The Observation Deck

Heads up, parents registering Kindergarteners in the Grant neighborhood, your fellow Grant parents welcome you to Lakewood’s only Blue Ribbon-winning, Excellent-with- Distinction-rated school.

According to School Board President, Matt Markling, and longtime Board Member, Ed Favre, not only will Grant be open this coming Fall, it will play a vital role in the Phase 3 rebuilding process, guaranteeing that Grant will stay open for years to come.

Right now all the OSFC (Ohio School Facilities Commission) plans are on hold so we're going strong in Lakewood with seven elementary schools-- with a big increase in enrollment in our youngest grades--the grandchildren of the Baby Boomers! (Thank you, Baby Boomers, yet again, for your contribution) so when and if (with Kasich in power) the OSFC ever gets to Lakewood, it's very possible that they will re-evaluate our enrollment and agree to fund all seven of our elementary schools.

See you at school!

Betsy Voinovich

Betsy, I've heard rumors that enrollment in the kindergartens and elementary schools is much higher than anticipated. Do you know if that is true?

At Emerson, I believe there are 27 or so kids per kindergarten class (roughly 80), and about the same number in the first grade. In the second grade, there are less than 60. So, at least in this school, you're looking at a more than 30% jump in enrollment in the lower grades. How that pans out over time remains to be seen, as some students come and go.

If I recall correctly, my son's kindergarten class had 22 or 23 students for three classes, and now by second grade they are a little under 60 over two.

Bill Call wrote:Betsy, I've heard rumors that enrollment in the kindergartens and elementary schools is much higher than anticipated. Do you know if that is true?

Hi Bill and Mike,

Yeah there are some monster-sized classes in our early grades. I know many of our elementary schools had to split their second grades into two classes this past Fall. At Grant we hung in there with 34 kids in one second grade class until we split at Christmas time. Kindergartens are big too, also first grade.

It does seem to resemble the baby boom of 50 years ago. The trick will be that when it calms down (when this "grandbaby boom" graduates from middle school in 7 or 8 years) to keep the enrollment up because families here have stayed, and new families have come, because of our great schools. And they are really great.

Actual enrollment figures, including the most recent ones, should be forthcoming in the next couple weeks or so.

Betsy Voinovich