At a special session on Monday, Nov. 16, the Board of Education dug deep into the Phase III Steering Committee report in its effort to gather as much information and analysis as possible before it makes its decision regarding the possibility of closing of another elementary school.  Phase III of the districtwide construction program will address the future of Grant, Lincoln and Roosevelt elementaries as well as the eastern half of Lakewood High. The Steering Committee last month recommended two options to the Board:

Option A: Rebuild LHS East, renovate or rebuild Roosevelt and Grant elementaries, and decommission Lincoln Elementary

Option B: Rebuild LHS East, renovate or rebuild Roosevelt and Lincoln elementaries, and decommission Grant Elementary.

At the meeting’s outset, Linda Beebe reminded the Board that it is, “Looking at the well-being of the community as a whole, not just the school district.”

During the special session, the Board broke its work down into 10 categories of focus. Each Board member was responsible to become the subject matter expert in his or her category. The breakdown of categories was as follows: Charge of the committee; Forum I results; six versus seven schools; transition considerations, building site considerations, Forum II results; Phase III Committee Forum evaluations; alternative perspectives and Forum II table comments; district configuration and other considerations; and finally, the next steps ahead.

In some areas, administrative and outside experts were brought in to advise the Board. Architect Rodwell King of GPD Group and lead architect on the Phase I & II projects, addressed building site considerations and focused mainly on the merits and weaknesses of the Grant and Lincoln sites, both of which have their share of each. King acknowledged that a rebuild of either Grant or Lincoln versus a renovation would allow the district to better utilize each site to its advantage.

Dr. Paul Williams, an assistant professor in Cleveland State’s Department of Education who among other subjects teaches about school buildings and grounds, addressed the district configuration if the district were to go to six elementary schools as well as the committee’s process, which he called “extensive, thorough and excellent.” No matter what the Board’s decision, Dr. Williams said it would be a solution that he refers to as “satisficing” meaning both satisfactory and one that requires sacrifice.

The Board intends to hold further discussions on Phase III and will also hold a session for public comment on a date to be determined. Look for updates on the district web site at www.lakewoodcityschools.org.