Mason City Schools superintendent reports strong performance, highlights programs and warns on property-tax pressures
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Summary
Superintendent Doctor Cooper told the board that Mason City Schools is performing well — citing a 5‑star report card, high achievement rankings and strong staff engagement — while urging the community to follow statewide conversations about property-tax reform and school funding.
Doctor Cooper delivered Mason City Schools’ State of Schools address, saying the district is in a “really great place” academically and culturally while laying out priorities for sustaining performance. He pointed to a 5‑star district report card, high statewide achievement ranks, and that nearly 10% of the class of 2025 earned College Board recognition.
Cooper framed the district’s work around three priorities: purposeful learning, inclusive excellence and personalized learning. He highlighted programs he said connect students to careers — the XLP experiential learning initiative and the OWL (Outdoor Wellness & Leadership) program — and described staff ‘‘journey days’’ the district uses for ongoing professional learning. He also noted an anticipated wave of retirements and ongoing succession planning to replace roughly 40 staff over the next five to seven years.
On academics, Cooper cited specific measures the district tracks: a 5‑star report card ranking, top‑30 performance on achievement metrics statewide, and a 99.8% pass rate tied to the state’s third‑grade guarantee for students attending Mason. He said those results reflect ‘‘the people and the relationships’’ in the district and credited teacher-led instruction and family support.
The superintendent also addressed long-term funding. Noting that Ohio ranks high nationally on property-tax burden while receiving comparatively low state support, he said Mason relies heavily on property tax revenue for salaries and programs. ‘‘That is the system we live in,’’ Cooper said, urging the community to engage as lawmakers debate property‑tax and school‑funding changes in Columbus.
Cooper and board members also reviewed extracurricular successes and operational items: national and state championships across athletics and performing arts, a growing student broadcasting operation, and expansion of career‑launch and internship pathways. He closed by asking the community to support programs, to watch for upcoming events (Black History Fest and Taste of Mason), and by thanking staff and families for their role in student outcomes.
The board did not take further action directly from the address; items that required board votes — including personnel hires and several facilities contracts — were considered later on the agenda.
