Speech given by Ed Favre after the movement to appoint Ed Favre as the President of Lakewood City Schools Board of Education:
Incoming President's Comments, January 5, 2009
I want to open my comments by thanking my fellow Board members for again providing me the opportunity to serve as President. Although this regular rotation of office that we follow may simply seem automatic, it is based on mutual respect and trust. This is not a rule we have to follow; we choose to do it this way. Continuing this long held tradition, illustrates our desire to work together. Even when we disagree, a constructive process results.
I have the good fortune of working with very dedicated people on this Board. Their genuine concern for Lakewood's children, and all of Lakewood, is evident. We have made long term commitments that require a tremendous amount of personal time and effort. It is a pleasure to work with such thoughtful colleagues and I again thank them for this privilege.
2009 will be a huge year for the Lakewood City Schools. There are great challenges and there are great opportunities. Let me discuss what I see as the major points.
The first is Academics, the primary job of the Lakewood City Schools.
We have had great academic success. Our goal is excellence. We will continue to pursue that goal District-wide. Introducing Value Added to state standards has shown the Lakewood philosophy that all children can and will learn, although at different rates, is sound. That has been this Board's philosophy ever since I've been here. It continues to be this Board's philosophy today. This year, our expectation is that every child will advance academically from last year. Next year, we will expect every child to advance academically from this year. And so on in future years.
Considering today's financial stresses, all decisions we make on the allocation of the District resources must be weighed by the most advantageous academic result for our students.
It is nothing new that our ability to do our work depends on Finances, which is my second point. We know our nation, our region, and our community, face the most difficult economic situation, perhaps since the Great Depression. Families are feeling the pressure. Recognizing this situation, this Board decided not to ask voters for additional funding this year. We were able to do so because we have controlled what we can control and taken advantage of opportunities that have arisen. The District recognizes its obligation to taxpayers and students to provide the best educational value within the available and, potentially reduced, resources. We always should proactively look for ways to contain and reduce expenses, but now it is even more critical. This must be our attitudeÅ our state of mindÅ of everybody in the District, and with a greater sense of urgency. We see and read daily of organizations in crisis that have not made adjustments, when they had the time to do so, and have been caught behind the curve. Our urgency comes from the reality that the more proactive we can be in controlling and reducing our expenditures, and the sooner we can reduce them, the less the negative impacts will be on our academic programs in these difficult economic times. This is not only a Lakewood issue. All school districts in Ohio are being negatively impacted by our economy.
With the lion's share of our budget being personnel, we must ensure we are making the best possible and prudent use of this valuable resource. The Board has always been mindful of this reality. However, the stakes are even higher. Accordingly, the Board retained the State Auditor's Office to conduct a staffing analysis of the District. This is something we have not done before. The current economic downturn notwithstanding, it is a timely exercise for us to engage as we reconfigure and downsize the District. Just as we asked if we had the right number of buildings in the right places when we started the facilities project, it is logical and expected to ask if we have the right staff in the right places as we continue that process. The worst recession in many decades only increases and makes more urgent the need for us to do so now.
And if that is not enough, recall that in recent months, Governor Strickland had made serious State budget cuts, mostly in areas other than education. He is to be commended for staving off significant cuts in education. Unfortunately, predictions for the recession in 2009 only get worse. With the potentially worsening economy, we must realize the Governor may not be able to continue to do so. Just last week, the Ohio Department of Education announced cuts in its budget. Thus far, foundation funding, our basic State funding line, has not been cut. All over the country, States are cutting their education budget. We need to operate now under the premise that ours will be cut. We must have a sense of urgency in tightening our budget wherever we can. This needs be done thoughtfully, logically, and academically. But if we want to do so proactively rather than reactively, we must start now as time is of the essence.
The next point is the selection of a New Board Member. Sixteen (16) citizens have answered the call to service and offered to become a member of this Board. We will fill this position in compliance with State Law and Board Policy, and within the required time constraints. Tonight, Mrs. Shaughnessy, Mrs. Beebe, Mr. Markling, and I, began conducting interviews. We will continue to do so tonight and on Thursday. We plan to have the new Board Member seated at our regular meeting of January 12.
Being a Board Member is a tremendous commitment of time and effort. The new Member will have to be a quick study of many complex issues. All of us, Board Members, Administration and Staff, and the community will need to be supportive and patient.
The good news is that we have great folks willing to step up. The not so good news is that we can pick only one. But then the good news is also that we are not going to miss the opportunity of engaging such willing, good citizens in the various ongoing processes of the District. So they are forewarned, we will not let them off the hook. One process, in particular, I will mention in a few moments. We will make sure we take advantage of the talents which they have offered.
At the same time, the Board is conducting a Superintendent Search. This is my fourth point. We have engaged the Ohio School Boards Association as the search agent. The OSBA has already met with staff and administrators and will be holding public forum later this month. We plan to complete this process and name the new Superintendent in March.
Citizens often share concerns with Safety and Decorum in our schools. This is the next point. In 2009, we will continue our work to keep Lakewood Schools safe, secure, and orderly learning environments. As with academics, we will always be looking to improve. The Board supports and expects Staff to promote and enforce compliance with rules and policy of behavior. Our Planning Committee will continue its work to explore ways for improving student conduct and school climate.
I have saved the greatest project for my final point. It is time for us to commence Phase 3 of our Facilities Project. This is the final phase of the District facilities project we started in 2003. Lakewood made a commitment to itself, and the State, to complete the project with the final leg being what we've come to call Phase 3. This will involve Roosevelt, Grant, and Lincoln Elementary Schools, and the remainder of Lakewood High School.
We have started the internal, organization already. Tonight, we formally publicly announce the formation of a Steering Committee to lead the process. This Committee will have its first meeting on January 27. All interested citizens of Lakewood, whether you have children in the District or not, are invited and encouraged to participate. Anyone interested in becoming a member of the steering committee should contact any one of us or the Superintendent's Office. Now, those folks who applied for the Board position need not apply again. You're already included. This is what I meant when I said you were not off the hook earlier. Additionally, we will sponsor two community forums on these issues. We will follow the model of community engagement, similar to the original 2003 process. We want to have an organized, thoughtful process to explore all the possibilities, ask all the questions, and come to the best plan possible. It will be a lot of work, a lot of data, and much discussion; however, we know this process works. Lakewood has done it before and we will do it again.
Again, we must ensure that all Lakewood citizens have the opportunity to be involved in an open, community process. We hit a home run on the initial 50 Year Process because we were able to tap so much of the talent in our city and schools. We must admit we stumbled on others, most notably the Franklin closure. The Board will not repeat that mistake.
Let me say right now, that no decisions to close any schools have been made. As we gather here tonight, there are no such plans. There is no done deal. Any rumors you have heard are incorrect and has not been decided by this Board. Let me repeat, this Board has made no decision to close any school. We are counting on this engaged citizen process to get us to the right place.
There are just three basic starting points:
As when we first started this facilities program, we want to keep walking, neighborhood schools. Bussing is a budget-buster.
The State Facilities Commission will only help us with co-funding on two remaining elementary schools. So, beyond that, we are on our own to fund a third school. Everything else is in play and part of the discussion.
We want to do the most that can be done within the long term financial abilities of our community.
Academics, Finances, New Board Member, New Superintendent, Safety, Facilities, guiding the School District...yes, our plate is very full. The challenges are great. But given the talent that exists within our community and our schools, they are not insurmountable.
There are tough, important, and historic decisions to be made. We all know the words from John Kennedy's inaugural speech. I remember seeing it live on black and white TV. The same logic applies in these difficult timesÅ it is not the time to ask what is in it for me or my personal interest, rather it is the time to ask what I can do for the betterment of all our community...for the greater good of Lakewood Schools. This is the same message that the President-elect has sent and is repeating. These depressed times require a can-do attitude and not preoccupation with what we cannot do. This community has shown its ability in the past and, I am confident, will do so in the future.
It is time for us all to have our sleeves rolled up, be of the right mind, and go to work. My fellow Board Members and I, and many others, have been working hard for some time. We will be stepping up our efforts. In fact, we will be going back to work right after we adjourn this portion of meeting.
Thank you. Thank you for coming this evening. Thank you for your efforts for Lakewood and Lakewood's children.
Edward Favre
President
Lakewood School Board