Falcon Family News

At the January board meeting; Treasurer, Carrie Bir and Superintendent, David Moss presented a 70 minute cost analysis of the district titled "The Cost of Education." The presentation can be found on our district website by visiting the last tab, "Levy 2025" or by clicking this link https://bit.ly/FalconsCost.

Below is a brief summary of the presentation:

Areas of Focus: educational programming, support services, school operations, other consideration, additional expense categories, reductions and future considerations

Financial Challenges and Reductions: Clinton-Massie continues to face revenue shortfall which is requiring a $1 million reduction plan to be submitted to the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce by the end of February. Past and proposed staff reductions include eliminating teaching positions through reducing offerings in the Middle and High School and specials in the Elementary.

Long-Term Planning: declining enrollment and changing state funding policies will influence future financial decisions. The district must balance revenue constraints with maintaining quality education and essential services while adapting to evolving state mandates and legislative changes. Our goal is financial stability and avoiding state intervention.

January is Ohio School Board Recognition Month

Board members were recognized at the January meeting. We thank our board members for their service. A Board member is a time-consuming, thankless, second job for all of our members. They are focused on helping our district to achieve and grow.

Pictured below are Board members receiving their certificate.

• Final forms will be available for families to begin completing, February 13th, 2025.
• In person registration is March 5th at 8 a.m. You must come in person, and bring all personal documents to complete registration.

If you have questions regarding the process, reach out to:

Rebecca Montgomery in Student Services at 937-289-4166 for Preschool or

Desiree Osborn at 937-289-2471 option 6 for Kindergarten

Clinton-Massie FFA earns the highest Gold rating during Evaluations.

FFA Secretary, Reporter and Treasurer have the opportunity to submit a record book for evaluation each year. These books represent all of the materials that their position is responsible for throughout the year.

The secretary's book contains agendas and minutes from each meeting, rosters of membership and record of dues payment. They also include any correspondence that is sent and received and the chapter's Program of Activities which outlines a plan of events for the year.

The Reporter is responsible for maintaining records of all events that the FFA participates in. They document these events in our chapter scrapbook which is submitted for evaluation. The scrapbook contains photos from all events as well as newsletters and social media posts.

The treasurer's book is a record of all receipts and disbursements for our chapter throughout the year. The Treasurer works with the FFA teacher and our district treasurer to ensure that we maintain accurate records of all income and expense for the chapter. The book includes ledgers of all deposits and payments as well as receipts written and monthly officer reports.

Officers begin working on their books in the fall and submit them in January. All three of our officers received Gold ratings on their books for their hard work and excellent record keeping skills.

Students from Clinton-Massie Middle and High School participated in the Ohio Music Educators Association District 13 Honor Band.

We are proud to announce that 5 individuals participated in the event and their names are below.

7th Graders - MJ Brausch and Maggie Koch

8th Graders - Hana Latif, Bella Nodel, and Emily Webb

From left to right:

Bella Nodel, Hana Latif, Emily Webb, Maggie Koch, and MJ Brausch

🎶🎺 Support the music department by attending their upcoming events. Exciting things are happening and we cant wait for you to be apart to see the amazing talents of our students.

Every clap, cheer, and smile from the audience means the world to them. Let’s show our music department some love.

Each year Middle School students participate in a “Real Money, Real World” simulation. The event is made possible by dedicated volunteers and inspiring professionals who share their time, effort and knowledge with eighth grade students.

During the simulation, students make their way through the real world by participating in hands on financial activities. The goal is to teach valuable financial literacy skills. Students learn about the basics of budgeting and financial decision-making in history class. They are then faced with realistic budget management challenges during the simulation where they make decisions about spending, saving and allocating resources. Students then evaluate their decisions and lessons learned during the simulation.

A big thanks to many local professionals who volunteered their time to share insights about their careers. Participants are listed below:

Sherri Collett (Sam’s Meats), David Dillon (Moonlight Machining, LLC), Richard Ratliff (AMES), Justin Turner and Jackie Anderson (Clinton County EMT and Fire), Elizabeth Kreider (Proctor and Gamble), Adam Wolfe (Clinton County Engineers), Shanon Bene (Clinton County Board of DD), Brittany and Logan Evans (Nurse and US Marshall), Tim Carr (Clinton-Massie Local Schools) and Rachel Sneed (MD Wilmington, Ohio).

The newest class of the Clinton-Massie Sports Hall of Fame was inducted January 24th at Brian P. Mudd Court.

The honorees were Settlemyre Seed (contributor), Dick DeBoard (1955 Clarksville graduate), Steve King (1973 Clinton-Massie graduate), Rhondah Hackney Owings (1989 Clinton-Massie graduate), and Corby Running (2010 Clinton-Massie graduate).

The Clinton-Massie Athletic Boosters, in conjunction with the Clinton-Massie Athletic Department, began the hall of fame in 2008 as a way of honoring the school’s rich tradition of athletic excellence.

Additionally, the hall of fame committee selects one athlete who graduated from or had the bulk of his/her athletic accomplishments at one of the four schools that combined to form Clinton-Massie, making this a truly unique honor.

The Wilmington News Journal shared biographies for the members and they are shared below:

Settlemyre Seed Co. was established in 1966, just down the road for the new consolidated high school, which opened its door in fall 1963. Settlemyre Seed has been the staging ground for local EMS equipment for numerous mock crashes, field trip destination for elementary students on manufacturing and factors of production lessons, employer for many OWE students through the years, loading dock delivery point for playground equipment and storage, and good-natured neighbor for many tractor or equipment needs over the past 58 years. Settlemyre Seed was founded by Bill and Pat Settlemyre, continued by their children John Settlemyre, Lynn Deatherage and Dale Settlemyre and is moving into the third generation of management with Drew Settlemyre.

As student athletes, these family members wore the red, white and blue for football, cross country, volleyball, basketball, track, marching band and Falconettes. As parent supporters, they have run scoreboards, kept statistics, worked concession stands, coached and driven sports teams, directed traffic and sat through countless hours of athletic contests.

Dick DeBoard, a posthumous selection who was a 1955 graduate of Clarksville High School, where he played for the legendary hall of fame coach Paul Schwamberger.

DeBoard averaged 19.6 points per game during his career and scored 489 points his senior season, including 33 in one game. After high school, DeBoard played on two world championship softball teams and was named MVP of the tournament. He coached many athletes who played at Clinton-Massie through the years and was a huge supporter of Falcon sports. He was married to his wife Dee and they have four children, Larry McCall (class 1975), Mike McCall (class 1977), Tammy DeBoard Warnock (class of 1978) and Chip DeBoard (class of 1986).

Steve King, a 1973 graduate of CMHS, earned eight varsity letters in track/field, football, basketball and baseball. He was a three-year letterman in basketball and was selected first team All-Fort Ancient Valley Conference his senior year, when he averaged 13 points and 14.5 rebounds while playing for hall of fame coach Dave Kemp. On the baseball diamond, King earned three varsity letters and was all-league his junior and senior seasons. As a senior, he hit .425 and led the Falcons in homers and runs batted in. He had tremendous power at the plate, once hitting a baseball over Rombach Avenue to the gas station, which is now Dairy Queen, and another time hitting a baseball over the goalposts on the CM football field.

Rhondah Hackney Owings, a 1989 graduate of CMHS, earned 11 varsity letters in volleyball, basketball and softball. She earned three letters and was first team All-Kenton Trace Conference as a senior. On the diamond, Owings was a four-year varsity player and was three times selected All-KTC as a pitcher. As a senior, she helped lead the Falcons to a league championship. As a basketball player, Owings earned four varsity letters and was part of two league championships as a freshman and sophomore. During her junior year, she was earned honorable mention All-Ohio. As a senior, she averaged 17.5 points and 9.3 rebounds per game while shooting 58 percent from the field. She had nine games with 10 or more points and 10 or more rebounds. She had a career high 28 points against Bellbrook and 17 rebounds against Little Miami and again versus Waynesville. She was first-team All-Ohio and was chosen District 15 Player of the Year and was selected to play in the Ohio North/South All-Star game. For her career, Owings ranks in the top 10 in career points, rebounds, games played and blocked shots. She holds the career record for highest field goal percentage.

Corby Running. a 2010 graduate of Clinton-Massie, earned nine varsity letters, four in wrestling, three in football and one each in baseball and track/field. He was a regional qualifier in the shot put as a junior. He was All-South Central Ohio League in football as a junior and senior and earned second team All-Ohio honors as a junior. He was the winner of the Lombardi Award as a senior and was selected to play in the Miami Valley Football Coaches Association All-Star Game. As a wrestler, Running was two state championships and finished with a 153-35 record with 114 pins.

He earned All-SCOL honors and was named team MVP and to the Greater Miami Valley Wrestling Coaches Association first team as a junior and senior. Running won four sectional championships and two district titles. He placed sixth in the state as a sophomore before winning two state crowns during his junior and senior seasons. Running went to Ashland University and was Freshman of the Year while placing sixth in the regional tournament. He transferred to Minnesota State University and wrestled two years there before becoming a student coach. He served in the United States Navy and is currently attending flight school in Mesa, Ariz., with the hopes of becoming a commercial pilot.

From left to right, Dale Settlemyre, Bill Settlemyre, Lynn Deatherage, John Settlemyre, Chip DeBoard, Tammy DeBoard, Steve King, Rhondah Hackney Owings and Corby Running

Gabe Black has signed to continue his academic and athletic journey with Clark State Baseball! What an incredible achievement.

Best of luck at Clark State, Gabe!

Emma has officially signed to continue her education and athletic career with Bluffton University Softball!

In 2024, Emma was recognized as 1st Team All-City by the Cincinnati Enquirer, an incredible honor that highlights her dedication and skill.

Best of luck at Bluffton, Emma!

The Clinton-Massie Middle School Class of 2029 sponsored a Snowflake Ball. The dance was an unforgettable night. Students dressed in formal attire, and danced the night away. The option to compete in a cornhole tournament was also part of the action. Congratulations to the winners; 1st place, Levi Davidson and Kaiden Sherwood. 2nd place, Hunter Leyes and Jenner Gambill.

Everyone in the surrounding area is welcome to come and use the pantry to help themselves or their family in times of need. Please bring a photo ID and proof of residency the first time you visit.

The Falcon Pantry will be open from 5:00-6:00 p.m. on:

• February 12, 2025

• March 12, 2025

• April 9, 2025

• May 14, 2025

• June 11, 2025

The location of the Falcon Pantry is off Lebanon Road next to Greater Tomorrow Health. There is a gravel driveway that will lead directly to the pantry. If you have any questions, please call Desiree Osborn at 937.289.2471 option 6.

Image created by students

Clinton-Massie Local Schools is seeking substitute teachers to join our district! If you’re interested in education and enjoy working with students, this is a great opportunity to make a positive impact in our schools.

To complete an application click the picture.

For further questions, please reach out to Jessica Smith

937-289-2471 or Jessica.Smith@cmfalcons.org

Clinton-Massie Local Schools will again be seeking a 1% earned income tax levy aimed at enhancing the quality of education for our students and securing the future of our school district. Due to the failures in 2024, we have been placed in Fiscal Caution once again due to a low cash balance at the end of next year and a negative cash balance at the end of the 26-27 school year. This means we must submit a Board-approved Written Plan to ODEW by the end of February. We must address our revenue shortfall regardless of a levy passage. Therefore, we will be making $1 million in personnel cuts resulting in up to 5 teachers losing their job. This includes electives/specials throughout the district as well as the Teaching & Learning Specialist, Falcon FLEX program, and a District Technology Specialist. If the levy passes in May 2025, we will receive approximately $200,000 in April of 2026. That means the reductions will stay in place for the 2025-26 school year regardless. We will evaluate our finances during that year to determine what the 2026-27 school year will look like.

Your involvement is crucial as we work together for the betterment of our students and community. We remain committed to our students and will work tirelessly to minimize disruptions to their education. Our goal is to ensure that every child has access to quality learning experiences, and we will continue evaluating all of our options on how best to do this. We encourage open dialogue within our community to discuss how we can collectively support our schools and students. For more information about the levy and its implications, please visit our website at www.cmfalcons.org/levy.

Upcoming events:

February 17 - Presidents Day (No School)

2024-2025 Academic Calendar

#FridayFocus provides Superintendent David Moss the opportunity to interview a student each week to learn more about them, as well as their school experience. Our students are amazing! Come see for yourself! Check out the full playlist here.

Take a moment to meet Rendall!

If you have something that you would like to see in the District Newsletter, please email Jessica Smith at Jessica.Smith@cmfalcons.org.

CM Board of Education (L-R): Candace Frump - Board Member; Phil Harner - Vice President;

Jeremy Lamb - President; Mike Gorman- Board Member; and Andy Avery - Board Member.

The Board of Education meets on the 3rd Monday of every month for a Regular Meeting at 6:30 p.m. Visit the Board of Education page on our website for meeting dates, and agendas

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