February 26, 2000
Three Tiffin grade schools to get incentive award
By Cathy Willoughby
Staff Writer
Some local schools, including three Tiffin City elementaries, will receive a gift in the mail this spring from the state government.
They will be among the first recipients of an incentive award, the first "School Improvement Incentive Awards'' for improving their scores on their building report cards. The schools across the state that will receive the funds were announced Thursday by Governor Bob Taft's office and the Ohio Department of Education.
Area schools receiving $25,000 apiece are Bloomville, Lincoln and Noble elementary, Longfellow Elementary in Fostoria, New Riegel and Old Fort elementaries. Receiving a $50,000 incentive will be Fostoria High School.
Appropriated from this year's state budget, the $6.5 million will be given to 220 buildings from the state's 611 school districts. According to LeAnne Rogers, media spokesperson for the Ohio Department of Education, the schools can use the money at their own discretion.
"The incentives are really not restricted,'' she explained. "They are based on the performance in the buildings on the proficiency tests; in the K-5 buildings, it was based on the improvements in the fourth grade proficiency tests. They are strictly awarded on improvement.''
"There was 6.5 million to divide between them, and since 69 percent of the schools in the state are elementaries, that percentage went to the elementaries.''
Mike Steyer, Noble Elementary principal was delighted to hear of the award, and was planning to announce it to his teachers after school Friday.
"It is a surprise for most of these buildings,'' Rogers said. "The districts were caught off guard, but they did well in implementing new programs that improved their test scores.''
She said details are still being worked out, but that the money will be sent to the schools this spring. As to Tiffin City Schools receiving incentives for three of their elementaries, Rogers admitted it was unusual for that many in a mid-sized school district.
"It's a nice award, and it says something significant about the district,'' she said.