001Heat. Heat. [Music] Good evening everyone. and the investig investigation of charges or complaints against an employee, official, lency, or student unless employee, official, or student. So, public and I join [Music] the flag of the stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all. [Music] Second. Thank you, Mr. Do. and that brings us assistance. Good evening again, President Ber, Vice President John, distinguished board members, Mr. Zean. It is my pleasure to introduce tonight uh Miss Terry Cornino, our coordinator of alternative education. Thank you, President Katzenberger, Vice President Chaughnessy, distinguished board members, superintendent Vicki, Treasure Demon, thank you for having us here this evening. When it came to selecting a resilient ranger, our FSO team had no trouble deciding on a candidate. It was a unanimous decision to recommend Nadia Kamal as FSO's resilient.
002Nadia, will you please come up? Mr. M, will you please come up and explain how our team made this decision? [Music] Good evening. It is my privilege to introduce our resilient ranger, Nadia Kal, who exemplifies resilience, determination, and excellence in all that she does. Nadia is a focused and hardworking student who truly values her education. Her teachers praise her for always doing her best, asking thoughtful questions, and showing a strong growth mindset. She advocates for herself, stays engaged, and has grown tremendously in confidence and performance this year. What makes Nadia's success even more impressive is the strength that she has shown through personal adversity. After the heartbreaking loss of her mother earlier this school year, she has not only stayed committed to school, she has improved her attendance and continued to excel. Her teachers are
003continually inspired by her resilience and the way that she continues to show up and lead by example. Outside the classroom, Nalia is known for her kindness, thoughtfulness, and positivity. She's a great friend and supportive classmate. Her strength and determination make her more than deserving of this recognition. We are honored to celebrate Nadia tonight as an inspiring example of perseverance and heart. Do you have teachers? I didn't get up. You are always champions of other kids. [Applause] more time to build upon our progress, refine our goals, and ensure that resilience is a lived experience. As we unpacked the six core competencies, resilience remained at the forefront, guiding us in our mission to educate the whole student. We embraced positive interventions, strengthened our collaborative efforts, and laid the groundwork for an even brighter future. This year is
004especially significant as we prepare to transition into new state-of-the-art building. However, resilience isn't just about adapting to physical change. It's about maintaining a safe, positive, productive learning environment and carrying the same culture forward, ensuring our new space reflects our values. At FSO, we know that resilience isn't just a mindset. It's measurable. Through creativity, persistence, and dedication to supporting our students, we help struggling and at risk learners achieve academic success. This past year, our value added scores improved. our attendance approved. And perhaps most importantly, 30 graduates will proudly walk the stage on June 1st, our largest class to date. A testament to what is possible when resilience drives our actions. Our success this year is not just about individual. It's about our team. It's about the collective effort of our educators, our staff, our students, our
005counselors, and the entire Lakewood district working together to build a stronger future. Resilience has shaped our schools, our students, and our community, and will continue to do so as we move forward. Here is a sample of what resil what resilience looks like in the FSO building. Turn it on. to the test across many subjects. In science, they engineered protective designs for an egg drop challenge, built and tested rubber band powered cars, and explored fossil formation by creating model fossils. In math, they took perspectives and creating inspired artwork using circles. Hands-on learning at its best. Problem solving, experimenting, and having fun along the way. FSO has the unique ability to connect with each student individually, meet them where they are, and foster compassion in each student that extends into a family. Building these bonds with students
006like Michael, former FSO student and currently serving in the US Air Force, are prime examples of what FSO does to help develop our students to move on in their own lives with compassion, open perspectives of others, caring for others, understanding of others, and independence to be successful. FSO offers in English class. Students read a variety of texts from across the world. Some of the stories take place in China, India, Pakistan, England, and Latin America. The stories show everyday life in these cultures as well as tackle difficult topics like assimilation, code switching, and identity. Students also went on a field trip to see Shakespeare's 12th Night and watched She's the Man. This helped students visualize how plays can bring life to a story as well as fulfilling the standard of synthesizing information in a multitude of
007media. As a high school social studies teacher, I think it is important for students to have an understanding of not only their own country but also the world at large, especially in this increasingly interconnected world. For example, in world geography, we've discussed issues like drought in the Panama Canal, deforestation of the Amazon, and not only how these issues affect local communities, but also have global impact as well. In Earth and Space Science, students work collaboratively to recreate pangia using historical evidence from fossil records and rock records. In eighth grade science and math, we continually work on collaboration, critical thinking, and practical applications. Some highlights of science were that they have dug for fossils to explain relative dating and information about habitats that could be obtained from the fossils. They have created babies using a gene
008pool and then have to match the correct phenotype that goes with each baby's unique genotype. They have also used the scientific method to extract the DNA of strawberry. In math, critical thinking, problem solving, and collaboration happen daily to understand new concepts being taught. In English class, students have collaborated on a variety of projects, including a meme graffiti poster, sentence starters activities, and team based review games. Students are encouraged to play assignments together in groups. For communication, episode students participated in our annual career and counseling day back in January. In the morning through our partnership with junior achievement professions facilitated discussions on career topics like interest and goals, budgeting, college and career planning applications and interviewing. In the afternoon, students completed a career assessment through our youth science platform, participated in a mental health presentation, and
009had a Q&A session with the counselor to discuss graduation credits, goals, and opportunities. Then in March, Junior Achievement hosted a career fair where our students were able to travel to Cleveland Public Auditorium to engage in breakout sessions on resume building, interviewing, job skills, and more. Students also had the opportunity to test their communication skills by interacting with area employers about various job opportunities. FSO's PBIS system emphasizes growth mindset by reinforcing positive behaviors around the building. Students receive hole punches on their resilient ranger punch cards for displaying positive behaviors and become eligible for weekly raffles and quarterly incentive activities. For quarter 1, students enjoy donuts and cider. For quarter two, we took the students ice skating and had pizza at Winterhurst. And for quarter three, we also took the students bowling and had pizza at Madison
010Square Lanes. As we are talking growth mindset, athletes are some of the biggest examples of people who have to overcome obstacles, fight back and be resilient. Students at FSO are eligible to play sports for the middle school and the high school. Um, congratulations on your upward trajectory of graduates. Um, it's been a a fabulous. As a resident in Lakewood, I have enjoyed watching this program grow and develop over the decades. It's been a while. Wow. Sorry. Um and um and so I'm I'm real excited about um celebrating the spring to the closure of um of your current site and um some kind of party, right? And um and then uh the welcome uh events for um making sure that the new facility and the new space is um is just a great learning opportunity for
011all these fabulous educators to continue doing all of their great work. So thank you so much for all of you um and for Miss Bernino. Thank you. I'll just add if I could um just an appreciation for the work that you do and the team and when when you all travel like you do it it's impressive. Um you're you're a tight-knit bunch um and are so dedicated to to our students. Um I I say that we we meet as a district. We we we meet kids where they're at and bring them move them forward from there. And uh you do so uh quite well for those kids that may learn a little bit differently um and just need a little bit more uh attention or or things um presented to them a bit differently. Um
012again, you do such a great job and we appreciate it. So, thank you. I just appreciate seeing you. You I mean, for all the years that you've been coming, we had graduations here before the board, but you really are a family, and I think your students must feel that. And then you feel the love of your students. So, it's not easy to always make time to do this and you always do. There's always the biggest crowd with that comes to support you. So, I I just want to congratulate you and I see we're lucky to have you. I guess not to be redundant, but it's really obvious that the time it takes to relationship, but it's great to kicking off your shower's artwork and we're so excited to see you guys and and a part
013of our district that we're all very proud of. So, um thank you for being here and and showing this to everyone in attendance. It's wonderful that we have a full room for to see all of this and and see everything that you guys do. So, thanks so much for presenting it. Thank you. Thanks so much. Excellent. [Applause] Great job. That is so exciting. I didn't hear the latest on the graduation results, but um fabulous. And I it is a testament to our educators and our resilient students that are with us. Um and a group that has not always had their own space over the years have moved. You always move together but your space has been very different and you've made it better each time. So congratulations to you Nadia. That's awesome. So proud of
014you. Next I would like to invite up to the podium Mr. Scott Wagner. He's the vice president of operations which is very timely with Regency Construction as he's going to be able to share with us some of the updates on Franklin School of Opportunity, the welding building and our new MEMS rooms. Thank you. Thank you, Superintendent and members of the board. Let me get set up here. Yep. Okay. So, I'll give a a brief update as I as I have at previous board meetings about the progress of of the construction. Um, we'll start off with the the mems and these are um pictures of our our overhead HVAC on the second floor. So, this is a duck work. So, everything that we call overhead is is above the ceiling. So, once the ceilings are in,
015you won't see that, but there's a lot of infrastructure that happens at that point. Um, so these are are some of the the piping as well for the HBAC and the plumbing systems. Um, some more and you'll see the little wires that are hanging there. Those are for the the drop ceilings there. So that'll will be coming next there. Um, then we have the the additional rough. So these are the walls. We have all the walls that are up and being um finished for the drywall. We have all the electrical that is run through all the walls. So, that's uh all been complete and in patching of the walls. And then with that, we have the um new lights that'll go into the the corridor so you can see into the space. So, that's all
016the um we call them hollow metal frames and then also the glass is installed uh in there. Another photo, we have the um tape on the glass so folks can see it and and not break the glass uh during construction. Um, and then moving through the drywall and the finishes. So, the drywall is what they call mudded and and taped and sanded. So, the next step, I'll get to that in a moment, would be to uh to paint, but all the the finishing part of the drywall is complete. Uh, I'll move on to the welding edition. Um, last time we met, we um were getting ready to put in the pre pre-cast planks on the second floor. So this is a photo of those pre-cast planks which are have been installed for the second floor
017of the space. Um in with the the concrete block walls are are all the hollow metal um door frames and window frames. So all those are installed as the walls come up. Uh so those are are photos of of those uh not only door frames but window frames uh throughout the the space. Uh the addition masonry um all the the backup masonry is installed and by backup um it's the concrete block uh that you see here the gray block. Um then the uh wall cavity um you'll see on the left is the where the brick is installed. So the brick is installed on the west side, the south side and and wrapping around to the east side um currently. And that wall cavity also has the insulation in it. So that that full wall cavity
018is complete on on the majority of the building and we're kind of working our way out um from there. So that's another photo. Um you see the existing building on the right hand side of the the kind of the tan brick. Um just last week we installed all the uh roof joist. So that's all the metal that's on top uh to make on the roof and then also the metal deck which then goes on top of the joist. and uh then we're ready to put on the roof to get that weathertight. Um I'm sure a lot of the folks here are very excited to see the the FSO progress. Um so it's always nice to see, you know, we come in, we build buildings, we build out the spaces, and to us it's just another
019space, but to hear, you know, the benefits that that that space does really makes a difference um for us in building it as well. So uh this is all the overhead roughens. Uh additionally similar to the mem space of all the mechanicals um all the um electrical and the the wire uh tray there is for all the the communications cables uh as well. All the duck work is insulated as well as all the pipe. Uh the ceiling grids um you you saw a little bit of those prior, but all the ceiling grids are are installed for all the drop ceilings. Um and then with that then we're putting in the um some of the finish uh diffusers which that's a return air grill um they're on on the left as well as the lighting on
020the right. So all those go in currently. Those are the um diffusers which will have the the supply uh heat and cooling to the space. And then we have uh similar to the other spaces the interior storefronts. So, these are all the the doors um throughout the the space as well as the interior uh glass and frames. Additionally to that, uh we had to cut into the exterior wall for some uh louvers which are part of the HVAC system to allow fresh air uh into that space uh as well as opening up um some openings to put in some some windows to get some natural light into the space. Uh, so these are some of the photos of of those um openings in the building. Then we have the plywood over those until the those
021can be installed for for security reasons. And that's just a couple more photos. U we cut those in off hours as to not to disturb um the school day. So that's why some of these photos are are a little dark. And then an FSO uh on the interior. Uh started to paint the walls as well. Uh, so that's really starting to take shape um to see uh the finished areas and what they're going to look like. Um, you'll see on the the bottom left a little uh protection on the corners so that it doesn't get damaged during construction. Um, it's more of the spaces and this is on the door frames as well. Those are all painted and also the protection there as well so they don't get uh chipped or damaged during construction. And
022then uh tiling in the restrooms. Uh so these u the restrooms have all been tiled. So this gives an idea of what the the new restrooms look like in those finishes uh in that space. And then looking ahead um into April and May. So in the welding edition, as I mentioned, we're completing the metal roof deck and then we'll install the roofing. And that'll the roofing will start next week. So the weather looks a lot better than today. So that'll be be perfect to get the uh the roof on. Uh we'll complete the brick veneer on the west side of the addition. And then um we'll pour the the topping slab on that second floor uh so that the uh you saw the the pre-cast plank, but then that gets some concrete on top so
023it has a finished look to it and to to accept the the flooring. Uh the HVAC is the heating system that roughen uh in that space will be uh installed as well as the equipment and we'll continue the electrical roughening and the plumbing ruffins. Uh we will rig or you know bring in and set the um fume extractor equipment for the welding uh equipment and then have the overhead and door installed and then we'll start to paint on the inside. Block fill is basically just a primer that goes onto the the masonry block. Uh it's called block fill because it's such a porous material. It's a little bit heavier than your typical primer. Um, in the the MEMS, uh, we have some steel rooftop units and supports. And then we'll patch in the roof. And
024that's for the HVAC equipment, uh, which will then be installed. Uh, both air handling units will be installed. And then, uh, we'll be able to paint the walls in that space. Uh, in the FSO, I mentioned those exterior windows, those will be installed. Uh, all the fire alarm devices will be installed. Uh the HVAC will be started up. Uh we'll set all the sprinkler heads in that drop ceiling. So all the the rough in pipe is there. Um all the above ceiling inspections can be done at that point and then we can start finishing off by putting all in all the the finishing ceiling tiles. Uh then we'll be able to install the plumbing fixtures and and continue all the the last details to complete the space. So um all three spaces are are on
025schedule currently. So uh that's great news. And you know, once we can get the roof on on the welding edition, then you know, weather and rain will we'll be out of the equation there. So, uh, we look like we're in pretty good shape. With that, I'll open it to any other questions you may have. Oh, yeah. Are we on schedule? Everything is Yes. Okay. Yep. All the way through. Uh, uh, each each area is on schedule. So yeah, thank you. Sure. What does on schedule mean? So for each area, um we're supposed to be complete on um late July, early August. Okay. So that's each space is a couple days, okay, away from each other. So not the first day of school already. Yes. Absolutely. Thank you. I know we had uh I know I
026know we had the uh one walkth through where we were able to see the um some of the beginnings of the con the uh welding building but it was so cold you were having to hold off. So now we have an update and it's snowing. So I'm a little nervous about the next one but um how is it going with I know you have to do a lot of your work in an uh functional in an operating high school. So, how I'm you you guys are familiar with that situation and how has that been working so far? Really well. Um, you know, putting the the MEMS on the the second shift after students aren't there since we are on the second floor of the high school. Uh, that's really helped that um that that schedule
027and helping us work while there's no students there to disrupt. A lot of times a lot of the noise can be disruptive and and things like that. So, it kind of takes that out of the equation. uh the FSO were kind of isolated to to one side of the building, so that hasn't really been an issue. Um some of the things that we knew were going to be allowed like cutting in the windows uh or that that um event, we moved that to the the off hours um so we wouldn't disrupt the schools. Cool. Thank you. Sure. Yeah. Appreciate your partnership and for all those changes that get made from week to week depending on what uh truck is coming in and all that. So, thank you so much for presenting and board. I just
028want to remind you as we've talked about for the last 5 years, we wrote over 7 something million dollars worth of grants. This is part of our $5.7 million that we wrote for the MEMS and the welding. So, appreciate uh Regency working with us and looking forward to the ribbon cutting ceremony. Yep. And anytime you want to schedule another tour, you know, we should have the roof on next week so we can be out of the weather and stay dry and a little warmer. Yeah, thank you very much. Um, I think Regency owes us some money because the baseballs now cost $9.94 and they keep getting hit into the construction zone. So, when we do a tour the next time, please collect my baseballs and get them back. Um, thank you, Superintendent Niswiki, Treasurer Zean,
029President Katzenberger, Vice President Shaughnessy, and distinguished board members. I have been invited here tonight to recognize the efforts of some of our amazing student athletes and the coaches that helped them achieve their goals this year. I would like to recognize the boys basketball team. They could not make it tonight. Um they won the first ever Cleveland West Conference championship this year with a 13-1 record. During during that time, Lucas Sagine, one of our senior athletes, was named the overall player of the year in the league and head coach Alex Camock was earned or had earned coach of the year in the CWC. So, I'd like to recognize him first. Next, I'd like to talk about the indoor and outdoor track programs. Both the boys and girls programs continue to grow exponentially. During a time where
030many programs see their numbers declining, the culture of our track programs continue to attract athletes and provide them with opportunities to grow. These vary from athletes that might just be trying to finish a race to other athletes like Sharion that qualify for state and national championships. It's a testament to coach Tulle and her staff and I could not be more proud to be associated with this group of individuals. With that being said, let me introduce our head girls indoor and outdoor track coach Stephanie Tulle. [Applause] [Music] Thank you and thank you for inviting us here tonight. And uh it's always an honor to come and it's an honor to have the girls recognized. So we appreciate it very much so. So um okay. So I'm thawing out because we tried to hold a middle school
031meet and I know your kid is brutal. Um, so anyway, so, um, I just not all our coaches could make it tonight, but I want to shout out to coach, uh, Adam Swyatt, who does our distance, and, um, coach Rachel Kernney who does our, um, in shot and discus and indoor, they did the weight throw, and then, um, thanks to you guys who helped us with the contracts and whatnot, we were really able to coach, um, all these disciplines. So, um I want to recognize one of our assistant coaches. She works with our sprints and does our long jump is um Luca Doxley. So, Luca, stand up. She's thawing out, [Music] too. She she she oversaw the long jump today. So, we're going to honor Sharion tonight. Um she had this great stellar breakthrough year.
032We knew it was coming. So, she uh competed in the state indoor uh track and field meet in the long jump in the 60 meter hurdles. She finished second in the long jump by two inches. She jumped um 18 feet and she was eighth in the um 60 meter hurdles. She uh ran 9.08 which qualified her from the elite championship division for the indoor nationals. So, it was such an honor. So SH I mean Char made the podium two times both events at the state meet. So she was top um eight in two events out of the entire state of Ohio in division one. And without going into long detail they're restructuring how many divisions. So they went to four for track and field and we stayed division one by one girl. So the cutoff
033was 400. We had 401 girls. So, um, we're going against girl schools that had, uh, 1300 girls and we had 401. So, um, our girls work hard, the coaches work hard. So, and then we honestly without, uh, Rob and his support and, you know, it's you're trying to make it all work with the indoor track and sharing facilities and it's not always easy, but, you know, we just make it work and get creative. So, um, so a little bit about Char. So, she's a four-year. So, look, I like paper, but I'm going to this high-tech stuff. on the phone. Uh she's a four-year indoor track and field state qualifier in the long jump. She's a three-year indoor track and field state qualifier in the 60 meter hurdles. She's competed at the indoor state meet on
034the 4x200 and the 4x400 relays. She currently holds seven indoor track and field school records. Overall school records seven. Um nine indoor track and field class records. So, as her freshman, junior, senior year, we keep track of who has ever gone fast this farthest and all that. Um, this year she broke the 300 meter open run, the 60 meter hurdles, and the long jump indoor um records. She um competed in her first ever pentathlon as a high school female athlete, something the college coaches are looking at because she's widely talented. So, she did five events. the high jump, the long jump, the shot put 60 meter hurdles in 800 meters. She ranked first in the state of Ohio and 19th in the nation with her score uh from [Applause] that. So Sh qualified for the
035indoor um national meet which was an enormous um accomplishment to um compete on the championship level. That's the very elite girls in the entire nation. So made the trek to Boston and she competed in the 60 meter hurdles and um it was a I mean it was an amazing learning experience. We could go on and on about how that whole facility is run by New Balance in in right there in Boston. Um but she did great. So I mean her heat she got pulled back somebody had a false start regrouped and you know she did all right you know I mean you you she'd been pring and pring and you get to that level she ran a really would it would have been a PR any other week but you know um but we had
036it was a great weekend so it was such an honor to travel with her and to be part of doing that I come from a distance background so when sh came along I was about two years in the coaching hurdle so I just tried to go to the best coaches best coaches is and send video and learn more and send video and learn more. So, um she's got two amazing scholarship offers. She'll make a decision soon. She's uh I won't, you know, we won't say we'll let her surprise you all, but um but what you see honestly is what you get. Um this could get she's just been amazing to coach. Um and it has not been an easy journey, let me tell you. We've had tears, right? So, anyway, we're here to celebrate her.
037Well, thank you for letting her finish her career. Congratulations. It's been so much fun watching you over the years. It's going to be sad to see you go. Um, do you have some folks here with you tonight? Yes, I have my mom and my dad here with me. I hope they're coming up. [Applause] Yes. [Applause] And there's still a couple months left. So to be continued. That concludes the superintendent's report. Great. Does anybody else have any questions for Superintendent? I know we had um we had had a couple questions about um we get emails and such from um folks in the community and one of the questions that has come up from time to time is um do other communities in the area have early childhood centers and I know that you've done some research
038on that and I didn't know if you had any information to share in that regard. So I did. Um so I think during the um if I'm uh remembering correctly here that um during the listen and learns I had mentioned the first the two of them that were the newest um in our first ring but also wellestablished programs um Rocky River Bay Village Solen Orange Hudson um so many out there um and ones that we can continue to look into if that was what you know the task force and the board uh recommends in the future. Okay, thank you. And thank you. Great. All right. [Music] Um so this will bring us to our regular business. Um those of uh this is when we usually invite those who are uh uh if people want to
039we excuse those who want to take off to do so. You're all obviously welcome to stay. We would be delighted to have you stay, but if you'd like to move on, that would be just fine. We'll resume in a couple of minutes. There there's a few seats up here. If those of you who are standing would like to sit down, You see I Okay, I think we're getting ready to get going again. If if there's a few more seats up here if anybody who's standing or sitting on the floor or whatever wants to have a seat. Okay, so moving along. Um we're going to move on to our agenda items for uh discussion uh for our sec second regular monthly meeting. and we'll start with the finance report report with Mrs. Clark Sutton. Thank you.
040It's always good news to tell you that we are have a good budget so far. So, uh so the overview for um this month includes the investments purchased and matured in February 2025. The ta um and so it shows um investments that have matured as well as outstanding investments as of February 2025. Investment earnings for regular school board funds um total $27,968 bringing our year-to-ate total to $2,234,387. For the month of February, general fund receipts totaled 10,926,636 and our expenditures totaled $6,416918. $16,918. Revenues and expenditures. So far, our revenues uh year-to- date and projected revenues through February show a positive four basically $500,000 variance compared to the five-year forecast. And this is um due in part to the interest income in u is exceeding the 2025 the 2025 estimates contributing to a positive overall variance
041for February. That may look different in a couple months. Um, so expenditures year-to date and actual projected expenditures through February show a negative variance of $37,000 and change. Um, the benefits are exceeding 2025 estimates. Um, we were expecting this and the variance should be reduced by the end of the fiscal year. So, uh, our cash reserves are sufficient through fiscal year 2026. Um there is a financial summary report available online um that includes a cash position for non-general funds. Appropriation modifications will ensure the district is in compliance with the state auditor's office and the county fiscal office. All accounts have sufficient funds available to cover the increase in the appropriations. The amendment increases allow the district to legally encumber and pay funds up to the amounts that it commission and to authorize the assessment of
042tax levies by voters of Lakewood. So, I'm going to ask Mr. Zean to do a little bit of explaining of that, but when you received your property value assessments and you wanted to challenge that, you could go to the county and put in a request to for review. Um, we don't really get to do that at the school board level. Um but we do have to each year look at the numbers and have them match up with what we have. Is there anything else? Sure. So again, um property values are are set by the county and then as we all well not everybody, but House Bill 920 was enacted in 1976. As values go up, effective millage goes down. So that way there's a balance between the values going up and and what those originally
043approved uh levies can collect. So during this process, the budget commission looks at all those levies and and in essence reduces those effectively down to make sure that those levies as they originally passed are bringing in that same amount of dollars that they were um p like for 2020 for instance. In addition to that, we have debt service um that the community supported a number of different bond issues in order to um improve facilities or build new facilities. that millillage is also affected by valuations going up and so that millillage um the budget commission sets that on an annual basis as well and that concludes my report. Thank you. Uh next we'll have the building sites and major purchases report with Mr. Callahan. Thank you President Katenber. We have six items. Um the first is
044a resolution to approve the proposal between Lakewood Board of Education and Field Turf for the resurfacing of the track at Lakewood High School. Um Ohio Schools Council is a council of governments under OC Chapter 167 and owned, governed operated by its member school districts. OSC provides financial savings and operational effectiveness through the group purchasing of products and services, operational support, professional development and networking opportunities. OSC through its membership with the Ohio Council of Educational Purchasing Consoria, statewide purchasing consortium, has entered into a contract that allows members of the OCEC to purchase and install track surfacing systems through a contract that was awarded to Field Turf pursuant to a competitive bidding procedure of the Association of Educational Purchasing Agencies, a multi-state purchasing consortium of which the Ohio Council of Educational Purchasing consorcia is a member. Uh
045basically um a a process that allows us to ensure we're getting uh very a very good price. Um the total project cost uh $62,719. Uh two-part breakdown appears in your materials, but site work $283,000. This is for things like installing construction entrance, uh stripping the existing track surface, u milling the track area asphalt, um installing, uh promat, um and then paving the track areas one and a half in um to to spec. Uh and then part two, uh BSS100 track surfacing. Um price tag on that is 319,675. Um and that includes furnishing and installing BSS100 uh 13mm base mat spray track surfacing system. um and uh what structural spray texture over the track field and field event areas. Uh Dzones totaling approximately 7,700 square yards. The system will include a manufacturer's 5-year warranty and will
046obviously be a very significant upgrade um uh and and highly anticipated, you know, um system and surface to the to the track. The proposal was reviewed by the legal firm of Squire Patent Bogs. Um, and then our next item is a resolution uh to approve the agreement for a perpetual and permanent non-exclusive easement between Lakewood Board of Education in the city of Lakewood. City of Lakewood is requesting a public access easement to facilitate the modification of the Buns Road Franklin Boulevard intersection uh during the Buns Road renovation project that's forthcoming. Permanent parcel number 31411081 is located at uh an address we know well, 14100 Franklin Boulevard. Um, the city shall compensate the board of education $1 for the easement. The city of Lakewood will be responsible for maintenance, repair, and replacement of the impacted area.
047Third item is a resolution to approve the agreement for an easement between the Lakewood Board of Education and Enbridge. Enbridge has requested a 20ft by 30 foot easement on school property to relocate an existing station that's in a vault uh underground at the corner of Jackson and Clifton. The easement will allow Nbridge to move the station above ground as the vaults are difficult to maintain and frequently flood. Uh with the transition from Dominion to Enbridge, there's an increased focus on moving stations above ground. Purpose of these stations are to regulate the gas pressure in the area to provide consistent and reliable gas service. Uh they'll place a cabinet in the easement area and house the station and plant arborite uh around the area to blend it in. The offer for the easement is 14,000. Uh
048and again this one was reviewed by Squire Patent Bogs as well. Uh fourth item, resolution to approve the agreement between Lakewood Board of Education and Perform Better for phase one of the Lakewood High School weight room renovation as a result of the competing competitive bid process. performed better, met all the requirements and speci specifications to provide the materials, labor, and installation of replacement, weight room equipment, and turf for Lakewood High School as presented in the specification and document uh specifications and document at a cost of $164,411 and change. Lakewood City School District solicited RFP for replacement weight room equipment and turf through a two-e solicitation process uh in the plane dealer March 16th of this year. scope of work details were placed in on the Lakewood City School District website during that period. The following
049donations were received toward the total cost of the project. The Lakewood Athletic Boosters donating 155,000 and Lakewood Rangers Education Foundation donated 20,000. Included in your um documents are uh the participating vendors. Um all are non-compliant with the scope of work with the exception of perform better. So you can see that some of them were in compliance on uh one area and not another. Um and I believe there was one that chose not to bid at all. Um so we have uh performed better uh as the selected vendor there. And again um this is a first read tonight. We'll take action on that at our second meeting of the month. Um as is typical. The fifth item indemnification to the Cleveland Metrop Park system. Cleveland Metrop Parks requires permit holders to have liability insurance and to
050name the Cleveland Metrop Park system as an additional insured for bodily injury and property damage. The Cleveland Metrop Parks is to be held harmless from the board or their employees for any liability that should occur in connection with the operation of recreational athletic programs on its property. I believe this is uh typical and an annual uh occurrence for the board. Thank you for confirming that, Mr. Zean. Uh rental agreements. And then the sixth item also uh is in regard to the metrop parks and again a typical one for us on a seasonal or annual basis. Rental agreement between the Lakewood Board of Education and the Cleveland Metrop Parks for 2025. Uh a resolution for the school district's use of Memorial and Tyler athletic fields for the purpose of playing adult and youth sports. The community
051recreation and education department has been using the multisports sport fields for over 60 years. And that concludes my report unless there are any questions. And I should just note that I think that might be my first report this year and uh six items. So, thank you. Well, you certainly made good use of it. Um any questions? I just are those are those permanent improvement dollars? Okay. Not from our general fund dollars. Thank you. Okay. Uh, next we'll have the education report with Mrs. Stoman. I have four items this evening. Um, there are resolutions to approve out of state field trips. The first, yes, exactly. Field trip to the Ripken Experience. So, this trip to Keller Ripken Experience and Myrtle Beach will offer Lakewood High's baseball team the opportunity to play games against teams from around
052the country. Lakewood High School baseball team will be playing four baseball games total between Crosley and Ebottzfield and staying at the Breakers Resort Hotel. This trip will play take place during spring break, April 21st through 25th of this year, in case anyone wants to check out those games. Um, also a field trip to Peru in the Amazon rainforest. These students will travel to Peru along with the Amazon rainforest and have the opportunity to broaden one's vision of our world community and interact with the culture on the other side of the world. Students will experience expertled tours to see the government palace, Lima Cathedral, Marco Museum in Lima Peru, and experiences in the Amazon Lodge and Rainforest include a boating excursion, canopy tour, jungle hikes, and visits to a local community along with a butterfly garden.
053This trip will take place June 9th through 17th of 2026. On the last outofstate field trip is to Paris, France. These students will travel to France and experience expertled tours provided by EF Educational Tours. Students will visit Paris with guided tours at the Eiffel Tower and the Luth. They will travel to by train to Bordeaux and visit the French countryside along with the south coast of France. Students will continue in their travels to the French Riviera, Monaco and Nice. The trip will take place June 9th through 18th of 2026. And then last, we have a gift to Lakewood schools. um an anonymous donation of $1,327.15 to Lakewood City Schools to be used by nutrition services for the purpose of clearing negative lunch balances as of March 27th, 2025, which I thought was fantastic. [Applause] Yeah.
054And that concludes my report. Thank you. Some amazing trips there. And then typically those uh we approve the trips and then uh folks pay for them themselves or do individual fundraising or whatever for those. And kudos to the teachers who put those trips together and that's pretty amazing stuff. Um it's a huge undertaking I know of a trip coming up next week that 24 kids going to the Canary Islands. So anyways, next our um next report would be policy but having none uh no report in that regard we would move on to human resources with Mrs. Shaughnessy. Thank you very much. Um we will be voting on five actions. Certified certified non-employed coaches and adi well certified there'll be 60 actions. Certified non-employee coaches and advisors seven. Classified actions 11. Classified non-employee actions 15. And
055because we're getting closer to summer community recreation and education 57 actions 52 of which are aquatics. And we will vote on that at our next meeting. Thank you. So, next we will um move on to the communications portion of our evening. Um starting with board comments. Um and I wanted to point out that we had an article that I wrote on behalf of the board and the observer this last week, page six. Um, and I just wanted to remind everyone of the uh about our elementary uh facilities task force and how it all got started and kind of where it came from. Uh, and that's so that's what this article is about. Um, and thank the uh just talked I talked a little bit about the task force process and how that works. I know
056sometimes it's not always easy to understand and so I went into some detail on that and uh I thanked the on behalf of the board the uh task force for all the amazing work and the huge amount of hours and effort they put in they've been putting in since last uh August um I wanted to point out that while board uh the board has been present at the meetings um we were there because we wanted to be able to hear the presentations that the task task force has been hearing and the data they've been receiving and sort of hear the questions that they've been asking, but we haven't been participating. We've been there as observers just so that we could listen to what was going on. Um, we haven't asked questions or done the homework
057that they've been doing or anything like that. And the task force has gotten to the point where they have a couple meetings left and they're moving on to the point where they're going to be deliberating and having the discussions that will lead them to narrow down uh the scenarios and eventually make some recommendations. So at this point the board is bowing out. We won't be attending any more meetings so that they can have space to do that without us in the room. Um so uh that's we figure that makes more sense. So, um, just wanted to point that out and, uh, thank them for everything they've been doing. It's been an amazing thing to listen to and just hearing all of that along the way when it finally does land on our desks and when
058we finally do have to make a decision, it's we felt it would be really helpful to hear how they got to where they where they will get to when it eventually comes to us. So, um, just wanted to point that out. Um, anybody else have any Well, just one other thing on that is that there have been a lot of requests for additional information in each of the meetings and then the administration's gotten that information. So, we hadn't seen it. So, it's been helpful to hear the answers to the questions that um the administration's providing, but we don't need to. I think pretty much now we have all the information. Yeah. Right. I just wanted to comment in my appreciation for those task force members and for their work um and for how seriously they're
059taking it and kind of just understanding um the importance of the the conversation. uh they really have committed a good amount of uh time and resources and and put a lot of uh serious effort um into the process and I just wanted to acknowledge uh them uh and thank them for their work. Yeah. And um just as a reminder part of the reason the biggest reason this started we really want to always strive towards educational equity as much as we can. It will never be perfect but we want to get there as much as we can. Um, one of my daughters is in a fifth grade class at Hayes. They have 50 students in their class. They started in kindergarten where they were a three-class grade and it went up through that until third grade.
060But I think it's important to note that when they were in kindergarten and they needed an extra teacher, they pulled their preschool teacher who then went with them onto first grade, onto second grade, and then moved to another building, but then they had to bring someone else in for third grade. So, a teacher had to move four years in a row, learn a new curriculum four years in a row. And that becomes a concern when we are talking about retaining good teachers. If we get a reputation where you don't know where you're going to teach or if you're going to be moving, I don't know how many of you are educators or if you've ever had to move a classroom or even change curriculum. It's hard. And if you don't know that that's going to
061be stable for you, you may look elsewhere. We really want to try to retain the best talent. We have really good teachers here. We do not want to lose them. By that same token, my daughter now went from a class of maybe like between 17 and 19, depending on the year. She was in a class uh last year of 25, this year of 25, but they ended last year with 51 total students. They have 50 this year. Meanwhile, in the district at another school, there's a total of 14 fifth graders. That is not educationally equitable. So, when we talk about combining in class sizes, and I think there's a misconception about how high they can get, it's we will not have classes of 30. We want to take that 25, 25, and 14 and average
062it out so that everyone has a nice class size. We still want to aim for under the state, right? That recommendation. So, I just really wanted to clear that up. I think it's very important to remember that we want what is best for all of our students and to be as equitable as we can while retaining the best talent that we can. Sure. Um so I um want to also give a shout out to the elementary facilities task force. Um most meetings have been attended by 30 35 38 people each time. Um it's natural for some people to fall away from volunteer commitments. Um and um but in the past meeting um the facilitator applauded the 32 people that were in the room. uh not including us um and uh for continuing to stick with
063it and that in his work with other school districts um and other communities he does not usually see that many people um stick with a process for as long. Um I can't say as I was surprised by the commitment but I was nonetheless impressed and I um like others have said am grateful for um the thought process that people are going through. Um and um change change is hard for everyone. Um we're all going to be going through some different changes over the you know as our kids grow. Those are tough changes all by themselves. Um, and then there's always the uncertainty. But while we are while the task force is coming to its conclusion, um, and then it's moving to the administration and then it's coming to us on the board. We are not
064going to turn around in 48 hours and give you an answer. I just I just want to put it out there that like this is this is really big and we want time to sit with the information for a little while and so just give us that space and give your neighbors that space for these next few weeks while they're doing the work as a task force. Um because it there's a lot to consider. There's just a lot there. Um, and then I want to switch gears for a minute and um, as a political science instructor, uh, I want to encourage you to stand up for our libraries, um, and the public finding of our libraries. And this isn't just Lakewood, although the school board, um, has some responsibility over the Lakewood Public School, um,
065Lakewood Library, but all of our libraries. Ohio has been for decades seen as one of the premier states of public libraries and they are open for everyone. We pay a portion of our taxes so that everyone has access to be able to read, to be able to listen, to be able to watch, to be able to learn. And um so you can call, you can email, you can snail mail. they actually do still read their snail mail um to our state representatives and you can also do the same to the Ohio uh speaker of the house Matt Huffman um because the defunding um of the libraries is considered to be um he's considered to be the primary author of that. So um please um keep your civic activism up um but we could direct some
066of it to Columbus that would be awesome. Thank you. Several of us uh attended the Rotary recognition of some of our excellent career tech students. They picked the exceptional student from each of the many um areas that career tech uh trains students for. And these are some wonderful young people. And um it was it's always one of my favorite events because you get to see they're not um they're in the STNA program, but they're going to go to nursing school and then their goal is to be a nurse practitioner. They're um excelling in the auto program and they're going to engineering school at Ohio State. I mean, or they're just going right into a job. they're excellent students and excellent programs. And then we saw today the expansion of the programs. That grant is invaluable
067to us um to meet the needs of society. And then my other thing is just about the libraries. I it's um these are very significant cuts and I think we've talked about it before, but the um interaction between the schools and teachers and the library. The library provides enormous support to our classroom teachers and the students. So, um I think we all need to be writing all the time. Yeah. That's concludes my talking. Anyone else? Okay. Um that brings us to uh the public comments portion of our evening. Um, I would just like to remind everybody that there, um, uh, is a three minute limit on everyone's comments. There will be a timer that you can see. Um, and you will be cut off at three minutes. It's nothing personal. There's just a bunch of
068folks who we just do that with everyone just to keep it fair. Um, so, uh, even if you're mid-sentence, I'm going to have to say thank you and you'll be done. So, don't take it personally. Um, and we don't engage in back and forth. So, if you're asking questions and such, we it won't be a conversation, but we'd be happy to follow up with you afterwards um if you have any questions. And with that, um, I'll begin calling folks up. Uh, our first person who signed up to speak is Amanda Kyber. Good evening. and thank you for having us. Uh, my name is Amanda Kyber. I live on Virginia Avenue. My neighbors Scott and Tanya moved here from Fairview a couple years ago with their toddler Arty. And when I mentioned recently that the school
069board was considering closing our school, they replied, "What?" That is one of the number one reasons that we moved to Lakewood because it would be easy to walk to school. Families choose Lakewood for a reason. For many families, that reason is walkability. As the school evaluates what is best for our schools, inclusive of economics, practicality, equity, and community values, it should do so in all ways with a bias toward walkability. To underscore, the school board should not aim to be neutral or objective on this point. We know that one of our biggest differentiators and that which drives families to choose Lakewood is walkability. We should be leaning into that as a differentiator, not diluting it. Moreover, we should be fighting to protect it, even when doing so comes at a cost. There may indeed be
070costs. Building capacity may be by some measures low. Class size may need to be addressed through other more creative solutions. And we may recognize that inherent in our neighborhood school model is the reality of operational inefficiencies that we inevitably do have to contend with. But good news folks, this isn't doge. We can intentionally and thoughtfully accept certain inefficiencies because doing so allows for outputs and a way of life that can't be captured on a spreadsheet. Things that make us Lakewood. A few practical points. One, according to the latest map that I've seen, if my school is repurposed, my children will need to walk more than a mile each way to school. My children still require adult supervision to walk that far, and I cannot walk two miles and make it to my 9:00 a.m. meeting.
071You must be cleareyed that you're removing, not augmenting walkability for many. If you close a school, two, before and afterare are critical to many, many families, and current programs are at capacity, you must not close a school unless you have a clear plan to accommodate all students who need this care. Three, the data on population trends in Lakewood can be interpreted in many ways, but the school board should not close a school unless the data conveys without a shadow of a doubt that the city simply must do so. There is at this time much doubt. Walkability is about more than a mode of transportation to school. It's about community building, environmental impact, physical well-being, and empowerment of our children. The value of having a walking community will not ever show up in your data. It
072won't ever impact the equations in your spreadsheets, but it is fundamental to the fabric of Lakewood. Those of us who are here today asking you to save our seven neighborhood schools are not doing it because we're afraid of change or because we're afraid of trying something different. We are here because doing things differently is who Lakewood is. We aren't Westlake. We aren't Avon. We aren't Rocky River or Bay Village. It takes bravery to be different and to stand up for a way of life. It takes bravery to see the world as more than a quantitative equation. It takes bravery to invest in things that can't be measured on spreadsheets but can be felt in the heart of our community. It takes courage to say that we believe in something and we will do what it
073takes to protect it. It takes courage to let data motivate us to find creative solutions that preserve what we cherish in spite of certain costs. It takes courage to be Lakewood and I am urging you to be courageous. Thank you. [Applause] Thank you. Our next speaker is Elena McCort. My name is Elena McCort and I live on Lake Avenue. I have two children who currently attend Lincoln Elementary School. First off, I just want to say thank you for your time tonight and for your commitment to the Lakewood school system. Lakewood City Schools has historically prioritized students, teachers, and families. In fact, the district spent $100 million to rebuild three elementary schools just 12 years ago. When my family was considering moving to Lakewood, the primary deciding factor for us was the schools. We live within
074walking distance to Lincoln, which opened only 9 years ago in 2016. But now, we are being told that this brand new, beautiful school building, which is supposed to last another 40 years, may be closed or repurposed. I've been to the meetings. I've watched the presentations and I am still left with a lack of understanding as to what the true direction of the Lakewood public school system is. I've read the most recent strategic plan as of 2022 and closing and repurposing school buildings is not mentioned anywhere. In fact, it seems to be entirely counter to many of the objectives stated in the strategic plan. So, I ask you, are we striving to be a great school district? Closing or repurposing school buildings is a short-term solution that doesn't come close to covering the financial deficit we
075find ourselves in. I understand that the projected savings from this is approximately $500,000 per year. However, the treasur's presentation indicates a projected net loss of 6 million for 2026 and 13 million for 2028. Per the treasurer, even if we close or repurpose one or two schools, we will still require a substantial levy to balance the budget. and closing or repurposing will have additional serious consequences. Loss of trust between community members and the district, which sought voter support for a $50 million bond just 12 years ago to rebuild the very buildings now being considered. Destruction of our school district's walkability, a trait that is one of our greatest strengths. Loss of students who will choose to take vouchers and enroll in private schools. Increased absenteeism among our most at risk students who lack private transportation. negative
076financial impact as property values decline and perhaps most importantly the social emotional harm that will be inflicted on hundreds of children who will lose their elementary schools and the connections they have established with their school teachers and peers. The sentiment shared by myself and thousands of other Lakewood residents is that these costs to the quality of our school district are not worth the savings. The decision to close or repurpose schools that the district invested $100 million in constructing nine years ago will erode trust and support with the very community members needed to pass a new levy. This decision will inflict irreparable damage to our school district's reputation and to our children's well-being. I respectfully ask you to honor the investment that Lakewood taxpayers made 12 years ago by keeping all seven of our elementary buildings
077open as elementary school buildings. I also ask you to update your strategic plan to incorporate the budgetary constraints that are now being cited but are mentioned nowhere in the prior strategic plan. I believe that you want Lakewood schools to be a great school district and we the families of Lakewood City Schools will do everything in our power to support that vision. Thank you. Our next speaker is James Burgerer. Bruge. Yeah, there's no Okay. Oh, good. It kind of goes like that. So, I'm James Burge. I have four children in the Lakewood school system. Uh, three of them that go to school here. And uh I just wanted to come here and say I hear uh I hear you stated that you want to meet the students where they are. Um they're not a mile and
078a half from where this school sits. They're right across the street. They're on Mars Avenue where I live. If you want to meet the students where they are is right here. Um my daughter brought home a poster the other day from the Browns that said stay in the game. And it's to encourage students to come to class. Um, unfortunately the decision you're making, um, I think it's, you don't realize it because maybe of where your background is, you probably all have multiple cars, maybe more than one or two. And, um, I think that you're displacing, um, the underprivileged student who might have to take themselves to school in the morning when it's snowing or raining. I don't think a five-year-old is going to strap up, pull their themselves up by their bootstraps and get themselves
079to school. Um, I think that you're going to see a large majority of those students who just choose not to go to school because their parents aren't there to push them off because they're working. Um, I know I was one of those kids and uh, luckily I lived in Avon Lake and I only had to walk around the corner to get to school. So, I think the challenge that we're facing is we need to look and say, what are we really trying to achieve here? And and from the beginning of this, sorry I'm kind of shaky. Um, it's because I'm so angry. I feel like um, like my grandpa would say, I'm being zoomed. Um, and that means that somebody's taking advantage of ve very quickly. And that's how I feel this is happening. I
080feel this is moving at an extremely fast rate and many of us are trying to catch up to it. Um, I'm not sure what your clandestine decision behind this is, but it doesn't seem like it's a it backs any of the things that we're trying to accomplish. So, um, you young ladies did a fantastic job. Uh, I appreciate what you said and everybody in this room echoes it. Um, the last thing I do want to say is, um, I do love Lakewood schools. Um, I did move here and bought a house on Mars because I could walk here with my kids. Um, I was one of the parents who took their kids to St. James um, when the school was being built and we were enthusiastic about it opening, but I do remember the traffic
081that came from all the parents that had to drive to St. James and uh, how relieved we were that we could finally walk our kids to school. So um I do hope that you listen to all of us here and meet the children where they are which is surrounding this um building here. So thank you all. [Applause] Thank you. Next we have Jim Droger. Hey, I'm a parent of two children in the elementary schools. Um, I'm I'm all about having equitable class sizes across the district. The reason for this, we all know the downsides of large class sizes. Mathematically, if you close a school, class size average will increase. Um, I've also heard the term right sizing. you know, we need we need to get to the right size. Uh maybe right sizing by attrition.
082Uh but um what is the right size? Um so to find out, I looked at the the public data available on the Ohio school report cards for the district. It allows you it shows you a graph right here uh little table that tells you uh students per teacher ratio uh in your district and basically tells you the class size average. So for kindergarten in our district average class size 16 students in the state class average 16. Uh first grade our district 18 in the state 17. Our our class is actually over by one. Uh second grade our district 18 in the state 17. Again we're over by one. Um, you can keep going. Overall, it averages out, but uh, third grade uh, 15. Wait, did I miss one? So, yeah, third grade 15, uh, state
08316. We're under by one. Uh, fourth grade 19, state 17, we're over by two. uh fifth grade 14, state 16. We're under by two. Overall, to to reach the average, to be the average, to be the right size according to the state average, we probably need to build half a classroom. So, please um as as you're doing the right sizing, please make sure you do not do any wrong sizing. [Applause] Thank you. Uh, next we have Michael Draps. Thank you. Um I have a couple comments basically looking at the task force information. Um the 50 years committee took from us took away we had 10 elementary schools we went to seven. We had three middle schools we went to two. We had one high school we still have one high school. We got rid of
084Taff, Madison, Franklin, and McKinley. So, we've already downsized. You know, in reviewing the task force information and having attended, having attended the Roosevelt presentation, there's a piece of information that is missing. Lakewood has always been a city of renters. So, what percentage of the student population comes from that group? Because this group changes. Yeah, there are there is a I can't even read my own writing. There is a um drop in the child birth. We all know that. But what is the turnover rate for those students from Roosevelt families versus those from you know from rental families versus those from home families which is a concern. The other one is desire for centralization preschool is not reflected in the survey results. The survey results seem to suggest that is more likely a daycare need. A
085centralized preschool could lead to busing which would open the district for providing buses for private and charter schools. Something that we must stay away from. Finally, the schools that focus the schools that we focus on the the 19 years that are still left in the bond payments. We built these schools in the neighborhood and need to honor the community's commitment to walkable schools. The focus must always be on the student needs, not the adults. And we must be creative in delivering the education in our neighborhood. Smaller classes provide provide more opportunities and better results for our students. Thank you. Thank you. [Applause] Thank you. Uh I have Linda BBE as a maybe. I don't know if she's still here. Oh, there she is. feel like half the half the job is getting up here without
086falling down. I'm here tonight to just not contradict anybody or maybe just to provide a slightly different perspective. My name is Linda BB. I live at 12550 Lake Avenue and that's a condominium and it's full of very dedicated taxpayers, people who have an opinion, express it frequently. It's a small town in and of its own right, but there are very few children in the building. A few, but not many. And there are people, many of whom raise their children in Lakewood, but they also pay real estate taxes and they're very concerned about the the prospect of a levy in the next year or so. Okay. So just to put into the conversation and maybe to make things even more complicated, okay, is with three items and it's why I'm up here tonight. Number one is
087the people in my building and the people in Lakewood expect fiscal responsibility and they don't like paying taxes. If anybody grumbles about anything in Lakewood, they grumble about high taxes, right? So just keep in mind the cost of what we're talking about and understand the numbers. But when you go out for a levy in a year and a half from now or year from now, whatever we end up, wherever we end up being, I'm hoping everybody in this room is working on that levy number one. that the energy and the intelligence that I see here with the people in this room that needs to be pushed into this next levy effort because believe me folks it's not going to be easy. So fiscal responsibility whatever we do you have got to demonstrate to this community
088that this is a fiscally responsible action. The second thing is and it's a big concern of mine. Our state legislature is insisting that if we have what they're calling underpopulated schools, they're going to force this district to either sell that this that school, one of our new schools, this school, my kids went here, sell this school to a charter school and and I don't know about you, but I don't have any faith that that charter school will maintain that facility that we're still paying on for a number of years yet to come. And the third thing is just again reemphasize the importance of early childhood education. Whatever we do, we have got to include a component whether it's in the existing buildings, in a dedicated building, wherever we go, we have got to conclude a
089component that's early childhood education. I thank you all for the work you do for allowing me up here tonight. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Linda. Next up is Kelly Moyer. Hi. Uh, my name is Kelly Moyer and I'm the parent of four children, three of whom are currently at Lincoln Elementary. I'm actually here to talk about something that Linda just referenced. Um, the advantages of our current decentralized preschool model housing our programs in our seven, well, not all seven, but our seven uh, neighborhood elementary schools. Having a child even spend kindergarten through fifth grade in the same building is increasingly rare with so many area districts combining grades into single buildings, having them switch buildings every year or two. So much change and upheaval for young children as they have to learn new staff,
090new buildings, and other students at varying distances from home. How amazing is it then that in one of the most walkable communities in the country, your child can have the consistency of going to the same school from preschool through fifth grade and even walk there daily with their parents, siblings, and peers. My son goes to preschool at Lincoln, and when he comes home, his best days are the ones when he gets glimpses of his brothers in the hallway. How special is it for a young child to feel so connected to their school at such a young age? A quote from the superintendent in an article published by Idea Stream quotes her as saying, "Some of our families are sharing with us that they really need that full day of preschool with wraparound services and that's
091called daycare." And so that could be an opportunity for us. I ask you, does the district need to be providing daycare? There are so many fantastic and reputable daycare providers in the city of Lakewood. The district shouldn't be trying to compete with locallyowned and operated centers that can offer yearround care, which the district will not. Why doesn't the district instead continue to focus on the K to2 education of our children with the bonus of being able to offer something that few other cities are able to, education in the same neighborhood building from the ages of 3 to 12. What a selling point to potential families and a way to increase enrollment well into the future. I know that personally my son only goes to Lakewood District Preschool because it's housed in the same building as
092his siblings and I know many other Lakewood families that feel the same way. Having a single drop off or pickup point in an already busy day is such an advantage to me as a parent besides the obvious benefits for them. I urge you to continue this rare decentralized preschool model as it has many benefits for all. Thank you for your time and commitment to our children and this community. Together, I know we can work together to find creative solutions that keep our seven neighborhood schools [Applause] intact. Thank you. Uh, next is Amy Young. like this one. Hi friends. Um, so yes, I am in favor of keeping seven elementary schools, but I'm also here as your friendly neighborhood stoic and I'm doing some premeditatorial mealorum because I am looking at what's going on at the
093federal level and the state level and I'm worried about funding and I know that that's where you're all at too. What I also am coming here holding is Adam Grant's book, Think Again. I think that we really need to think again about which schools, if we are forced to close one, which one or which two are reasonable to close. I used resources that our students can use. I used Google Earth instead of the GIS software that our consultants surely have access to to draw mile and a half lines from Grant. Grant is the only school that makes so that we can have a less than mile and a half distance as the crow flies. As horrible as that term is for actual human beings, the only school that covers 90% of Lakewood if kept this
094I have enough for each of you to have these and the link is available publicly. Uh that is what the upper one is. It's showing these lines are a mile and a half and only going to parts that extent liquid extends past a mile and a half. The bottom one is if we kept the central elementary schools, how can we serve with a mile and a half? The apocalypse scenario that we're told that we have to go down to four elementary schools is possible only by keeping the three central ones and Harrison. Harrison is less than a mile and a half from the Gold Coast. So, I really think that you need to take in organizational psychologist Adam Grant's advice and think again about what schools to keep if we do have to in order
095to be fiscally responsible with what the the government is from higher up is giving us which schools to keep. I made 10 copies. So by anyone else wants to check my data, you're welcome to do so. And I I was almost up there with you guys. I was on that ballot. I'm not envying you guys right now. Thank you, [Applause] Mommy. Next, we have Christina Gely. Good evening. Um, my name is Christina Gralty. I'm a Lakewood resident and a school psychologist with a decade of experience in elementary education. I'm also a mom of two future Lakewood school students who are staying up past her bedtime to be here tonight so that our family can ask for you to keep all seven of the elementary schools open. As a school psychologist, it is my job to
096make sure that every student has what they need to learn and thrive in our schools. Research shows that neighborhood schools are beneficial for creating vibrant learning environments for everyone, especially children who are facing challenges at home, families who are facing systematic and structural discrimination, and kids who just learn differently. Based on research and my extensive experience, I can say with confidence that closing or repurposing one or two of the elementary schools will harm our children and be a detriment to their learning, resilience, and growth. I am also here tonight because my family bought a home in Lakewood in 2019. Because of my background in education, schools were at the very top of my family's procon list for deciding which Northeast Ohio community we wanted to raise our children in. We and many young families like
097ours chose Lakewood because of the model of close, walkable elementary schools. Our community schools are one of Lakewood's greatest assets and are a draw of families to the families of the district. Our public schools are facing enormous challenges right now, including the potential loss of federal and state funding, the expansion of vouchers in Ohio, the unfounded criticism of our hardworking and dedicated public school teachers, pair professionals, related service providers, and administrators. In the face of these challenges, we must draw on our strengths and as a community to meet them head on for the sake of our children. Lakewood is also densely populated, tight-knit community full of caring residents who are welcoming to all because our community schools are at the heart of the tight-knit community. I urge you today to commit to keeping all the
098seven schools open. Um, thank you for your time and your service to our kids and community. [Applause] Thank you. Next we have Susan. That's hard to read. H U T something. She's There you go. Hi, my name is Susan Hutner and I live on Nicholson. The board needs community input. The board said they wanted community input. This is what community input and involvement looks like. The community is saying they want their schools open. The community is saying that fiscal responsibility is not asking the community for bond money to rebuild three schools and then to abandon two of them. We all in this room care deeply about public schools and a large portion of the community is saying they don't want those schools to close. Don't alienate your biggest supporters of public schools. Make us your
099allies. We want to cheer you on. So give us something to cheer for. Keep all seven of the elementary schools open. Thank you. Thank you. Our next speaker is Sharon Schult. Good evening. This is hard for me. I'm going to do what one of the speakers said, though, and I'm going to be brave. Thank you to Superintendent Niswicki and the board for convening a task force of community members to review the current state of our facilities. It's greatly appreciated that you are taking into account the voices and opinions in the community. In reality, the board is ultimately responsible for the vote on this decision and several other districts not far from Lakewood have recently closed schools by just telling their communities about the closures and with no input from outside sources. So, thank you for
100convening the group and for not waiting until the situation is urgent and then having no time to involve outside for voices like a task force. I am serving on the task force and at first I was very skeptical of the need for considering any types of closures or repurposing especially with renovations to schools over the last decade or so. To me personally, it became obvious fairly early on in the process that it would greatly benefit the school district to repurpose an elementary school. And when the time comes for the task force to make a recommendation, I'll vote in that way. The task force has not made a decision yet. There were no or a recommendation yet because it's not our decision. There were no preconceived notions going into this and I personally did not think
101that the district had an agenda in mind as the process started. They've been carefully considering feedback from the task force, the community survey, and the community conversations and adjusting along the way with recent suggestions from the state house that schools could be forced to turn over buildings at certain capacity numbers and other things coming from the state and federal level that are trying to undermine public education in Ohio. It benefits our district to keep control of what is happening in here and not be put in a situation where we are forced to make changes outside the district's control. Even if some of these changes don't go through into law right now, it is apparent that the state and the federal government are going after public education, and we would do well to stay ahead of
102any attacks from the state and federal level in the years ahead. It's time for our community to set aside differences and look at capacity, financial projections, equitable class sizes, and so much more in a realistic manner and support the board of education in making the best decision for our district long term. No one likes change. I don't like change, but I personally went to at least eight elementary schools. Yes, eight. I lost count along the way. My graduating senior from Lakewood High School went to three, and she has a bright future ahead of her. The kids will be okay. The kids are resilient. I have a background in nursing. My husband has a background in child and adolescent psychiatry. The kids will be okay. The kids are resilient. The reality is that with six elementary
103schools and about five square miles of Lakewood, we still absolutely retain our reputation as one of the most walkable neighborhood schools in Ohio. Thank you again. Thank you. Our next speaker is Angela Clunk. Hello, I'm Angela. I have kids in Lincoln. Um, I'm pretty much repeating what you've already been hearing, honestly. So, um, everybody keeps talking about not liking change. Um, but I personally, and I think a lot of us don't like change for no reason. And I feel like it's not being heard that we don't have the the reason behind it. I'm all for closing my own kids school and redistricting for a reason. That makes sense. I don't see that. Um, I I appreciate that we're looking into this proactively, but I think we're still jumping the gun. We're rushing to make a
104decision by May arbitrarily. Um, and as Clark Sutton said, uh, the decision is big and may take a while to come to, uh, a final decision. So, it seems, especially since we have, um, two schoolboard spots open in the fall that maybe this is a decision we hold off for a little bit. Um, we could start with redistricting and see if that helps. As you're hearing some of the data that, you know, regular people are looking up, um, our class sizes are on the smaller end, but also pretty average compared to most other schools and school districts. Um, and that should be a huge draw for people to have smaller class sizes. um to make uh such major changes, we need to ensure the decisions are being made with complete up-to-date data that's accurate at
105the time that we're releasing all this information um by the people who truly understand Lakewood. We need to uh prove that we care about the things that we're so proud of that we always talk about um as Amanda said, it's things that cannot be quantified and it's not graphs and charts only. It's there's a lot there's a lot on the line. um uh consolidating schools just anecdotally talking to people in the neighborhoods um haven't worked in nearby districts. I know we'll never go to one single building. I don't think that will ever happen in Lakewood, but um they're now finding that they're at capacity or too small. Um so again, that just it's maybe not on a chart somewhere, but seems like something we should take into account before completely uh making this big decision.
106Um, we're talking about concerns for teachers having to move around. Um, but as Kelly said, children have to move around. Um, so, you know, children are resilient, adults are too. And we will go where the jobs are and there's plenty of teachers who want to provide for the kids in Lakewood and they love Lakewood. Also, um, as a lot of people have said, we could consider, um, pre-K in all or almost all of the elementary schools. Um, I'm not sure why that's not um, an option. Um, obviously no one wants their kids school to close, but most of us are actually reasonable. Um, we're not just saying, "Don't close my kids school because of change." Um, if it's a money issue, say that. We've been told it's not. We've been told it's more about efficiently
107using the buildings. And so, there's lots of different ways that we can efficiently use the buildings. Um, again, we could redistrict first and see how that is helping. Um, we have a lot Sorry, your time's up. Thank you. [Applause] Next we have Ryan Guyger. Hi everyone. Uh my name is Ryan Guyger. My wife and Ameilia and I live on St. Charles. Um our kids are actually sixth generation residents of Lakewood. Uh we have five three and one year old and uh our oldest is in kindergarten at Grant right now. Uh, as an aside too, I'm a supply chain leader and I work with Fortune 100 clients on this exact issue on the client side where they're growing, they're shrinking or changing their network configurations. And this issue is both personal as well as very relatable
108to me professionally. Uh, first and foremost, we oppose the closing of any school. Um, if one school must close, don't let it be Grant. It's the most utilized school and it's the most well-run elementary school from our perspective in the district. I'll expand on that more. We live here because of Lakewood's walkability as everybody's mentioned. We have a walking school bus in St. Charles and ongo with over 15 students alone. There's more young kiddos on the way. And we're at the edge of the Grant boundary and the walk we have is still safe and is under 10 minutes. The same will likely not be said with a reconfiguration with Grant families crossing more railroads, Detroit, and Madison Avenue. Uh we haven't heard it yet, so I'm going to say it really loud and proud. Grant's
109leadership, teachers, and staff are incredible. the principal knows not only the names of all the kids, their siblings and parents, but moreover provides specialized thoughtful care to meet each child at Grant where they are, which everybody said recently. Um, prior to entering kindergarten this year, our daughter, who previously has struggled with OCD, social anxiety, and difficulty with change, principal foot herself not only took our family on a personal tour of Grant so our daughter could begin familiarizing herself with this building and the staff within, she mailed our daughter a social story about what she could expect upon coming to Grant along with a handwritten note expressing how excited she was for her to join the Grant family. That kind of care and commitment is unparallel and it can't be replaced um with the consolidated model
110for my opinion. Uh second piece is central Lakewood is rapidly evolving. Our elementary school model has flexibility and agility built into its current model. The population population composition and other data is incomplete and from what I have seen is not considering the impact of new housing that is going to be developed on Detroit in multiple locations like the Buick site and Lakewood Hospital. Our population demographics as an entire city are also evolving. The four largest age demographics being childbearing ages between the ages of 20 and 39. Families continue to move here to create and are creating generational change in our community. Finally, to all to sit on a centralized preschool model is not a replacement for daycare. As someone mentioned, daycarees are often open 7 to 6. We send one of our kids to Lakewood
111Childcare Center at the end of our street and they run year round for workforces um for the workforce to be able to utilize. What is being proposed is condensed hours and it would not provide care coverage during the summer. For many parents with uh parents working uh this is just not logistically possible especially when you would have to shuttle between multiple schools. Final point is I know I'm getting close to time. We're yearning for transparency and intent especially during this time. In that respect the timing of this decision seems poor and the transparency of intent and goals is confusing at best. Thank you for your time. [Applause] Thank you. Next we have Angela Joerger. Hi. Um I'm my name is Angela. I have two kids in the district and um I'm not here to give
112my input on this issue because I did that on the survey that was sent out where we equitably kind of got to speak about it um with our kids and our husbands and you know across the city. So, thanks for sending that. Um I just want to say Lakewood I've heard like Lakewood can be great. Lakewood schools are amazing. I'm a huge fan. In the last couple weeks, my kids have been learning from the police about how to stay home safe. um attending a orchestral thing at the high school with parents who like from Bay who send their kids here to do it. Um had been softball games and basketball games and I just I think Lakewood City schools are great. And also um Lakewood is a public school district that has to educate every
113child, right? Children with disabilities, children with learning differences, and public schools are really important for that reason, right? Um, and I'm just grateful to have that. And I also want to say I'm grateful that Lakewood has a commitment to I'm literally reading a definition. Embracing diverse identities and perspectives, providing equitable resources for all students to succeed, and to ensure that everyone feels valued and engaged. That's literally just DEI defined. So, I want to say um I'm just glad to see so many parents here and engaged. I think every we've all benefited from the privilege of sending our kids to these great schools and also there are billions of dollars in public uh school funding cuts coming. I just went to DC. I spent a full 24 hours learning about what's actually really happening and it
114is scary at the state level, at the federal level. Public school funding is getting cut. So, what I'm here to say, I know that all of you all will make a decision that will work for the district about the school closing, but I know that there's a lot of negative press and division, but I actually think that everyone in here can agree on a few things. We support our amazing public school district. Yes. Right. We want to see our public schools fully funded. I mean, and I mean, maybe there's a fundraising committee here. I don't know. But I think um, you know, we like Senate Bill 127 in Ohio. I'm really concerned about that. Um, I'm really concerned about the Ohio budget that slashes $351 million. That's one thing. That's not even vouchers. And that's
115not even federal tax cuts that are coming. So, I just want to say I'll vote for the levy. I hope we all will, too, if you need it. Um, and we're here to help support the district. Thank you. Thank you. We have one more speaker. I'm starts with an h and you I believe. There you go. Thank you. Hello everyone. Uh my name is Hung. I have a beautiful family with uh two children like one in the first grade and one in the seventh grade. Uh we are Vietnamese and uh we just moved from uh Boston uh last uh July 4th and uh we've been uh researching about like Cleveland area like where we should live like whether in the uh Rocky River whether in Beachwood or Cleveland and we found out like Lakewood is
116the perfect fit uh for us and uh one of the reason is the school system. it was surprised to me that uh liquid uh doesn't have a bus system and I wonder why and then I do did a research and because like uh you did a smart move to like uh not doing the bus system so you could save like a million money to build more schools and that's makes sense and I watched like YouTube video of children walking to school and that's uh beautiful and that's kind of zon uh resonate with uh our family. So that's why we moved to uh um Lakewood and um even though the the property tax here in Lakewood is much higher than other area like even in Boston is not that high but yeah but yeah but but
117we bought a house like just like 2 minutes uh away here like right in Warren Road in front of the uh the post office just uh so that uh our daughter could just walk here in 2 minutes. Um so and we thought it was the perfect move for for for us. So uh I uh I hope that um uh please you please like revisit the plan and uh please don't close this school and I hope that uh it will prove that uh uh our decision and uh many family decision here were like correct and uh likewood is the perfect place to live and grow our children. Thank you. [Applause] Thank you. That concludes the I'm sorry. What's your name? Oh, I'm sorry. Yeah, please come on up. [Applause] Sometimes you got to speak up for
118yourself. But anyway, um uh when they shut down Madison Elementary School, uh it turned the walk of our kids to be to um that school. They had to go to Grant after that. It turned it from like a one crossing with a sec crossing guard to like 11 streets with no crossing guards. That's just an example of what happens when you close down, you know, one of the schools. I'm here to ask support to keep all the schools open. I'm a big public school supporter. I mean, I wouldn't even send my kids to private schools if I could afford it. So, um, the other thing that I think is really important with public schools is I look at it as kind of a public space, an open space. You think about when kids aren't there.
119You I wouldn't walk across a schoolyard when the kids are there, but when they're not there, like all summer long, it's a place you can go to and hang out. Teach your kids how to ride your bike there. They got beautiful trees there. I almost look at it as a park. Okay? Okay. So, if you get rid of one of these public schools down the road, there's no guarantee it's going to be public space anymore. It could be sold for a development of a geod dollar general or a housing development, apartment complex. I don't want to see that. So, that's my that's my And also, I just like to get get applause, public applause. [Applause] Thank you. Is there Did I miss anybody else? Just making sure. Okay, then that definitely concludes the public comment
120portion of our evening. Thank you everyone. Moving on to other board business. I guess we'll pause for a moment. Looks like we're having a mass exodus here. I would be on the edge of my seat for other board business, but that's okay. It's supposed to be about [Music] Have a good night. [Laughter] [Music] He's just tired. Yeah, I feel it. I feel it. I get I get his feelings. Okay, now we will move on to other board business. Uh, Mrs. Shaughnessy, thank you. Um there are three items here. The first is Oh, thanks. You're welcome. Um certified action requesting approval on one reading um to accept resignation for the purpose of retirement and two resignations. So I move adoption of the resolution. Second. Uh Mr. Zing, can you call the role? Uh Miss Kassenberger. Hi.
121Miss Shaughnessy. Hi. Miss Clark Sutton. Hi. Mr. Callahan. Hi. Mrs. I thank you. Thank you. The next item uh deals with classified personnel. Approval is requested on one reading and this would be to accept the resignation for the purpose of retirement for one and separation of employment for one. I move adoption of the resolution. Second. Mr. Zean, can you call the role? Mrs. Katsburgger. I. Miss Shaughnessy. I. Miss Clark Sutton. I. Mr. Callahan. Hi. Mrs. Dman. Hi. Thank you. Thank you. The next is an approval of the resignation of a member of the Lakewood Community Recreation and Education Commission. Um, the board has been asked to accept the resignation of commission member Tom Ziggman, who has been a stalward of this community for as long as I've been around and knowing about him, school principal,
122and then moving on. Um, but in order to fill this position they have the the commission has requested we approve this in one reading. So I move adoption of this resolution. Second. Mr. Zean, can you call the role? Miss Katsburgger. Hi. Miss Shaughnessy. I. Miss Clark Sutton. I. Mr. Callahan. Hi. Miss Stman. Hi. And that concludes my items. Thank you. Mrs. Stman. A resolution to approve an extended field trip and I request approval on one reading. The field trip is to Hawking Hills, Ohio. West Shore Career Tech Culinary will attend to participate in state culinary events, possible scholarship opportunities for the students, career exploration and networking. Staff will assist students and help event organizers with logistics and competition activities. FCCLA state competition will be held at Hucking Hills, Ohio. The trip is scheduled for April
12311th through 12th of this year. Um, I move to approve one meeting. Second, Mr. Zen, can you call the RO? Miss Kassenberger. Hi. Miss Shaughnessy. Hi. Miss Clark Sutton. Hi. Mr. Callahan. Hi. Miss Dman. Hi. Thank you. Next one's yours, Mr. Kell. Thank you. And perhaps before I read this, I I just wanted to quickly, if I could uh acknowledge Mr. Ziggman, um as Mrs. as Shaughnessy did as well. But having uh known him and his contributions to uh the recreation department and uh to the commission for many many years, I just wanted to to to note that um that that is that his service is greatly appreciated and of course uh we wish him the best and hope to hope to see him around town. With that, I will move uh on to a
124resolution to approve uh the agreements between Lakewood Board of Education and Dacttronics and LMC services signs for the provision and installation of a replacement scoreboard at Lakewood High School baseball field. We're asked being asked to approve this on one reading. Dtronics met all of the requirements and specifications to provide the replacement scoreboard uh for the baseball field and LMC services met the requirements and specs to provide the labor to remove the existing scoreboard and install the replacement. Total project cost 42,000. Uh significant donation of 30,000 toward the total cost was received from a donor who wishes to remain anonymous. The specs of the board are are here. A pan of view baseball scoreboard. Scoreboard color is purple, caption color white. Uh cabinet dimensions are listed here. I won't get into to all of that. Uh
125bottom line is we've got an updated um new scoreboard on the way that will meet our our needs uh in, you know, moving moving forward. Uh the breakdown of the the quotes uh is there for us as well on the scoreboard. Dtronics uh coming in as the low uh bidder with the exception of one that had um no feedback from references. Um so obviously we um are being asked to uh to act on on the uh uh lowest and most qualified then in this case. Um and then on the removal uh and installation you can see um the comparisons there as well. So with that we move approval of this resolution um on uh on one reading. Second. Oh second. Uh Mr. Zaming, can you call the role? Uh Miss Ksburgger. Hi, Miss Shaughnessy. Hi,
126Miss Clark Sutton. Hi, Mr. Callahan. Hi, Mr. Do. Hi. Thank you. And the next one's mine. Uh, resolution to approve law firms and attorneys. I would request approval on one reading. The board needs to retain law firms and attorneys for the provision of legal services. In order to ensure the fees charged by the firms are appropriately defined, the board requested engagement letters, which details billable fees and practices. The approval of the engagement letter does not require the board to utilize the services of the firms. It only it is only to document the fees and billing practices and I requested approval on one reading. So second. Thank you. Mr. Zim, can you call the role? Mr. Catsburgger. Hi. Miss Shaughnessy. Hi. Mr. Clark Sutton. Hi. Mr. Callahan. Hi. Mrs. Dman. Hi. Thank you. Um, anybody else
127have anything else? And uh nothing else being said. Do I have a motion to adjurnn? So moved. Second. All in favor? I I motion carries.