THANK YOU!
THANK YOU!
Our most sincere THANK YOU to our school district community for their support!
The support of our staff, our parents and our community is unmatched.
The passing of our new facilities bond issue is a huge win for the students and families our district will serve for generations to come, the teachers and support staff who will be serving those students and families for generations to come and our community, as a whole.
We have so much for which to be thankful!
We are...
…Big Lex!
'Historic': Lexington Schools Sell All $56M in Bonds in One Day
Being able to sell the bonds to generate our local share (47%) of our new facilities project on June 26, 2019 in less than 90 minutes AND reduce our interest rate from 5.25% to 3.01% AND reduce the length of our district’s “mortgage” from 37 years to 30 years AND reduce the average millage rate over those 30 years from 8.6 to 5.53 AND in doing all that save the residents of our school district nearly $28 million dollars in interest over the 30 years was quite a day!
WE have so much for which to be thankful! We are blessed with great kids, great families, a great staff and a great/tremendously supportive community! I cannot imagine a school district/community more deserving of the way this bond sale went than ours! - MZ
Facilities Project Update
Dear Lexington Community,
I want to share the latest update regarding our new facilities project.
Over the past several months, we have been working with the State of Ohio and our State legislators to move forward with our new facilities project as quickly as possible. In order to maximize the process and begin the project while interests rates remain low and to provide our students with new buildings as soon as possible, the Board of Education has decided to apply to participate in the Expedited Local Partnership Program (ELPP) with the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission (OFCC). ELPP is designed to give districts, not yet eligible to receive their State/OFCC share of the cost of the project, the opportunity to move ahead with portions of their project using the local share approved by their voters.
To participate in ELPP, there is an application form and a couple Board resolutions our Board of Education is required to approve and submit to the OFCC by early April. During our Board of Ed. meeting last evening, our Board approved our application and one of the two resolutions required. The information needed for the final resolution needs to come to us from the OFCC. The OFCC assured us we will receive that information by next week. Our Board will then schedule a Special Board meeting to approve the final resolution.
Our ELPP application will be on the April 25, 2019, OFCC Commission meeting agenda for approval. Our application then needs to be approved by the State Controlling Board. That meeting is May 20, 2019. Upon approval from the Commission and Controlling Board, we would be able to begin working with the architects on the planning/design process and timeline for one of our buildings as soon as early June 2019. To participate in ELPP, we must follow the process as required by OFCC, in order to be eligible to move forward with our project using our local share of the cost. We will know if we can proceed for sure following the May 20 meeting of the Controlling Board. This is all GOOD news.
As part of the ELPP application process, our Board does need to determine which building we will use our local share to build and which building we will wait to build until we receive the OFCC funds. The local share of the cost approved by our community is $55.95 million dollars. This is enough money to build either of our two new buildings.
Based on many factors, including the recommendations of school finance and building experts, it is likely that the Board will decide to do the 7-12 building first. The main reason for this is financial. By the time we are ready to do the second building there will most likely be an inflationary impact with regard to the cost of construction and interest rates. It would be to our advantage, financially, to deal with the inflationary factors on a $35-million-dollar project (the PreK-6 building) verses a $54-million-dollar project (the 7-12 building). Second, more of our current students will be able to experience being in a new building by doing the 7-12 building first. Third, we will be able to replace our oldest building sooner. Then, the State/OFCC share of the cost of the entire project is enough to fund the PreK-6 building.
The projected time line regarding the 7-12 building includes up to 12 months for planning/design and 2 - 2.5 years to construct. These timelines are only tentative based on previous, similar school construction projects.
It is exciting to see our new facilities project get to this point and to be in a position to begin the planning/design process on one of our buildings as soon as this summer. We are so very thankful to our school district residents for their support of the new facilities project.
Our residents’ approval of the November 2018 Bond Issue will impact the lives of Lexington students for generations to come. What a tremendous legacy to leave future generations of Lexington children!
On behalf of Lex students now and for generations to come, we offer our most sincere THANK YOU!
We will continue to provide updates as the approval and planning processes move forward.
Mike Ziegelhofer
Job Postings
High School English
Position for 2019-2020 school year
Qualifications:
Must hold a valid Ohio teaching certificate/license in appropriate area
Must successfully complete all pre-employment requirements.
To apply: E-mail a completed certified employment application (can be found on website: www.lexington.k12.oh.us) with a letter of interest, current resume and a copy of certification/license to: High School Principal, Kevin Young @ This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Long Term Food Service Substitute
Lexington Food Service Department is in need of substitutes. If interested please contact Food Service Director, Tricia Volz at 419-884-2192 or at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Eastern Elementary 2018 Overall A Award
Eastern Elementary was awarded the recognition as a 2018 Overall A School! CONGRATULATIONS TO THE STUDENTS AND STAFF AT EASTERN!
Congratulations! I’m honored to notify you Ohio’s State Board of Education has granted your school its Overall A Award.
As an Overall A Award winner, your school’s report card shows your school is demonstrating high academic performance and building bright futures for students of every background and ability level. Congratulations on this impressive achievement!
Ohio’s strategic plan for education, Each Child, Our Future, is the state’s plan to ensure each student is challenged, prepared and empowered for his or her future by way of an excellent prekindergarten through grade 12 education. Our mission is to prepare students for a future that has yet to be written. Many consider this to be a daunting endeavor. Your education team, however, has clearly embraced this challenge.
I want you to know how much we appreciate your leadership and the dedication your team has to providing a high-quality experience for all students. Please share our gratitude with all of those who contributed to this accomplishment.
In the coming weeks, you’ll receive an official ‘Overall A’ banner to display in your school.
Thank you for all you do for the students and families you serve.
Sincerely,
Tess Elshoff
President
Purple Star Article
(Credit: Mark Caudill, Mansfield News Journal)
LEXINGTON - Lexington Local Schools is a patriotic unit.
Three of the district's schools — Western and Eastern elementary schools and the high school — recently were selected for Purple Star recognition. Central Elementary School was chosen in the spring.
The Purple Star designation is for military-friendly schools that show a major commitment to serving students and families connected to the nation's armed forces. Awardees receive a special Purple Star recognition to display in their buildings.
"It's a recognition that we're very proud of," Superintendent Mike Ziegelhofer said. "We recognize the sacrifices that our staff and parents who are in the military make."
The Purple Star advisory board, formed by the Ohio departments of Education, Higher Education, Veterans Services and Adjutant General, helps decide eligibility.
"A supportive school environment can have a significant impact on our military-connected students, and we're happy to see such a great interest in this designation by Ohio's schools," said Paolo DeMaria, state superintendent of public instruction. "These Purple Star schools provide our children and families with the resources they need to be successful.
"We're thankful for their service and honored to continue the important work of improving services for Ohio's military families."
To qualify for the recognition, a school must have a staff point of contact for military students and families who serves as the primary liaison between them and the school.
The liaison completes professional development on special considerations for military students and families under federal law.
That person identifies and informs teachers of the military-connected students in their classrooms and the special considerations military families and students should receive.
Each school in the Lexington district has its own liaison. Kelli Dyer is the contact person at Western.
Dyer, the physical education teacher, has been a member of the 179th Airlift Wing of the Ohio Air National Guard for 17 years, attaining the rank of E-7 master sergeant.
"We had one student last year whose dad was deployed," Dyer said. "We want to make sure we're touching base with family and student, helping them in any way that we can."
She added classroom teachers are good about sending care packages and cards to those who are deployed.
"It's a great way to express our support for our military personnel," Western principal Genelle Eggerton said. "It's the least we can do."
A school also must maintain a dedicated page on its website featuring resources for military families.
Lexington's schools go beyond that. For the last two years, the high school has honored vets by having them walk through the school on Veterans Day.
"I think that really helped our designation for this award," high school principal Kevin Young said. "It has grown in the two years we've done it."
He estimated the high school has seven to 10 students whose parents are on active duty.
"At the beginning of the year, we do an inventory, kind of like a survey," Young said. "What we like to do is follow up with the students and their counselors and see if there are any needs they have."
Ziegelhofer said loved ones left behind when a family member is deployed make almost as much of a sacrifice as the military personnel.
"Every military family takes their turn making their sacrifices," the superintendent said. "People don't always think about that."
Purple Star Award
Congratulations to Eastern Elementary, Western Elementary and Lexington High School who joined previously awarded Central Elementary as being selected as a 2018 Purple Star School. We were recently informed that the Ohio Department of Education has recognized them for “outstanding commitment to serving military students and families!”
Click on the link below for more details regarding the Purple Star Award. For the list of the most recent Award recipients open the link below and click on the link to the 4th round honorees.
Click here for the letter from Paolo DeMaria, Superintendent of Public Instruction
Reminder of the Laws on Stopping for School Buses
Best advice is if you approach, from either direction, a school bus stopped on or along the road, for any reason, with or without its lights flashing STOP.
We must all do our part of keep our precious children safe on their way to and from school each day. No one should be in such a hurry to jeopardize children's safety.
Central Elementary Named National Blue Ribbon School
Congratulations Central Elementary students, teachers, staff, principal and parents for being recognized as an Exemplary High Performing National Blue Ribbon School for 2018 by U.S. Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos. Also, congratulations to Mansfield City's Spanish Immersion School and Mt. Vernon's Twin Oak Elementary School for their recognition.
Click Here for the letter from Aba Kumi, Director of the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program
New Text and Email Alert Service
Lexington Schools has updated to a new text and email alert service. The K12Alerts Portal link to sign up/make changes can be found under "Parents & Students" and clicking on "Text and Email Alerts" or by clicking here. If you were previously signed up for district-wide messages, you will still receive those alerts as usual. If you only wish to receive district-wide alerts, you do not need to do anything. If you wish to receive individual school specific alerts as well, those will need to be signed up for again. For existing users, enter your phone number or email address as the username and a password of changeme by default. After signing in, you can change your contact information as well as change the password to one of your choice. Click the "Click here to continue" button at the bottom of the contact information page and select the schools you wish to receive alerts from on the following page. Click "Add" and then "Click to continue" to confirm your selections.
Text and Email Messaging can be used for a variety of reasons such as:
Snow day notifications, school closings or delays
Emergency alerts (school lockdowns)
Alerting parents for delayed school buses
Alerting parents for local dangers
2019-2020 District Calendar
State Report Cards
Lexington Local Schools earned an “Excellent” rating on the most recent report card issued by the Ohio department of Education. This marks the 11th consecutive year of an “Excellent” rating. This type of continued achievement is only possible through the dedication and commitment of school and community.
Over the past several years, Lexington has continued to improve its scores on the performance indicators from the state used to determine the report card rating. These achievements are a reflection of our teachers’ expertise and their commitment to maximizing each student’s academic growth. They reflect the hard work, focus of our students and parents, and their dedication.
Mission Statement
