001Hallelujah. everything. Hey Hallelujah. I apologize for be making everyone late. I looked for my coat and someone had already rescued it. So, I appreciate that. Um, I'm calling this regular meeting of the Lakewood Board of Education for February 2nd to order. If May we have a roll call, please. >> Mrs. Shaughnessy, >> present. >> Mrs. Doppen, >> present. >> Mrs. Clark Sutton, >> here. Mr. Callahan is absent. Miss Katsenberger >> here. >> Thank you very much. If you would all join us in the pledge. I know we don't have >> I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. >> Thank you very much. First order of business is adoption of the agenda.
002Is there a motion? >> So moved. >> Second. It's been moved and seconded that we adopt the agenda. This requires a roll call vote, please. >> Mrs. Shaughnessy, >> I. >> Mrs. Dman, >> I. >> Mrs. Clark Sutton, >> I. >> Miss Katsenberger, >> I. >> Thank you very much. The agenda is adopted. And this brings us to Superintendent Nidwicki and the superintendent report. >> Good evening again, President Shaughnessy, Vice President Dapman, distinguished board members, Treasurer Roodie. I would like to invite up to the podium our principal of Garfield Middle School, Mrs. April Patton. Good evening, board president Shaughnessy, Vice President Dottman, distinguished board members, Superintendent Ned Wiki, and Treasurer Roadie. On behalf of the entire Garfield staff, I am honored to begin this evening by recognizing the hard work and dedication of several of
003our students. First, I would like to recognize Antonia Nicholson as our resilient ranger. Antonia, please join me. All right. Don't read it. I'm going to read it. Don't Don't steal it. Antonia is an out is standing here with me tonight because she exemplifies what it means to be an outstanding student. She demonstrates quiet confidence and leadership paired with constant dedication to her academic work and positive attitude toward learning. Her ability to think creat excuse me critically and creatively extends well beyond that of many of her peers, allowing her to approach challenges with insight, curiosity, and purpose. Beyond her academic strengths, Antonio shows genuine compassion and respect for all of those around her. She is a thoughtful classmate, a supportive friend who navigates the middle school experience with maturity, tact, and grace. Antonia consistently gives her
004best effort the first time on every assignment, every day, setting a standard for excellence for others to follow. Antonia is driven, hardworking, and always striving to grow and improve. She embodies all the characteristics of the vision of a Lakewood Ranger, demonstrating responsibility, integrity, perseverance, and respect in everything she does. There is no doubt she will achieve whatever she sets her mind to. Her strong work ethic, positive mindset, and genuine character make her a role model within our school community and a truly deserving recipient of this recognition. I want to say I pract practiced this with my students in the back room and I read this to a few of them that were here early and they said absolutely 100% everything I said is true about their classmate Antonia. Congratulations. >> Congratulations. >> The board has
005this little reminder of recognition tonight. Oh, sure. I was thinking about videos. >> I'll figure I said we're down a student. And I could put you on the hot spot and have you present too, but I won't do that. All right. I'm going to have our my other students and Mrs. Sandival come and join me as well. So tonight, I'm excited to be here to highlight the thoughtful and innovative approaches that our staff has taken to embed the vision of a Lakewood Ranger into experiences that extend far beyond the classroom. So right now I have eighth grade students here with me, but I want to make sure I mention what's going on in sixth and seventh grade. So to start um in sixth grade this year, our sixth grade students actually began the year by
006reading a book called And Then Boom. Uh Mrs. Fields, one of our sixth grade language arts teachers, came to me. She had read the book in a professional development course and said, "I really want to read this with my students because I don't think I've ever read a book that touches on empathy as much as this one does." So, we started the year in sixth grade by reading this book that's about an 11-year-old boy named Joey who is being raised by his grandmother. In the story, Joey experiences series of sudden changes, including his grandmother's sudden death, homelessness, and food insecurity. In the story, they talk about his teacher and the support she gave, and she had things in uh her classroom like the magic closet in the corner store. Since reading this book, it has
007really tapped into our students and they want these things here, too. So, I have had students write me emails at this point, uh, reaching out if they can make corner stores, if they can make school comm community, you know, different communities. Even I have a student who would like to tap into the construction trades and have boxes made all around Lakewood. And I said, "Okay, slow down. We got to do one step at a time." So, again, it's just really tapping into you never know what you can do with students until you present this. So, in sixth grade, this was something new this year. They've been very passionate about the story and trying to find ways to bring this here to Garfield. In seventh grade, and some of my students behind me know this, in
008seventh grade, the students uh reflect on the competencies at the end of every quarter. They're asked to reflect on two different competencies. They're asked to provide different examples. They can write a poem. They can write a reflection sheet. They can video record their responses. This year at the end of second quarter before we left for winter break, Mrs. Grock put a twist on the assignment where she actually had students be able to reflect by applying for a job. So the job you had to have two of the competencies of the Lakewood Ranger students needed to reflect on that why they would be the best applicant for the director of future leadership and growth. um students could, you know, further extend that learning, think about how they could apply the vision of a Lakewood Ranger to
009things beyond just the classroom with that assignment. And I want to present tonight to you basically the idea of the vision of a Lakewood Ranger is standing right behind me in these eighth graders and their eighth grade experience. I am proud of the eighth grade experience and it embodies all of the vision of a Lakewood Ranger. Through thoughtfully designed activities, field trips, classroom experiences, our students are given the opportunity to extend their learning beyond the classroom while developing academically, socially, emotionally, and building meaningful connections to the community and their future pathways. Behind me is Mrs. uh excuse me, Mrs. Andersack should be here, but Mrs. Sandival is here. U Mrs. Xander Sack has small children, so she was navigating a lot tonight. And some of our students, I have Norella and Lucy. Nurella and Lucy
010were actually with me last year as part of our Ranger reporters, our newspaper that we presented last year. So, these are our veteran reporters here. I also have Sammy and I have Chloe with me here tonight. We had one other student who had a makeup basketball game from some of our Calamity Day, so he couldn't be here. Sammy is going to present on Deontay's part tonight. So, with that, what I'd like to dig into here is all of the things that happen in 8th grade, but really focusing only on two of those things. Mrs. Sandival, do you want to join me? >> Hi. Thank you so much for having me tonight. I'm honored to be here. There's We have a wonderful eighth grade team and I'm just a tiny part of it. So um throughout
011the year, the eighth grade students participate in a variety of academic, cultural, career, and service-based experiences that extend learning beyond the classroom and support the development of the whole child. These experiences include multiple field trips that are all either partially or fully funded by our generous LRF as well as meaningful inschool programs such as courtroom court in the classroom where students observe and actual trial and action community outreach days including visits to nursing homes in the winter and community cleanup and projects for Earth Day in the spring. There's also trades day where guest speakers share insights into careers and the skilled trades. Um I'm going to introduce the next slide. um which is the trade about trades day. Miss Andersack was going to be here but like like Mrs. Patton said her little ones got
012the best of her tonight so she had to stay home. Trades game day came back this year with notable success. Um we haven't had it since before COVID. Prior to that we did have it a few times and the students definitely felt the impact this year. Um, the day pushed students to think beyond traditional career paths and see how what they learned in the class connects to realworld opportunities through hands-on conversations and real life examples. Students used critical and creative thinking to imagine new futures for themselves which maybe they hadn't thought about before. Um, and just broadening their horizons. This year, students connected with professionals from a wide range of fields, including construction trades, Westshore Career Tech, Lakewood Public Works, First Responders, Cleveland Metrop Parks, cosmetology, culinary arts, the arts, the military, and health and
013wellness. Next up, Chloe and Lucy are here to share how Trades Day helped spark those ideas and open new possibilities. Hi, my name is Lucy and I am very thankful to have this opportunity and talk about my experience with Trades Day. Trades Day gave me and my other classmates a chance to look at different careers and spark any interest we had in them. For one of my groups, I chose health and wellness. Here, the instructors had us challenge ourselves by getting in a group and making a tower out of cups using a string tied to a rubber band. We weren't allowed to talk, so we had to get creative by finding ways to communicate without talking. This encouraged us to think through challenges and find solutions to overcome them. >> Hi, my name is Chloe
014to sorry today. Thank you. Sorry. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak to you today. To begin, my main focus is on critical and creative thinking. With trades day, we got to learn about different jobs around the world the world. For example, we learned about >> Sorry. >> I'm sorry. We we learned about cosmetology and learned about skincare. Prior to this, I didn't realize how important cosmetology was. I hadn't made the connection to skin care and I'm sorry and how important it is to take care of your skin. Up next is Narella to talk about the connection of trades day to growth mindset. Hello. Uh my name is Nurella and thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak today. Uh in my trade state experience, presenters shared their individual career path but
015then on then elaborated on what else you could do in their general career. This was really helpful as we got to ask questions and interact with speakers which helped our understanding of their career. Overall this experience helped grow our mindset. Uh >> yeah uh for global awareness and cit citizenship it's me and Lucy but for trades day we got to experience many different trades that support our community. We got to hear about trades such as public works, first responders, and military which are all servicebased trades that help us. uh these different careers show responsibility and how that looked in uh in different places. There were multiple people representing each trade which gave us different perspectives that are expand our thinking and help us grow. Thank you. Hi again. I'm back to share another one of
016my experiences with trades day through global awareness. Another group I visited on Trades Day was the Cleveland Metrop Parks. Here the instructors talked about a special program we can go all throughout high school to help take care of the animals at the zoo. The zoo is a great place that supports communities by offering by offering volunteering and hands-on experiences throughout. Up next, Mrs. Sandaval and Mrs. Andersonac to talk about community outreach opportunities. >> Or just Mrs. Sandal. >> All right. I'll pretend she's here with me. All right. Um hello again. Thanks. So for the um last several years, we've taken our final day of our second quarter for some community outreach and we've gone to nursing homes and assisted living places here in Lakewood. This year on December 18th, our last day before break, we
017were able to visit three different assisted living and nursing homes. Um over the years, we've been able to grow this opportunity. Originally, we just went and um spoke to residents and had some people singing carols. Um thanks to some more donations from the LRF, we were able to bring the spaces even more cheer. This year, we added choirs um with they were there both in the morning and afternoons at the buildings. And then there were select orchestra and band students that performed both in the mornings and afternoons. Um we had students creating crafts for residents rooms and doors. Students made activity books for the residents. Um, another fun part of the day was many students decorated and delivered cookies to the residents and they just spread so much joy to this community. So, Deontay King
018was going to come and speak, but he's at the basketball game. Sammy Egger is here to speak on his behalf. Um uh >> um he he was here to present about growth mindset and how it is connecting to the nursing home field trip. His experience with the elder people was very fun. Um he they told me about themselves and it taught me how to how to communicate with people older than me. Uh when he walked into the building, he saw a lot of people that seemed stuck sitting there. He felt bad and wanted to help them any in any possible way. When he got to the main room, he passed out cookies and and and they really liked them. When he went when he he when he when he went to go talk to this
019lady, he was she was very nice and curious. Her life before the nursing home was beautiful and she and she used to live on the street across from the nursing home. She said she wanted to be a ballerina. Um, I learned that he learned that you always want to be grateful for the times you have with people and enjoy every bit of time that you've got. Um, um, I'm next. Um, hi, I'm Sammy. I'm happy to be here today to tell you about how Empathy was involved with our trip to the nursing home. Trying to talk to the elders in the nursing home, asking questions about their lives and how they feel, how it was impactful to me h and how I how they feel how feel now was impactful to me. Some things I
020learned about some of the elders was that some of them had grandkids and kids, some of them played sports, and I learned about some of their favorite colors and things they enjoyed. Empathy is uh knowing how you can make someone feel better, like a smile or hello. The residents were very engaging in their conversations. They seemed to be enjoying it. and one of the older ladies I talked to um was smiling the entire time. When I left the nursing home, I hoped that I added a little spark to their heart. Um and up next is Chloe. Hi, I'm here again to tell you about how communication and collaboration come together with the whole nursing home visit. When we were talking to the residents, we learned about how their lives were. For example, I learned about
021how residents were and are at the moment. Giving them an opportunity to talk about themselves make making them happy to have this opportunity and made made me realize it's important to communicate with everyone of all ages. And now back to Miss Patton. You're done. We're very fortunate for the work of our whole entire eighth grade team. Mrs. Siennoval obviously who is here with us tonight, but also Mrs. Buny worked very hard in bringing trades day back. Some of these things are traditional things that have been in place with our eighth grade. But thinking of what was presented tonight from December in the nursing home visits to January with trades day to next week, our eighth grade is going to Playhouse Square. They are going on a tour of CSU. They're having lunch at CSU. Just
022about every month, students are getting out of the classroom and they are experiencing things that they couldn't do without the support of our teachers here in this building. So, we are very fortunate to bring these things back on the on the board up there. Not that you're going to read all those or you can see them, but the students after trades day and I was fortunate enough to be able to be in most of the presentations. The presenters were tremendous. We have one of the presenters here today with us and and part of that was bringing to the students how these competencies factor over into real world into their jobs into their daily lives. The things that they needed to do to be where they are today. You know the presenters talked about just showing
023up you know being on time that everything matters. You know the little things do matter and coming from them as experts in their field I think really helped to make those connections with students. It's not just us telling them these things every day. So the overwhelming response from trades day was tremendous. The students felt very connected. The teachers are already sending me emails on, hey, I think we could reach out to this person next year. You know, I want to bring in more with that. So it just shows you how much work goes into all these other things. So I thank them all for that. and students. I thank you obviously for your contribution here and how all of these experiences are tapping into things beyond what we're learning in English, math, science, social studies,
024and our related arts and music programs. At this point, I'd open it up to any questions you may have for us. I just have a comment. I I love that list of field trips. That was fabulous. I am all about experiential learning and that just made me super super happy. So enjoy all. >> What's your favorite trip so far? Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt you. Favorite trip so far? Just one so far. >> Nelson's. >> Yeah. Okay. >> Okay. Why? All right. >> Yeah. Why? My question. >> You all said Nelson. Why? Nelson's Ledges. Why? >> We were there for a couple hours and it was just really nice. history of Ohio. >> Okay. >> I wanted to add on to that. It was also really nice to it was very like free. Yes,
025we had a teacher with us like I think I had two in my group multiple But we weren't told what to do. We got to like explore or Yes. We picked like a specific trail to stay on. That was as a group and each person got like insight like yes, I want to do this trail. I want to do this trail. And then we got to do whatever we wanted on the trail. Like reasonably reasonably nice. Oh, you have to go you have to go this way on the trail. Yes. jump onto wasn't restricting at all. And I think it was really enjoyable because it's like having to like be in a classroom and sit down all day and then getting that opportunity to go outside for like an extended period of time. It was
026really like like freeing I guess. >> Is that the same for rest of you? >> Going out there and being away from technology. >> Thank you. That's wonderful. >> I just have to comment that it's listening to the combination of uh what a great project to bring so many elements of our community together. I mean >> you know the support of LREF, the different uh entities within our community, our you know um businesses and and other facilities are wonderful students are amazing teachers. I mean, it's what a great project and um I it's lovely to hear how much of an impact those nursing home and assisted living facility visits had on you guys and I you know with having some folks some relatives and who live in some facilities like that, I can assure you
027that the impact was just as meaningful to them. So, thank you so much for spending your time and and being so um uh taking it so seriously and and putting so much of your heart into it. That was just really wonderful to hear about. So, thank you. >> Very nice job on presenting those >> for sure. >> And thank you to whoever the trades person is that's here tonight. >> Thank you. Go on up there. Don't escape. You're supposed to be up there. >> I saw you. I saw you slipping over. Very nice. Thank you. Great job on the presentation. You know, it was making me think about and some of the directors that are here eight years ago when we started the the development of the vision of the Lakewood Ranger. Um, you know,
028our biggest fear was it would just become something else. >> Yeah. >> And the development of where we are today, eight years later, is just amazing. And so thank you to our principles and our teaching staff to continue to embed those lifelong skills for our kids. They just just amazing and that these are middle schoolers >> standing up there and talking. >> Just great job. Thank you. >> Fantastic. >> And unfortunately, Dr. Palumba, you're going to have to try to top that with the educator spotlight. Well, I do have some wonderful educators to talk about. So, building on our years of successful work with our vision of a Lakewood graduate and with input from our many stakeholders, we proudly recognize colleagues who we believe most exemplify our vision of a Lakewood educator. Tonight, I'm honored
029to share with you two exemplary educators to be recognized because of their commitment to our students and the ways in which they embody our vision of a Lakewood educator. Please join me in welcoming up Allison Heindman and Rebecca King so that I can share with you how they exemplify our vision of a Lakewood Ranger. Thank you. And as they make their way up here, I will tell you that I have for each of them um a gift card, gift certificate to our ranger shop at Lakewood High School. So Alison, this one. >> All right. And then I'm gonna start with Allison and then we'll do Rebecca. For students at Garfield Middle School, STEM class with Allison Heindman is a time and place where curiosity is encouraged, mistakes are a part of the process, and learning
030feels exciting. Known by principal April Patton as a constant source of energy and positivity, Allison creates an engaging, supportive environment that helps students tackle challenges with confidence and creativity. As the only teacher in her subject at Garfield, Allison makes a concerted effort to stay connected to her colleagues. She communicates regularly through her weekly tech tips email that she sends to staff as the school's technobbody. Allison, who joined the district in 2022, doesn't just connect with her Garfield peers. She has built a strong partnership with Harding STEM teacher Aaron Ani. The two collaborate in weekly meetings where they plan lessons, review what worked well and what could be improved, and truly work together to bring the best STEM experience to all of our middle school students. Besides her communication and collaboration skills, Allison also relies on
031her vision of a Lakewood Ranger competency of empathy, noting that STEM is a challenging subject for students, often leading to frustration. Allison puts herself in their shoes to understand what they are going through. I tell them it's okay to struggle and it's okay to feel that way. That's how they grow, says Allison. The nature of STEM, where there is often no right answer, lends itself to Allison applying her growth mindset skills every day. At times, a student may come up with a novel solution for an assignment. When this happens, she and the student then walk through the process together so the student can share their thinking. Through her collaborative approach, openness to feedback, and willingness to innovate, Allison consistently enhances the student learning experience while supporting those around her. Her leadership and teamwork make her
032an invaluable member of our Lakewood City School staff. Thank you, Allison. And next we have Rebecca. Garfield Middle School paraprofessional Rebecca King joined the Bridges classroom last school year and has since become an integral part of the Bridges team through her patience, kindness, and dedication to every student she serves. Rebecca relies most on her vision of a Lakewood educator competency of empathy and her calming presence to help students navigate their day. Her care and support for each student shines through and is noted by her colleagues. Garfield Bridges teacher Erica O'Grady says that Miss Rebecca is dependable, kind, and so easy to be around. She makes an effort every single day to connect with our students in ways that are meaningful. Rebecca uses empathy to support her in making connections with students. I know that every
033student is different. I listen to them and I give them moral support and my love, Rebecca says. Rebecca also depends on her growth mindset to help serve Garfield students. She is a keen observer of her more experienced team members and says she is always absorbing their techniques and then implementing them as well. Additionally, Rebecca frequently watches videos that help her better understand some of the challenges her students face and give her insight into how she can help them. Rebecca's colleagues are appreciative of her good work. Shares Erica Rebecca's reliability, creativity, and care make a lasting impact on our students and our school community. We are incredibly grateful to have her as part of our Bridges team. Congratulations, Rebecca. Thank you very much. Sorry, I need three hands. Congratulations. >> Something congratulations to you. >> I
034think our students are awfully lucky to have each of you. And I find that so interesting to observe um what's going on with your students and to then learn how to interact with them maybe in different ways. Fascinating. And STEM. We didn't have STEM in my day, but I wish we had. I wish we had. Do you each of you have people here that you want to introduce? >> Oh, I brought my family with me. They're over there. >> Wave family. Oh, okay. Anyone here for you? >> Great. Hi. Welcome. >> Would you like to say anything? >> Um, no. I just thank you so much. Those there are so many nice things to hear and um you know we're so lucky at our field to have such a wonderful staff and we couldn't do
035it without all of our colleagues. So >> you get that feeling. >> Yeah. >> All of you pictures. >> Yeah. Sure. >> Y >> after you welcome to get their picture taken. You should be in it more than me. Thank you. And then finally, I know that Treasurer Roadie uh would like to give an update on the resolution for this evening. >> Right. Good evening, board president Shaughnessy, Vice President Dottman, distinguished members of the board, and superintendent Nitwiki. At the January 22nd Board of Education meeting, the board approved resolution number two um for the new operating levy uh for the May ballot. Following that meeting, the county fiscal office notified the treasur's office that their um that an error had been made by the county in their fiscal certification on the amount um specifically the
036number related to the district's total taxable property value. So there was just one of those numbers um was a typo. They realized it um unfortunately was already after that resolution had been passed. But since this number is not only noted on the county certification, but it's also in the resolution. So, um tonight's um on tonight's agenda, there's a replacement resolution number two, and it not only replaces it, but repeals the original from January 22nd. So, this will um neatly and tightly wrap that process up. The correction does not change the proposed millage. the purpose of the levy or the estimated cost to taxpayers. Um, all aspects of the levy aside from this remain unchanged. So, I just wanted to provide that update. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> And that concludes the superintendent report. Is
037there a legislative report? >> Yes, I do have a couple just a update on some things. Um, about a year ago in January 2025, the federal department of education sent a letter to universities and K through 12 uh, school districts across the country informing them that they um would be in violation of federal law if they considered race in virtually anyway. hiring discipline, policy, scholarships, programming, etc. It was known as the DEI letter. This was based on the department's interpretation of title six of the Civil Rights Act. Soon after, the American Federation of Teachers filed a lawsuit challenging the directive. In August 2025, US District Judge Stephanie Gallagher in Maryland struck down the guidance in the letter and the certification requirements, citing free speech concerns, as well as emphasizing the teaching about systemic and structural
038racism is in itself following the law. After initially appealing this this decision, the federal government dropped its appeal on January 21st of this year, rendering the letter's directives and guidelines for enforcement moot, which is a good thing. While we can't say for certain that these issues won't be tried in some other way, it's encouraging that this particular effort has been resolved. >> So, I wanted was happy to report that. >> It's nice to have a bit of like good news coming from >> Yeah, some legislative good news. >> Every once in a while, it's nice to give a happy update. >> Um, however, so asking that for about 10 seconds. Um, speaking of the US Department of Education, the current federal budget being negotiated by Congress includes bipartisan support, this part's good, bipartisan support to
039preserve funding for the department at rough roughly $93 billion. However, some members of Congress still support the executive branch's efforts to completely dissolve the Department of Education. Legislators in some states plan to issue resolutions in support of this dissolution and Ohio is one of those states. The language in Ohio's resolution claims that federal involvement in education has quote unquote imposed burdens on states in their schools causing achievement to stagnate and decline. This language is based on model language provided by the America First Policy Institute, a national conservative nonprofit policy organization. Deputy director of the group's Ohio chapter is Emily Marino, daughter of Ohio Senator Bernie Marino Bernie Marino. Representative Dave Thomas, Republican from Jefferson and Ohio, spoke in favor of the resolution, saying some districts have said they support fewer regulations, and he emphasized that
040he believed that federal education funding would be preserved, but simply rerouted to states for them to decide how to spend it. The Ohio Education Association opposes dissolving the Department of Education, the federal department of education, citing concerns about Title One enforcement, civil rights protection, and higher financial burdens on local districts. If you want more information on this matter, I encourage you to contact your state legislatores, legislators, repres uh Representative Dave Thomas, andor your members of Congress. And that's the concludes the legislative update. >> Thank you very much. >> Can I ask something? Sure. >> Um is are are they essentially saying like keep your federal dollars? Like if if Ohio were to pass that resolution, it's not dissolving the state department of education, it would be like no thank you. >> No, they're saying that
041they are trusting that the federal dollars would make their way to Ohio in some way. the federal dollars that the federal so the the dissolution of the federal department of education is the the idea is that there's no reason for the federal government to be involved in public education and that they're going to funnel that money straight to the states but um and trust that the states will do good things with them. >> So these are okay I misunderstood. I thought this was like the Ohio state legislature. These are congressmen Ohio congressmen. Well, yeah. So, so what what is happening at the the Ohio state level is that they our state legisl some of our state legislators are crafting a resolution to send to our federal >> Gotcha. Okay. >> Congress people to say, "Hey,
042let's dissolve the federal department of education." >> Okay. >> We think that's a good idea. And so that other states are doing that. >> So, um, >> so Ohio is encouraging >> Ohio is encouraging. Okay. >> The federal department federal government to dissolve the Department of Education. >> Okay. I appreciate that. I >> Sorry. It's bad in a different way. >> Yes. >> And so and so with no no suggestions about what that money would be used for or earmarking it for education with governor discretion or public schooling or just just spread the word. >> Well, and you know again the the concern would be title one enforcement, civil rights protection, >> special education. I mean, it's kind of like the movement to abolish property taxes and then not have >> no funding. >> Well,
043and we do instead >> and you know, the the state contribution to education funding has been dropping precipitously >> recent years. So, there's no guarantee that that wouldn't continue to happen. And we've talked a lot about fair school funding and >> such things. So um and the federal department of education pro you know performs some essential functions especially in com and protecting the civil rights of children and and um special education protections and these are essential things. So >> thank you. >> Yeah, >> thank you very much. Um we're going to be moving on to discussion of agenda items for our next regular meeting. And so usually at this time if we have guests here that need to get home or children that need to get home or teachers that need to get home, principles,
044you know, >> but you're always excuse yourself, but thank you so much for coming. >> Jesus Christ. >> Thank you. >> Hi. You too. I thought I saw my different >> Look at this monster. >> Mhm. >> I wouldn't have known. >> Here we are. Just us. >> Look at him again. What's he so pleased with himself about? >> He got a phone call. >> He got his sweater vest. >> Well, we appreciate you staying. It's like I appreciate anyone coming out in the cold nights. So, >> okay. So, we will move on now to our discussion of agenda items. Um, first is the finance report and in light of Mr. Callahan's absence, Mrs. Katsburger will report. >> Thank you, Mrs. President Shaughnessy. Um, the overview of agenda items for February 2026. Um, investments purchased
045and matured for December 2025. The tables that are included in the agenda materials identify outstanding and matured investments during December. Investment earnings for regular board funds for the month of December total $36,646 bringing the year-to- date total to 1,528,262. For the month of December 2025, general fund receipts totaled 1,910,748 and general fund expenditures totaled 7,217,135. The initial 5-year forecast for financial 20 for fiscal year 2026 reflects various changes from fiscal year 2025. In terms of revenues, year-to- date actual and projected revenues are trending with the five-year forecast. Other revenue is exceeding for forecasted trends due to an additional dispersement from the county related to the 2024 reappraisal process. In terms of expenditures, year-to-ate actual and projected expenditures are trending with the five-year forecast within the majority of categories. Purchase services is trending slightly over the
046forecast, which may be due to timing. Both substitute staffing and utility costs are contributing to the negative variance. As the five-year forecast is updated and reviewed with board and administration for the February submission, there will most likely be changes and updates to various categories. And for cash reserves and compliance items, cash reserves are sufficient through fiscal year 2026. A financial summary report is provided to show the monthly and fiscal year-to-ate cash position for the non-general funds maintained by the district. Appropriation modifications will ensure the district is in compliance with the state auditor auditor's office and the county fiscal office. All accounts have sufficient funds available to cover the increase in the appropriations. The amendment increases allows the district to legally encumber and pay funds up to the amounts appropriated. And that concludes the financial report.
047>> Thank you very much. Next item would be building sites and major purchases. However, there are no items. So, thank you, Mrs. Clarkson. Um, next we have the education report. Mrs. Get some burger. >> Back up. Um, calendars for school year 2027 and 2028 and 2028 and 2029. Approval is requested for the 2027 2028 and 2028 2029 school calendars. 2027 2028 calendar's first day of instruction is set for Thursday, August 19th, 2027 with the last day of school being Wednesday, May 31st, 2028. The 2028 2029 school year calendar's first day of instruction is set for Monday, August 21st, 2028 with the last day of school being Thursday, May 31st, 2029. We have several student clubs uh a couple student clubs being uh introduced for approval. The spelling be club uh which is so got to
048check that one out. This club will be open to any third grade student at Grant Elementary School. The purpose of the club is to practice and have a spelling bee contest with Horse Elementary School. Super cool. Girls on the run. This club will be open to any third, fourth, and fifth grade girl at Hayes Elementary School. The purpose of this club is to empower young girls and help build self-confidence along with physical activity. Students will get to experience belonging and connection when being part of a team. Volunteer coaches will be teaching students a mix of physical activity of running and life ski of running and life skills such as managing emotion, friendship, and empathy. We also have an item regarding waving of tuition for a non-resident senior. We have a Lakewood High School student senior,
049Lakewood High School senior who has requested that she be allowed to complete her senior year on a non-tuition basis for the 2025 2026 school year following her family's move out of the Lakewood City School District. Next, we have a resolution to approve an extended field trip uh to Japan. Lakewood High School students will travel to Japan and will have the opportunity to broaden one's vision of our world community and offer the platform from which a learner can come to an enhanced understanding of the world that surrounds us. Students will experience expert-led tours to Osaka Castle, a walking tour of the Nishiki Market, a tour of Kyoto, seeing the tranquil golden pavilion and the Kiom Mazurra Temple, enjoy a traditional Japanese tea ceremony, then travel to the Takayyama region and partake in a guided zen meditation
050experience. They will visit the Knazawa I've lost my place and learn about the samurai style mountain architecture. Visit the Knazawa Castle and then travel to Tokyo to see the Imperial Plaza Palace Plaza, the Harajuku shopping district, the Metropolitan Government Building, the Maji Shinto Shine, Shibuya, a tour of Akihabara Electric Town, and Akasuka Canon Temple. The trip will take place between the dates of June 10th and June 25th, 2028 for a 10-day trip. Sounds amazing. Um, >> amazing. >> The resolution and then there's a resolution to adopted instructional materials. Um, Westshore Career Technical uh has selected new edition of the textbook currently used in a program on cooking, a textbook of culinary fundamentals. Next, we have a resolution to adopt courses of study in Lakewood City School District for the middle school STEM program, which have
051developed been developed collaboratively by the representatives from the middle school STEM department and the department of teaching and learning. The courses of study for the elementary English and multilingual program have been developed collaboratively by representatives from the elementary English learning department and the department of teaching and learning. Next, we have several gifts to Lakewood City Schools. Susan Trentel donated $1,000 to be used for students in need for the pay to participate program. An anonymous donation of $793.17 to be used for nutrition services student balances at Lakewood High School, Harding Middle School, and Horus Mana Elementary School. Steven Daly donated $1,000 to Lakewood City Schools for scholarships for Lakewood Suzuki strings. And last, uh, a donation to Lakewood recreation, Dr. Ronald Colloji, uh, the orthodontist in town, donated 300 $3,500 to Lakewood Recreation for youth basketball
052sponsorship. And that concludes the education report. >> Thank you very much. Next, we come to policy and we have none to consider today and so we're on to human resources and community services. Mrs. statement. >> Okay, we had 69 total action uh certified actions, one appointment and 68 special compensation, 50 total actions for classified, seven appointments, 43 special compensation. Um one action, one appointment for classified nonmp employee coach or adviser and then 25 total actions for community recreation education in aquatics, athletics, event staff, and the fitness facility. And then there's a resolution to approve the Lakewood Community Baseball Softball Association updated memorandum of understanding. The board of education is being asked to approve edits to the originally approved memorandum of understanding of the Lakewood Community Baseball Softball Association. This is to include the recently adopted
053name change within the document and other edits that will not change any of the terms of theou that will remain in full force and effect. Um, and I can lose my report. >> Thank you very much. We now arrive at the communications portion of our meeting. Um, first an opportunity for board members to talk about any communications they've received. >> Um, just a reminder, I'll talk to the camera. We have a lot of cold weather obviously, especially over the last week, it's kind of been showing. Um, if you have extra winter gear, check with the parent resource coordinator in your school. >> Um, there are families that might need it. And even if it's not at your school, they might be able to. They do talk to each other. They collaborate very well. So they
054know maybe where the need would be. So definitely if you have some extras, just reach out for that. >> That's all. >> Excellent. Yeah, it's great. >> Miss Katsburgger. >> Um nothing tonight. I've been doing get my other report. So yeah, >> no snow days to talk about superintendent >> for tomorrow. Okay. >> Although commend superintendent with Dwiki's communication. I know there's a lot of uh there's been a lot to communicate and I think everyone's doing a fine job of riding with it. All of our parents and students and everything. So, >> I do feel what's difficult today is there's so many different apps that people check their weather on and they're all very different. And so, we do try to follow the National Weather Service um that app. And then there's so many variables
055that go into deciding um and it's not always just if the wind chills in the morning versus the afternoon versus snow or ice on top of that. And then on top of that our facilities and if area schools if everyone calls off will we get all the staff that we're going to need in order to run school? And then, you know, as you all have talked about, not not only just the winter weather coats, we have many students that participate in our breakfast and lunch programs >> and multiple days off wear on us a little bit because we worry about our students not having some of those essentials, >> right? >> Yeah. Yeah. It's a it's certainly a tricky It's a hard call. >> It is. It is. A lot of lot of factors to
056balance. >> You used to love a snow day. Not anymore. >> You're not not a simple equation for sure. Well, thank you. >> Any com anything you care to communicate? >> Um the forecast for the district um it will be on the next agenda for board approval, but I do plan on giving an update a full presentation in May as in years past. So I just wanted to communicate that a comprehensive uh presentation will be made then. >> Wonderful. Great. >> Thank you so much. >> Thank you. Okay, we now come to the portion for public comments of which we have none. Okay, I don't mean to sound so cheerful. Um, moving on to other board business. We have a few more items. Um, the first is an approval of Lakewood High School candidates for
057graduation. Uh, this is the second reading. Mrs. Kenberger, >> thank you. uh request approval on second reading for uh two candidates for uh that they be approved for graduation midyear from Lakewood High School. >> Second. >> It's been moved and seconded. Is there any comment? >> Hearing none. All in favor signify by saying I. >> I. Opposed. >> Motion carries. Um next, uh Mrs. Dman, I believe you have a couple. >> Yes. >> Okay. First, um I request approval on one reading. Um we have a resignation for the purpose of retirement for certified staff. >> Second. Um this action on one reading has been moved and seconded. Um may we have a roll call. >> Mrs. Shaughnessy. >> I. >> Mrs. Dottman. Hi. >> Mrs. Clark Sutton. >> Hi. >> Miss Katsenberger. >> Hi. >>
058Thank you. Okay. And then I also have um a request for approval on one reading. Five classified resignations. >> Second. >> Uh classified the action for a classified employee has been moved and seconded for one reading. We would require roll call. >> Mrs. Shaughnessy. >> I. >> Mrs. Dottman. >> I. >> Mrs. Clark Sutton. >> I. >> Miss Katsenberger. >> I. >> And the resolution passes. Um, we now have a resolution submitting uh regarding our 6.9 mil tax levy. And Mrs. Katsenberger, would you handle this, please? >> Sure. Uh, this will be I'm requesting approval on one reading, a resolution submitting to the electors of the school district of question of an additional 6.9 mil tax levy for the purpose of current expenses pursuant to section 5705.21 of the revised code. The board of education
059and administration have been exploring the need for additional re resources to expand academic programming, retain and recruit professional staff, expand the preschool program, and maintain district facilities. In order to place a levy on the ballot in May 2026, two resolutions must be approved and submitted to the appropriate county offices. At the January 22nd, 2026 meeting, the board passed resolution number two, resolution 23/2026, which authorized the board to submit the issue to the community electors for an additional tax levy for the purpose of current operating expenses. Subsequent to the passage of that resolution, the county fiscal office notified the treasurer's office that an error had been made in the county fiscal certification. Specifically, the total taxable value of the school district had been mistyped. As a result, this resolution repeals the original levy resolution number two
060and replaces it with a corrected resolution that reflects the accurate district taxable property value of1 bill786,727,540. The original resolution reflected a taxable value of 1 bill786,770757540 which had been certified by the county in error. The proposed levy amount remains 6.9 mills of operating revenue to be first assessed in tax year 2026 and collected in 2027 through sound fiscal management and operational efficiencies. The district has not requested additional operating revenue since March 2020. Historically, the district's average operating levy cycle is approximately four years. The current levy has exceeded that his historical average, further demonstrating the district's commitment to fiscal responsibility. The district cannot shift millage rates between revenue funds. Therefore, community approval of the additional tax question is required. Due to prior re prior refinancing and the expiration of a portion of an existing levy, 2.0
061mills of previously approved debt service millage will no longer be collected beginning in the year tax in tax year 2026. As a result, while 6.9 mills will appear on the ballot for the proposed operating levy, the community will simultaneously see a reduction of 2.0 mills from an existing levy. When these changes are considered together, the tax impact for the year 2026, collection year 2027, is 4.9 mills, not the full 6.9 mills shown on the ballot. This millage change equates to approximately $14 per month and a $100,000 home or $172 per year. >> And I request approval on one reading. >> Second. >> It's been moved and seconded. Is there any discussion or any questions? Are there any questions or is there any discussion? >> Nope. >> Okay. I believe the deadline's the fourth. >> Yes.
062Good thing we don't have questions. >> Um, then may we have a roll call, please? >> Mrs. Shaughnessy. Hi. >> Mrs. Dottman. >> Hi. >> Mrs. Clark Sutton. >> Hi. >> Miss Katsenberger. >> Hi. >> And the resolution carries. And in the absence of any other additional comments, I would entertain an adjournment motion. >> Some moved. >> Second. >> It's been moved and seconded. All in favor signify by saying I. >> I. Opposed. We are adjourned. Thank you all very much.