'We are on our way back.' Canton City Schools cite slow, steady progress

CANTON ‒ When Jeff Talbert returned to Canton City Schools to lead the district, things were tough.

Students were making academic gains but the pandemic wrecked the progress. The district's financial outlook was in the red. Maintenance on facilities was deferred and enrollment was down. Parents and staff questioned the grade configurations.

"So we worked on a strategic plan to slowly work on each of those issues," the superintendent said. The plan, now in its final year, has seen steady progress, he said.

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On Wednesday, Talbert presented a State of the Schools address to the Board of Education, sharing how the district has moved to address those concerns and built a culture that promotes Bulldog pride.

"It's an exciting time of the school year when we get to celebrate the work that we've done from previous years and share with the community the things we have been able to accomplish while painting a picture of what work will look like for the upcoming year," he said.

Building a Bulldog culture

The first goal was to develop and maintain a culture that fosters trust, collaboration an support.

While some of the boxes can be checked off, Talbert said, building and maintaining the culture is something that is worked on daily and will remain a part of future plans.

"We gave people a map to follow so that every day they can live what we call our Bulldog Pride culture," he said. The focus is on excellence, leadership and community.

Talbert noted they need everyone, including staff, students, families community members and community partners, to be take part and hold them accountable. A cultural playbook has been created and is available online at the district's website.

The district also established an equity team, which examines practices in the district from hiring to scheduling student classes to discipline. The team will soon visit Shaker Heights - a district recognized nationally for its efforts - to see how its diversity and equity inclusion program is working, Tablert said, and help build a plan for Canton City Schools.

Enrollment and staffing

While enrollment has been on the decline since 2005, the district saw a slight rise in 2021. Talbert believes enrollment is on an upward trend because of the specialty programs and schools the district has implemented. Offering preschool and transportation to the preschools has helped.

"It's given choices to our families," he said.

At the start of the strategic plan, discussions centered around staff reductions to address the district's financial woes.

Significant state and federal dollars provided to the district during the pandemic have allowed it to save some positions and even increase staff by 95 people, Talbert said. Eighty-five of the positions were funded by grant money.

That means that the district has been able to build the general fund, he added. Some of the grant funding will be ending this year. Talbert said they have been assessing if those positions are needed or if existing staff can handle the duties.

"The last thing we want is a reduction in staff," he said. "I believe we can do that for the most part if we remain fiscally responsible and ask the tough questions. The forecast looks pretty good for the next few years."

Facility upgrades

Several facility projects are underway including at the STEAAM Academy at Hartford and Crenshaw Middle School, which includes creating a new gym space. Work is ongoing at the Bulldog Performance Center. All three projects are expected to be completed next year.

Renovations at the Timken campus have taken place, including the creation of a black box theater.

Construction is set to begin on two new elementary schools on the Souers, 28000 13th St. SW, and Mason, 316 30th St. NW, sites. Students from kindergarten through sixth grade will start the 2026-27 school year in the new schools. The existing buildings will be razed. Open houses have been set from 4 to 6 p.m. Oct 18 at Mason and Oct. 19 at Souers.

"When the bond issue passed, it was one of our proudest moments as a team," Talbert said. "Not only were we successful in getting it done but we can give the community what they asked for."

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Moving students forward

While the district earned a two-star rating on the state's report cards, Canton City students saw gains.

Every area on state testing improved except sixth-grade English language arts and the district saw a reduction in chronic absenteeism from 48.9% to 40.5%.

New assessment tools include using data to determine individualized academic plans to ensure students have what they need to grow.

"We are making progress," said Kim Kingsbury, director of accountability and federal programs. "It is slow and steady and daily, and one student at a time, but we are moving in the the right direction."

Board member Eric Resnick praised Talbert and the work of his team.

"Quite frankly, we started out when you were hired in a pretty deep hole," Resnick said. "We are not out of the hole yet by any stretch of the imagination but we are getting there."

Reach Amy at 330-775-1135 or amy.knapp@ineonline.com.

This article originally appeared on The Independent: Canton City Schools making progress with slow, steady, daily work