Congratulations!

Teacher Celebration

Teacher of the Year recipients and one ZCS retiree were honored at a reception and celebration before the public hearing and board meeting this week.

Special Education Teacher Deb Andrus will be retiring at the end of this school year after 19 years in Zionsville Community Schools.

Union Elementary School Principal Jen Raycroft said that Andrus has been a fixture in Union Elementary School for nearly two decades and is one of only a few left in the building who made the transition from Old Union to the new building. Raycroft said the school hasn't been open a day without Andrus as a part of the team. She described Andrus as a kind and gentle teacher who is a master at guiding children through early literacy skills. On behalf of the district, Principal Raycroft thanked Andrus for her dedication to Union Elementary School and Zionsville Community Schools and wished her well in her retirement.

Lynn Kissel-Brown kicked off the Teacher of the Year introductions. She described this year's process of selecting a ZCS District Teacher of the Year as incredibly difficult. She said community members served on the selection committee and one member read the essays more than six times each.

Kissel-Brown introduced each 2019 ZCS Teacher of the Year recipient. Those recipients included:

Liz Lauer-Jones was named the ZCS District Teacher of the Year and will represent Zionsville Community Schools in the Indiana Department of Education State Teacher of the Year selection process.

A reception was held prior to the introductions and celebration of all of the 2019 honorees.

ZCS Superintendent of Schools Scott Robison asked Boone Meadow Elementary School Principal Tom Hundley to introduce this month's youth leader, Jacob Mowrey, who represents the Strong in Every Way character trait of ethics. Hundley described Jacob as a student who cares deeply for other students.

Board President Joe Stein presented Jacob with the gavel and asked him to bring the meeting to order.

Public Hearing #2 and Media Release

Zionsville Community Schools to hold November referendum

Capital bond and operating levy to address increasing enrollment

The Zionsville Community Schools Board of Trustees has voted unanimously to place two referendum questions on the November 5 ballot. The first asks voters to approve a capital bond to expand classroom space, the other would extend the current operating referendum for eight years at the current rate. Because the school district is paying off debt, the total school tax rate is projected to be lower than the current rate – $1.268 per $100 of property value compared to this year’s $1.298.

“We believe there are three things that are important to our students, our schools and our community,” said Joe Stein, board president. “Strong schools equal strong property values; because our schools are nearly full, we need more space to address enrollment growth; and an investment now keeps our schools competitive. We feel these referenda support these statements."

Strong schools, strong communities

Excellent local public schools elevate property values, but home values are threatened by declining schools.

“Property values in the Zionsville Community Schools area continue to increase,” Stein said. “We hear from families that the most used criterion in making a decision about where to live is the quality of the local schools. That keeps property values going in the right direction, which was a goal of ours during the last two referenda.”

Voters approved the initial operating referendum in 2012 and voted to extend it in 2015.

Full schools

The population in the communities within Zionsville Community Schools (ZCS) has roughly doubled since 2010. Enrollment in the school district has increased by 3,000 students since 2006 and continues to grow. A demographic study by the Indiana University Kelley School of Business projects 200+ new students each year for the coming decade. This growth in enrollment will cause ZCS to run out of space in one elementary school this fall, and to be over capacity in all elementary schools by 2023, according to facilities studies. Zionsville Community High School has already outgrown hallways, cafeteria space and lockers, and is nearly out of classroom space.

“We have begun to make accommodations to ensure that student learning will not be negatively impacted by a scarcity of instructional space,” said Dr. Scott Robison, Superintendent.

“This will be much more difficult to do over the next several years. Without additional space, we’ll begin looking at more immediate and frequent rounds of redistricting (changing school attendance boundaries), higher class sizes (because of no new spaces in which to place 200+ new students each year), and portable classrooms.”

A capital referendum is proposed to pay for a new elementary school, a high school addition, and renovations recommended by a facilities study for the other 1.7 million square feet ZCS uses to educate more than 7,000 students. The projected facilities tax rate for the construction projects is 19.69 cents per $100 of property value. While the overall property tax rate will be slightly lower, the tax impact to homes and businesses will vary due to tax caps and other local taxing districts. A tax calculator will be available on the district website for homeowners to determine the school tax increase or decrease.

Staying competitive

“Zionsville Community Schools must remain vigilant to keep our schools competitive with those of nearby communities,” Stein said. “Westfield and Carmel voters have approved referenda. We cannot have overcrowded classrooms or relax our standards. So far, our community has been supportive by passing the operating referendum. We ask that community members seek out information to make an informed decision at the polls this fall.”

In addition to the capital bond referendum question, the Board of Trustees is requesting a renewal of the existing operating referendum so that it will have the finances to pay for staffing of new spaces, as well as continuing to keep class sizes low. ZCS continues to receive the least amount of state funding per student of any district in Indiana, and the current referendum fund supports the equivalent of a third of all teaching and counseling positions in ZCS.

State law specifies that the school district can supply factual information, but that no school resources can be expended in an effort to pass the referendum. A group of local citizens will take much of the responsibility for educating voters.

Additional referendum information is available on the district website at www.zcs.k12.in.us, as are minutes and podcasts of all school board meetings.

https://vimeo.com/335185110

As part of the Superintendent's Report, Zionsville Education Foundation Director Lyle Browne talked about ZEF's awarding of the 2019 Spring Classroom and Student Enrichment grants totaling $18,525.

Grant winners included:

https://vimeo.com/334354487

Browne also shared updates about previously-awarded grants in action inlcuding:

Browne shared the tremendous impact ZEF Grants make in the lives of ZCS youth. The school district thanked all community members for their generosity and willingness to help extend experiences for ZCS students.

ZCS Superintendent of Schools Scott Robison expressed gratitude for the many people who helped with the after-prom at ZCHS. He also highlighted that late last week ZCHS was awarded the Indiana State Musical Association (ISSMA) All Music Award for 2018-2019.

On May 3, Zionsville Middle School held their first Unified Champions Track and Field competition. It was a tremendous success.

https://vimeo.com/334890075

Dr. Robison provided a second reading of the Early Entrance to Kindergarten policy. As reviewed at the last meeting:

The legislature recently passed a budget bill which will pay for enrollment into school for students born between August 1 and September 1 of their 5^th year. There is also law stating that August 1^st is still the cutoff date for automatic enrollment in kindergarten. As per the legal requirements, school districts will be able to now reinstate their early entrance to kindergarten procedures for families who wish to enroll their children early into kindergarten.

At the ZCS Board meeting last month, the board offered a first reading of the Early Entrance Into Kindergarten Policy. This policy would allow parents, who have children born after the August 1^st cutoff date, to apply for early entrance to kindergarten. The application process, as in past years, involves some assessment to see if the child is ready.

At this month's second reading, the board voted to approve the policy. Early entrance to kindergarten procedures will be posted on the district website.

If you have questions, you may contact Christine Squier at csquier@zcs.k12.in.us.

Chief Operations Officer Rebecca Coffman asked for consideration and gained approval to move forward with a quote to make asphalt repairs. Chief Technology Officer Dan Layton asked for approval to purchase a district level Remind account. Layton impressed upon the board how many students are using Remind and how many messages are being sent. He said this system enhances transparency and will integrate with Canvas. A district-level account costs just over $17,000.

Superintendent Robison gave a first reading of a policy revision for Non-Resident Students of Employees.

The next board meeting will be on June 10, 2019 at 6 p.m. in the ZCS Educational Services Center.

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