OCSD Newsletter

Dear Oberlin School Families,

• Welcome to fall! As the leaves change, our schools are filled with energy and purpose. Students are engaged, teachers are inspiring, and learning is in full swing. Thank you for your continued partnership and support as we work together to make this school year one of growth and success.

  Here are a few reminders as we head into the late weeks of October and early weeks of November:

  
  

  • Congratulations to Ms. Amy McCown who was named the District’s “Bus Driver of the Year” at the annual ESCLC Pupil Transportation Awards Ceremony on Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025!

  
  

  • The District is currently accepting RFPs for our marketing/branding launch that will fall inline with the opening of the new 6-8 facility. We have extended the RFPs. To access the RFP, please click HERE.

  
  

  • The public is invited to attend the State of Oberlin Addresses starting at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 23 in Oberlin Elementary School, 210 North Park Street, Oberlin, Ohio 44074. Join us for an informative event where we'll explore the State of Oberlin. The event will include presentations by City of Oberlin Council President Ms. Eboni Johnson, Oberlin City School District Superintendent Dr. David Hall and Oberlin College President Dr. Carmen Twillie Ambar. The State of Oberlin Addresses will be moderated by Dr. Carol Lasser. At the conclusion of the presentations there will be a question/answer session. The event will also be live streamed at http://stream.oberlinschools.net/

  
  

  • Oberlin City School District, in collaboration with The City of Oberlin and Oberlin College, will be holding its annual Veterans Day Appreciation Ceremony starting at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025 in the Oberlin Elementary School gymnasium, 210 North Park Street, Oberlin. The event will feature Midview High School’s Air Force JROTC, the Oberlin High School Band, Firelands Honors Choir, keynote speakers and other special honors, as well as light refreshments. The event will also be live streamed at http://stream.oberlinschools.net/

  
  

  And, lastly, earlier this week, the District shared a financial update regarding recent county-level actions that will significantly impact Oberlin City Schools’ local funding. The Lorain County Commissioners approved a “piggy-back” homestead exemption and a 2.5% owner-occupied property tax exemption. These exemptions are not reimbursed by the State, meaning local schools will absorb the cost.

  Oberlin City Schools is projected to lose approximately $228,990.82 next year due to these changes. Combined with a previously projected $500,000 loss in school income tax, the total reduction in funds exceeds $750,000, affecting both student programs and the new middle school construction.

  The District had pulled a bond issue from the ballot and is relying on increased real estate tax dollars to fund the middle school. Operating funds will also cover $1.5 million annually for 25 years to repay COPS bonds.

  The District is sharing this information to keep the school community informed. For ongoing updates, please visit the District Finances section on our website.

  
  

  We remain committed to transparency and keeping our community informed about decisions that impact our students and schools. Thank you for your continued support as we work together to provide the best educational experiences for every Oberlin student.

  
  As always, I am incredibly proud of our students and the outstanding accomplishments of our District. We look forward to more success and exciting news in the future.

Oberlin Elementary School will soon celebrate its passion for education with the annual Fall Math and Literacy Night. This highly anticipated event is scheduled for 5:30 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, October 29, 2025. The evening is designed to offer engaging, hands-on activities that highlight the fun side of learning mathematics and reading skills. All Oberlin Elementary students and their grownups are invited to attend this special community event.

As part of Hispanic Heritage Month, OES students explored the history of the Mexican “Jumping” bean. One student, Kyleigh, wrote about her experience and we are honored to share it here:

Mexican Jumping Beans

By: Kyleigh - 4th Grade

I walked into the classroom and saw everyone looking at the teacher’s desk. I looked and saw Mexican Jumping Beans! Mrs. Peters got them for all the 4th grade classes because our language arts story about polio said the character’s skirt was jumping up and down like Mexican Jumping Beans! I didn't really know what they were but we researched and found out!

The beans are actually seeds of the flowers on the plant called Sebastiania pavoniana that grows in Mexico. Female moths lay their eggs on the flowers and the larvae crawl into the seeds. Some facts we learned included: The hotter they feel the more they jump. They jump so they can find shade out of the hot sun. They also jump a little when they are eating the inside of the seeds. The colder they are, the less they jump.

Mrs. Schulz talked to Ms. Hicks about our research, so the next day we went into STEAM and she had our Mexican Jumping Beans! We set up an experiment to see how much more or less they would jump if we changed the temperature! We started with normal (meaning room temperature) and the beans jumped 45 times!! Then we put them onto a very cold ice pack and it was a lot harder to see how many times they jumped because it was not a lot. We only counted 2 times on the very cold ice pack! Then for the last one we knew we should get over 45 jumps so we were excited to see! We put the seeds under a heating lamp that is used for baby chicks, so it is very hot. Each kid spent like 1 minute watching to see how many we would get. The beans only jumped like 10 TIMES!! I thought it would get like 100!! So, the heat lamp was better than in the cold, but not as good as a room temperature space.

That was just a little bit about Mexican Jumping Beans and my experience with them for the first time!

OES students have transformed everyday objects into striking artwork displayed in the school hallway. Using a variety of random items, they painted each piece black, creating a bold and unified visual effect. This creative project encouraged imagination, problem-solving, and hands-on experimentation, turning ordinary materials into extraordinary expressions of student creativity.

On Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025, LMS Principal Mrs. Hicks held Langston's first "Walk and Talk" to discuss life and learning at Langston and ways all can get involved! The Walk and Talk, situated on beautiful Tappan Square, was open to parents, students, staff members, and community members and provided great opportunities for an open dialogue!

While the only two participants were Mrs. Hicks and Mrs. Beard, it led to a great discussion about parent engagement!

Twenty Oberlin High School students recently attended the Lorain County Community College Fair, which featured over 40 colleges and universities. Students had the opportunity to visit different tables, learn about the schools, and share their own interests and goals. Oberlin High has proudly participated in this annual event for over 12 years, helping students explore future educational opportunities.

We would like to share important information about the upcoming Senior Class Trip to Washington, D.C. We are partnering with Nowak Tour for this trip, and they have created an individual account for each student. The trip will take place during spring break, March 22–24, 2026, so students will not miss any school days.

For more information, please contact Oberlin High School Senior Advisors:

Paige Daniels-Isom at pdaniels-isom@oberlinschools.net

Brittany Gordon at bgordon@oberlin.edu

This November, Oberlin City Schools will ask voters to renew two important levies that help maintain strong educational programs, safe facilities, and essential District operations.

• Issue 23 is an operating levy that funds salaries, benefits, and general operations. It also helps repay the COPS bonds used to build the middle school.

• Issue 24 is a permanent improvement levy set at 2 mills, though the district currently collects only 1 mill and plans to continue doing so next year. These funds support buses, building maintenance, technology, and textbooks/licenses.

Upcoming Election of BOE Members

Incumbent Board of Education members Ms. Rosa Gadsden and Ms. JoAnne Steggall have filed for reelection to another four-year term. They will face challengers Ms. Sarah Reimer Dawson, Ms. Melissa George, and Mr. John LePelley. The top three vote-getters in November will earn seats on the Board.

In addition, incumbent Ms. Charlita Anderson-White has filed to complete an unexpired term ending in 2027. She will retain her position provided she is certified to appear on the ballot.

Thank you for supporting the Oberlin City Schools and please remember to vote in November. It is with your current and continued support that we are able to assist the needs of our students, families and staff.

Additional information from the Treasurer's Office can be found online by clicking HERE.