Board of Ed, Superintendent’s Retreat TOMORROW

[Betsy Voinovich]

A Board of Education and Superintendent’s Cabinet Retreat will be held on Thursday, July 12, 2012, in the Civic Auditorium Catering Room, 14100 Franklin Boulevard, Lakewood, Ohio 44107, from 1:00 to 8:00 p.m. for the purpose of planning for the 2012-13 school year and any other business that may come before the Board.

The Public is welcome.

Please sit in with our Superintendent, the diligent and engaging Jeff Patterson, his cabinet and the School Board tomorrow when they have their planning session for the 2012-2013 school year.

They are meeting for seven hours, so you probably can't be there for all of it (they have snacks but they'd probably appreciate if you brought some more to share) but it's a great opportunity to get an in depth look at the year before us-- especially this year of budget cuts with a school being looked at for closing to save money. Will they go through the criteria they have been sorting through to decide which school will save them the most money? Which school's closing will have the least negative impact on our District when we go from seven to six elementary schools?

Will they go into detail about other budget cuts? And on the less upsetting side, will they go into detail about new ideas they are putting into practice, and some of the great programs that are starting this year?

Unlike the sometimes more mundane day-to-day business of the bi-weekly School Board meetings, this more casual gathering gives the community a chance to get a broader view of the way the Board and the Superintendent are viewing the year before us, and the overarching plans and ideas that they have about our kids and their education.

Those that have attended in the past have had high praise for our hard-working administration and Board. Most parents/members of the community don't have time to stay for the whole thing, but from all accounts, the parts of the sessions they have attended have been interesting, informative and encouraging.

Support our Administration and our School Board. Stop in tomorrow to let them know that you care and have high hopes for the continued success of our very impressive School District.

And if you can, take the time to share what you learned with those of us on the Deck who might not be able to make it. Hopefully, see you there.

Betsy Voinovich