Cleveland Heights-University Heights Board of Education meeting highlights

DEC. 5, 2023 - special meeting for library board interviews

Present were Board President Beverly Wright and board members Dan Heintz, Malia Lewis, James Posch, and Jodi Sourini. The meeting ran three hours and 40 minutes

[Because the Cleveland Heights-University Heights Public Library is a school board library, the CH-UH school board is responsible for appointing members to the library’s board of trustees. See p. 78 of Here’s Cuyahoga County, which can be found on the LWVgreatercleveland.org website under Resources/Publications.]

The board interviewed seven applicants for one position on the CH-UH Library Board of Trustees. They asked each candidate the following five questions:

1. Can you please tell us your motivation for applying to join the library board and describe the experiences and skills that you would bring to the board?
2. Can you please tell us what you see as the strengths of the CH-UH library system and areas that need improvement?
3. The term of a board member is seven years; how would you measure success at the end of your term?
4. If a community member asked to have a book removed from the library, how should the library respond?
5. Can you please tell us your thoughts about the possibility of the CH-UH library merging with the county library system?
   
   

After the interviews, the board requested comments from Nancy Levin, director of the CH-UH libraries, and Dana Fluellen, current library board member, both of whom were present during the interviews.

Levin informed the board which applicants had attended the informational meeting for applicants. She also expressed her opinion that the library board would benefit from the appointment of an attorney and from more representation from University Heights.

Fluellen expressed her opinion that people who are passionate about literacy and provision of services to underserved communities would best serve the library board.

Upon completion of the interviews and comments, the school board voted unanimously to appoint applicant Hallie Turnberrez, who is an attorney from University Heights.

LWV Observer: Paula Goodwin.

Documents for all board meetings can be accessed from the Board of Education webpage: www.chuh.org/BoardofEducation.aspx. Go to “BoardDocs” in the menu; on BoardDocs go to “MEETINGS” in the top menu; click on “Agenda.” Board meetings are livestreamed on the district’s YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/CHUHSchools) and recorded for later viewing.