Worth Knowing
A Worthington School District Newsletter
When our students walk across the stage at graduation, we want to make sure they leave with more than a diploma and a transcript. They need real-world skills that will carry them through college, into a career, and throughout their lives.
That is why we launched our Portrait of a Learner Survey. Now in its second year, this assessment helps us track how our students are growing in the essential durable skills we promise to teach.
Across every grade level, our kids are showing us incredible strengths, while also giving us clear direction on where they need additional support.
The results show us that our youngest learners are already excelling at being good friends. In grades three through five, 85 percent of students reported showing kindness and including others. At the middle school level, 81 percent identify as global thinkers who actively listen to different viewpoints before forming an opinion. By high school, our students are taking accountability for their teamwork, with 92 percent reporting strong positive habits as responsible collaborators.
Academic content is important, but content alone is no longer enough. When our students know how to communicate with clarity, solve problems with a team, and face new challenges with confidence, they are ready for whatever comes next.
Sometimes, the most meaningful stories come full circle. In Worthington Schools, one special connection across generations is a reminder that the impact of a great teacher can last a lifetime.
Nearly 30 years after Lisa welcomed Meg into her first class, Meg is now an educator herself - and her son, Ben, is a student in Lisa’s classroom during her final year of teaching.
Their story is a heartwarming reminder that the impact of a teacher reaches far beyond the classroom, creating connections that span generations and make the Worthington Schools community so special.
Worthington Libraries wants to know more about you and how you spend your time, including how you're currently using the library. Your responses will help us improve library service and reimagine what a library can be!
Please help our partners at Worthington Libraries as they work to reimagine their buildings and the future of library service by taking the survey at this link:
I was recently reading a thread of comments about affordability during this time of housing inflation. One commenter wrote, “you know the schools will have another levy coming.”
I think it is important for our community to know that this is true. Under the system Ohio has set up for suburban public schools, we will always have another levy coming.
When our community approved our last operating levy in 2022, we made a clear promise. We projected those funds would last four years, which meant we would need to ask for another operating levy in 2026.
Here is the good news: we are not coming back to the ballot in 2026. Through careful spending, cost controls, and intentional planning, we are stretching those voter-approved dollars until at least 2028!
Eventually, though, we will need to return. Under Ohio’s system, public education is a service industry. If our teachers and support staff receive a modest cost of living increase each year over four years, our expenses rise by roughly 12%. However, our revenue stays flat and may even be reduced by the State.
Granby Gators group photo!
WKHS Students of the Month
