ASHLAND — Superintendent Steve Paramore looked back at the accomplishments in Ashland City Schools during the 2025-2026 school year in his state-of-the-schools address on Monday afternoon.
“Today is about celebration, reflection and vision,” Paramore said in his opening remarks.
The address was broadcasted online to the district’s YouTube channel, marking the first online-only address.
He began by highlighting district-wide successes, which include:
- Strengthened school safety protocols and emergency preparedness through work with the district’s two school resource officers to update the annual emergency management plan and evacuation drills. Paramore said the district will run a drill in June that will use all county-wide agencies.
- Increased mental health support through school liaisons constantly creating and maintaining ways to address mental health struggles through the school and community resources.
- Collaboration among district staff to create professional-development-aligned instructional priorities. Teachers lead professional development for other teachers for continued career growth.
- A successful school reconfiguration which allowed for Edison Elementary School’s first year as a second and third-grade building and Reagan Elementary School’s first year as a preschool through first-grade building.
- More career exploration and STEM opportunities through high school internships, sports science and agricultural tech career technical pathways and a newly-hired STEAM teacher at Reagan Elementary.
“Achievement is not just about test scores, it’s about well being, belonging and opportunity,” he said.
Success is unique at each school
Paramore went through the accomplishments at each of the Ashland City Schools, starting with the high school.
Ashland High School
Ashland High School students continue to increasingly enroll in college-credit classes, with 181 students in advanced placement classes and 224 students enrolled in at least one college-credit plus course.
Those students have earned collectively 1,368 college credits.
The district also successfully launched the new AP seminar course this year, and plans to offer a new CCP anatomy and physiology course next school year.
The high school’s athletics also saw wins, with boys and girls golf, girls soccer, boys and girls basketball and boys wrestling all winning titles in the Ohio Cardinal Conference. The boys wrestling team is also a nine-time OCC champion.
Paramore also recognized Ashland’s Mock Trial for advancing to regionals and the AHS math league making the state leader board.
Ashland Middle School
Paramore noted multiple districts have come to observe Ashland Middle School classrooms to learn from the math curriculum, collaborative teaching structure and special education plans.
He also recognized the newly reestablished AMS News and Media organization, which expanded this year to include broadcast projects and graphic design work.
Taft Intermediate School
Taft’s January family engagement night saw 500 people there to support students and 12 community agencies there to offer resources to parents and students.
The event included science, literacy and fun stations to connect Taft families. It also included an essay-writing competition where 67 students submitted essays and several read theirs aloud at the event.
Paramore praised the after-school choir’s partnership with AHS musical production that allowed the students to participate in the musical.
Edison Elementary School
Edison students experienced the building’s first year as a dedicated second and third-grade building.
Those second and third-graders began participating in the new “leader in me” program, which bridges the gap between academics and character development, Paramore said.
The program includes the leaders of the month initiative, where students support local agencies through service, including serving lunches at nursing homes, partnering with the United Way of Ashland County for its day of caring and helping the Salvation Army with its red kettle campaign.
Students have also worked together to complete 55 random acts of kindness across Ashland.
Reagan Elementary School
Reagan students have also participated in the “leader in me” program: each month, the older preschoolers, kindergarteners and first-graders gather for an assembly that launches a new leadership habit.
One month students learned how to use a “pause bucket” to regulate big emotions and another, they worked together to build a school-wide paper chain to remind them that together is better.
Reagan students also attend “ready bodies, learning minds” twice a week where they participate in structured movement stations guided by physical therapists to build coordination, self regulation and focus.
Looking to the future
Paramore voiced his concern for the potential elimination of local property taxes.
Property taxes represent 62 percent of the district’s operating budget, Paramore said, “that is not a small portion.”
“If eliminated without a a fully sustainable and reliable replacement, the impact would be profound,” he said.
He guaranteed staff, career technical pathways, athletics and extracurriculars, transportation and maintenance would all face significant cuts and changes if property taxes are eliminated.
“Strong public schools strengthen local property values, attract families and businesses, develop an educated workforce, develop high-character individuals and encourage graduates to stay, live, work and contribute to Ashland. When we invest in our schools, we invest in the long term vitality of our entire city.”
Paramore
“Strong public schools strengthen local property values, attract families and businesses, develop an educated workforce, develop high-character individuals and encourage graduates to stay, live, work and contribute to Ashland,” he said. “When we invest in our schools, we invest in the long term vitality of our entire city.”
Paramore also noted the district would continue to make upgrades to district facilities and technology, including implementing a new cyber security policy, upgrading the Taft Intermediate School playground and adding in-field turf and bull pins to the Ashland High School Softball field.
