Topics at State of the Schools included enrollment, safety, facility upgrades
“I believe that a key to Sheridan Community Schools’ success is partnering with this great community.”
That’s what Superintendent Dr. Dave Mundy said as he opened his “State of the Schools” presentation. In the spirit of that partnership, Dr. Mundy held his first community meeting on Tuesday in the Sheridan Elementary School cafeteria.
In Sheridan, a big topic of discussion is always growth, and Dr. Mundy presented data of current enrollment, comparing it to enrollment over the past 10 years, as well as what is projected by professional demographers. Based on the statistics presented, the demographic studies have been accurate in predicting enrollment. The current SCS enrollment is 1,066, which represents consistency to a slight decline over the past 10 years, while projections indicate slow and steady growth over the next 10 years, with an estimated a total K-12 increase of 200 students by 2032.
Although there is often talk about potential housing additions in a small community, Mundy shared that there are currently only three developments that are in the town pipeline.
Dr. Mundy explained that another factor in enrollment is transfer students. SCS is one of the two districts in Hamilton County that accepts transfer students from other districts. The data presented showed 159 transfer students from 15 different school districts, with the majority coming from Westfield and Clinton Central. In response to a parent question, Mundy added, “We absolutely enjoy our out-of-district students. They are an integral part of our daily culture, and we look forward to continuing to increase our number of out-of-district students over the next few years.”
To be ready for the controlled growth coming to the community, Mundy presented short- and long-term planning for facility upgrades in three phases. Phase 1 has begun with the construction of a fieldhouse that will provide two additional gyms for athletic and classroom use, as well as an upgraded fitness center that will be used for classes and after school. Phase I also includes two additional classrooms for the high school and upgraded concessions and locker rooms for football.
Phases II and III are in the cost estimating phase, as the board and administration with community input is exploring auditorium upgrades, bringing softball and soccer on-site, and other general building upgrades. Long-term planning also includes exploration of the best place for a new school when the time comes to build one.
Mundy explained that a strength of Sheridan has been small class sizes, and he provided data showing that the elementary still has room to keep class sizes relatively small. He also shared that the elementary was designed to expand wings to build capacity at a relatively low cost and maintained the SCS commitment to quality education, which includes small class sizes.
Moving to another topic that is a great concern to parents, Dr. Mundy introduced Dr. Melissa Hampton, High School Assistant Principal and Corporation Safety Director, who shared information about safety updates at Sheridan. She explained that SCS has moved to a four-level safety system that allows it to be consistent with other Hamilton County school districts and first responders. She shared that students and staff will be trained in the A.L.I.C.E. method in response to a violent intruder.
Hampton also said that that through the generosity of the Hamilton County Council on Alcohol and Other Drugs, vape sensors are being installed in high school bathrooms and will likely be added at the middle school in the future.
Other safety activities include a camera audit, re-keying the district, and replacing card readers. The importance of not propping open doors is being stressed to students and staff and signs are posted on doors as a constant reminder. She added that the safety team is reviewing several safety policies, and it will develop a three-year plan for multiple safety initiatives to be implemented at SCS.
Dr. Mundy then addressed the topic of the large number of new teachers this school year. He shared data about the 18 new teachers to the district, as well as data about why teachers have left SCS over the last five years. The data suggests that the departures are for a variety of reasons, ranging from retirement (30 percent) to leaving education (5 percent), and many reasons in between.
“We really are being successful,” Mundy said. “For the most part, teachers are not leaving to go to other districts – they have many different reasons. We believe we are staying competitive with our teacher salaries and have a culture where teachers want to teach. That also showed up in the hiring process, and we were very pleased with our pool of outstanding candidates.”
Mundy closed on an enthusiastic note, thanking the audience for taking time to attend and noting that there are a lot of great things happening at Sheridan, and expressing his appreciation for the great community support and partnership.