NEW BREMEN – The New Bremen Board of Education approved the district’s anticipated budget at their Sept. 15 meeting in the Komminsk Innovation Center.
Treasurer Jill Ahlers presented a report to the Board that showed the district had $15,578,949.11 budget for the 2021-22 school year. She noted the total amount reflects a decrease of approximately 25.02% over last year’s appropriations due to the K-8 building project nearing completion. The General Fund appropriations reflected a decrease of .43% of last year’s General Fund appropriations.
The board approved Superintendent Jason Schrader’s plans to purchase a snow blower for $20,000 to handle the new sidewalks and parking areas around the school.
The superintendent also presented a graph that showed a slight increase in enrollment. Figures for 2021-22 have 415 in grades K-6 and 384 in grades 7-12, for a total of 799. In 2020-21, there were 408 K-6 students, 365 in grades 7-12 for a total of 773. In 2001-02, it was 673 in K-6, 323 in 7-12 for a total of 996 students.
The Board also approved new hires included Spencer Elking and Jane Homan, who will share a position as seventh-grade girls basketball coaches.
Junior/Senior High principal Marcus Overman congratulated to Abbie Burden, Jonathan Zimpfer, Gavin Spragg, and Zach Weideman for being selected onto the All-State Choir.
He said their new math program, Reveal, seems to be going very well. They are waiting on a couple of back-ordered textbooks to arrive, but all students have a digital license at this time. With the new series, he said they implemented a new online program called ALEKS, which replaces the IXL program used in the past.
Overman also said the seventh- and eighth-grade math and ELA are utilizing STAR again this year to assist with meeting students at their levels and to help identify which students may need extra interventions to get to grade level. The initial benchmark assessment has been completed, and seventh- and eighth-grade math and ELA teachers are doing interventions once per week with the students who need assistance.
He said they will end Spirit Week with a K-12 pep rally and the homecoming game against Anna on Friday and the homecoming dance on Saturday night.
He congratulated the homecoming court: Halden Lemley and Maria Wells, Logan Schumm and Alayna Ross, Gavin Skinner and Mia Schmitmeyer, Zach Ashman and Chloe Bornhorst, Hank Elshoff and Mara Brackman, Nathan Rindler and Janelle Hagan, Grant Wilker and Mallory Messick.
On Sunday, Sept. 19, Overman said he will be hosting a Washington D.C. meeting for current eighth-grade students and parents at 5 p.m. and another for ninth-grade students and parents at 6 p.m. The eighth grade meeting will be the final meeting before their trip in October. The ninth-grade meeting will begin registering for their April trip.
Finally, interim reports for the first quarter will be sent home on Friday, Sept 17.
K-6 principal Diane Kramer reported that Title I Reading and RTI classes began last week for first grade and next week for kindergarten. Students were selected for intervention based on a multi-criterion scale from the end of last year as well the STAR results from this year.
She said students have been busy taking the STAR Early Literacy Assessment (grades K-1) and STAR Reading and Math Assessments (grades 2-6). These assessments are used to show student
growth throughout the school year. The program also allows the school to look at student strengths and weaknesses as related to the standards in language arts and math.
Kramer said they are in initial contact with teachers to start the teacher evaluation process. She said she will be evaluating 11 teachers using the full evaluation cycle and 22 teachers using the partial evaluation cycle for a total of 33 teachers.
She said Wendi Moorman met with gifted teachers last week to provide guidance on writing WEPs (Written Education Plans). WEPs will be send home with students on Friday, October 1st .
For the Third Grade Reading Guarantee, K-3 grade level teachers will review the diagnostic materials for the assessments that need to be completed by Sept. 30. By early October ,the school will know which students are on track to meet grade level reading goals by the end of the school year. Any third-grade student who does not achieve a passing score on the State Reading Test is to be retained in third grade until the student is considered to be at reading on grade level. There will be some exceptions for students with learning disabilities.
Athletic Director Chad Wells updated the board.
Besides the homecoming football game this week against Anna, there will be a Senior Night for football/golf/cross country/band on Oct. 22 vs. Fort Recovery. A senior night for volleyball is planned for Oct. 14 vs. Fort Recovery.
He also shared OHSAA Tournament Information. Boys golf sectionals are on Sept. 30 at Colonial Golf Course, with girls golf sectionals on Sept. 28 at Celina Lynx. The next cross country district competition will be Oct. 23 at Columbus Grove.
