001I was like Hello everyone. I would like to call this meeting to order. Mr. Zean, will you call the role please? Miss Johnson, present. Here. Thank you very much. Next item of business is the pledge of allegiance. If you would stand and join us. Thank you. I pledge allegiance 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 item of business is adoption of the agenda. Is there a motion? So moved. Second. It's been moved and seconded that the agenda be adopted as printed. Mr. Mr. Zean, Miss Shy, I Mr. Callahan, I thank you very much. And the next item of business is the superintendent report. Oops. Good evening, Vice President Shaughnessy.
002Distinguished board members, I haven't seen you yet today, so this is the first time I don't have to say again. Um, and Mr. Zean, our treasurer. Good to see you. Uh our first report today is from Mr. Scott Wgner uh from Regency and we're so excited because and he's probably so excited that this might be his last report to the board. Yes. Thank you. Yes, we're exciting day that we have occupancies for all the spaces. So, um, give a quick update on on where we're at on the the project. See a lot of the final photos. We'll have boxes of, you know, SP space is getting moved in. So, uh, we'll start off with the admin. Uh, this is a photo of the reception area and the reception space that has been renovated going to
003the nurse's clinic. Um, that is complete as well. uh with you know nurses um items being moved in there as well. Uh admin restroom uh administrative assistant areas. Uh the main hallway which has been updated and painted as well is refreshed. Looks cool. Uh the FSO reception area. Uh it looks better with all the boxes, but you know there is move in which is which is important. Uh the entry vestibule to the FSO space. Uh FSO classroom with the vile enhanced tile and the the chairs and that could be moved around as well for flexible uh space. uh the west corridor in the FSO area, uh maker space, uh case work and and flooring. Another FSO classroom, very similar to the previous one. Uh office spaces. Uh it's a sample of a typical office space
004in the FSO area. updated bathrooms, uh the south corridor as we we've come around the the FSO space, east corridor. Now moving to the second floor in the MEMS's lab. Uh so that is complete as well with all the case work and the the lighting has has the special lighting as well as the film on the the windows for the MEMS lab. Another another vantage point again of the lab space. Uh the changing room with the lockers and the cubbies as well as the MEMS's classroom and then the u the corridor into the the high school. There we go. Moving out to the welding edition. Uh this is on the back side. Uh the exit stairs from the second floor. U the restroom on the inside, the welding classroom that's on the second floor of
005the space and those windows overlook into the the lab. The stairs coming down from the um the classroom. uh the tool crib uh which is on the back side of the space and then the welding booths uh set up in the majority of of the area for the uh for the welding. Another vantage point of the welding booths, the fume extractor uh which sits outside of the uh the space and then the the building exterior. Um, so this is on on the side next to the uh baseball stadium. So that's a brief update of where we've come full circle uh to complete. There's a few items that were were added that we still need to to complete that are on order. Um so those will be forthcoming in the next couple weeks that we'll finish
006those up. Uh for instance, a fume hood in the the MEMS lab. So, originally the um existing was was looked to be reused, but we're able to purchase a new one. Um so, that was just on board due to the lead time. So, that'll be in in the next couple weeks. Um and then the welding addition. Um there's a few things to to finish up there as well. Um some fencing around where the gas canisters will be on the outside. So, it was determined where that space was. Uh so, now we have that location that we can get that fencing installed, those canisters in place. uh as well as a little bit of electrical. Um that was a change with the welding boost for some additional power and then a sump pump that needed to
007be added to the um elevator pit uh due to some groundwater that we ran into. So um those should all be done in the next couple weeks, but we have full occupancies in the uh FSO in the admin areas. Um, so those are all turned over in the MEMS and then what's called temporary occupancy in the um the welding and that's mainly tied to the the elevator and that that sump pit. So as soon as that's in, we'll to get a sign off which is final, but it's it's fully safe to be in and and fully usable. That's great. Questions? Will the students be able to use that while you're waiting for those? Yes, they can be they can be in that space. the uh we do need the power and the canisters for the
008welding booths to be fully operational but the spaces can be utilized. Yes. Perfect. And FSO is like perfect first day of school. Okay. I maybe have worked in a building where four o'clock the day before. We weren't sure. FSO the boxes were you know items being moved in by the district. So FSO is fully turned over. Any other I was at um I was in the FSO space on Sunday. Um I have a friend who is part of the FSO staff and um I loved the um the classroom desks tables and the cool purple chairs. Um I think they are just they're fresh and they're new and they're different and um very welcoming um for some very nervous children. So um so uh kudos on uh on space that looks really nice. Great. Thank you.
009I'll just say I'm you know I'm glad we're all starting. I know that the welding class was full. How's the sign up for the mems? Full. Full. So they're both full. Wonderful. That's fantastic. That is great. Thank you. Sure. You go. Thank you. And just as a reminder, the ribbon cutting ceremony is September 9th um at five o'clock, I believe. Oops. See here. So, I have been working on and wanted to share um some of the questions and answers that will be going out in an FAQ this week. Um, I know we have an it's been a short turnaround and so I wanted to make sure that I'm sharing some of these as board updates as we continue to try to answer questions to our community. So these were many of these questions that are
010up here. Um, we've gathered from either emails that have come across phone calls, sometimes you've received a question or I've seen it on social media um because we do trend a lot on social media. Uh, and it's a good place to get some of those. I don't know what's going on. Well, could you know, could you give me an answer to this? And that's not the place where I can put an answer. So, I'm hoping to continue to build on this. So, really, right out of the gate here, did the board of education break Sunshine Laws? The Board of Education does not believe so. Well, Friends of Lakewood has alleged a violation of the Open Meetings Act. The meetings in question were organized by myself, the superintendent, as part of the elementary planning task force.
011Board members attended as observers only. They did not deliberate together nor sit together. The intent was to hear directly from the community members, not to conduct board business. The board also did not attend the final two meetings where key findings were developed. There was never any intent to violate the law and we'll continue to work through that. And I know as a board if you know um we have to get to a point that legally we we work through this um longer with our legal counsel. I know again we would continue to say there was never an intent as a board of education myself being here going into my eighth year. I have been saying my ninth year and I think I counted last year twice. Um, no lie. I It's in Cleveland.com. I said
012nine and a couple people have reminded me that I haven't been here that long. But, um, so really going into my eighth year, you're a collaborative board. You wanted to hear firsthand from your constituents. Um, and so I truly believe the best intent um, was there and um, and exactly how you wanted to be the firsthand listen to your community. So then there was another was the demand letter the only reason the task force was paused and the final report was never rep uh presented. Yes, it is why we paused under the direction of our legal counsel. But just as a reminder, the demand letter was sent to us in the middle of May. Throughout the summer, our legal team communicated and attempted to reach a compromise with the friends of Lakewood. Unfortunately, we are
013not sure a compromise can be reached. Will the task force findings be made public in the future? I hope so. It should be made public. The thoughts, considerations, recommendations, and final analysis of this hardworking and citizen-based committee with varying perspectives, and viewpoints should be heard and understood by the community at large. What is the new data to be collected as referred to in the my superintendent's email to families on August 11th? New data is being collected to make the best possible recommendations to the board. My administrative team and I are currently working to obtain and analyze the most recent data and information regarding enrollment, building capacity, walkability, staffing, financial impact, and more. Let's see. Uh, will there be a chance for community input as the administration moves forward with its analysis and recommendations? Yes, community
014input and involvement has always been a priority and will continue to be part of the decision-making process. I am in the process of creating a timeline and we'll share that information out in the next couple weeks and then somebody had asked what are the current enrollment numbers. what you see on the screen. It's kind of different than how I had it on mine, but anyways, um if you look on the left hand side, kindergarten through fifth grade, and then if you look at the top, the to date, so that first column is to date this morning. Enrollments come in, people, you know, unenroll all the time. So, it could be off one number, it could be up a number, and then you'll see historical enrollments all the way from 2019 2020. The total enrollment is
015at the bottom, the bottom line all the way across. And so, as you can see, just from those numbers, we do fluctuate a bit. Let's see here. Um, since 2016 and uh the 2016 2017 school year, we have had 436 fewer students in K to 5 since 2019 2020. we have had 167 fewer students K to five. I have seen some people try to replicate and the assumptions that go into charts you have to make sure that you utilize those assumptions. So for example, preschool is not mandatory unlike K to 5 or is it funded like K to 5. And so when we're talking about our elementary buildings, we're talking about our K to five students. One of the documents I saw had preschool. it showed a big jump of preschool students, but the year
016before that was COVID and we didn't run preschool um or we had very few preschools. So, um at that time and and rightfully so, parents kept their kids home um or they didn't want to do online education. It was a crazy time. So, any questions? I have a question. We got a question about um preschool today. So, first, how many of the elementary buildings have a preschool? So, it changes every year dependent on the numbers of students. So, not every building has one. I believe Roosevelt did not have one last year, but again, I am not sure somebody's going to use that against me, but I'm pretty sure not everyone has one. Yeah. Okay. Um, how many have full day? So, this year we opened another full day at Emerson. We wanted to make sure
017there's a need it's full. So, we have three full day programs. The one at Taft is the only one that has before and after care. Okay. Why can before and after care not happen at the other building with preschool? Licensing, staff qualifications, health and safety standards, facilities space requirements, it's all different. This building because it doesn't have all the other students in it, uh, K to five, we were able to design those rooms specifically for the requirements necessary. So, for example, you can't have I don't want to get out of my lane because I'm gonna say something that somebody but so for example when it comes to um early morning care and after care they use separate classrooms other than the classrooms the classroom they use throughout the day. Does that make sense? Yeah. The
018other thing is when you're only having a full day program with let's say 15 kids in it. How many of those people want daycare to offset the cost? So to hire somebody in, you need a large number of those people that want that before and after care and will pay for it. When if you were to put them all together, you could easily have enough students for before and after care. And why couldn't you just put them with the other elementary kids for like the afternoon for example? That falls outside the state requirements. So there's an age gap rule there. It's considered preschool in and daycare at different regulations than K to5 afterare. Okay, thank you. I know they all live at the same house together, but those are just Thank you for turning that
019off. I apologize. It's probably Anna. Any other questions? Since preschool was brought up, um, a couple things. Um, so Emerson has one or two classes. Emerson has a full day. One full day. And then Taft has one full day. They have um some half days and one full day. Okay. And then Grant is the other location of the full day. That has a full day. Okay. All right. And then um just a question that a parent asked me over the weekend. Um, apparently in the before and after care contracts that we approve, the provider that provi does the before and after care for Harrison is the only one that requires that families pay for before and after care even if they don't need both. And at our other schools, they have the option to um
020pay for morning or afternoon or both. And so, um, can we look into that as a possibility of like making some arrange? The parents were talking about how expensive it is, um, to pay for both of those when you don't need both of those. Yeah, I I can certainly look into that. Thank you. Yeah. So, the decline between uh 2019 2020 2021, sorry, there are less 20s in there. Mhm. Um that obviously is co so we lost a lot of students. We did we and we know what so um I've shared this uh previously in other presentations that the first place when you want to enroll you have to enroll someplace right and the first place um our families went was to Cleveland and our second place was Parma and the third was an E
021school. Interesting. So um you know we can surmise you can surmise at that time I think you know many people lost their jobs and maybe couldn't afford where they were living anymore. Maybe they moved in with family you know but that was the first three places people left us for and we're not and we haven't re like we've gained and lost a little bit but not nearly what we had. No. And this isn't even counting, you know, we we really tried to make it uh we didn't go all the way back because we've lost, you know, in 10 years quite quite right, 1600 or 1500 students overall, but over Yeah. over a thousand. Okay. Yeah. So, we just we just started at the 1920 area, right? And this these obviously you're not looking at like
022you're not tracking one age group, right? Because fifth graders in this group would be middle school, high school. I could be high school by now. Jesus. Um but but it's still we haven't it's not like there were little kids at home that are like we should still see that improvement if if our enrollment was increasing. Does that does that question make sense? It does. And I try to look at it like vertically you can go across like so if you start like let's say you were kindergarten we started in 2021 there was 267 in first grade there was 269. Oh I see. Yeah. See so if you follow it down Yeah. You'll see the numbers don't change drastically, right? It pauses, but then it kind of goes back down again and almost all of them.
023Yeah. Just I know last year we had a number of refugee students that came in. Are we seeing refugee students moving here this year? You know, not as we did last um August, September time. Um, that's something I'll have to look into the numbers, but I remember last year was quite a large number comparatively to the other years that we had. Thank you. Anything else? All right, Colin. Mrs. Clark, she has something. I see I see a bubble. I don't I don't know how to form my question. So, um, I'll just We will copies of this and can look at it. Yes, absolutely. That concludes the superintendent's report. Thank you very much. Just Oh, I'm sorry. I do remember. Okay, go ahead. Um, it was about um so how are we with um class sizes
024and number of teachers? Like I went to the new teacher lunch and there are a lot of people um but it includes the pair of professionals um and the small group instruction tutors. So um so how does that all staff all I'm sorry all certified staff um that all staff that we have hired this year. We did have many retirements. Uh we definitely saw that coming down the pike as we were trying to rightsize through attrition over the years. we knew we were going to have an opportunity to bring in some young folks and also um not to hire into some of those positions and um I think that the same will be for next year. We will have quite a few retirees again um and with our certified staff, our teachers. Thank you. Okay,
025we are going to move on to the communications portion. Um, did you hit did you have the list of people that want to speak? Oh, thanks. Sorry. Thank you. Sorry. Great. Um, okay. First, uh, we have board of education comments. any comments or thoughts that anyone here would care to share? I I do just briefly if I could. Um I just wanted to make a a statement of recognition to our maintenance custodial staffs for all of their uh work in preparation of of getting our buildings uh open and operational here. Um the work that they do uh throughout the summer in preparation is is notable and certainly appreciated. And of course with that um just welcoming uh everyone back to school here as as as that is happening this week. uh staff-wise and of course
026students uh at the end of the week. Um hope that it's been a wonderful summer for everyone and we're certainly excited to to have everyone back. So, thank you. Do you have anything? I always do. Well, go ahead. So, um a couple things um that piggybacking on Mr. Callahan, um there are so many things happening this week, last week, um and then rolling right into the end of August and and the fall semester. So, um, enjoy it. Um, as parents, um, my girls are grown. Uh, one turned 28 earlier this month, uh, and the other one's 24. So, enjoy your your school years. And, um, another note of caution for people to be careful. Um, and, um, there is, um, we're rolling out a, um, a school pool. Um you'll see some information if you
027are um in the elementary and middle school. Um Miss Gordio, it's not at the high school, right? K through 12. It is K through 12. So the school pool is this um interesting uh sort of AI network um where you can register your family and your address and the only people who are in that address in that pool are people in your school district, parents and families. So you're you're mutually matched up so that you can find safe walking routes, you can find people that you might want to carpool with. And um and so that's going to be um I'm the board rep to the um hike and bike safe routes. There's so many names for it. um to uh to encourage walking and riding our bikes and car pooling uh to just for the
028health of ourselves and our um and our environment. So, so you'll be finding some stuff of that um in your um any meals emails um on your school sites and uh looks really interesting. And then our hike and bike week will be the week of September 21st. And um and that's when we have extra people that um make a commitment to uh to ride or walk. So um I think that's it. Okay. Thank you. Right. Um yeah, kind of same. I one of my daughters spent like feel like the entire summer at the pool. So shout out to the lifeguards who just did a really good job. I never felt like she was unsafe. I was happy to drop her and her friends off and wasn't concerned about I don't know if she would drown
029or drown someone else because you know who knows. Um but also I've been having lots of uh conversations about uh public education lately, right? So again just kind of building on the fight that we have coming from um our Republican le state government and federal government. Uh please just be willing to fight for that. It's so much more important uh than what's going on. and and as a a board and administration, we have a responsibility to the district as a whole, right? PreK through 12 recreation activities, we have a lot of responsibility. But in thinking about my education in Lakewood, um I I was talking to people. I had I remember a teacher in middle school who told us that the the I just told My sorry um that the Civil War was started not
030because of slavery but because of the economy and anyone who told us otherwise was incorrect, right? And I guess that's true if you are willing to admit that the economy was owning people and their labor. Um however, then I went to high school, right? So, I I went to middle school early late 90s, high school, late 90s, early 2000s. Um, and I had Mr. Walker, I know some of you know Mr. Walker, taught military history, and it wasn't just like dates and names and battles, right? It was why were things starting, why did it happen? Critical thinking, what would have happened if X, Y, and Z, right? If if this person wasn't here or very little things. Those are so much more important and those are the things I try to teach my students, right?
031because you have to be able to be willing to learn and look at things and and analyze. Um, and then I had Doc BB who stayed in years after when he could have retired because he created his own modern US history course that wasn't taught at the time. I remember learning about Vietnam and the reasons that we got into Vietnam. Um, and just a lot of things that weren't taught before. I had Miss Nazelli who and that was the first time that I learned about Japanese internment camps. And that's embarrassing and I've said this I think here before to think that I was I think a sophomore in high school, junior in high school before I even knew that that was a thing. History repeats itself, especially modern history. So when we're talking about the
032attack on public education and what we are able to teach, it's really important. Um it's important to recognize things that happened in the past. It's important to recognize when it's happening again. It's important to talk to our kids about these things. Um my my kids are young. My youngest is almost nine, but we still have these conversations at a level that he can understand because it's important to be able to pick these things out. My 12-year-old, I can have a little bit more of an in-depth conversation um and a real conversation with her about things. But it's just really important to remember that we are all here because we want our kids to be productive and so we want them to be independent. We want them to be able to analyze what is coming to
033them. When I teach my own students, when we do research, uh we the first thing if you search in Google now pulls up as an AI interview and we go through like if you look there's a link and click on the link this is where their sources are and most of them are Wikipedia. My students know who can write I always I'm like I can do it guys how much do I know about your stuff I'm going to make things up and they know it and and once you kind of go over those things but these are tools that they have to learn. So, it's really important um just to I keep our eye on the prize, right? Public education is important, access to information is important, anal media literacy is important. Um but making
034sure that we fight for those I mean and realistically the funds and when we talk about funding and I think I asked Mr. even last time. Funding is tied to scores. And when you talk about a fivestar rated school versus a threestar school, if you really dig into that, it's so much to do with the socioeconomics of the area and what parents are able to provide for their kids. And if a parent has to worry about, do I need to be home to help them with their homework or do I need to go to my job so I can make sure they have breakfast? It's so important to keep those things in mind. It is not a school is not a threestar school because they're overburdened. It's because they're dealing with real issues and the
035kids are dealing with real issues. Um those kids are capable though and they are smart and they are resilient. And I feel like I'm droning, but it also goes back to public education. It matters. We matter. So please just make sure again eyes on the prize. keep our fight up for our our students prek to 12 because if we don't like nothing else will matter soon and that's whether you have kids no kids what your season of life is right that matters for all of us but thank you for listening to my TED talk thank you and you're here yay and I'll start by saying I appreciate very much the superintendent going off some of the frequent ly asked questions. I had actually written some comments which I'll still share but I'll try to keep
036out mo so it's not redundant some of the things that um the superintendent alluded to but I too continue to receive questions from community members pertaining to the effects of declining enrollment enrollment and more importantly its impact on education and I feel compelled to address some mischaracterizations and false narratives that are being consistently recycled online. Some of these claims are causing great anxiety and distrust in our community and I me personally am and making these statements. I have made no decision regarding any actions that could be taken to mitigate declines in enrollment. The superintendent and I have not discussed her recommendation. I have not met with my fellow board members to make a decision. I have not read the final task force report much as I would love to or received a copy due to
037the demand letter the board and administration received. Here are the facts. The decline in enrollment began many years ago, but the time period under discussion is from 2015 to today. There's been an overall loss of about a thousand students districtwide and 450 to 500 elementary students during this period. This has occurred despite the completion of the rebuilding of our schools. As a board member, I was well aware of declining enrollment and its impact. Enrollment decline was a major factor in determining the initial scope of the facilities project and the number of schools to be built or restored in the early 2000s. We as a district with amazing community support and input worked to create a school district that would serve current residents and be inviting to potential residents. We provided buildings that are safe, secure,
038and ready to meet the technology needs of our students. These are buildings designed and built to provide an environment for 21st century teaching and learning. We engaged excellent teachers and engage excellent teachers and support staff able to respond to the academic needs of children. Today we have added staff to address mental health and wellness issues and provide family support. We have supported innovation in career tech, excellence in special education, increased opportunities in STEM, built robust educational offerings, and as a as well as award-winning programming for music and arts. Decreased enrollment means decreased staffing needs. We're fortunate that flexibility on the part of our staff and attrition enabled the administration to adapt over the last years to fewer students. This is no longer possible. The impact on students and teachers was becoming too great to not
039initiate a discussion of possibilities and hard questions needed to be asked. We as a district cannot reverse population trends, increase the birth rate, or provide affordable, available housing for young families. We did everything we could do to be honest and continue to do it to be attractive to families and children. I wish we didn't have declining enrollment, but we are responsible for identifying and addressing challenges to the overall health and functionality of our school district. With the objective of transparency and our history of promoting community involvement in addressing complex issues, the superintendent made the decision to engage parents, teachers, and the greater community to consider the impact impact of the decline on our students. Hundreds of people attended community meetings, completed surveys, spoke at schoolboard meetings. A dedicated task force of citizens studied the data,
040participated, debated the options in rotating small groupoup discussions, requested and received additional data when questions arose, and prepared recommendations to present to the superintendent. The superintendent met individually with concerned patient parents. I believe it would have been malpractice for the superintendent to fail to bring to the attention of the board and community this issue. It would also have demonstrated a lack of respect for the taxpayers of Lakewood who provide a greater than 60% of the cost of educating our students and rising share of the cost of educating children because the Republican controlled legislature continues to avoid its constitutional responsibility. It is my responsibility as a board member to look at the entire district and consider hard decisions. It's the responsibility of the board to consider policy initiatives and act in public as a unit to
041make a decision. I have not modified my focus since being first elected. Children are what is important. No matter their neighborhood or grade or individual needs, each child deserves a school in which they find opportunity, encouragement, and belonging. Creating and supporting those learn learning environments is why I'm here. I firmly believe that what makes the Lakewood schools great is what goes on inside our classroom. This is where our resources, financial and human, should be focused. And making sure that this work continues is truly what will save our schools. We have been through rough periods in the past when issues like this have generated strong disagreements. The co years caused breaches in longtime friendships and partnerships. They were uncharted waters and facts took quite a time to come to the discussion. Parents and teachers were justifiably
042concerned for the health and safety of all but others were also concerned about the impact on their child of virtual classrooms and isolation. As facts became available, we were able to provide options and see the return of our students to their classrooms. We engaged in substantive discussions and in pragmatic problem solving. I have seen friendships reborn, the partnerships reestablished, and the focus again on doing what is best for the children in our care. We can do this again. Thank you. We now move on to public comments. And I'll just remind everyone that um you have a three minute time limit. And if you would identify yourself and the street on which you live uh when you come up to the podium um that would be great. And our first speaker is Joanna Dagustinino. Thank you.
043Hi, I'm Joanna Diagastino. I live on Wayne Avenue. Um, I was on both the facilities task force and on the elementary school task force as a parent with kids who are now in elementary, middle, and about to be high school and as a community leader as the senior pastor of Lakewood Congregational Church, which is affiliated with Hannes Preschool. Hi, I'm here today along with several others to share information that was a part of the discussions and collaboration that occurred within the Lakewood Elementary task force of which we were all participants. In light of the demand letter that was presented to the to the district in May and subsequent inability of the district to share the final report and findings of the task force, we felt the need to come and share the information that was
044discussed and reviewed over the past year. We all along with so many others volunteered many hours of our time to this effort. And while we do not represent the entire task force, it's just some of us that are here, we feel that the findings are worth being heard and acknowledged by the school board uh and by the community at large. And we want to acknowledge and recognize the appreciation that we have of the board and our district in soliciting our community input. and especially um as we know that several surrounding communities have recently made building utilization decisions without the input of the surrounding community. Our intention with speaking tonight is not to present information in a manner that would endorse one decision or another, but rather to share the information from the task force meetings
045as well as where we stood at the conclusion and presentation of the draft report. As you know, our meetings and presentations and recaps have been available on the district website throughout this process uh for transparency, but we will be reading excerpts from the draft report. So, here's your chance, Betsy. Now, you Okay, good. I'll begin briefly and then others will follow. So, the elementary facilities task force was convened with a clear purpose to provide informed guidance and strategic recommendations to the superintendent on optimizing the use of district facilities, particularly where excess capacity exists. Over the course of nine months, the task force engaged in a thoughtful datadriven process that included a review of enrollment trends, building capacity, educational programming, financial outlooks, community survey results, and multiple scenario analyses. I'll stop and turn over. Thank you.
046Next person signed in is Nikki Wills. Hi. Uh, my name is Nikki Wells. I live on Franklin Avenue. Um, I was asked to be on the task force as a graduate of Lakewood City Schools 20-year reunion this year. Uh, current parent of three Horus man students and an active member of the PTA and other community organizations. Um while the task force did not reach consensus on a single recommended scenario, its work resulted in a clear reduction in options from seven original configurations to three final scenarios under active consideration. Scenario one, repurpose Lincoln Elementary for preschool use and redistrict remaining schools. Scenario three, repurpose Grant Elementary for preschool use and redistrict remaining schools. Scenario seven, keep all elementary buildings open and redistrict to better balance enrollment throughout the process. members consistently emphasized a shared commitment to
047Lakewood City Schools foundational values, prioritizing student safety, maintaining walkability, promoting class size equity, ensuring highquality educational programming, and supporting fiscal responsibility. The community's strong desire to minimize walking distances for elementary students and avoid crossings of major thoroughares was reflected both in survey results and task force discussions. Similarly, the importance of balancing class sizes to improve educational equity and teacher collaboration was frequently raised as a key priority. However, as the conversation progressed, two different philosophies emerged. One group of task force members emphasized the need to act now to reduce excess capacity through the repurposing of a building. Another group emphasized the preservation of all neighborhood schools and believed that redistricting could address the district's challenges without requiring a closure. These differences were reflected in the homework completed following the April 2nd meeting. Of the 34 respondents,
04820 indicated a preference to repurpose a building, either Lincoln or Grant, while 14 indicated that they preferred redistricting as the preferred path forward. These differing perspectives were shaped by values, perceptions of long-term sustainability, and differing interpretations of financial and enrollment data. While consensus was not achieved, the task force fulfilled its charge by offering a thoughtful and well-informed exploration of the district's options. Its work provides a strong foundation for the superintendent and board of education to move forward in the decision-making process. Thank you. Thank you. Uh next, Megan Dubbecki has signed up to speak. U Megan Dubeki. I live on Franklin Avenue. I have two stu students in Lakewood City Schools. I'm active in the school community through my work with the PTAs and school programs. And I'm also a district employee. I'm clumped. Um I
049was invited to continue my work volunteering as an elementary task force member after participating in the 2023 facility study task force. Continuing on, there were key considerations in regards to the perspectives on repurposing a building. Scenarios one and three. Task force members who supported repurposing one elementary school voiced concern about continuing to operate seven buildings amid a long-term trend of declining enrollment and increasing operational in inefficiencies. They cited that although there's been a stabilization in enrollment, the stabilization is at a level that is lower than enrollment 10 years ago when the district's needs were last evaluated. They cited the district's current elementary building utilization rates as a sign that the system could be used more effectively and efficiently. Many believe that maintaining seven buildings would result in increasing disparities in class sizes, less efficient staffing
050models, and reduce collaboration among staff and educators. These members viewed repurposing a building not only as a cost-saving measure backed by projections showing more than a $900,000 in annual savings in some configurations, but also as a long-term solution that would allow the district to rightsize its elementary system. The emphasized that this change could be made while preserving the neighborhood school model for the majority of families in particular those who favored scenario one or three saw specific benefits in this in the location walkability and limits the amount of disruption as compared to other scenarios. There was also concern that maintaining the status quo or selecting a redistricting only option would delay difficult but necessary decisions. Several members voiced concern that without action now, the district would be forced to revisit this issue within a few years
051under even greater financial strain or more contentious circumstances leading to quick decisions without community input, which has recently happened in neighborhood communities. These members framed repurposing as a proactive data-driven response to long-term trends. At the same time, task force members who supported repurposing acknowledged the disruptions that would be caused. Many emphasized the importance of thoughtful planning, clear communications, and meaningful support for students, staff, and families if the district were to pursue this path. They encouraged the superintendent and board to approach any transition with empathy, transparency, and clearation plan, including support for specialized programs such as gifted education and students with special needs. Thank you. [Laughter] shirt right now. Thank you. Next speaker is Kathleen McGori. My name is Kathleen McGori. I live on Maple Cliff. I was pleased to serve on the task force because
052my career in education was um exclusively with the Lakewood schools as an elementary teacher at Lincoln and Franklin and as an elementary principal at here at Taft and at McKinley Horseman. Over the years, I participated in a number of similar task forces as our district facilities needs changed. So, I'd like to share another task force key consideration, the perspectives on redistricting. Scenario 7. Members who favored scenario seven, redistricting without building repurposing, expressed strong beliefs in the value of maintaining all seven neighborhood elementary schools. For these members, preserving neighborhood identity, avoiding major changes to community patterns, and minimizing student displacement were compelling arguments for keeping all buildings open. Many also noted that scenario 7 would allow the district to address class size imbalance through redrawn boundaries without the upheaval of repurposing a building. Supporters of scenario
0537 highlighted that it was the least disruptive option and aligned with the community's desire to maintain walkable schools. According to district walking distance data, scenario 7 would result in six of the seven schools having all students living within one mile of school. While this scenario would not offer the same level of projected financial savings as repurposing, its supporters believed it better aligned with Lakewood's identity and public values. Still, members who supported scenario 7 acknowledged that it was not without trade-offs. Some questioned whether this scenario would truly resolve the challenges of unbalanced class sizes, staff movement, and long-term financial sustainability. Others warned that redistricting alone may not be sufficient if enrollment continues to decline and some expressed concern about the potential need to revisit facility use in the near future. This led to a broader conversation
054about whether redistricting could be a first step in a phased approach with repurposing remaining an option if enrollment or financial conditions warrant it in the coming years. Thank you. Thank you. extremely jealous. Sarah Carney. Hi, I'm Sarah Carney and I live on Arthur Avenue. I have two sons. One is an incoming sixth grader at Harding and one is an incoming third grader at Grant. I was asked to be on the task force because I am a classified extra help substitute at the elementary schools. Therefore, I have been in multiple buildings which has helped give me an inside perspective of a few of the schools along with being a parent. Continuing on, throughout the final meetings, task force members expressed appreciation for the datari process and the opportunity to engage in meaningful dialogue. A few additional
055themes emerged. Ongoing monitoring members underscored the importance of closely monitoring kindergarten enrollment and demographic shifts in future years, particularly in light of Ohio's rapidly changing school funding landscape and expanded voucher system. Financial uncertainty. Several members raised concerns about the timing of the state bianual budget, which was not expected to be finalized until after the report was completed. Early proposals suggested potential changes to state funding formulas, limits to school district cash balances, and voucher expansion that could significantly affect Lakewood's financial outlook. Communication and community trust. There were strong agreement. There was strong agreement that regardless of the path chosen, communication with families and staff will be critical. The district must continue to engage the community in honest, transparent dialogue and support those affected by any changes. clarity and timeliness. Finally, several members emphasized that the community
056would benefit from a clear, timely decision rather than prolonged uncertainty and encourage the superintendent and board to act decisively with the information available. Thank you. Thank you, uh, Melanie Whiting. I swear I just Okay. Uh my name is Melanie Whiting. I live on Clifton Road and I have two students in the district. In conclusion of what we presented, while the elementary facilities task force did not produce a single consensus recommendation, it succeeded in offering a rich nuanced body of work to inform district leadership. The insights gathered throughout this process reflect the community's values, its care for its children, and its commitment to maintaining a strong and sustainable educational system. Unfortunately, since a small group of individuals sent a demand letter and engaged in other legal related maneuvers, the work of the task force was silenced
057and ultimately led to the discontinuation of any further task force progress. Our hope in being here tonight is that we were able to shed light and transparency on the work of the task force, the information that was presented and discussed, and the preliminary findings. As can be imagined, after over 18 hours of meetings, more information was presented, analyzed, and discussed than we are able to share within the time allotted this evening. If there are any members of the public that are interested in viewing and reading the full 32-page draft report, we will provide a QR code link to the document after the conclusion of the meeting. On a personal note, I was very excited to be invited to participate in the task force. As a former educator in a nearby district, I was well aware
058of the fact that the superintendent and board did not need to ask for community input on this decision. I found the meetings to be thoughtful, collaborative, and productive, and appreciated the opportunity to speak with others who had a different viewpoint from my own, letting me view the situation from other perspectives. It was unfortunate when information from the task force started to be shared by some in a manner that presented only one viewpoint, one that often included false information and ultimately led to a change from viewing the process as a team effort to an us versus them mentality. It is disappointing that some have taken what should have been a community conversation and turned it into a political issue. Employing tactics that halted progress, took personal aim at individuals such as myself and four other task
059members whose personal emails with the district became a part of a records request and now has morphed into campaigns for schoolboard seats. One thing I learned in this process is that you can have all the data in the world, but it doesn't matter if people choose to view that data with their hearts versus their minds, letting their own personal and emotional ties cloud their vision of the task at hand. Everyone should be working to view this with a wide lens to see the big picture and how this decision will affect all who are involved. I think we can all agree that change is hard and with it comes emotions, but change is inevitable. I appreciate the efforts made by the board and superintendent Nitzwiki to not only guide us through this change but allow us
060to be a part of it. Thank you. Thank you. Bir Browning, please. No, you skip. Oh, I skipped. Oh, Kim say she's ready. She's waiting. You sure checked you off. I I got I got over organized. Got over over organized. Thank you, Kim. Hello, my name is Kim Griffith and I live on Arthur Avenue. My husband, Aaron, and I have three children in the district, an incoming sixth and eighth grader at Harding and an incoming second grader at Grant. I want to thank the previous speakers and follow them with sharing my own personal experience being a member of the elementary task force. Several years ago, I first started hearing rumors that an elementary school might be repurposed. My initial reaction was one of fear and anxiety. I reached out via email to Superintendent Nitwiki, the
061school board, and a couple other administrators in order to express both my dismay over the rumor as well as to outline to them how closing grant would negatively impact my family. I received several responses, and the response I received from the superintendent included an invitation to be a part of the first facilities usage task force formed in 2023 that resulted in the decision to move FSO to the high school. They wanted my perspective because they wanted to form a task force that had a large variety of outlooks. During my time on the first facilities uses usage task force and subsequently as I served on the elementary task force over this past school year. I have been so impressed by the level of thoughtful and thorough discussion that was the result of incredibly diverse viewpoints coming
062together. I can completely relate to parents who are anxious about how changing schools will affect their families. For me personally, if Grant were to be repurposed, we would go from a 0.2 two-mile walk with only two small crossings which we do do every day both ways unless there's inclement weather to a mile walk across major thoroughares. There are numerous ways in which this would in which our personal family life will be affected by this change. During the task force meetings, I was able to share these. I felt heard and validated by others. However, because the task force wasn't simply an echo chamber of like-minded people, but a gathering of community members with diverse backgrounds and perspectives, I was also able to hear and understand the many difficulties that our district faces if we continue our
063status quo. I very quickly realized the need to look beyond my own personal situation and instead focus on the bigger picture of how historic declining enrollment, financial constraints, and the changing political landscape is forcing our district to make some very difficult decisions. Anyone who has actually looked at and analyzed the data and who has had complex discussions with others about the decisions our district must must face must realize that these decisions are anything but simple. I have so much respect and gratitude for our school board and administration who chose to involve the community members in this process. You have all listened tirelessly to input over the course of this process and I have every bit of faith in the fact that you all have nothing but the best interests of our students and families in
064your hearts. Thank you for being so open and approachable and I know that whatever decision is made, it will be done with thoughtfulness and careful consideration. I find it incredibly unfortunate that others cannot read the full finalized report as it demonstrates the rigor and community accountability of the task force's process. I believe it will clarify why the board and administration are compelled to address these issues now. Regardless, you have my full confidence in your ability to make the right decision for the future of our district as a whole and in carrying out a mindful and smooth transition plan for any families who may face change. Thank you for your time. Thank you. [Applause] Now, Mr. Brownie like an up next on deck. Yeah. On deck. Hi, my name is Burch Browning. I live on Cohasset
065with my wife, our kids, and our two dogs. Our oldest is a Lakewood graduate, now a sophomore at Western Carolina University, and our younger one is a junior at Lakewood High School. First, thank you to the board and administration for engaging the community in such a difficult conversation. And thank you to my fellow task force members. It was a privilege to work on such a thoughtful group. Some people have said the task force was created as a rubber stamp to a decision that had already been made. Many of you know I was very vocal at board meetings and on social media when the district changed the instructional minutes with the elementary schools and reduced music instruction. If the plan was to silence disagreement toward a predetermined result, I wouldn't have been on the task force.
066Our nine meetings were long, intense working sessions. We absorbed a huge amount of information, enrollment trends, the new state funding model, what a disaster, walking distances, etc. At times, it was overwhelming. I don't claim to be an expert on the school funding process, but I do understand that some decisions in Columbus represent a direct and intentional threat to our school system. Even after all that work, we didn't reach a consensus. My position was to take a defensive stand to protect our buildings from being claimed by a charter school while asking for a subsequent task force to hammer out the details like boundaries and traffic patterns. That was just simply beyond our bandwidth. I also want to add that at our meetings, the board members provided vital information and context, but were careful not to sway
067the discussion. In fact, they often recuse recuse themselves from small groupoup conversations to protect the process. They are our elected representatives and they have a more complete understanding of the complete of the complex systems than the rest of us. I am concerned that the board and administration may not have received quality legal advice prior to creating the task force nor in response to the demand letter. But I don't have any more information other than to just say that. Right. But what troubles me more is that those who sent the demand letter while calling for transparency actually shut down an existing transparent process with the goal of getting their way without having to engage with the data or the rest of the community. I hope that the board can move past the noise and make a
068decision that protects our students and preserves our community assets. I trust them to make the best possible decision under evolving and now more fraught circumstances. Thank you. Thank you. [Applause] Check your work. Yes, please. Oh, yeah. That's why my fingers. Uh Jason Kerbo. Hello, my name is Jason Kyber. Um, sorry, it's all right. It's my handwriting, I'm sure. Uh, I live on Virginia Avenue. I have two kiddos at Lincoln. Uh, I was also a member of the task force. U, I just echo a lot of the comments that were already said about um, it was a really positive experience. It was great to engage fellow community members. It was the first time I've done anything like truly community oriented. Uh, and it was uh it was it was a good process. The draft report uh
069I had assumed that the board had gotten their eyes on it. Um, so I apologize. Um, while it does do a pretty comprehensive job of explaining what the task force covered, it is basically like a smear of facts. Nothing is really spot lit as like more relevant information than others. So I want to talk briefly about some data points that I feel like are more relevant. uh and not to bury the lead. I feel like the board has you have to meet a high threshold, a high bar of evidence to repurpose a school and I do not believe that the uh evidentiary burden is met. The data suggests that I don't I don't think it makes sense to repurpose a school. Here are a couple uh facts uh from uh the task force process. The
070district wants to keep school capacity above 60%. The district's own data shows that all schools are currently over 60% and all but one are projected to stay over 60% for the next 10 years. Hayes dips below to 58%. Perhaps some minor redistricting can finesse that. Um class size uh equity was highlighted as a concern by the superintendent for a variety of reasons. One of which which was uh having negative impacts on students. There was never any data about that. um walkability, proximity, and time. This was highlighted as a concern by the task force and the community survey respondents. A repurposed school will increase distance and time. Uh in the academic literature on active commuting, the perhap uh probably the most often quoted source talks about the threshold distance below which kids in urban areas are
071more likely to walk to school at 776 miles. increased or rather decreased uh increased distance will mean more roads crossed that gets to the safe safety issue. Um, let's see. Yeah, the time to go, people warned me the time goes fast. Um, anecdotally, I have lot more. I'm going to post it on Facebook and sort of in the spirit of trying to make this data um more available. Um, I invite the task or the board to engage in a thought experiment. Rewind the tape. Two years ago, you create a task force the purpose of which is to strengthen K through five by any means. I submit to you that that task force would not have come up with the idea of repurposing a school. I encourage the ta the board to lead with vision, lean
072into our strengths. I disagree that there's nothing we can do to shape enrollment trends. We can lean into our strengths. Thank you very much. You're welcome. And I believe that concludes. Is there anyone else that didn't get to talk that s that wanted to sign in? Okay, thank you. Well, thank you all for coming. Thank you for sharing very useful information. Um, we very much appreciate it. And we now move on to our business part of our meeting. And generally we would ask anyone who cared to leave um to feel free to leave. But you're always welcome to stay. We actually don't have much, right? [Laughter] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Nice to meet you. Well, it's nice to see kind of a full house tonight, at least for a while. Okay. Uh we
073now move on to the consent agenda and we need a motion to adopt the consent agenda. So moved. Second. It's been moved and seconded. This requires a roll call vote. Mr. Shaughnessy. I. Miss Clark Sutton. I. Mr. Callahan. Hi. Mrs. Dman. Hi. Thank you very much. We now come to the human resource. Oh, yeah. Human resources and community services report. Um, and you said I can continue to do this while I'm in the chair. They can all be approved on one if you'd like. Thank you. Oh, thank you. So, I uh would move adoption of the um certified certified non-employee classified classified non-employee in community recreation and education personnel actions. Um second. It's been moved and seconded. All in favor signify by saying I. I. Opposed. And the motion carries. We now move on to
074other board business. Um this was uh of this is a second reading uh regarding the appointment of delegate and alternate to the annual business meeting of the Ohio School Board Association at the Ohio School Board Association capital conference. Um and I move adoption of this resolution. Second. It's move moved and seconded. All in favor? I opposed hearing none. Motion carries. And the next item is a classified sorry is that one reading. Yes. Okay. Is uh one is a request approval on one reading for a classified personnel action. I move adoption of the resolution. Second. It's been moved and seconded. May we have a roll call? Mr. Shaughnessy. Hi. Miss Clark Sutton. Hi. Mr. Callahan. Hi. Mrs. Do. Hi. Thank you. Um, is there anything any board member would care to bring up? Now, feel don't
075be intimidated by um in that case, may I have a motion to adjurnn? So, moved. Second. It's been moved and seconded that we adjourn. All in favor signify by saying I. I. I. Opposed? No. And we are in adjournment. Thank you.