President Adam Manning welcomed everyone to the Centerville Rotary Club and led reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance. PDG Harvey Smith provided the prayer.
Announcements:
- Thanks to Jim Stuart and Vimbai Mazani for being greeters today.
- Today’s Guests included Mary Nenninger. Assistant District Governor; Gina Smith’s parents, Linda & Ed Werner and daughter, Hadley.
Arnie Biondo introduced our exchange student, Marti from Chile, who shared she will be here until June/July, and is now staying with the Biondo family. She feels her English is getting better every day!
Kristin Hutton completed all requirements of a new member and so her red ribbon was removed! Congrats, Kristin!
More announcements:
- Saturday Apr 13 is the District Service Day at Sleep in Heavenly Peace. We will be building bed frames in Cincinnati. Manpower is needed 9:30-12 or 12:30-3; or donate new, twin bed bedding. Sign up and Adam will email the link to purchase.
- Social tonight at Senney’s house 8256 Station House Road, 6:30 pm.
- Board meeting this week: discussion about funding to be able to purchase the high end raffle prizes that bring in the most money at the Golf Outing. After a short discussion, the club voted to pay for it from the club funds instead of asking members to donate cash.
Happy Bucks this quarter are going toward the International Conflict Relief through the Red Cross/Red Crescent.
Pat Beckel was our Sergeant at Arms with assistance from Jim Stuart.
Happy Bucks were generously given for:
- Pat Beckel shared menus from new restaurants, The Brunch Pub and Manna. If you were born this day in 1940, this year you are finally of legal age to drink alcohol!
- Ginger Clark’s daughter, Hadley performs with Forte and a new video will be released this weekend.
- Kristin Hutton for the red ribbon removal.
- Lisa Goris May was happy to be well and here.
- Mary Nenninger was happy to see the sun as spring is not far off.
- Arnie Biondo was happy to see Pat has adopted Jeff’s hairstyle.
- Kelly McDonald was in Denver, came home early and didn’t bring back covid. Thanks for support from the club for the Golf Outing. Golf committee meeting will be scheduled soon - please join the fun! He is going to PETS for Sofie while she takes care of her mom.
- Lee Hieronymus mentioned the Silver Ram Award for sheep farmer in Ohio and stated most farmers have corn and soybean equipment in their barns readying for planting. The machinery has improved over time so now they can plant 32 rows at one time.
- Chuck King had a great trip to South Carolina where he played golf, visited plantations, and rode a boat to Fort Sumpter.
- Socks Bowersocks said it is good to be home, he made thorough a tour of the southeastern US, and he’s still married! Only 19 days until spring!
- Jim Harris for today’s guests, Kristin removing her new member ribbon, and Bill Menker.
- Ron Hollenbeck for his 12th anniversary in the Centerville club.
- Bill Menker educated the group about the solar eclipse coming up on April 8 and then distributed eclipse glasses the library got with a grant.
- Frank Perez had a great visit to South Carolina, got in some golf and is glad to be back.
- Amy Hary was happy to have Marti here.
- Elda Gotos Gay for Marti.
- Don Stewart shared they ate at the Brunch Pub and had a really nice time. It’s great to support local places.
- Vimbai Mazani was happy.
- Don Johnson apologized for missing meetings.
- Brad Huffman for Marti, and noted spring is just around the corner and the CHS baseball team is selling high quality mulch, so let him know if you need some.
- Bob Daley for the Dayton Flyers.
- Brad Thorp is going to Hawaii for 2 weeks with his son Brit to play golf.
- Linda Werner was happy and leaping for joy for being here on Leap day.
- Gina Smith was happy for today’s guests and for returning safe from the author event in St Augustine, and she sold some books!.
- Carol Kennard for Boyd filling in as note taker last week.
- Jeff Senney announced Marti is coming to the social tonight so that’s another reason to attend! He just got back from DC for a visit with his son’s family, and his daughter and her kids came, too. His son’s wife announced another baby is on the way! Jeff sat in the airport lobby with Jim Jordan on the way over there and visited with Gov DeWine on the way back.
- Tom Henderson gave for the Golf Outing.
Our speaker today was Dr. Tom Henderson sharing information on the upcoming School Levy.
Tom has lived in Centerville for 60 years, his wife is a graduate of CHS, they had 2 boys in Centerville Schools, and now have 2 grandkids in Centerville schools. He spent 32 of 40 years in education at Centerville Schools. He has transitioned to another job in education, now working 40 hrs instead of 80.
Issue 18 for Centerville Schools is on the ballot March 19.
Centerville City Schools (CCS) doesn’t get a lot of state funding, so the community has to contribute a larger amount to the fiscal needs.
State law also freezes the funding received through voted levies. Whenever the levy passes, the amount stays the same throughout the life of the levy with no adjustments for inflation.
This levy is for operation costs - meeting the learning needs of all students, along with the social, and emotional wellbeing of all students.
Tom noted it has become more difficult to recruit high quality teachers.
The levy will provide funds to support the facilities. Magsig will be 100 years old this year and the average age of the school buildings is 66 years.
Tom said the staff and School Board work hard to be fiscally responsible. When the levy passes, collection doesn’t start until the next year.
After the November issue failed, CCS had to plan for budget cuts. Most of the staffing cuts will be met through attrition, as people retire, their positions will not be filled. Other budget changes include increased class sizes, buses transport more students per bus, which also increases the bus route time..
CCS is looking to cut $1.62 million now, and if the levy fails, they will need to cut another $1.5 million.
The next community forum is March 13 at Tower Heights Middle School. The CCS District website has lots of information, facts, and figures pertaining to the levy.
https://www.centerville.k12.oh.us/levy
Tom always proud about the schools, so fortunate to live in community like C/W Twp, great place to raise a family. Time to help out to support Centerville Schools.
The percent of operating budget spent on personnel is 88%. It is a people business. The School Board has to negotiate with the teacher’s union and then salaries are determined for that time period (typically 4 years).
Unfunded mandates from state can cause stress on the school district budget, too. The retirement systems don’t have any early retirement incentives.
Tom’s position now is career based learning which is paid by a state grant. He works with the career education students, teaching how to interview, write resumes, and setting up job shadowing. He brought driver’s ed to Fairmont HS. 30 programs are housed at CHS & Fairmont instead of sending to the Career Education Center on Hoke Road.
CCS enrollment is staying around 8,200 students, holding steady.
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