ROSSFORD – The Rossford
school district officials are not impressed with their share of state revenue generated by casinos,
including the nearby Hollywood Casino.Treasurer Jamie Rossler reported that the district received $38,931 in
the first of two payments this year. If the second payment is about the same as this one, he said, the total
would be equivalent to revenue raised by 0.1 mill.That’s about a third of what the state estimated it would
generate when it approved the construction of four casinos in the state. Three are now open, with the fourth
in Cincinnati, still under construction.Rossler likened it to the promise of state school funds brought in
by the lottery. That didn’t provide adequate funding, and nor will the casinos, he said. Still, some in the
public may view this as providing a jackpot for the schools and wonder why schools need to put levies on the
ballot.Board President Dawn Burks said "there’s a misperception" that because Rossford is right
next door to the Hollywood casino that it would somehow get more money. "I thought we’d get more,"
she said. That’s not the case.Rossler said that there are online academies that received more money than
Rossford.Board member Jackie Brown said she was concerned that the state funding would fall because the
projections for casino money have fallen short. Brown noted that the district is hemorrhaging money.The
district is considering a new grade configuration that could save the district money, especially if it means
a school could be closed. The plan would have: all students in kindergarten, first and second grade
attending one school; all third, fourth and fifth graders together; and sixth graders attending the junior
high.The plan, Burks said, would also improve education in the district by giving teachers more chance to
work together "and work as a team."Board members are aligned behind the configuration, but whether
it is done for next school year or for fall, 2014, remains a question.Board member Doug Miller said in his
talks with parents, they urged the district to act quickly, but he remains concerned that there is not
enough time to get the job done.Brown noted that often when districts realign grades they announce it in
June and implement it in late August. But those typically do not involve closing a school, she noted.And
whether a school would close has still not been decided.Rossler said that keeping all the schools opened
would greatly reduce the savings realized by the plan.The board will hold a work session to get public
comment on the configuration plan on Feb. 5 at 5:30 p.m. at Glenwood school, before an already scheduled
facilities committee meeting at 7.Board member Beverly Koch said she and Brown talked with top building
administrators about the plan. Two supported it, she said, two opposed, and two had different ideas.The
board also discussed increasing security, especially at the high school-junior high complex in downtown. Ken
Sutter said that the safety committee has about $14,000 in federal grant money that could be used to install
buzzers on the front doors of the school, update security cameras and enclose the breezeway that runs
between the fieldhouse and the music building.Students now have to go outside to traverse between the two
buildings.Having the entrances locked would be "a major change," Superintendent William McFarland
said. "Right now we have a pretty wide open campus." That includes allowing seniors to leave
campus for lunch.The money on hand is through federal Safe Healthy Student Grants that are funneled through
the Wood County Educational Service Center. More grants will be available this year, but McFarland said he
expects given recent news that demand for those grants will be higher.Sutter said that the district also
will discuss reinstating a school resources police officer on campus. He said discussions are underway with
police chief and other city officials.Also at the meeting, the board approved a $17,000-contract with TTL
Associates Inc. to assess hazardous materials in the schools.Also, the board voted to issue a request for
qualifications for an architect and design firm to work on the third phase of the district’s building
effort. District officials will decide later in spring whether to renovate existing schools or build new.