The Observation Deck

Hi everybody. Happy Tuesday.

There will be information about Phase 3 in Superintendent Madak's report at the Board of Education's regular meeting tonight.

The meeting starts at 7 and is at HORACE MANN cafetorium. For those that have hung in there all this time with Phase 3, there is more information. Please show up and support the efforts the Board of Education is making with this decision.

See you there.

Betsy Voinovich

Betsy,
Can you post the results of this meeting on this site? It will be wonderful information for those of us who can not attend.

Thank you!

rhonda loje

Hi Rhonda,

I'll definitely post what happens at the meeting. It might be time to write another update for the paper as well, depending on what's going on. Thanks for asking.

Betsy Voinovich

Thank you! I will look forward to what you have to report!
Rhonda

As will I. This is an important issue and meshes with the need for an upcoming levy. So, the more info, the better.

Stan Austin wrote:As will I. This is an important issue and meshes with the need for an upcoming levy. So, the more info, the better.

Well?????????????????

The suspense is killing us.



.

There was no big news given about phase III. The levy was discussed. Dr. Madak discussed the cuts that the district has already made and a list of more cuts were announced. Those additional cuts account for $1.3 million. Also we were shown some maps but that was outside of the meeting as the maps are not ready for the public to view as they shown were kids live. The maps are important in my opinion because they do show that if Grant were to close that many students would have to cross Madison and Detroit to get to an elementary school while that would not happen if Lincoln were to close. But as those maps are not ready yet, that is all I think I can say.

Betsy took notes, I am sure she will have more to add. The meeting was very short. The majority of it was taken up by graduation ceremonies for two Lakewood City Academy students. Seeing the joy on the faces of the students, their teachers and friends and families was a nice way to start the meeting.

All in all it was a short meeting where the big topic of discussion was the upcoming levy and cuts that have been made and need to be made. Dr. Madak did tell the board that he had further information for the board regarding phase III but that he would discuss that with them later. I am assuming the later was during an executive session that the board went into after the brief public meeting.

Back to reality,

The arguments in this debate between Lincoln/Grant make me laugh.

Fact:

The students attending Horace Mann have to cross: Clifton Blvd., Detroit Ave., and West Clifton Blvd.

The Horace Mann playground is half the size of the Lincoln play ground.

The Horace Mann students and parents could not be happier with their renovated school, great teachers, and excellent administators.

Street crossing (aided by very caring and competent adult crossing guards) and size of campus are not arguments to fall on your sword over. Having your children attend a renovated/new school with all the technology and infastructure that will bring as quickly as possible should be most important. Do everything you can to minimize the delay in phase three. The difference in educational impact from the old McKinley to the new Horace Mann is off the charts.

Mike,

I agree with you. In the whole scheme of things those issues are really irrelevant to education, which is the primary goal here; however, some are still using arguments like that to defend closing Grant. If you use the new maps, which are the only ones that make any geographic sense, it eliminates the safety argument from the mix. Those who intend to close Grant are losing ground as each day passes.

Lincoln and Grant are the only two elementary schools rated excellent and they are both older buildings. Food for thought, new doesn't necessarily equate with better.

As for the crossing of streets it's Lakewood, kids have to cross major streets but we should try and limit that. We should also try to limit walking distance. If Grant closes 120 students are 3/4 of a mile or farther from an elementary school, if Lincoln close 60 are further than 3/4 of a mile.

Since Mike brought up lot size. Grant sits on a larger lot than Lincoln. It would not require the acquisition of any homes to build a school to state standards. And Grant's playground is shielded from any traffic as it is surrounded by homes on three sides. Plus there is ample parking with two school lots and an adjacent public lot behind Marc's shopping plaza.

If Grant and Lincoln are great schools now, think how much better they will be when the students have access to all the benefits that the rest of Lakewood elementary students have in their new schools. If there is no academic reason to rebuild the schools then we should have left them all the way they were.

If this debate is only about the 60 vs 120 students with a longer walk to school - now I am really laughing.

I did not hear any complaining when the majority of middle school kids had their walk to school doubled or tripled. I just heard how great the new schools turned out and how great they were for the students and teachers.

But Mike it does come down to 60 or 120 students. This is where we are right now at this moment. Do we rebuild the school in the center of town with the largest population density? Or do we rebuild a school were 1/4 of the students do not even live within the school boundaries? Do we rebuild on the lot that is the largest or on the lot that will require acquisition of homes in order to be large enough? Do we want a school where the kids live or do we want a school where we want to live?

Both schools are excellent schools, that is a fact. But we need to look out for future generations. This is going to be a logistical nightmare but we need to make the least impact. This is a different situation now going down to 6 schools than it was when we had 10 schools.

The fact is Lakewood touts itself (look on the city website) as a walkable city but if we close Grant there will not be a school between Athens and the railroad tracks. The entire center of town will be without an elementary school. When this process began we 5 of the 10 of the elementary schools were between Athens and the railroad tracks and soon we may have none.

This is a big decision. Once we say that the center of town isn't the place for an elementary school we give a big message to our families and to those people who have chosen Lakewood for it's walkability. And I keep mentioning walkability because it has come up time and time again as one of the most important things to retain in this process.

We need to decide what is best for the majority of the kids.

I've given my reasons based on factual information as to why Grant should remain open. This isn't based on emotions. Honestly we moved outside of Grant boundaries this year and there is no guarantee that my kids will be able to attend there next year, so this isn't personal. This is about the facts and what is best for the majority of the kids. They should be all that matters.

It is my understanding that the boundaries for all six of the elementary schools will be redrawn, so the 60 or 120 does not mean very much. In addition, it is 60/120 today, five years ago it was different and five years in the future it will be different. Not a good enough reason to base a decsion on today.

Getting all of the children in Lakewood attending updated schools as quickley as possible should be the number one goal.

Preserving historic architecture and retuning the maximum value to taxpayers in Lakewood from decommissioned buildings should come second. IMO

Yes getting them into new schools is important. But we have to decide which one should be new before we can begin the rebuilding process. It's kind of difficult to start phase III without knowing which school will be rebuilt. Plus there is that pesky detail of the bond issue which can't be put on the ballot quite yet. So in the meantime should we use data to decide which one to rebuild? Should we build where the majority of the kids live? Or is that irrelevant?

Danielle Masters wrote: Also we were shown some maps but that was outside of the meeting as the maps are not ready for the public to view as they shown were kids live... But as those maps are not ready yet, that is all I think I can say.

Whose maps? Phase III Committee members? Why were you shown unauthorized maps that are not deemed suitable to the public? Was this done is a dark hallway/parking garage?

Jim O'Bryan should love the conspiracy factor in all of this.

Corey