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FAQs

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The above map is from the LCSD initial Task Force presentation, page 11, with the red stars added by our team for graphic clarity to indicate the schools which could potentially be repurposed (closed).

 

What’s going on with Lakewood’s public schools?

  • Lakewood City Schools’ superintendent has announced her recommendations to:

    • Close Lincoln Elementary

    • Remove Lakewood's Pre-K programs from their neighborhood locations and consolidate them into the former Lincoln Elementary building

    • Move CHAMPS classrooms from Horace Mann to Hayes

    • Move RISE classrooms from Emerson to Horace Mann

    • Move Self-Contained Gifted classrooms from Grant to Hayes

    • Redraw the boundary lines for all elementary schools

    • These changes, if approved, would take place in 2027

  • More Information and Resources:

  • Lakewood’s school board plans to vote on the superintendent's recommendations at the Board of Education meeting at 7pm on October 20, 2025 at Grant Elementary.

  • Grant, Lincoln, and Roosevelt Elementaries are being considered for closure and repurposing.​

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What are the next steps in this process, and how can I get involved?

  • There are many ways you can get involved in the work to advocate for Lakewood’s public schools!  Learn more here.

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Who is Preserve Lakewood Schools?

  • Preserve Lakewood Schools is a non-partisan, grassroots coalition of parents, residents, and leaders in Lakewood, Ohio, committed to preventing the closure/repurposing of elementary schools by Lakewood City Schools, and supporting the long-term vitality of Lakewood's public schools. We educate residents, provide resources for taking action, and advocate to our leaders.  Learn more here.

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What impact would closing and repurposing elementary schools in Lakewood have on our community?

  • Lakewood’s neighborhood elementary schools are some of our community’s most precious assets, and once a school is closed, we’ll never get it back.  Our school board members need to be accountable to our community, and only make drastic decisions such as closing a school only after an open and inclusive process where they have gathered meaningful community input and engagement.​

  • If even one elementary school is closed and repurposed, it will impact all of Lakewood residents - whether they have children currently in elementary school, grown-up children, or no children:

    • Closing an elementary school may have a negative impact on the property value of houses in the immediate neighborhood.

    • Because more students will be forced to walk further to school, more families may choose to drive their children to school, leading to increased traffic, longer car lines snaking around the block during dropoff and pickup, and increased traffic and slower commute times for commuters.

    • Lakewood is unique for having a neighborhood school model.  Eroding the neighborhood schools and making them less walkable makes it less desirable for future families looking to purchase a home and settle here.

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Why does the school district want to close and repurpose an elementary school?  What would happen with the building?

  • ​The school district is proposing to close an elementary school and turn it into a centralized Pre-K building, and would consolidate all of its neighborhood Pre-K offerings into one building.

  • Lakewood City Schools has no plans to provide bussing for general education students, so families would be on their own to arrange transportation to/from a centralized Pre-K.

  • It is notable that currently, Lakewood is one of the only west side suburbs that offers Pre-K in its elementary schools, meaning the opportunity for children to have a continuous educational experience - in their neighborhood - from Pre-K through fifth grade could be a celebrated strength.

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Weren’t Grant, Lincoln, and Roosevelt Elementaries just rebuilt?

  • Yes.  In 2012, Lakewood voters approved, 70% to 30%, a $49 million bond issue to rebuild those three elementary schools, as well as finishing the last wing of the high school. As of a few months ago, Lakewood residents still owe  $42,122,692 on that bond, and will be continuing to pay for those buildings until 2043, whether they remain elementary schools, are used for another purpose, or are sold to a developer or other entity, as the school board has done with many buildings in recent years, most recently Franklin School in 2025.

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What would happen to the students of the school(s) that may be closed?

  • All families of the repurposed (closed) schools would be divided up and reassigned to other remaining elementary schools, possibly among all 5-6 of the remaining schools.

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Is Lakewood’s population and elementary enrollment declining rapidly since Covid?  

  • No, census data show Lakewood’s population has stabilized, and the school district’s own recent enrollment study published February 2025 shows that Lakewood City Schools’ elementary schools are nearly all operating at the highest utilization percentages, with the number of elementary students projected to potentially increase in the coming years.

  • In fact, in a letter to the House Finance Committee dated March 11, 2025, Lakewood City Schools Treasurer Kent Zeman stated, “Lakewood CSD is a guarantee district with stable enrollment.  …[our enrollment] has remained constant over the last four years and current projections show that trend continuing during the next biennium.”

  • According to Lakewood City Schools’ most recent updated Enrollment Study, released in February 2025:

    • The school district projects that Pre-K to 5 will only decrease by 72 students over the next 10 years - only 10 students per elementary school - only a 3.6% decrease (page 9). 

    • Grant and Lincoln - two of the three schools being considered for closure and repurposing - are the top two schools in terms of utilization, at 81% and 71% respectively, and are projected to remain the top two over the next 10 years.  Roosevelt is currently at 65% utilization, and is projected to be at 64% utilization in 10 years.

    • The school district’s updated study projects only one elementary school will be below 60% utilization in 10 years - Hayes at 58% (page 12).

    • We are not aware of any active marketing campaigns by the district to stabilize and increase enrollment.

 

Is there a dire budget shortfall that can only be filled by sacrificing one of our precious neighborhood elementary schools?  Would closing a school building save money?

  • No, in fact, Lakewood City Schools continues to state that the purpose of closing and repurposing a school is not to save money, and that there is no pressing need to make changes to our school buildings.

  • Lakewood City Schools has stated that closing and repurposing an elementary school would save only $500,000 to $1 million per year - less than 1 percent of the school district’s annual budget.  

  • Lakewood City Schools received an increase in state funding for the next two years in the recently signed state budget. 

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Would Closing and Repurposing 1-2 Schools Mean Cost Savings for the School District?

  • This district's state funding is not tied to enrollment numbers. Whether all seven elementary schools are retained or not, the school district will still need to ask Lakewood voters to approve a levy in 2026.

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Why Are Neighborhood Schools So Important To Lakewood?

  • Lakewood's walkable neighborhood elementary schools are the heartbeat of our community. Many families buy homes and settle here for the walkable, close-knit community. Losing even one elementary school would be devastating to our community.

  • Lakewood City Schools does not provide bus service for general education students, as, by design, as the city fabric was set up to house neighborhood elementary schools.

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Wouldn’t Expanded Pre-K Offerings Be Good For Lakewood?

  • Of course early childhood education is important for Lakewood’s students. Voters should expect that our school district only makes drastic changes in its school offerings after conducting relevant studies, gathering and evaluating pertinent data, gathering meaningful community input, considering the community’s needs, and presenting a well-researched, clear business case to the community.

  • The school district has not conducted a study or gathered meaningful data that show a pressing need for increased Pre-K offerings in Lakewood. Lakewood is fortunate to have a thriving ecosystem of preschool offerings, and Lakewood City Schools’ Pre-K programs are of course an important part of that ecosystem.

  • The information presented by the school district provides very little data for the reasoning why providing Pre-K only in a centrally located building would provide more value to the community than retaining our seven neighborhood elementary schools.

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How Would a Centralized Pre-K Building Impact the District's Pre-K Offerings at Elementary Schools?

  • If the school district were to close and repurpose an elementary school to create a centralized Pre-K building, the district would close the preschool and Pre-K programs currently offered at our neighborhood elementary schools, as well as the all-day Pre-K program at Taft, and consolidate those programs into a centralized Pre-K building at one of the closed elementary schools - eliminating an important aspect of Lakewood's Pre-K programs.

  • Many families with children in elementary and Pre-K benefit greatly from enrolling their Pre-K student at the same Lakewood elementary school where their other student(s) attends. With a centralized Pre-K building, families with elementary and Pre-K students would have to drop off and pick up students at two separate locations, leading to more traffic, stress, safety issues, and longer commutes.

  • Also, enrolling students in Pre-K at the elementary where they will attend creates a natural ease and familiarity as they transition into Kindergarten.

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My Child's School Isn't Being Considered for Closure/I Don't Have Kids in the Schools. How Will This Impact Me?

  • The school district is planning to redraw the boundaries for all seven elementary schools as part of this process, so your child's home school may change.

  • Further, closing and repurposing 1-2 elementary schools would mean longer walks for students, increased traffic, longer lines for drop off and pickup, increased class sizes for all of the remaining elementary schools, more caregivers driving their students to school leading to more cars on the road, more traffic and longer commutes.

  • Closing schools can also negatively affect property values.

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Does Lakewood City Schools plan to ask Lakewood voters to approve a levy soon?

  • Yes, in fact, Lakewood City Schools plans to ask Lakewood voters to improve an increased school levy in May 2026 regardless of whether building(s) or closed and repurposed.

  • We believe that right now is the critical time for Lakewood City Schools to rebuild trust with Lakewood residents, listen to their concerns, and keep all seven of our neighborhood elementary schools, so that we can work together to pass this important levy for our community and stand together to face challenges coming down the pipeline from higher levels of government.

 

Are there waitlists to get into every preschool program in or near our community, and hundreds of children unable to get a spot in preschool?  

  • No, Lakewood is fortunate to have a thriving ecosystem of public and private preschool options conveniently located all across the city.  In fact, Lakewood City Schools posted on their social media that the pre-k program had open spots, just days before this school year started.  Read more here.

 

Where is this idea to close and repurpose one or even two neighborhood elementary schools coming from?  

  • It is not fully clear why the school district is exploring closing elementary schools at this time, as none of the school district’s data matches their claims.

  • The school district’s most recent strategic plan was released in 2022.  It was a three-year strategic plan and expired this year, and it mentioned nothing about making changes to elementary school buildings.  Read more here.

  • The school board is required by Ohio law to have a strategic plan, and they have none.  Yet they may soon vote to close one or even two of our community’s most precious assets – our neighborhood elementary schools.  

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Do Lakewood City Schools’ superintendent and treasurer live in Lakewood?  Are the superintendent and treasurer required to live in Lakewood?

  • No, current Lakewood City Schools Superintendent Maggie Niedzwiecki lives in Perry, Ohio - 45 miles east of Lakewood, and Treasurer Kent Zeman lives in Bay Village, Ohio.

  • Lakewood City Schools’ superintendent and treasurer are required to reside in Lakewood by Board of Education policy; however, upon hiring the current superintendent and treasurer, Lakewood’s school board chose to not follow that policy, and continues to do so.

  • The Board of Education also has not established annual goals for the superintendent or treasurer, despite policy requiring them to do so.

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What is the Board of Education (School Board) and who serves on it?

  • The Board of Education (School Board) is a five-member board which is the ultimate decision-making authority governing Lakewood City Schools, and is meant to represent residents of Lakewood in all of their decision-making.  School board members are elected by Lakewood voters.  The school board is responsible for hiring the superintendent and treasurer.  

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Are there any seats open in the upcoming election on November 4?

  • There will be two open Lakewood school board seats, and in the election on November 4, Lakewood voters will have the opportunity to vote for two candidates (early voting begins October 7).  

  • Preserve Lakewood Schools plans to endorse and support candidates for the Board of Education this November.  All candidates for Lakewood Board of Education are welcome to apply for endorsement, and may email info@preservelakewoodschools.org for more information and to apply.

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What happened with the Elementary Planning Task Force?  Who is Friends of Lakewood Schools, and what is the demand letter I heard about?

  • Lakewood City Schools made the decision to pause the work of the Elementary Planning Task Force before its final report was completed - after receiving a demand letter from an organization of Lakewood residents, Friends of Lakewood Schools, stating that they had found numerous aspects of the Task Force planning process to have been conducted illegally.  Learn more here.

 

Is Friends of Lakewood Schools the same organization as Preserve Lakewood Schools?

  • No, these are two separate organizations, with different folks involved, but both consist of concerned Lakewood residents who want to see Lakewood City Schools thrive for the long-term. Part of this immediate mission means holding our locally elected officials accountable. We are aligned in our goals and efforts, and communicate regularly with one another.

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Where can I get the latest information and updates?  

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