Lakewood School Board Meeting, Board Auditorium, 3/1/2010 7:00 PM. 

In the atmosphere of shock and frustration for many community members since the February 16th Board meeting, some members of the School Board attempted to present their reasoning for voting four-against-one to circumvent normal process and choosing to rebuild Lincoln Elementary (thereby closing Grant Elementary). After additional pleas for rationale this night from several community speakers and lone dissenting Board member Matt Markling, some Board members offered statements.

Every 10 years the U.S. Census Bureau asks our nation to stand and be counted. The numbers garnered from this nationwide population count are used by the federal government to determine where to spend its taxpayer dollars, including how much money school districts should get. In an environment where school districts are in desperate need of revenue, every penny from every source is of critical importance. That is why it is so imperative that every resident be counted come April 1, National Census Day, so the amount of federal dollars that flow to our city and schools are not at risk.

The West Shore Career-Technical District’s 2010 Outstanding Work Ethic Award winners were honored at a luncheon at Lakewood Hospital’s Wasmer Auditorium on February 19th. The Lakewood Chamber of Commerce and the Lakewood/Rocky River Sunrise Rotary Club welcomed over 100 members, students, parents, employers, work supervisors, and guests to the 4th annual awards event, sponsored by Fitzgibbons Arnold & Co. Twenty West Shore Career-Tech students, one representing each program at West Shore, were recognized for their exceptional dedication to their studies, extra-curricular activities, and, most importantly, to their places of employment.

A few weeks ago, we received word that we had been presented with the opportunity of a lifetime. We were 11 of 120 students throughout the country who had been invited to a concert featuring artists and music of the civil rights movement at the White House. We didn’t want to get our hopes up because the prospect was so crazy, but after a few weeks of scrambling and planning, Mr. Joseph Lobozzo, Ms. Alisa Nazelli, Celia Lamb, CaNada Tate-Griffin, Sarah Speice, Khadijah Baker, Adrienne Mahone, Mckenzie Stenger, Chelsea Stenger, Seth Baker, Jamil Thomas, Kristian Hila and I were on an airplane, headed to Washington D.C.

We got this opportunity through a nationwide program with which we’re involved called Facing History and Ourselves, which focuses on teaching students about history and issues of the world today and encouraging them to make their voices heard. They chose our group because of our program at Lakewood High School called RAD, Race and Diversity, which holds meetings every other week to discuss racial and other social issues in our community and throughout the world. Our group included the founders of RAD, as well as current leaders of the group. When we first heard the news, we didn’t know if we would be able to make it happen at such short notice, but thanks to a generous donation from the Lakewood Alumni Foundation, we were able to take care of the financial side of it. Mr. Lobozzo booked our flights, a hotel, and other transportation plans, and we left Monday, February 8th.

The Board of Education at its Feb. 16 meeting voted to amend the Lakewood City Schools Master Facilities Plan to include renovating the eastern half of Lakewood High School, rebuilding Roosevelt Elementary and rebuilding or renovating Lincoln Elementary. That decision would mean that Grant Elementary would be closed as part of the third and final phase of the plan.

The plan for the 10-year rebuilding of our school district required modification due to the State of Ohio’s revision of its original plan to help fund seven elementary schools in our district. When the district was notified that due to continued declining enrollment it will only be given funding for six schools, a decision had to be made whether to fund a seventh school with taxpayer money.

The decision came after a year-long process that included 9-months of work by a citizens’ Phase III Steering Committee. The Board formed the committee in January 2009 to study how the Schools should proceed with Phase III of the district’s facilities plan. The committee worked through February and March to prepare for its first public forum in April 2009. Most people attending the forum agreed that the school district should proceed with six rather than seven elementary schools.

 

Students at seven Lakewood elementary schools jumped at the chance to fight heart disease and stroke, our nation’s No. 1 and No. 3 killers. On February 6 at Lakewood High School in the East Gym students from Emerson, Grant, Harrison, Hayes, Horace Mann, Lincoln and Roosevelt held their 12th annual Jump Rope For Heart event. Students jumped rope to raise funds for the American Heart Association, which funds cardiovascular disease research and public and professional education programs. In the last 10 years, the Lakewood Schools have raised almost $100,000 for the American Heart Association. Jump Rope For Heart is co-sponsored by the American Heart Association and the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. Joining the students to cheer them on were mascots Sully from Lake Erie Monsters hockey team, Stomper from Lake Erie Crushers baseball team.

More than a year after forming the Phase III Committee, the Lakewood City Schools’ Board is scheduled to vote on which elementary school will close permanently as part of the final phase of their master facilities plan. That is not to say that other schools will no longer be at risk. Keep in mind the dire financial circumstances the district finds itself in as it prepares to put a 6.9 mill operating levy on the May ballot and the fact that school buildings will close for renovation/rebuilding.

What the committee, community and Board has debated and contemplated for twelve long months may best be summed up using a simple problem solving assignment given to some of our own elementary students.

1. Identify the problem. The Ohio School Facilities Commission (OSFC) determined that our declining enrollment only qualifies us for state funding to rebuild a total of six elementary schools. Lakewood must decide to pay for the seventh building or close it.

 

With city officials and community leaders in its corner, the Lakewood Board of Education at its Feb. 1 meeting unanimously voted to send a request to the county to place a 6.9 mill operating levy on the May 4 ballot. It will be the first new operating levy on the Lakewood ballot since 2002 and will cost taxpayers just under $18 per month for every $100,000 of home value. Heading up the campaign effort will be co-chairs Mayor Ed FitzGerald and City Councilman and former school Board member Michael Summers.

“Great cities have great schools, value them, invest in them, and benefit mightily from them. Our investment is paying huge dividends, we would make a serious mistake to go into reverse. We would undo all that we have accomplished,” said Summers.

The Mayor pledged to offer his support in any way that he can, noting that strong cities only exist with strong school systems. “There is no city in the country that is thriving that doesn’t have a thriving public school district,” Mayor FitzGerald said at a joint Board of Education/City Council meeting held Jan. 25.

 

Both Harding and Garfield Middle Schools performed exceptionally at the District Power of the Pen Writing Competition held on January 23 at St. Joseph Academy. The contest, which has been around for 25 years, honors excellence in creative writing and Lakewood’s middle schools have a long history of excelling in the competition. This year has been no different so far. The Harding 7th and 8th grade teams both took first place in the team standings while the Garfield 7th graders placed second out of the 23 schools that participated in the district tournament.

Leading the way for the middle school scribes was Harding 8th grader Sarah Neff, who captured first place for individuals and also won a “Best of Round” award along with Harding 7th grader Maggie Pizzo.

Out of approximately 125 writers per grade level at the competition, Harding and Garfield placed many writers in the top fifteen:

 

Thanks to their work with the nonprofit Facing History & Ourselves, a group of 11 Lakewood High students and their teachers spent three days in Washington, D.C., this week as a select audience of high school students from across the country who participated in a workshop on Feb. 10 at the White House on the impact of music from the civil rights movement.

The students were invited by the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles, which co-produced for PBS a three-day event in the nation’s capital that culminates with a live concert on Feb. 10 hosted by President and Mrs. Obama: “In Performance at the White House: A Celebration of Music From the Civil Rights Movement” with performers such as Natalie Cole, Bob Dylan, John Legend and Smokey Robinson.

The producers have surrounded the event, which is in honor of Black History Month, with educational events that include the workshop LHS students attended. Former Rock & Roll Hall of Fame educational director and current Grammy Museum executive director Bob Santelli and Motown legend Smokey Robinson led the workshop, which was introduced by First Lady Michelle Obama. Singers John Mellencamp and John Legend were scheduled to perform civil rights era songs for the students.

On February 1, 50 guests gathered at Lakewood Catholic Academy to dedicate the school’s library as The Saint Augustine Library. The ceremony honored the extraordinary service of a group of volunteers who have worked for the past four years to organize, develop, and automate the school’s 15,000 volume library. The group merged the collections of the school libraries of St. Clement, St. James, and St. Luke when LCA opened in 2005 in the former St. Augustine Academy.

Led by Francine Andrews, retired librarian at Saint Ignatius High School, almost 20 volunteers worked on the project. Mrs. Andrews and several of the volunteers are graduates of St. Augustine Academy. To acknowledge their remarkable gift to LCA, Mrs. Andrews and her volunteers were asked to choose a name for the library. The group chose The Saint Augustine Library to honor their alma mater and the legacy of the school that became the new home of Lakewood Catholic Academy. A bronze plaque was unveiled at the ceremony and will be hung outside the main library doors. Rev. Francis P. Walsh, pastor of St. Luke Parish, gave the blessing.

As we wait in anticipation for a decision from the Board of Education on which elementary school will close and which two will be rebuilt as part of the final phase of the district's facilities plan, the School Board’s agenda indicated new information would be shared at this past Tuesday's meeting.

After the general meeting, Board member Matt Markling showed those in attendance two new maps of the school district. Each map is color-coded to display proposed new boundaries based on a six elementary school configuration. Each places the same relative number of students in each building and attempts to limit walking distances as much as possible.

The maps were posted on the Lakewood Observer Observation Deck by Mr. Markling the day after the meeting.  (http://lakewoodobserver.com/forum, topics - A "Phase III Maps" and PHASE 3 INFO AT BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING - TONIGHT 7 PM). As Mr. Markling explained, the map representing the school district configuration if Lincoln closed, shows only two elementary schools north of Detroit. Should Lincoln close, there simply are not enough students residing north of Detroit to support more than two elementary schools in that area.

A team of Harding eighth graders ran away with first place in the Classroom of Champions academic team competition held at St. Edward High School on Jan. 20.

The competition covers a large range of topics, from geography, history, science and literature to pop culture and religion. It’s open to teams of 7th and 8th graders from Northeast Ohio schools, and consists of seven rounds of three teams, each competing to see which top three point-getters will advance to the Finals at St. Ed’s in April.

The Harding team, comprised of Hugh Campbell, Max Mulready and Eli Zettler scored 745 points, only the second team in 21 years of competition to score more than 700 points.  While there are still a number of teams yet to compete in a regional round, Harding’s team is likely to be Number 1 in the Finals. 

Kelsey Davis, 1999 graduate of Lakewood High School, was recently honored at a Cavs game as the Ohio Lottery Commission's "Teacher of the Month". Projected on the Jumbotron screen, Kelsey waved and said, "I love my job!"

Since receiving a B.A. from The Ohio State University, and a M.S. from University of Akron, Kelsey has moved back to Lakewood and bought a home. Although she teaches in Independence, she still gets together with some of her former Lakewood High teachers to share ideas.

A team of Harding eighth graders ran away with first place in the Classroom of Champions academic team competition held at St. Edward High School on Jan. 20.

The Lakewood Board of Education at its Jan. 19 meeting took the first step necessary toward placing a $6.9 mill operating levy on the May 4 ballot by passing a resolution declaring it necessary to levy an additional tax and requesting the Cuyahoga County Auditor to certify district tax values and the dollar amount to be generated by the requested levy. Also at the meeting, a number of moves were announced that were geared toward improving the district’s financial outlook as best possible before the voters are asked to approve Lakewood’s first levy in eight years.

The 2009 American Philological Association (APA) Award for Excellence in Teaching at the Pre-collegiate Level goes to Stergios Lazos, Chair of Classical and Modern Languages at St. Edward High School.

During twenty-five years of teaching Stergios Lazos ’84  has created a Latin program at one school, helped another grow from 19 students to over 100, and at St. Edward High School has increased classics offerings from four courses to twelve, including Greek. Twice the Ohio Classical Conference has chosen his program as the best in the state.

Lakewood Catholic Academy (LCA), a pre-K through eighth grade Catholic elementary school,  will hold enrollment Open House events on Sunday, January 31, from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. and Wednesday, February 3, from 9 a.m. until 11 a.m. LCA is located at 14808 Lake Avenue in Lakewood, Ohio.

The Lakewood Board of Education's first meeting of 2010 was highlighted by the swearing in of three incumbents, Betsy Shaughnessy for her fifth term, Edward Favre for his fourth, and John Kamkutis for his first full term. (Kamkutis sat on the board last year as an appointed member to fulfill Charles Geiger's unfinished term).

With our first child currently in Kindergarten at Roosevelt Elementary I don’t have much experience in the day-to-day functioning between Lakewood school staff and children. I do spend much time in and around the Birdtown and east Madison corridor with its many value–based businesses, Madison Library, East Family Room, Mahall’s, and Madison Park. With this being the Harrison Elementary neighborhood, I was bound to start encountering Harrison staff and students as they use neighborhood amenities during the school day.

With a state-of-the-art kitchen unrivaled by any educational institute in the state, the students in the West Shore Career-Technical District’s Culinary Arts/ProStart program are ready to share their talents with the public as they open their new restaurant, Ranger Café @ West Shore. The Lakewood Board of Education, the Chamber of Commerce and other community leaders will be on hand to celebrate the restaurant’s grand opening on Tuesday, January 26 at 11:15 a.m. with a formal ribbon cutting.

Linda Beebe, who has served on the Lakewood Board of Education since 1983 and is currently in her seventh term, was recently honored for her longtime service by the Ohio School Boards Association. The OSBA recognized Beebe as one of only 83 board members in the state that have served 25 years or more on a Board of Education. It’s a remarkable achievement considering more than 70% of members on the 719 boards statewide have served eight years or less. OSBA representative Jeff Chambers presented a plaque to Beebe at the Dec. 21, 2009, meeting and called Beebe, “An extremely dedicated individual.”

At the Jan. 4 Board of Education meeting, Superintendent P. Joseph Madak outlined for Board members the reasoning behind the district’s recommendation of a new operating levy of 6.9 mills (or $17.61 per $100,000 house value) for the May 4 election. Following is correspondence from Superintendent Madak to the Board as he prepared to bring for the Board’s consideration the case for a levy: 

In recent years, our community has seen the results of its commitment to education. Our academic quality has consistently improved, and now our schools are rated “Excellent” by the State. Phases I and II of our facilities improvement plan have been on-time and on-budget, giving us new, better school buildings. These achievements are the direct result of this community’s investment in education. 

These accomplishments have also occurred at the same time that the district has significantly cut its budget. Between 2004 and 2009, we cut more than $5 million. In the spring of 2009, our schools cut an additional $1.3 mil and in the fall of 2009, our schools cut an additional $1.6 mil.  During this same time, our schools lost $1.2 mil in property tax revenue and $1 mil in state funding.

 

By Judy Leatherman & Melissa Meehan

The Lakewood Early Childhood PTA offers all parents the opportunity to get a jump on preschool applications. Eight Lakewood Preschools will be at the LECPTA General Meeting on Monday, January 25 at 7:30 p.m. at Harding Middle School Cafetorium. The Directors and staff will share information on their programs. The regular business meeting portion will begin at 7:00 p.m. For more information, go to www.lecpta.com.

As co-chair of Grant PTA’s Reflections Art Program, I recently participated in a series of after school workshops. One was specifically designed to encourage and support students interested in using original photographs to create art. Each year National PTA selects a theme for the program to guide students in their creative process. This year’s theme is "Beauty Is…"

Lakewood School Board Member Matthew John Markling has been selected by his legal peers as one of The Best Lawyers in America® in the specialty of Education Law. For over a quarter of a century, Best Lawyers® has been regarded – by both the profession and the public – as the definitive guide to legal excellence in the United States. Selection to Best Lawyers is based on an exhaustive and rigorous peer-review survey comprising more than 2.8 million confidential evaluations by the top attorneys in the country. Because no fee or purchase is required, being listed in Best Lawyers is considered a singular honor.

“It is always an honor to be recognized by your peers especially when those peers are often sitting on the opposite side of the table or competing for the same clients,” said Markling. “I hope that this selection is also in recognition of the collaborative, zealous, and meticulous manner in which my law firm and I approach the practice of education law.” 

Markling is a founder of the law firm of McGown, Markling & Whalen Co., L.P.A. and has experience representing the legal needs of school boards, board members, administrators, teachers, and staff throughout the State of Ohio in a broad spectrum of school law matters. Markling has been awarded the Outstanding Leadership Award by the Ohio Educational Service Center Association in recognition of his legal leadership to Ohio school districts and is also Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Rated® for ethical standards and legal ability.

Markling routinely teaches school law courses at the University of Akron and Bowling Green State University, and provides lectures, in-services, and workshops on a diverse array of education law topics throughout Ohio.  Recently, Markling provided a board development presentation to attendees of the 54th Annual Ohio School Boards Association Capital Conference entitled, “When You are in the Minority.”

When asked the degree to which his education law background assists him in serving as a member of the Lakewood School Board, Markling said, “My experience as a school law attorney and professor certainly gives me a head start on spotting various legal issues and developing policy and guidelines necessary to satisfy the plethora of legal requirements facing public schools today.” 

Although he has been named one of America’s best education lawyers, Markling is quick to point out that he does not give legal advice to the Lakewood City Schools and that his fellow school board members and administrators are not hesitant in seeking guidance from outside legal counsel. Nor does Markling mind his colleagues’ deference to outside legal guidance noting that, “It is often difficult to be objective when you are, in effect, the client.”

Markling is serving his first term as an elected member of the Lakewood City School District Board of Education. For more information about Lakewood School Board Member Matthew John Markling, please visit http://www.lakewoodschoolboardmember.com.

After months and months of fund-raising that began shortly after school was out last June, the Lakewood High School Ranger Marching Band soon will be on its way to perform at the 74th AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic in Dallas on Jan. 2. One hundred ninety members of the band and 15 staff and parents will depart for Texas at noon on Dec. 30 from the high school.

ATHENS, Ohio (Nov. 19, 2009) — Monique Grier, a Lakewood native and Ohio University student studying industrial and systems engineering, has been recently chosen to join a select group of students at the university’s Russ College of Engineering and Technology.

In these days of belt-tightening in families throughout our community, the Lakewood City Schools music department provides a wonderful and affordable way to enjoy some uplifting holiday entertainment for just a few dollars. The district’s acclaimed music program will be putting on performances nearly every weeknight as the holiday school break approaches.

Last night the School Board held a special work session to sift through the materials of the Phase 3 committee. The Phase 3 Committee, if you remember, was formed to determine which of three Lakewood elementary schools was to close, and which were to be rebuilt, to accommodate the State of Ohio's plan to help pay to rebuild only two of our three remaining elementary schools.

The Board had divided the thick file submitted by the Phase 3 Committee into sections, each had a section to present. There were also two "experts" brought in to help make sense of the materials.

The most significant comments were made by the first expert, Rodwell King, the architect who evaluated each site in terms of feasibility for rebuilding.

He said he tried to be as objective as possible, following 13 criteria set by the Ohio Schools Facilities Commission. His major focus was on site size: Grant and Roosevelt were rated "good." Lincoln was “fair,” but only if Lincoln was rebuilt at three stories, a change he felt was, "Not best for academic delivery." His main concern was that Lincoln was undersized by the Ohio School Facilities Commission's standards. The chart he posted on the wall read: "It is submitted that site acquisition may be required in order to provide adequate parking and play space of appropriate dimensions." Meaning that for Lincoln to really work, they'd need to acquire houses. This might be tricky, because the rules being followed by the Board include, not using Eminent Domain and trying to be "fiscally responsible." Another concern he had with Lincoln was its location on, "Busy Clifton Boulevard," which was both a safety and a noise concern. Overall, his concern if Lincoln is rebuilt, is that the problems with Lincoln now will continue for the next 50 years.

At a special session on Monday, Nov. 16, the Board of Education dug deep into the Phase III Steering Committee report in its effort to gather as much information and analysis as possible before it makes its decision regarding the possibility of closing of another elementary school.  Phase III of the districtwide construction program will address the future of Grant, Lincoln and Roosevelt elementaries as well as the eastern half of Lakewood High. The Steering Committee last month recommended two options to the Board:

Students and staff at Lakewood City Academy, the Lakewood City Schools’ alternative education school, are doing their part to help those struggling financially in the community to get through the coming winter months. The “Needs Room” opened its doors this week at LCA in the former Franklin Elementary School’s LRC (LCA is housed at the Franklin site). The hope is that needy families will be able to come to the room and find clothing and other items that have been donated by the community.

Accompanied by an escort from Lakewood's finest, nearly 500 Lakewood Catholic Academy students strolled together from the school to St. Luke Parish on Clifton Boulevard on Friday, October 30 to celebrate an All Saints' Day Mass together. Each student carried the image of a saint he or she had chosen to study in preparation for the event. 

Halloween may be over, but the fun keeps on giving. Thanks to over 150 volunteers, 25 event sponsors, and hundreds of Palooza-goers. H2O's 10th Pumpkin Palooza event raised over $3,400 that will benefit Lakewood Christian Service Center and Lakewood Charitable Assistance Corporation during the holiday season ahead. During hard economic times, people need an extra hand. Pumpkin Palooza was created to help these two organizations meet human need in Lakewood.

The Phase III Steering Committee has delivered its report to the Board of Education and now it is up to the five-member Board to decide what the final configuration of the Lakewood City School District will be. Phase III is the last leg of the district’s Facilities Master Plan and addresses the future of the east side of Lakewood High School, Grant, Lincoln and Roosevelt elementary schools.

From November 8 through November 11, 2009, Lakewood School Board Member Matthew John Markling will be attending the 54th Annual Ohio School Boards Association (OSBA) Capital Conference at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in downtown Columbus to serve as a speaker, delegate, and liaison on behalf of the Lakewood City School District Board of Education. The OSBA is a private, not-for-profit statewide organization of public school boards. At least 10,000 people are expected to attend this year’s Capital Conference, which features more than 100 sessions of panel discussions, workshops, one-on-one assistance and nationally renowned speakers addressing a variety of educational issues. 

At its annual fall meeting held on October 7 at The Tangier in Akron, the Northeast Region Ohio School Boards Association elected Lakewood School Board Member Matthew John Markling to serve a two-year term on the Northeast Region Executive Committee, beginning January 1, 2010. Markling is one of ten individuals elected by school board members throughout the Northeast Region to serve on the Executive Committee.

CHICK-FIL-A Spirit Night