By Marilyn McConahay

Contributing writer

CLAYTON — The Northmont School District learned some good news that Superintendent Tony Thomas shared during a short school board meeting held at Northmont Elementary School on Sept. 11.

“The district found out this week that, in preliminary data, we earned five stars out of five in the Progress Component. Last year this was a great indicator for us ranking in the top 3.5 percent in the state,” Thomas said.

“We do not know where we rank this year but are happy to report another five-star in the two years the state has used this format. We also have a five-star rating in graduation rate and gap closing,” he said. “We continue to be an excellent district.”

Ohio School Report Cards provide parents, caregivers, community members, educators and policymakers information about district and school performance, to celebrate successes and identify areas for improvement.

The information provides transparent reporting to drive local conversations on continuous improvement and identifies schools that need intensive support.

The report cards establish high expectations for the education community while showing progress toward equitable outcomes for all Ohio students.

The 2023 Ohio School Report Card Guide provides an overview and explanation of the key components of the 2023 Ohio School Report Cards.

Districts and schools receive an overall rating of 1 to 5 stars in half-star increments. The overall rating is comprised of five rated components: achievement, progress, gap closing, early literacy and graduation.

To find out what Ohio School Report Cards measure, visit https://bit.ly/3Lm2k1M.

An important event for the district and the community is the upcoming auction on Friday, Sept. 29, at the former Englewood Elementary School building, located at 702 Albert St. in Englewood. It will be conducted by Auctioneer and Realtor Jon Carr.

Unwanted surplus items from the school will be sold beginning at 9 a.m. and the real estate auction will take place at 2:30 p.m.

Kitchen equipment, other furnishings and playground equipment will be featured, including such items as mixers, refrigerators, a freezer, carts, pots and pans, folding tables, conference tables, LED projectors, digital cameras, teachers’ desks, file cabinets, a park bench, book shelves, and playground equipment including teeter-totters, swings and slides, to name a few.

Interested parties can check out the 1950, single-level building located on seven acres during an advance open house on Tuesday, Sept. 26, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Some items can be viewed in advance at www.jwcauctions.com.

Also, the calendar committee has begun discussing ideas for the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 school year calendars.

The committee is made up of teachers, administrators from buildings and departments and parents. The next meeting will be later this month to look at some options based on the feedback and ideas from the meeting. The committee hopes to have calendars to the board members for review and approval in October.

The next Northmont Board of Education meeting will be at 6 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 25, at Englewood Hills Elementary School, 508 Durst Drive, Englewood.