LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS / Cleveland Heights-University Heights Board of Education meeting highlights
MARCH 4, 2025, regular meeting
- Treasurer search
- Awards and recognitions
- Student report
- Public comment
- Consent agenda
- Ohio High School Athletic Association
- Superintendent’s update.
- PreK Curriculum
- Policy Group B
- Policy Group C
- Student death
- Treasurer’s report on three things
- President’s report
- New business
- Monticello name change
Present were Board President Malia Lewis and Board Members Gabe Crenshaw, Dan Heintz, Jodi Sourini, and Phil Trimble. Also present were Superintendent Elizabeth Kirby and Treasurer Scott Gainer. The meeting ran for three and one-half hours.
Treasurer search
Dan Wilson, of the Educational Service Center (ESC) of Western Reserve, presented a plan and timeline for the search to replace treasurer Scott Gainer, who retires June 30. Advertising and recruitment will take place throughout April. Other school districts, including Maple Heights and Aurora, are also seeking new treasurers. March 13, ESC will meet with board members, Ms. Kirby, and Mr. Gainer to gather input about the desired profile for the candidates. Candidate review and screening will take place from April 30 to May 6. The first round interviews will be scheduled from May 12 to 16. Ms. Kirby and Mr. Gainer, as well as board members, will sit in on the interviews and report their concerns to the board. Between May 16 and 20, the board will investigate former employers and counterparts and vet social media. The second round of interviews will take place May 26 to 30. The employment contract will be finalized by May 30 so that the new treasurer can start July 1.
Awards and recognitions
Cynthia Booker, digital and video production CTE teacher at Heights High, was named The Journalism Educator of the Year by the Greater Cleveland Association of Black Journalists. The board thanked her for her service to the district and awarded her a certificate of recognition.
Tiger team members of the month were recognized.
The board adopted a resolution honoring Dorian Pace, the bus driver who safely evacuated 15 students from the bus that caught fire on Feb. 27. The board expressed their deepest gratitude and appreciation. Mr. Pace was also presented with thank you cards written by the students and their families.
Student report
Emmanuel Gutierrez and Zoey Hood from the superintendent’s student cadre presented an update on athletic achievements and recent events taking place throughout the district. They also affirmed their commitment to the Heights United theme of the year.
Public comment
Alisa Joe Bray reminded the community that Monticello was a slave plantation and Thomas Jefferson, a slave holder. She wrote an article about changing the name of Monticello Middle school for the Heights Observer and has received racist emails in response.
Karen Rego, president of the Cleveland Heights Teachers’ Union, was accompanied by other members of the union who held signs about school safety. She said the schools are dangerous for teachers and staff due to a small number of students who have assaulted or otherwise injured adults at the school. There have been 12 such incidents this year. The administration’s response has not ended the incidents. She asked that the administration support incident reports and provide consistent and predictable discipline. She said the union wants to meet with the board and the administration to find a solution to this problem.
Angel Fasolo reminded everyone about two ongoing lawsuits against the district. She referenced past incidents in which she believed the district was at fault and did not protect the rights of students and families.
Consent agenda
As part of a consent agenda, the board authorized the filing of three complaints against the valuation of real property for tax year 2024 for certain commercial properties.
Ohio High School Athletic Association
The board authorized continued membership in the Ohio High School Athletic Association despite their adherence to the state’s policy of prohibiting trans students from participating in sports. President Lewis had testified against the policy before the state legislature.
Superintendent’s update.
The curriculum and instruction teams met with high school educators and reviewed benchmark assessments to plan targeted instruction to address specific standards identified through data reviews. Elementary grade level team meetings focused on math instruction for the new math curriculum.
Programs continued to familiarize students and families with post-secondary transitions including jobs and trades information, College Credit Plus Pathways, summer internships, and employment opportunities.
Pre-K Curriculum
Amanda Zapotechne, coordinator of curriculum & instruction, and Danielle Foran, instructional specialist, early childhood, presented the pre-K curriculum to be considered for adoption (no vote at this meeting). Creative Curriculum materials align with the district’s strategic plan and with the Ohio High Quality Instructional Materials (required by the Ohio Dept of Education) and Step Up to Quality Requirement (required by the Ohio Dept. of Children and Youth). It also aligns with the science of reading as required by the state. The state has moved pre-K education from the Department of Education and Workforce to the Department of Children and Youth.
Creative Curriculum has been piloted in 10 classrooms with positive responses from school staff and families surveyed. Staff training in the new curriculum is scheduled for August if approved by the board.
The Creative Curriculum is evidence-based and developmentally appropriate, contains embedded math and literacy activities, has inclusive and differentiated instruction, and emphasizes language development. The state has promised free curriculum materials and aligned assessment as well as free access to the cloud updates. In the event the state does not provide the services and materials for free, then the cost to the district would be $99,310 over a six-year period. The funding for programs in the Dept. of Children and Youth is unclear currently. The universal pre-K funding the district currently receives will continue for two more years for additional programming.
Policy Group B
The board adopted Policy Group B including the artificial intelligence policy, which was updated as requested by the board.
Policy Group C.
The state mandated five new policies that will require adoption by April 9. Release time for religious instruction during the school day is now state law under specified conditions. The board expressed concern about the vetting of people who take students away from the school.
Student death
Kirby asked for a moment of silence for a student from Roxboro Middle School who died of natural causes.
Treasurer’s report on three things
The State Biennial Budget contains provisions affecting K-12 education and is currently in progress, This offers opportunities for advocacy on behalf of public schools, which the board encourages.
The state funding guarantees allow districts to receive funding based upon what they had received in prior years despite changes in the student body and costs of educating their population. The governor now recommends reducing the guarantees. Currently CHUH is not on a guarantee.
Fair School Funding Plan factors include student population and demographics, property valuations, personal income of district residents, and base cost inputs.
President’s report
Ms. Lewis submitted written testimony to the House Education Committee on Ohio House Bill 96, the current Fair School Funding Plan, asking that it be fully funded.
On Friday, the U.S. Dept of Education withdrew the direction to erase DEI programs. Title 6 of the Civil Rights Act remains the law of the land and prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, and national origin.
Board members have received many emails and calls from community members regarding potential changes due to recent political changes. Ms. Lewis affirms that the district will continue to focus on keeping students safe and able to attend school and learn to the best of their ability.
New business
Board Member Phil Trimble, the curriculum and instruction team, and Dr. Michael Jenkins visited the Boise Idaho school district to discuss their Clarity of Learning program, which has been in use there for four years. CHUH is in the first year of this program. The visitors were pleased to observe extreme consistency from classroom to classroom and building to building. Every student could describe what they were learning, how they knew they learned it, and why they are learning it. The Clarity of Learning program provides learning and coaching opportunities for students and educators. The district will continue implementation of the Clarity of Learning program and its partnership with the Boise schools.
Monticello name change
The board authorized a name change for Monticello Middle School and appointed a committee to consider the new name and present it to the board at their next meeting.
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.