Wapakoneta High School

One of the biggest frustrations in this budget is the increased funding for private schools—without the same level of accountability as public schools. 📌 Public schools are audited annually by the State Auditor’s Office. Private schools? No state audits. 📌 Public schools must comply with strict financial and academic requirements—do private schools have to meet the same standards? 📌 Public schools must educate EVERY student. Private schools can pick and choose. If the state wants to fund private education, they must hold private schools to the same standards as public schools. If you agree, reach out to your legislators and ask them why public schools are being held to a higher standard while getting less funding. #AccountabilityMatters #PublicFundsPublicSchools

about 17 hours ago, Carrie Knoch

Another reminder to get your child registered for kindergarten next year! Today is one of our designated registration dates. Registering now allows us to plan appropriately for next school year. Thank you!

1 day ago, Aaron Rex

Tonight our FFA hosted their annual banquet. The current officers hosted the meeting and the new officers were inducted. Congratulations to Jack Fisher on being named President for 2025-2026, and thank you to Caleb Huelskamp for his leadership over the last year!

1 day ago, Aaron Rex

This is a reminder that we will not be having school on Friday, March 14.

2 days ago, Aaron Rex

🎭✨ Wapakoneta High School Presents: Love, Liz ✨🎭 Step into the court of Queen Elizabeth I for a night of gossip, intrigue, and laughter! 👑💃 Will Elizabeth’s closest friends convince her that a grand marriage and an heir will settle her rebellious heart? Or will her secret feelings for a certain someone change the course of history? 🎶💌 Prepare for a hilarious romp through history—complete with music, nail painting, a little mischief, and a parade of suitors ranging from the good, the bad, and the oh-so-handsome! 😍 📅 Show Dates: 📍 March 14-15 (Three Shows) 📍 Location: Wapakoneta High School 🎟 Get your tickets here: https://wapakonetaoh.sites.thrillshare.com/page/athletics-ticket-ordering Don’t miss this fun and fabulous WHS production! 🎭❤️

3 days ago, Carrie Knoch

We’ve seen firsthand how unpredictable school funding can be in the past. Years ago, our district saved money instead of spending it all, knowing that funding could change. Now, with an $800,000 funding cut coming, that foresight is helping—but we still face tough decisions ahead. Imagine if we didn’t have that cushion. We’d be scrambling to figure out how to pay our staff and maintain programs. The bottom line: This funding cut is significant. It’s not sustainable, and it’s not fair to our students. Stay tuned for what we can do to stand up for public schools. #WapakonetaSchools #FairFunding

4 days ago, Carrie Knoch

5 days ago, Carrie Knoch

Kindergarten registration is here! Today (March 10) is the first day, and we will have the second opportunity on March 14. We look forward to welcoming the class of 2038!

5 days ago, Aaron Rex

Congratulations to Caden Mellott on an INCREDIBLE season. All of Wapakoneta is proud to have you represent us as you step up on the podium tonight!

6 days ago, Carrie Knoch

Congratulations to Zane Russell on an AMAZING season. All of Wapakoneta is proud to have you represent us as you step up on the podium tonight!

6 days ago, Carrie Knoch

Kortney Fullenkamp officially committed to ONU Women's Basketball program yesterday! This 3-sport letter winner will also be an Elementary Education major at ONU in the fall. Congratulations Kortney! We are so proud of your dedication and determination!

7 days ago, Carrie Knoch

In 2022, Ohio implemented the Fair School Funding Plan, designed to accurately determine the cost of educating a child and how much a community can afford to pay. But here’s the problem: Only half of the formula is being updated. 📌 The state is recalculating property values & income (which makes Wapakoneta look "wealthier"), but they are NOT updating the cost of educating a student. What does this mean? 🔻 Wapakoneta City Schools' state funding will drop by $842,311 in FY 26 and $835,301 in FY 27. 🔻 Our state share of funding will drop from 53.54% in FY 2022 to just 38.1% in FY 2027. Even though your income may not have increased, the state assumes our community can cover the gap. That’s not how fair funding should work. This imbalance is putting a strain on public schools. We must demand that legislators update both sides of the formula. #SupportPublicSchools #FairFunding

8 days ago, Carrie Knoch

The robotics team got the opportunity to greet our students this morning as they arrived at the high school and elementary school.

8 days ago, Zane McElroy

9 days ago, Carrie Knoch

This morning, our State Qualifiers in Bowling and Wrestling were given a well-deserved "clap out" as they head to their respective tournaments today! 🎳🤼‍♂️ Let’s show them our Redskin pride and cheer them on as they compete at the highest level! 🎉🔥 Good luck to all our athletes—Wapakoneta is behind you all the way! ❤️🤍 #BeBetter #StateBound #RedskinPride

9 days ago, Carrie Knoch

As you may have heard, our school system will be taking over the majority of the county-run Special Education Units across the district. This is something we have considered for years, and after careful planning, we believe next school year is the right time to move forward. This transition aligns with previous steps we’ve taken, such as hiring our own speech pathologists, paraeducators, and managing the Opportunity School. While we have always funded these services, bringing them in-house allows us to directly hire staff, ensure quality, and control costs—ultimately benefiting both our students and the district. Over the past several months, Our Superintendent, Special Education Director, our building administrators, and treasurer have evaluated the need for special education instructors, paraeducators, and the financial impact on the district. Our goals are twofold: To manage and supervise all Special Education Units—after all, these are our students in the classrooms. To be as cost-effective as possible while maintaining high-quality services. We have just posted several Special Education Positions that includes: 4 Multiage Classrooms at WES 3 Multiage Classrooms at Cridersville 2 Multiage Classrooms at the Middle School 1 Multiage Classroom at the High School Each classroom will have one full-time special education instructor, one full-time paraeducator, and one part-time paraeducator—with additional paraeducators assigned as needed based on individual student support requirements. We will be interviewing current county personnel who apply, as well as other interested individuals. Due to retirements and the creation of new positions, all openings will be posted and filled according to Wapakoneta City Schools’ negotiated contracts. If you are wondering about potential budget cuts to Special Education based on the proposed budget bill...so are we! However, we hope that this move helps us to be be good stewards of the money that we receive regardless. We are excited about this transition and look forward to continuing to serve our students with excellence! Are you interested in applying? https://www.wapak.org/page/employment

10 days ago, Carrie Knoch

We usually avoid political posts, but this issue is too important to ignore. Governor DeWine’s proposed budget for the next two years is NOT kind to public education. 📉 Key Funding Cuts for Public Schools: Base Cost Funding: Drops 17.5% by FY 27 Special Education Aid: Down 9.4% in FY 26, another 8.5% in FY 27 Gifted, English Learner, and Career-Tech Education: Also facing cuts Transportation Aid: Slight increase, but with a cut to the guarantee Meanwhile, community and STEM schools, vocational districts, and private school scholarships (vouchers) are seeing major funding increases. This is not just a Wapakoneta issue—this impacts 90% of Ohio’s students who attend public schools. We’ll share more details in the next post, but we need to take action. Public schools matter! #OhioEducation #FundOurSchools

11 days ago, Carrie Knoch

Upholding a 33 year tradition, Congratulations to: District Champion- Zane Russell District Champion- Keyno Mendez Caden Mellott- 3rd Place Gavin Ridenour- 3rd Place Wyatt Buell- 3rd Place Coaches- Jason Rostorfer, Tyler Copeland, Logan Erb, Tyler Shipp

12 days ago, Carrie Knoch

Congratulations, as you head to the State Tournament this weekend: Eli Van Meter Tyler Neely Andrew Bennett Caleb Miller Logan Ferris Caleb Huelskamp Anthony Stelzer Coaches- Brandon Kennard, Josh Wahl, and Brian Van Meter

12 days ago, Carrie Knoch

Congratulations to: Aubryn Schnarre Riely Wernke Sophia Rupert-Hecht Paige McKenzie Kaylee Hyde Abby Sheipline Delani Wireman Coaches- Steve Rostorfer and Sam Wagner

12 days ago, Carrie Knoch