The Observation Deck

Heads up to Lakewood parents--

There's no Gifted and Talented class being offered to Second Graders this coming Fall in the Lakewood School District. More to come in terms of what it means. Is elementary Gifted and Talented being phased out, until the District has more money? Is the whole program threatened? Right now we just know about second grade, this coming Fall.

I can imagine that the District doesn't want to talk about this until after the Levy vote, but there are a limited number of options for parents who feel that their kids might benefit or actually need GT classes. Those places fill up fast, more will be gone if we wait to talk about this until after the May election. Many are already gone.

It is clear from Dr. Madak's presentation at Monday's Board meeting that he is working very hard to preserve excellence in Lakewood's school system and that this is a very difficult time for school districts everywhere, as we see with today's news from the Cleveland Metropolitan School District.

I'm supporting the levy because I've had such a tremendous experience with the teachers and administrators in Lakewood schools. Clearly they do a lot right.

I or somebody else will post more info about this situation as soon as we get it.

Betsy Voinovich

Is this the Discovery program your referring to?

Yes Betsy is talking about the Discovery program. We are still unsure of the future of the program. I spoke to my son's teacher and she could not give me answers either which is very unsettling. I am hoping that the administration or the school board will weigh in on this and let us know what the future holds for gifted education in Lakewood. I did see at the board meeting on Monday that the coordinator of gifted education is on the list of people being let go and not being replaced.

Hi all,

Thanks for the messages. Yes, those of us who participated in the Phase 3 Odyssey and have issues with the way the committee was run and the "conclusions" the Board reached are still devoted to the cause and are working on having the decision re-evaluated.

It's a sticky time because we all have kids in school and we don't want the levy to fail. We have heard that if it passes it will be a referendum on whether the Board made the right decision with the Phase 3 plan-- We're not looking at it that way. That decision was poor, and so far, completely indefensible in terms of serving the educational needs of Lakewood's children. The economics of it are also just silly for a school system going through difficult budgetary times. But "The Board" isn't "the schools." The schools are us, and ours. We want them to be strong and good, long after the current officials are gone. Passing the levy will help keep the system stable while we work on improving it.

I don't agree with cutting the gifted program-- the "Discovery" program. It is another program that draws families to Lakewood, that helps keep Lakewood a desirable location. In terms of transparency and "accountability", we hope to hear some official word today or tomorrow that will allow parents to plan for this coming Fall.

Wow. If this is true, this is a huge, huge mistake on the part of the school board. As Betsy says, it's a key draw to the city and one of the things that makes Lakewood's school system unique. One of the excuses people often make when fleeing to one of the faceless suburbs is "better schools," and one of the many reasons those people find themselves proven wrong is that Lakewood has programs like Discovery that the smaller school systems do not. If this program were to disappear it would be awfully hard to continue to make the argument that people who are leaving for another city are missing so many potential opportunities.

Aaron Milenski wrote:Wow. If this is true, this is a huge, huge mistake on the part of the school board. As Betsy says, it's a key draw to the city and one of the things that makes Lakewood's school system unique. One of the excuses people often make when fleeing to one of the faceless suburbs is "better schools," and one of the many reasons those people find themselves proven wrong is that Lakewood has programs like Discovery that the smaller school systems do not. If this program were to disappear it would be awfully hard to continue to make the argument that people who are leaving for another city are missing so many potential opportunities.

Hi Aaron,

Yeah, Lakewood's GT program is really great. Former Lakewood parents I know who have moved to Avon and Westlake have complained that their programs don't compare.

Dr. Madak made it clear at Mondy night's school board meeting that Lakewood schools face big challenges budget-wise. The cuts he outlined-- one 2/3 gifted teacher cut, the coordinator of the gifted program cut (and not replaced, as Danielle said)-- are going to happen whether the levy passes or not. So if the levy passes, the second grade Discovery program will not be restored, though no mention was made of the Gifted program on Monday night. We weren't told anything about its future.

Right now it seems imperative that we come together as a city to do the best we can to preserve what's good about living in Lakewood, even in difficult economic times. The only way we can do that is if we know what's going on, which requires clear communication. I wish there had been a frank discussion Monday night about what would happen to programming in our schools. I hope that discussion happens after the levy vote.

If it doesn't, we will have to ask for it.

If Lakewood's gifted program is being phased out, or that is the plan, and we don't like it, we can do something about it, but only if we know what the plan is. Dr. Madak is quite forthcoming when you speak to him individually, he conveys the impression that the District is in very competent, very hardworking hands.

As I said in my initial post, passing the levy will give us the stability we need to figure out what to do going forward. The members of the School Board are elected by us to represent us; this money they are talking about is our money. The only way they can represent us is if we let them know what we want, and we pay attention to their answers.

Betsy Voinovich

Hi all,

I said I'd post when I had more official info on the Gifted program. This is the letter being sent out to parents. I'm typing it here.

Lakewood City Schools

April 23, 2010

Parents of Gifted Students,

We wanted to communicate with you to alleviate any fears you may have and to dispel
any rumors you may have heard. Lakewood City Schools will continue to provide gifted
services next school year. The Discovery Program (grades 3, 4 & 5) and the Energy
Program (6,7 & will be in place for the 2010-2011 school year. The only
changes are:

1)There will not be a magnet class for second grade; and
2)The third grade Discovery classes will be at Emerson.

In a time when many districts across the state are cutting gifted services, we as a
district will continue to provide gifted services for grades 3 - 12. The change that will take
place next school year for grade 3 does not spell the demise of gifted services at the
elementary leel or the district in the future. In fact, it provides evidence of the district's
commitment to gifted services by providing the continuation of services for those
students who are currently in the program.

Lakewood City Schools has a long standing history of meeting the needs of gifted
students and will continue to do so. You can be assured that the district will continue to
provide a quality education for ALL students as we move forward in these uncertain
economic times.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me.

Sincerely,

Rod Lake
Coordinator of Gifted/Talented



Rod Lake's job is one of the cuts made on Monday night, not to be replaced. Grant's 2/3 Gifted teacher is being moved to Emerson, whose 2/3 Gifted teacher's job was cut, not to be replaced. There will be one combined third grade class of all of the current G/T second graders at Emerson in the Fall.

This "spells the demise" of gifted classes for incoming second graders at all elementary schools, and the demise of the job of the coordinator of the program, the person who is urging us to contact him about this.

This letter seems to indicate that there will be G/T classes provided in the future-- past the 2010-2011 school year for elementary school students, 3 thru 8 grade. There has been speculation that the District would hold onto the elementary gifted program until this year's second graders are all the way through the program. We would know whether this was true in the 2011-2012 school year, if third grade classes were offered. Or maybe we would even know before that.

One of the reasons I'm posting this here is so that we have a record.

Happy Saturday.

Betsy Voinovich

I don't know why "8" was replaced by a smiley face--- but it looks kind of nice there.
I could probably figure it out-- but I'll just provide the key: smiley face means 8th grade.

Betsy

I am curious if as in the past will children still be able to test into the program at various elementary grade levels? I guess I'll give Mr. Lake a call on monday and try and find out.