Low Voter Turnout for School Levy Ballot

16.8 percent of eligible voters cast ballots on the operating levy

The majority of voters eligible to cast a vote on the Kent City Schools levy Tuesday stayed home. A total 3,608 votes were cast on Issue 8, according to final but unofficial results from the Portage County Board of Elections. The 8.9 mill school operating levy passed by a vote of 2,201 for the levy and 1,407 against it, according to the board of elections. Citywide, there are 17,223 registered voters in Kent. Add in the neighboring townships and villages, and 21,380 voters were eligible to cast a vote on the levy last week. Of the eligible voters, just 16.8 percent cast a vote on the levy. The votes cast in favor of the levy represent just 10 percent of the total voters eligible to vote on the issue. Countywide, Portage saw a voter turnout…

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Readers React to School Levy Vote

Low turn out, annual cost to residents among topics

Voters Pass School Levy, Deny Former Councilman Seat

All information is according to the Portage County Board of Elections. Results are final but unofficial.

Voters in Kent overwhelmingly approved a 8.9-mill continuing operating levy for the Kent City Schools Tuesday while denying a former councilman a return to Kent City Council. Voters approved Issue 8 by a vote of 2,201 for the levy to 1,407 against the levy, according to final but unofficial results from the Portage County Board of Elections. The victory came by an 800-vote margin. The levy will raise $4.25 million annually for the school district, according to school officials. The tax increase will cost the owner of a house valued at $100,000 about $272 per year. In the Democratic primary, a newcomer moves on to the general election in November for Kent City Council. Incumbent at-large councilmen Roger Sidoti, an appointee, and Michael …

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Readers React to School Levy Editorial

Superintendent says levy on Tuesday's ballot counters lack of state financial support

Superintendent: Levy Counters Lack of State Support

Kent City Schools superintendent Joseph Giancola talks about Issue 8, an 8.9-mill levy on the May 7 ballot

Editor's note: this editorial was submitted by Kent City Schools Superintendent Joseph Giancola. Patch does not endorse election candidates or ballot issues. To read more about Issue 8, the 8.9-mill school operating levy on the May 7 ballot, click on this link. -Editor Matt Fredmonsky  State funding of Ohio Schools has been debated for decades. Our local board of education, the Ohio Legislature, and even the Ohio Supreme Court have engaged in heated discussions without 100 percent agreement. The beauty of our democratic freedoms is that we can debate and ultimately work together for the common good of future generations. Public education’s primary goal of nurturing the development of our children must not be lost in the debate about school…

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League of Women Voters Endorses School Levy

Community creates Facebook page to promote Issue 8

Editor's note: The Kent League of Women Voters recently endorsed the upcoming Kent City Schools levy on the May special election ballot. Below you'll find a statement issued by the league regarding their endorsement. For more information on the levy, which will be Issue 8 on the ballot, visit the Kent Levy Facebook page, KentLevy.org and follow Kent Patch for election coverage. -The Editor   The League of Women Voters of Kent is endorsing, Issue 8, the 8.9-mill additional levy for Kent City Schools, on the May 7 ballot. “The Kent League has completed an in-depth examination of the Kent City Schools’ need for additional money and the proposed uses of the money. Based on this review the League concluded that the levy is critical to …

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Election 2013: Kent Schools put 8.9 Mill Levy on May Ballot

If approved, levy would generate $4.25 million per year

Kent voters will be asked to approve an 8.9-mill operating levy request from Kent City Schools. The continuing operating levy, Issue 8 on the ballot, would raise $4.25 million per year for the school district. It would cost the owner of a house valued at $100,000 for tax purposes $272.56 per year. This year marks the first year ever that the district earned the highest possible rating from the Ohio Department of Education on the latest state report cards measuring school success. Data published in October by the ODE shows Kent schools earned an "Excellent with Distinction" rating — the highest of six possible ratings issued by the state.

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Kent Schools Opens Preschool Enrollment

District taking applications for 2013-2014 school year

The Kent City School District is now accepting applications for enrollment in their preschool classes for the 2013-2014 school year. The Kent City School district operates a fully licensed program for preschool children ages three and four, and those turning five after Aug. 1. All programs are housed in a specially designed preschool wing at Davey Elementary School. Transportation is provided by school bus. The Kent City Schools Preschool Program offers half-day classes which meet Monday through Thursday, from 8:30 – 11:15 a.m. or 12:30 – 3:15 p.m. The program enrolls typically developing preschoolers on a tuition basis which is $2,568.00 for the school year. Our half-day programs also enroll preschoolers at no cost, whose families speak …

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Ohio Releases Final Kent Schools Report Card

Ohio Department of Education released final report card data for most districts in the state Wednesday.

Kent City Schools' Excellent with Distinction rating from the Ohio Department of Education was finalized this week with the statewide release of the Ohio's district report cards. Click the PDF above to see the full report card. School and district report cards are usually released at the beginning of the school year, but that timeline had been pushed back while the state auditor investigated whether some districts manipulated attendance data. Those nine districts identified as "scrubbing" attendance scores have watermarks on their report cards indicating that the scores could change pending the state auditor's investigation, the department reports. Some preliminary data — without the ratings — was released in late September.

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Cameras May be Coming to Kent Schools

Administrators looking at possible security upgrades for district buildings

Cameras, among other security upgrades, may be coming to buildings in the Kent City Schools. Kent City Schools Superintendent Joseph Giancola said at a recent board meeting that he would like to see a camera posted at every entrance to the district's building, Ohio.com reports. The idea of adding cameras will be talked about at community forums in September and October, Recordpub.com reported. The district has about 4,000 students attending classes primarily in seven school buildings, excluding the Central Annex building. "As a board and as an administrative team, we will do whatever the community asks us," Giancola said, according to Recordpub.com.

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Hal DuBois

8:17 pm on Saturday, February 23, 2013

Also found a nice up-to-date paper on school security out of Virginia for some background on the issues and the state-of-the-art: http://www.governor.virginia.gov/SchoolAndCampusSafetyTaskforce/docs/Best%20Practices%20in%20School%20Security.pdf   more ›