In The News

A nonprofit formed by Lakewood parents is suing the city’s school board, accusing it of violating Ohio’s Open Meetings Act in the lead-up to a controversial vote to close Lincoln Elementary School and consolidate Pre-K programs.

The Lakewood City Schools Board of Education, led by Pres. Nora Katzenberger and Vice Pres. Betsy Shaughnessy, voted 4-1 to adopt an elementary school consolidation “plan” comprised of a dozen slides and minimal supporting data that will close Lincoln Elementary and all neighborhood preschools and replace them with a centralized preschool in the current Lincoln building.

For anyone who attended the Lakewood City School District’s Community Engagement meeting on September 29, it may come as a shock to hear that at the Monday, October 6 school board meeting Supt Niedzwiecki made recommendations that include closing Lincoln Elementary School and all of the neighborhood PreK programs to create a consolidated PreK in the vacated Lincoln building.

In March, I offered an article here in the Observer sharing my thoughts on the process being undertaken by Lakewood City Schools to determine the future of our model of education in Lakewood.

Lakewood City Schools Superintendent Maggie Niedzwiecki’s recommendation this week to eliminate Lincoln Elementary School, convert it into a centralized pre-k and redraw the boundaries of the district’s remaining six elementary schools has sparked a backlash among some parents.

Lakewood City School District Superintendent Maggie Niedzwiecki announced a recommendation Monday night to repurpose Lincoln Elementary, one of the district's seven elementary schools, to become an early childhood learning center.

Good news: Elementary school utilization across Lakewood’s seven elementary schools is currently well-balanced, elementary enrollment over the last five years is stable, and no major redistricting or school closure is required. 

The School Board’s heavily controlled community meeting are their attempt to make it look like the community chose to close Grant school instead of them. They held an identical “community meeting” at the end of the last disastrous “Task Force” debacle which was called “Phase Three.”

We are in the final sprint leading up to Lakewood’s school board’s decision on whether or not to close and repurpose one or even two of Lakewood’s neighborhood elementary schools (the school board will vote on October 20th).  Want to learn more?  Check out our new FAQs!

Earlier this year I wrote several Observer articles that, in my mind, outline the multitude of reasons why the Lakewood City School District should not be reducing the number of elementary schools. To recap: Consolidating our elementary schools is not financially or administratively necessary by any objective measure, nor is it objectively beneficial.

Over the last 12 months, Lakewood residents have watched as our school board members and school district leadership have led the community on a rollercoaster ride of a community debate over whether or not to close and repurpose one or even two of Lakewood’s neighborhood elementary schools.  

For months, we’ve been following the conversation surrounding the possible consolidation of Lakewood’s seven elementary schools due to declining enrollment.

Parents and students carrying signs lined up along Detroit Avenue Tuesday ahead of the Lakewood Board of Education meeting.

The debate over whether Lakewood should close or repurpose an elementary school has stretched on for nearly a year, with no clear end in sight. When 3News first spoke with parent Kelly Moyer back in May, the district was still weighing the possibility of repurposing up to two schools. 

Emotions run high in the Lakewood elementary schools dialogue, so it is important to step back and focus on facts. 

Preserve Lakewood Schools PAC is a local Political Action Committee (PAC) that advocates for keeping strong neighborhood schools in Lakewood, Ohio’s densest and perhaps most walkable city. Our focus is on good governance, transparency, community involvement, and holding our elected school board accountable.

Challenges continue to arise for Lakewood City Schools as it considers plans to consolidate its elementary schools, including a new political action committee formed to back school board candidates opposed to consolidation.

The saga continues over the potential closing and subsequent repurposing of an elementary school or two in Lakewood.

Last year, the city of Lakewood formed a community task force to develop a plan to address declining enrollment in the Lakewood City School District's seven elementary schools.

Real battles are underway in the state of Ohio over the funding of public schools. From the perspective of those who support public education, there’s little debate that state lawmakers are dismantling Ohio’s public school systems while heavily investing taxpayer dollars into charter and private schools. This year’s state budget is likely to continue this trend, causing additional harm to many school districts.