How is the District Organized?

ANSWER:

Short Answer - State law authorizes the Board of Education to make decisions related to the governance, budget, and policy of the District. They are elected by the public to serve in a position to make these decisions.

The District is organized extremely efficiently, with 116.66 pupils per Administrator, which is similar to other Districts of our size. In FY23 (the last year data is fully available), Milton-Union had 11.2 FTE Administrators for 1,307 students. Currently, the District has eleven (11) Administrators - Superintendent, Treasurer, Director of Curriculum, HS Principal, MS Principal, ES Principal, HS/MS Assistant Principal, Director of Technology, Special Education Coordinator, Operations Manager, and Athletic Director. *Update from May 20 meeting the District now has 12 Administrators with the hiring of an Assistant Elementary School Principal.

Principals are necessary to manage teachers and staff, work through budgets and expenditures, implement safety protocols, structure academic curricula and regulatory compliance, and so much more. In more recent years, principals have been integral to helping schools manage discipline and assuring that State testing requirements are met.

At Milton-Union the number of administrators is similar to other districts. These administrators are part of the management team at the school, and are invaluable to assuring that state metrics are met, along with providing guidance and leadership to staff and our children.

Long Answer - Milton-Union has the same Organizational Structure that other schools in the area and in the state follow. The District has roughly the same number of Administrators (11.2 FTE in FY23) (*Note that this number is now 12 with the hiring of an Elementary School Assistant Principal) as other districts of comparable size (12.11 FTE in FY23). The District has 116.66 pupils per Administrator average which is also comparable to similar districts of our size in the state.

Pupil / Administrator Ratio - 2023

• Similar Districts in the State - 116.46

• Statewide Average - 119.60

• Local Districts (Big and Small) -

  • Miami East - 201.43

  • Brookville - 180.95

  • Bethel - 169.88

  • Newton - 151.35

  • Vandalia-Butler - 136.65

  • Northmont - 132.77

  • Piqua - 117.09

  • Bradford - 110.74

  • Covington - 100.84

  • Tipp City - 84.95

  • Troy - 78.34

  • Franklin-Monroe - 69.60

Based on the best understanding of the State definitions, administrators for Milton-Union are likely:

• Brad Ritchey, Superintendent

• Kari Magill, Treasurer

• Katie Hartley, Director of Curriculum

• Sam Watson, High School Principal

• Mark Lane, Assistant High School / Middle School Principal

• Todd Shadley, Middle School Principal

• Annie Blankenship, Elementary School Principal

• Mick Nealeigh, Director of Technology

• Alyssa Kocher, Special Education Coordinator

• Kurtis Brackman, Operations Manager

• Chris Fulton, Athletic Director

These people lead the Milton-Union District in multiple capacities and provide the support necessary to students and staff to assure the District is effective and efficient. They assure we meet state standards, assure our students can have the technology and facilities they need, assure our children with special needs are looked out for, and allow us to have sports for our children at Milton-Union.

In terms of academic administrators, the District has five principals - one for the elementary school, one for the middle school, one for the high school, and one assistant principal for the middle and high school and one assistant principal for the elementary school. When looking at all that principals are tasked with, this is very efficient and lean. As noted below, those numbers are very similar to other districts of Milton-Union's size.

Number of Principals

Please note that this isn't apples to apples as each District utilizes staffing differently, but the goal is to provide context for other area districts.

• Local Districts (Big and Small) -

  
  

  • Miami East - (4)

    • ES Principal, JH Principal, HS Principal, Asst. Principal

  • Brookville - (3)

    • ES Principal, Inter. Principal, HS Principal

  • Bethel - (4)

    • K-2 Principal, 3-5 Principal, MS Principal, HS Principal

  • Newton - (2)

    • ES Principal, JH/HS Principal

  • Vandalia-Butler - (6)

    • ES Principal x2, MS Principal x2, HS Principal, HS Assistant Principal

  • Northmont - (10)

    • Central Unit Principal, ES Principal x4, MS Principal, HS Principal x2, Assist HS Principal x2

  • Piqua - (9)

    • ES Principal x2, ES Assist. Principal x2, JH Principal, JH Asst. Principal, HS Principal x2, HS Asst. Principal

  • Bradford - (3)

    • ES Principal, MS/HS Principal, Assistant MS/HS Principal

  • Covington - (3)

    • ES Principal, MS Principal, HS Principal

  • Tipp City - (7)

    • ES Principal x2, Intermediate Principal, MS Principal, Assist. MS Principal, HS Principal, HS Assistant Principal

  • Troy - (13)

    • ES Principal x6, ES Assistant Principal, Sixth Grade Principal, JH Principal, JH Assistant Principal, HS Principal, HS Assistant Principal x2

  • Franklin-Monroe - (2)

    • ES Principal, MS/HS Principal

      
      

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Below is a detailed explanation of duties for the Board of Education, Superintendent, and Principals.

Board of Education

Elected by the public and empowered to make decisions on the governance, budget, and mission of the District. The BOE are the policy making body, and do not manage the day-to-day operations of a district. When elected each BOE member is obligated by State Law to swear an oath of office under ORC 3311.10 which clearly states that they will follow all laws regarding the position.

These are members of the community who serve 4 year terms, and are paid a stipend (roughly $1,000 / year) to have at a minimum one meeting per month. The BOE has MANY more than the required minimum, because there are important issues that need to be resolved.

In Milton-Union the BOE has not had a contested election since 2013, and didn't have a full slate of candidates in the last two elections (2021, 2023).

Superintendent

The superintendent is the Chief Executive Officer of the District, who is in charge of daily operations as defined in ORC 3319.01,and shall hold a license designed for being a superintendent. All school districts in the State of Ohio are obligated to have a superintendent.

The superintendent answers to the BOE, but guides other administrators on how to implement policies and works with the treasurer to manage finances. They also direct and manage all teaching and non-teaching staff in the district.

Principal

A principals role has many aspects to it, but it includes an instructional leader, teacher liaison, and child champion. Principals are tasked with creating pathways for educational success and metrics through assuring that each grade is meeting the state guidelines and requirements. They are also tasked with guiding teachers on curriculum and supporting them when they need it. And most importantly, they are tasked with assuring that our children are successful in the school. That includes student dicipline, student awards, and so much more.