for Proposals and submission requirements. A mandatory pre-proposal conference will be held on Friday, August 2, 2024, beginning at 10:00 am local prevailing time at Roane County High School. Complete proposals must be received no later than 1:00 pm local prevailing time on Friday, August 16, 2024, at the Administrative Offices of the Roane County Board of Education, 813 Capitol Street, Spencer, WV 25276.
The complete RFP can also be found here: https://5il.co/2r5lf