Findlay Schools to restore busing, add teachers

FINDLAY — Findlay City Schools will be expanding transportation and adding around 20 teaching positions in the 2026-2027 school year. Assistant Superintendent Katie Abbott announced these and other aspects of the district's "Path to Progress" at Monday's school board meeting. Superintendent Andy Hatton, absent Monday, also spoke on the issue at a town hall last week. The "Path to Progress" restores some positions and services that were cut last year amid financial woes. "We promised our community that, upon receiving the first funding from our 1% earned income tax payment in the spring of 2026, we would take the initial steps towards progress," Abbott said. High school busing to return The district plans to restore high school busing within a 2-mile walk radius and decrease the walk radius to 1 mile for students in grades K-5. Students in grades 6-8 will continue to have a 2-mile walk radius. Last year, nearly 400 students took the bus to high school, Hatton said. "One of the things that we discovered when busing was reduced was that we actually had a lot of bus stops around our community," Hatton said in response to a town hall question about school bus stops. As the district adds back some of these stops, they are trying to design them with safety in mind, he said. Additionally, the plan is to have students walk no more than a quarter-mile to their stop. In response to a question about separating younger children from middle schoolers on the bus, he said state grant funding will allow Findlay City Schools to add some bus aides who can provide another set of adult eyes on K-8 buses. "Having enough drivers in the state of Ohio, for every school district, has been a monumental challenge," Hatton said. However, efforts to recruit are starting to pay off, with two drivers completing the on-boarding process this week. Hatton said the district is close to being able to be fully staffed. He noted that when it comes to extracurricular activities in athletics and the arts, parents have had to call one another to work together to transport their children. "I'm so thankful for our parents this year, and our families who have helped out other families to get students to where they need to be on time safely," he said. "But it's time for the school district to honor that social contract." Teaching and administrative positions to be restored Around 20 teaching and support positions will be added to decrease student-to-teacher ratios and to increase offerings in fine arts and career/technical education at the secondary level. Additionally, dedicated instructional coaches will be added at the elementary, middle and high school levels. Hatton said the district had cut around 40 teaching positions and is restoring around 20. He noted that it is expected to take 18 months from the passage of the levy in May 2025 before the district will realize the full effects, and programs and positions will not be restored all at once. "We're going to do this very responsibly and intentionally," he said. The district is also adding five administrative positions: a director of teaching and learning at both the elementary and secondary level, a special education coordinator, and an assistant principal and dean of students at Findlay High School. Prior to the cuts, Hatton said, Findlay City Schools was in the bottom 15 to 20% of administrator-to-student ratios of Ohio's 607 school districts. In addition to the positions being brought back next school year, around 30 existing positions are expected to be vacant due to resignations and retirements. Hatton said the district just made its first job offer to a new teacher, for a second-grade position at Jefferson Primary School. Other updates The "Path to Progress" plan also includes restoring independent athletic teams at both Donnell and Glenwood middle schools and adding a strength and conditioning coach for high school athletes. "We are appreciative of the support of our community as we become the district that we aspire to be," Abbott said. Hatton, too, expressed gratitude for the support of the "amazing" community. He also thanked teachers for giving students meaningful experiences this school year despite the tightest budget in decades. "It is because of our teachers that incredible learning opportunities are still happening for students," he said. Also at Monday's board meeting, Abbott announced that the district planned to move kindergarten screenings to August at school buildings, instead of spring at the district administration building, to ensure more balanced class lists. Kindergarten open houses will be replaced with "more supportive one-on-one family conferences". So far 111 kindergartners are enrolled for this fall. Hatton fielded questions on a variety of subjects at the town hall. One had to do with communication with legislators in support of school funding and to deter unfunded mandates. Hatton said school officials have been building relationships and Northwest Ohio's representatives have been willing to listen and learn. Hatton thanked state Rep. Jim Hoops (R-Napoleon), a candidate for the District 1 state Senate seat, for attending the town hall. With supporters gathering signatures for a proposed ballot initiative to eliminate all property taxes in Ohio, "I would very much encourage all citizens to stay locked in on that, stake out and become informed on that, and what the impacts would be," Hatton added. Another question had to do with plans for Northview Primary School, described as "busting at the seams." Hatton replied that the building is nearly 80 years old and school officials know it's "beyond capacity". The older school buildings are not sustainable, given maintenance costs, he said. He said the district last completed an enrollment study shortly before the pandemic, and plans to complete another to get community feedback on how to best use its facilities. Hatton was also asked at the town hall about the per-student spending in school libraries and how it compares with the national average, given concerns about children reading less. The district spends just over $2 per student in elementary school libraries, $3 in middle schools and $7 in high school. The national average is about $12 per student, Hatton told the town hall. He said he hadn't realized this discrepancy until asked this question.