WKYC: "Lakewood City Schools consider repurposing several buildings: Here are the potential changes"
- Preserve Lakewood Schools
- May 5
- 3 min read
The district says these changes could save up to $500,000 a year and reduce the size of a future levy request.
Author: Candice Hare
Published: 5:14 AM EDT May 5, 2025
LAKEWOOD, Ohio — The Lakewood City School District is considering major changes to its elementary school landscape, with the possibility that up to two of three schools—Lincoln, Roosevelt and Grant—could be repurposed in response to falling student enrollment and uneven building use across the district.
The Elementary Planning Task Force, launched by the district to study long-term solutions, has proposed seven draft scenarios, six of which involve repurposing at least one school. The district says these changes could save up to $500,000 a year and reduce the size of a future levy request.
But for families like the Moyers, it’s about more than just finances.
“Coming from Chicago it was like we want somewhere where we can walk to a coffee shop, a library, a park, and then it turns out we picked this house right next to a school being built,” said parent Kelly Moyer, whose children attend Lincoln Elementary.
That very school is now one of three being considered for repurposing.
“I don't think you can put dollars on the effect that these neighborhood community schools have on our kids,” Moyer said. “I think that there's just so much about it that's so priceless to their social emotional health, to their friendships, just even attendance and not being tardy and being there ready to learn.”
District officials said the decision to launch the task force stems from consistent underutilization of school buildings. District data shows Lakewood elementary schools operate at just 68% capacity on average, with some as low as 62%.
“That situation meant that we had to move teachers around we had to do take different measures to address that every year,” said Nora Katzenberger, President of the Lakewood City Schools Board. “So we thought rather than continuing to try to address it on a case-by-case basis, we wanted to take a thoughtful look at how to address it and involve the community.”
There are no school buses in Lakewood, making walkability and school proximity especially important to families.
"Can you imagine a 5- or 6-year-old walking 1 mile and a half? There are families that are single car families that their kids have to walk, or the parents have to go to work early," said Moyer. "How are those kids going to get to school a mile and a half away? I just think we're not looking at all of Lakewood. We're looking at, 'Oh sure, parents can just drive instead of walk,' but that's not the case for every family."
The task force has been charged with evaluating educational, financial and logistical impacts of possible changes and will deliver its final report this summer.
“We are looking to do exactly what the community has been talking about. We want to preserve what we have and keep our kids safe and keep what makes Lakewood special,” Katzenberger said. “That's exactly what we're trying to do. We want to keep it that way and that's why we wanted to start this conversation when we still had time to have a conversation rather than wait until there was a crisis and when we had we didn't have as many choices.”
