Archive for the ‘Levy news’ Category

MonMay14

Community Foundation releases deadlines for athletic fund

Posted by akiefaber May 14th, 2012, 4:32 pm Post a Comment

The Community Foundation of West Chester/Liberty recently released the deadlines to apply for the Lakota Athletic Participation Fee Fund, which was created to assist student athletes in the Lakota school district with sports fees.

Junior high and high school students saw their athletic fees increase prior to the 2011-2012 school year when the Lakota Board of Education approved $10.2 million in cuts.

Athletic fees ballooned to $350 for junior high athletes – up from $200 in 2010-2011 – and to $550 for high school students – up from $300 in 2010-2011.

Due to this increase, the Community Foundation established the Lakota Athletic Participation Fee Fund. Through this fund, private donations can be made to cover half of the athletic fee assessed to students participating in sports within the district.

More than $6,500 was awarded in scholarship during the 2011-12 school year.

Deadlines for consideration during the 2012-2013 school year:

  • Fall Sports: Students in grades 7-8 must apply by May 15, Students in grades 9-12 must apply by Aug. 17
  • Winter Sports: Students in grades 7-12 must apply by Nov. 16
  • Spring Sports: Students in grades 7-12 must apply by Feb. 15

Families interested in submitting an application for consideration must submit a letter to The Community Foundation of West Chester/Liberty indicating their desire for assistance.

The letter should include the name of the student athlete, school and grade level. The letter should also include a rationalization and insight into the family’s hardship, the benefit the students will receive from athletic participation and insight into the family’s ability to cover half of the athletic fee charged to the student. Families should also include documentation of other financial assistance being provided.

Send letters to:

The Community Foundation of West Chester/Liberty
Attn: Lakota Athletic Participation Fee Fund
5641 Union Centre Drive
West Chester, OH 45069

Applications will be reviewed by a selection committee of West Chester and Liberty Township residents.

A limited number of scholarships are available. Only one scholarship per student will be awarded in a school year.

Community Members who wish to support the Lakota Athletic Participation Fee Fund can make a donation payable to the Lakota Athletic Participation Fee Fund c/o The Community Foundation of West Chester/Liberty. For more information, call Melissa Benedict at 513-874-5450.

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MonMay7

Weekly news roundup: Lakota seeks student opinion

Posted by akiefaber May 7th, 2012, 8:03 am Post a Comment

During a focus group at the Lakota Central Office May 3, 2012, it was the students teaching Lakota administrators on how to better run the state’s seventh-largest school system. In picture, Lakota student Jennifer Shafer shares her opinion. Photo taken by Adam Kiefaber.

To let West Chester and Liberty Township residents catch up with the news that they need to know, WestChesterBuzz.com will list and link to all of last week’s top local stories every Monday.

Lakota students share opinions on how to run district – During a focus group session at the Lakota Central Office last Thursday, it was the students teaching Lakota administrators on how to better run the state’s seventh-largest school system.

Lightning strike levels Liberty Township home – Gary Keller’s 4,000-square-foot, $900,000 home caught fire after being struck by lightning during last Wednesday’s storm.

Former Lakota West football players get chance with Bengals – Lakota West graduates Grant Hunter and Josh Chichester will both have the opportunity to prove to the Cincinnati Bengals that they are worth a roster spot. Hunter, who played linebacker at Butler, was among one of the 14 college free agents that the Bengals signed Wednesday. While Chichester, was one of the three players with local ties who were invited to try out at next weekend’s, May 11-13, rookie minicamp.

Ex-assistant prosecutor indicted in Butler County – Sheila McLaughlin reported last week that a former Butler County assistant prosecutor was himself indicted for allegedly forging an indictment against an alleged robber. Jason Phillabaum, who has been working in private practice, is charged with two counts each of forgery and tampering with records and misdemeanor charges of derelection of duty, interference with civil rights and using a sham legal process.

Schedule released for 2012 West Chester concert series – The schedule for the 2012 Fifth Third West Chester summer concert series at Keehner Park has been released. The free Saturday concerts will take place at the Keehner Park amphitheatre from 7 to 9 p.m.

After-Hours on The Square at Union Centre 2012 schedule – DV8 will kick off the 2012 season of the First Financial Bank After-Hours on The Square concert series in West Chester May 24. The band will perform from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at The Square at Union Centre. The concert series will take place every Thursday

Mojo Running moves to new location – Mojo Running, the West Chester running specialty store, is itself on the move. The shop relocated from 9318 Union Center Blvd in the U.S. Bank Plaza to a more visible space two miles away, at 8777 Cincinnati Dayton Road in Olde West Chester, near the Post Office, owner Paul Heintz said.

Lakota West sweeps rival – For the second time in four days, a Lakota West pitcher shutout the defending Division I baseball state champions. Behind sophomore pitcher Grant Schuermann, Lakota West blanked the Lakota East Thunderhawks by the score of 3-0 on April 27. Then, last Monday, it was senior Zak Farmer who shutout Lakota East in a 7-0 victory at the Hawks Nest.

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ThuMay3

Lakota students share opinions on how to run district

Posted by akiefaber May 3rd, 2012, 4:58 pm Post a Comment

During a focus group session at the Lakota Central Office Thursday, it was the students teaching Lakota administrators on how to better run the state’s seventh-largest school system.

The student-led focus group was the first of four sessions with Lakota officials, as the school district looks for more effective ways to educate its students.

“Students will tell you the truth and that is what we are looking for,” Lakota Superintendent Karen Mantia said. “We want to make sure we are responsive school system in meeting their needs. In order to do that, we need to ask them.

“This is just the tip of the ice berg.”

After the discussions with students, Mantia said that he hopes to extend an invitation for future focus groups with teachers and eventually with the community.

Among the topics covered, during the two-hour student focus group, included what ways students learn the best, how technology plays a role in their learning, what skills do they think they need to know for their future and what changes need to be made to the school system.

Lakota West senior Melody Stewart shares her opinion during a student focus group at the Lakota Central Office May 3, 2012. Photo taken by Adam Kiefaber.

One change some of the students agreed on was the district needing to be more lenient with online restrictions. Currently, students cannot visit websites like Twitter, Facebook and other blogs while on school grounds.

“Anything that could help us with our studies should be allowed,” Lakota West senior Melody Stewart said. “If that means going on Facebook to get something, then we should be allowed to do that. If you abuse that privilege than it should be taken away, but for educational purposes we should be able to go online and search for what we need.”

Stewart, who played volleyball in the Lakota school system and will continue her athletic career at Northern Kentucky University, also thought that the school system should focus on having more extracurricular activities.

“If I didn’t play volleyball, I don’t think that would be as involved in the school today,” Stewart said. “I think these activities help students feel connected to the school district. I believe we should get students more involved and have more extracurricular activities so they can have that connection and feel what I felt.”

Another Lakota athlete, who still has two more years of high school before he graduates, worries about the change in the academic schedule when the high schools move to six-period days in the fall.

“Next year is going to be a lot harder because we only have six periods,” said Lakota West sophomore Malik Grove, who has played varsity football, basketball and bowling. “You still need to earn enough credits. I will still need another foreign language and a fine arts class. I only have two years left to get those in order to get into to a good college.”

Meanwhile, Stewart hopes Grove and other future graduates will receive the same education she received while at Lakota.

“When I leave, I don’t want to see the school district go down the drain. I want them to keep improving,” Stewart said. “My experience at Lakota was great. I feel that I am very prepared for the future and I want other students who come up to feel the same way.

“I really hope that this meeting will give the school district a lot of information to keep improving our studies … because I believe there are many things that we can to do, to better prepare students for college and the workforce.”

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Posted in: Board of Education, Events, Levy news, News, School events, Schools, Sports, Student achievements |

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MonApr23

Lakota preschool information nights scheduled this week

Posted by akiefaber April 23rd, 2012, 10:21 am Post a Comment

The Lakota school district recently released the dates, times and locations for the 2012-2013 Lakota preschool informational sessions.

During the sessions, parents will have the opportunity to learn about preschool curriculum, starting and ending times, classroom composition, application and registration process, tuition, special education information and Butler County’s hiring forecast.

Lakota and Butler County administrators will be available to answer any questions.

The Lakota preschool program will be going through the transition of consolidating its services with the Head Start program, operated by the Butler County Educational Service Center. By merging the programs, the district is saving an estimated $1.2 million in 2012-2013.

For details on the preschool budget reduction plan approved in March, go to www.lakotaonline.com/budget.

The informational sessions will be Monday from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Creekside Early Childhood School, 5070 Tylersville Road; Wednesday from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Shawnee Early Childhood School, 9394 Sterling Drive; and Thursday from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Liberty Early Childhood School, 6040 Princeton Road.

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FriApr13

Lakota preschool information nights scheduled this month

Posted by akiefaber April 13th, 2012, 1:31 pm Post a Comment

The Lakota school district recently released the dates, times and locations for the 2012-2013 Lakota preschool informational sessions.

During the sessions, parents will have the opportunity to learn about preschool curriculum, starting and ending times, classroom composition, application and registration process, tuition, special education information and Butler County’s hiring forecast.

Lakota and Butler County administrators will be available to answer any questions.

The Lakota preschool program will be going through the transition of consolidating its services with the Head Start program, operated by the Butler County Educational Service Center. By merging the programs, the district is saving an estimated $1.2 million in 2012-2013.

For details on the preschool budget reduction plan approved in March, go to www.lakotaonline.com/budget.

The informational sessions will be Monday, April 23 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Creekside Early Childhood School, 5070 Tylersville Road; Wednesday, April 25 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Shawnee Early Childhood School, 9394 Sterling Drive; and Thursday, April 26 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Liberty Early Childhood School, 6040 Princeton Road.

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MonApr2

In case you missed it: Last week in West Chester

Posted by akiefaber April 2nd, 2012, 9:12 am Post a Comment

To let West Chester and Liberty Township residents catch up with the news that they need to know, WestChesterBuzz.com will list and link to all of last week’s top local stories every Monday.

Mason vs. Lakota West

Lakota West senior Zak Farmer pitches during a 9-2 loss against Mason Monday, March 26, 2012. Photo by Adam Kiefaber.

High school baseball begins – Last Monday, both Lakota West and Lakota East began the 2012 baseball season with a loss during the inaugural Reds Future High School Showcase at Prasco Park Legacy Field in Mason. Lakota West lost by the score of 9-2 against rival Mason, while Lakota East lost to Hamilton 4-2.

Scholarship created to honor student involved in fatal wreck – The Community Foundation of West Chester/Liberty announced last Monday that it has established a scholarship fund to honor a Lakota West student, who died after being involved in a fatal car wreck March 16. The Ezekiel “Zeke” Stepaniak Memorial Scholarship will be awarded annually to a student at Lakota West High School that exhibits Stepaniak’s qualities.

Karen Mantia

Lakota Superintendent Karen Mantia. Photo taken by Tony Jones.

Lakota seeks students’ input on cuts – Cincinnati Enquirer Michael D. Clark reported that Lakota Superintendent Karen Mantia is reaching out to some of those hardest hit by Lakota’s recent $10.5 million in budget cuts – students. Mantia said during Monday evening’s Lakota school board meeting that she will invite students in May to discuss in person the sweeping changes.

Jack in the Box could open in mid-July – A spokesperson with Jack in the Box said last week that it is “only a matter of days” before the company breaks ground on its first restaurant in Ohio. The location, off Tylersville Road near I-75 in West Chester, is expected to be open by mid-July. The target date of the opening could be changed to due weather.

Rogers declared winner after recount – Last week’s recount in the Butler County commission race confirmed that T.C. Rogers of West Chester Township won the Republican primary for Butler County commissioner. Rogers finished 13 votes ahead of former commissioner and State Rep. Courtney Combs. Rogers will face Democratic candidate Jodi Billerman of Liberty Township and Libertarian Daryl Olthaus of Somerville in the November election.

Lakota East at Lakota West

Lakota West pitcher Ashley Sharp pitches in a 6-2 win against Lakota East Friday, March 30, 2012. Photo by Joseph Fuqua II.

Amylin shares soar on takeover bid – Cincinnati Enquirer’s Mike Boyer reported that shares of drug-maker Amylin Pharmaceuticals Inc. in West Chester Township soared 54 percent Wednesday after a report that the company rejected a $3.5 billion unsolicited takeover bid from Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. Shares of the San Diego-based company closed at $23.77 – up $8.38 in more than 10 times normal trading – after Bloomberg News reported the company had rejected the $22-a-share offer.

Lakota West defeated Lakota East in softball – On Friday, Lakota West won its fourth straight against its school district rival. The latest coming by way of a 6-2 victory over the Thunderhawks. Last season, Lakota East was ranked No. 1 in the state for most of the spring and lost only three of its 31 games. All three losses came at the hand of the Firebirds, including one that eliminated Lakota East in the state quarterfinals.

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TueMar27

Lakota will ask students for their input on budget cuts

Posted by akiefaber March 27th, 2012, 12:23 pm Post a Comment

Michael D. Clark reports

School Superintendent Karen Mantia is reaching out to some of those hardest hit by Lakota’s recent $10.5 million in budget cuts – students.

Karen Mantia

Lakota Superintendent Karen Mantia. Photo taken by Tony Jones.

Mantia said during Monday evening’s Lakota school board meeting that she will invite students in May to discuss in person the sweeping changes.

“We really feel like we owe it to our students to ask them what they think their future will be,” said Mantia.

“This will be the first round of a series of engagement meetings. We will be recruiting a cross-section of about 180 students. Then we will go out to talk to the public,” she said.

Due to cuts in recent years totaling more than $25 million, thousands of Lakota students lost busing this school year and learned in more crowded classes.

The slicing of another $10.5 million next school year, including 141 teaching, classroom aides and school staffer positions – and loss of some elective classes – will mean even more changes next school year.

Lakota voters have rejected three school tax hikes in the last two years and Moody’s Investors Service might lower the district’s bond rating, school officials said.

Mantia said Lakota is one of 10 districts among Ohio’s 613 public school systems to have a top, AAA bond rating.

But Moody’s recently contacted Lakota officials after its levy losses, she said. “They particularly hone in on districts that are losing levies,” Mantia said.

“What communities do makes an impact on what interest rate we pay,” said Mantia referring to the higher interest rates the district must pay for bonds if Lakota’s rating is lowered.

Treasurer Jenni Logan said she and Mantia made a vigorous defense of the district’s financial viability with Moody’s.“We are fighting to keep that good rating and hopefully we will get some good news.”

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MonMar26

Lakota school board scheduled to meet tonight

Posted by akiefaber March 26th, 2012, 10:25 am Post a Comment

Lakota officials are expected to provide more details on what programs and what positions will be eliminated by next school year during the public portion of the Lakota Board of Education meeting at 7 p.m. Monday.

Earlier this month, the school board approved approximately $10.5 million in budget cuts to take place before the 2012-2013 school year.

According Michael D. Clark of The Cincinnati Enquirer, cuts include 141 teaching, classroom specialist, school nurse and school staff positions, and nine school and central office administrators.

Overall, the school board approved $3.5 million in cuts to its administration, $390,000 to athletics, $2.7 million to high schools, $1.6 million to junior highs, $1.5 million to K-6 and $1.2 million in cost savings to its preschool program. Only $73,000 of the athletic cuts will be saved from the school’s general fund. Most of the athletic cuts are being done to combat a shortfall experienced this year due to lower participation rates caused by last year’s hike in athletic participation fees.

The cost savings of $1.2 million to the district’s preschool program involves a merger that allows Lakota to purchase its preschool services from Butler County Educational Services. The merger will affect an estimated 288 preschool students in Lakota’s three early childhood schools and is expected to eliminate around 17 classroom jobs by the start of next school year.

The $1.5 million in cuts to K-6 includes the restructuring of the delivery of art, music and physical education at the elementary level (grades 1-6). Instead of students receiving instruction in each special subject (art, music and P.E.) one time each week, students will receive only one of the special subjects one time each week for 45 minutes a day.

The $1.6 million in cuts to junior highs includes the change in school day from six and a half hours to six hours and the change to six bells.

The $2.7 million cut from the high schools also includes a shorter day – moving back the current start time from 7:30 a.m. to 8:05 a.m. Dismissal will move back one minute from 2:39 p.m. to 2:40 p.m. It also lowered the number of credits needed to graduate, from 21 to 20.

The administration cuts include the elimination of about 50 jobs. Under the approved proposal, Lakota will cut one of its two assistant superintendents, two school building administrators and the dean of students at both Lakota East and Lakota West high schools.

Additional information on all budget reduction proposals can be seen at www.lakotaonline.com/budget.

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FriMar23

Office Depot donates $97,000 in supplies to Lakota

Posted by akiefaber March 23rd, 2012, 9:32 am Post a Comment

Sue Kiesewetter reports

A large donation of office supplies valued at nearly $97,000 will help keep costs down for the Lakota schools in coming months.The Business Solutions Division of Office Depot last week delivered 13 pallets of materials weighing more than 10,000 pounds to the district’s service center – one of the largest donations in recent memory.

School officials are dividing the more than 79,000 items – including highlighters toilet paper, pens, trash bags, paper towels, batteries, glue sticks, and binders – into bins for distribution to the schools in the 18,000-pupil district.

The merchandise is a combination of current inventory and surplus ‘fashion’ supplies that change from season to season, said Owen Torres, spokesman for Office Depot’s Florida headquarters.

Anything the district can’t use will be given to Reach Out Lakota or other charities that benefit the Lakota community, said Chris Passarge, the district’s executive director of business.

“It helps put a dent into what we’d purchase in the future,’’ Passarge said. “We can use a large portion to help offset future costs.”

The last time the district received such a large donation was about eight years when Tom and Jennifer Sharkey agreed to pay for and oversee construction of a 1,000 square-foot band room at Liberty Junior School, said Ron Spurlock, assistant superintendent, who was principal at Liberty Junior School when the Sharkey’s made the donation.

That donation, if the district would have hired contractors to build it, would have cost between $80,000 and $100,000.

“We’ve had people who have been very generous to the Lakota Schools. We’ve had some big donations,” Spurlock said.

“This donation from Office Depot is certainly one of the largest ones and we can certainly use it and are very grateful.”

It couldn’t come at a better time for the district as officials are struggling to reduce expenses after three levy defeats in the past two years.

Earlier this month the school board approved cuts totaling $10.5 million in personnel and programs for the 2012-13 school year. The cuts include the elimination of 141 school jobs – mostly teachers – along with dozens of classroom assistants, school nurses, and central office personnel.

“A lot of school districts are having financial problems like Lakota,’’ said Owen Torres, spokesman for Office Depot’s Florida headquarters. “We were very pleased to be able to do this and so were our representatives. They love doing this.”

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MonMar19

In case you missed it: Last week in West Chester

Posted by akiefaber March 19th, 2012, 11:27 am Post a Comment

To let West Chester and Liberty Township residents catch up with the news that they need to know, WestChesterBuzz.com will list and link to all of last week’s top local stories every Monday. (Stories are listed in order of date)

Lakota Board of Education Lakota schools’ budget ax falls – The Lakota school board approved just more than $10.5 million in budget cuts for next school year at its meeting last Monday. Overall the school district will cut 141 teaching, classroom specialist, school nurse and school staff positions, in addition to nine school and central office administrators, according to The Enquirer.

Kay Rogers pleads to keep her savings – Former Butler County Auditor Kay Rogers’s attorney asked a federal judge to intervene last Monday to stop federal Kay Rogers prosecutors from following through with the garnishment of about $250,000 in retirement savings, according to The Enquirer. According to her attorney, without her savings she will be “unable to support her family” upon her release.

Parents worry about Lakota’s future – The Enquirer’s education reporter Michael D. Clark wrote a story about the parents and their concerns after the Lakota school board made roughly $10.5 in cuts last Monday.

Lakota freshman visits spring training as MLB.com writer – An exceptionally gifted writer from Lakota West Freshman School Meggie Zahneisin West Chester visited spring training sites last week and interviewed dozens of baseball players for MLB.com.

Lakota East students make video to stop cyber bullying – Lakota East and Butler Tech digital media arts students are participating in The Great American NO BULL Challenge in order to fight and bring awareness to cyber bullying. The NO BULL Challenge is a video contest where teens create a two-to-five minute video on how to combat cyber bullying. The local students’ solution is simple – “Post Positive.”

Lakota West grad Matt Klinker retires from pro baseballMatt Klinker After bouncing between the Cincinnati Reds’ AAA and AA minor league teams for the past three seasons, West Chester native Matt Klinker has decided to retire from the game of baseball and is currently training to become a salesman for Pipe Products.

NoLakota spokesman booted after controversial blog post – A blog posted by Rich Hoffman, who up until last week was the spokesman for the anti-school tax levy group NoLakota, went viral and offended many community members. In the post, Hoffman was very descriptive on his opinion of Lakota mothers, who he referred to as “prostitutes.” After The Enquirer featured the post’s content in a separate article, Hoffman was banned from further association with NoLakota. Hoffman has since responded to The Enquirer article on his blog Overmanwarrior’s Wisdom.

Local businesswoman Liz Rogers in the news again – Liberty Township resident Liz Rogers was in and out of the news this past week after she surrendered to authorities on a warrant related to a debt. Later in the week, she would pay off the debt and criticized the media. Rogers’ financial situation has become newsworthy after the city of Cincinnati decided to give her and her husband nearly $1 million in funds to open a soul food restaurant at The Banks.

Memorial for Zeke Stepaniak Lakota West community mourns the loss of a student -A Lakota West junior died and four other students were injured in an automobile crash Friday night. Ezekiel “Zeke” Stepaniak of Liberty Township was the junior who died. Lakota West sophomore Ashley Stacy, 16, was treated for serious injuries at Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton. According to the school district, her condition has improved. The school district is making counselors available this week at both Lakota West High School and Lakota West Freshman School.

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