Ed Favre getting sworn in.
Incoming Board President Comments, January 10, 2018.
I want to start by thanking the citizens of Lakewood for allowing me to continue on the Lakewood Board of Education. I value their support and do not take it for granted. I want to thank my fellow Board Members for the opportunity to again serve as President. Being a member of a public-school Board of Education is a privilege provided us by the voters who have high expectations in an era of increasing challenges. 2018 will be another busy year.
We have been well served by our retiring Superintendent, Jeff Patterson. We knew this day would come, hoped that he’d forget about it, but here we are. Jeff, you have done outstanding work here and your service is much appreciated. You’ll be a tough act to follow.
We are embarking on one of the most important functions a Board of Education performs; the hiring of a new Superintendent. Our community should know that the reputation of this District is very positive and well known throughout the State of Ohio, and beyond. We expect our search will result in another highly qualified Superintendent. As part of this process, there will be public listening sessions on January 17 and 18. We hope to announce who our new superintendent will be in March.
2018 will mark the completion of the rebuilding of every Lakewood City School; the largest construction project in the history of Lakewood. This 14-year process, delayed by the recession of 2008 and interruption of State facilities funding, affords Lakewood students and staff facilities second to none for high quality instruction and learning. Although the construction will be done, the challenge will now be to better care for and maintain these new facilities rather than band aid and get by with the old, worn out. Our community rightfully expects us to take good care of what we asked them to finance. If we hope for their continued support, we cannot fail to do so.
The relocation of the Recreation & Education Department to the high school continues the Board’s 90-year commitment to recreation in Lakewood. The new Fitness Facility compliments the other indoor facilities we previously committed for increased public use as part of the facilities project. The new indoor track is a vast improvement over the one many will recall was in the old West Gym of the 1918 Lakewood High School building. And, it also will be open to the public during non-instructional times. We again thank First Federal of Lakewood for partnering in our facilities.
Yet to be done is the relocation of Central Office on Warren Road. Moving the Recreation & Education Department to the high school campus reduces the amount of administrative square footage needed. We are working with a developer to keep and incorporate the historic 1879 Rockport School portion of the building and occupy it as an intermediate location. Going forward, we will also be considering the sale and disposition of the Taft Elementary site and future use of the 1907 Franklin Elementary building.
We are fortunate that Lakewood has outstanding teachers and support staff that do great work with our students. Lakewood teachers are second to none in educating students from all walks of life. We continue to offer many and varied programs and curriculars for all our students, regardless of their abilities, like no other district.
The District recently received a Universal Prekindergarten grant to increase the existing preschool program at Harrison Elementary. Such programs have been met with great acceptance and success. All day programs are growing and available in nearby schools and districts and we should seek to fund and move in that direction.
Unfortunately, we will continue to deal with Ohio’s flawed state funding process for public education. 40 years ago, the State legislature created the flat funding process that guarantees deficits and has been declared unconstitutional 4 times. During that time, the State has increased requirements, increased questionable standards, and related costs. In addition, public education dollars have been diverted to private and often poorly run businesses that target easy to educate, profitable students. It’s a decades long State fiasco that has created the inevitable need for school districts throughout Ohio to request additional local operating levies. 2018 is a state election year and now is the time to ask campaigning candidates what their plan is to repair the problem their predecessors created.
In these times of government mistrust, we will go the extra mile to be up front, open, honest, and candid with our community and constituents.
Going forward, maintaining what we have, and getting better at what we do, will be even more challenging. We are fortunate to have a committed community and talented people within the organization needed to make this happen.
comments by Edward Favre, Lakewood School Board President 2018
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