If you care about fair funding for public schools, now is the time to act. Here’s how you can help:
📢 Contact your state legislators and tell them:
➡️ Update both sides of the Fair School Funding formula.
➡️ Hold private schools accountable if they receive public funding.
➡️ Stop forcing local taxpayers to fill the gap.
💡 Ask questions like:
Why aren’t private schools audited like public schools?
Why do public schools have to follow strict financial rules while private schools do not?
Why is our funding being cut while private school vouchers increase?
🎓 Public schools educate 90% of Ohio’s kids. They deserve fair and predictable funding.
Thank you for your continued support of Wapakoneta City Schools!
#FundOurSchools #SupportPublicEducation
Another reminder to get your child registered for kindergarten next year! Today is one of our designated registration dates. Registering now allows us to plan appropriately for next school year.
Thank you!
Each year, under the direction of Mrs. Stubbs, our CES students participate in the Kids Heart Challenge. Tied into a jump roping unit in PE, the Kids Heart Challenge raises funds and awareness for heart health through the American Heart Association. This year, our students raised over $2,400 to help the organization. The following students were recognized as our top fundraisers: Nathaniel Cutnaw, Gavin Renner, Sofia Samaroo, Savannah Stebleton, Harper Hanson, Ellis Gillette, Kaylyn Folds, and Jordyn Reynolds. #bebetter
No School on Friday, March 14, 2024
One of the biggest frustrations in this budget is the increased funding for private schools—without the same level of accountability as public schools.
📌 Public schools are audited annually by the State Auditor’s Office. Private schools? No state audits.
📌 Public schools must comply with strict financial and academic requirements—do private schools have to meet the same standards?
📌 Public schools must educate EVERY student. Private schools can pick and choose.
If the state wants to fund private education, they must hold private schools to the same standards as public schools.
If you agree, reach out to your legislators and ask them why public schools are being held to a higher standard while getting less funding.
#AccountabilityMatters #PublicFundsPublicSchools
Today our students at Cridersville celebrated their PBIS awards with a "Power Ticket" assembly. The kids and the teachers had a great time competing in games and celebrating their achievements. Our young people are doing an outstanding job being Respectful, Responsible & Kind!
This is a reminder that we will not be having school on Friday, March 14.
Announcements for Thursday, March 13, 2025 https://5il.co/3ac5p
Announcements for Wednesday, March 12, 2025 https://5il.co/3a8a5
Announcements for Tuesday, March 11, 2025 https://5il.co/3a3ip
We’ve seen firsthand how unpredictable school funding can be in the past. Years ago, our district saved money instead of spending it all, knowing that funding could change. Now, with an $800,000 funding cut coming, that foresight is helping—but we still face tough decisions ahead.
Imagine if we didn’t have that cushion. We’d be scrambling to figure out how to pay our staff and maintain programs.
The bottom line: This funding cut is significant. It’s not sustainable, and it’s not fair to our students.
Stay tuned for what we can do to stand up for public schools.
#WapakonetaSchools #FairFunding
Kindergarten registration is here! Today (March 10) is the first day, and we will have the second opportunity on March 14. We look forward to welcoming the class of 2038!
Announcements for Monday, March 10, 2025 https://5il.co/39xuh
In 2022, Ohio implemented the Fair School Funding Plan, designed to accurately determine the cost of educating a child and how much a community can afford to pay.
But here’s the problem: Only half of the formula is being updated.
📌 The state is recalculating property values & income (which makes Wapakoneta look "wealthier"), but they are NOT updating the cost of educating a student.
What does this mean?
🔻 Wapakoneta City Schools' state funding will drop by $842,311 in FY 26 and $835,301 in FY 27.
🔻 Our state share of funding will drop from 53.54% in FY 2022 to just 38.1% in FY 2027.
Even though your income may not have increased, the state assumes our community can cover the gap. That’s not how fair funding should work.
This imbalance is putting a strain on public schools. We must demand that legislators update both sides of the formula.
#SupportPublicSchools #FairFunding
Announcements for Friday, March 7, 2025 https://5il.co/39ryb
CES would like to thank the Lima Symphony Orchestra for coming in to demonstrate woodwind instruments to our students! #bebetter
Announcements for Thursday, March 6, 2025 https://5il.co/39ny9
As you may have heard, our school system will be taking over the majority of the county-run Special Education Units across the district. This is something we have considered for years, and after careful planning, we believe next school year is the right time to move forward.
This transition aligns with previous steps we’ve taken, such as hiring our own speech pathologists, paraeducators, and managing the Opportunity School. While we have always funded these services, bringing them in-house allows us to directly hire staff, ensure quality, and control costs—ultimately benefiting both our students and the district.
Over the past several months, Our Superintendent, Special Education Director, our building administrators, and treasurer have evaluated the need for special education instructors, paraeducators, and the financial impact on the district. Our goals are twofold:
To manage and supervise all Special Education Units—after all, these are our students in the classrooms.
To be as cost-effective as possible while maintaining high-quality services.
We have just posted several Special Education Positions that includes:
4 Multiage Classrooms at WES
3 Multiage Classrooms at Cridersville
2 Multiage Classrooms at the Middle School
1 Multiage Classroom at the High School
Each classroom will have one full-time special education instructor, one full-time paraeducator, and one part-time paraeducator—with additional paraeducators assigned as needed based on individual student support requirements.
We will be interviewing current county personnel who apply, as well as other interested individuals. Due to retirements and the creation of new positions, all openings will be posted and filled according to Wapakoneta City Schools’ negotiated contracts.
If you are wondering about potential budget cuts to Special Education based on the proposed budget bill...so are we! However, we hope that this move helps us to be be good stewards of the money that we receive regardless.
We are excited about this transition and look forward to continuing to serve our students with excellence!
Are you interested in applying? https://www.wapak.org/page/employment
Announcements for Wednesday, March 5, 2025 https://5il.co/39i3v
We usually avoid political posts, but this issue is too important to ignore. Governor DeWine’s proposed budget for the next two years is NOT kind to public education.
📉 Key Funding Cuts for Public Schools:
Base Cost Funding: Drops 17.5% by FY 27
Special Education Aid: Down 9.4% in FY 26, another 8.5% in FY 27
Gifted, English Learner, and Career-Tech Education: Also facing cuts
Transportation Aid: Slight increase, but with a cut to the guarantee
Meanwhile, community and STEM schools, vocational districts, and private school scholarships (vouchers) are seeing major funding increases.
This is not just a Wapakoneta issue—this impacts 90% of Ohio’s students who attend public schools. We’ll share more details in the next post, but we need to take action. Public schools matter!
#OhioEducation #FundOurSchools
