Potential Elementary School Closures Affect Us All

The Lakewood City School District is considering repurposing 1-2 elementary schools due to low enrollment. Many parents are aware of this issue, and the community at large should pay attention as well so we can preserve the distinct assets that constitute Lakewood. 

I am a 4th generation Lakewoodite. My husband and I both grew up in Lakewood and attended LHS. We invested in a Lakewood home, started our family here, and launched a small business here, putting up with the higher property taxes, headaches that old houses and small yards bring, because the reward of being in a dense, walkable community is more than worth it. Lakewood is unique in terms of an urban planning perspective. The density plus walkability are unmatched in surrounding suburbs and it would be a travesty to have school closures wear away at that fabric.

In August 2024, the district assembled a task force to study seven scenarios that would respond to the perceived issue of declining elementary enrollment. The scenarios were generated by an outside consulting firm and mostly center on keeping all four “corner” elementary schools open, leaving Lincoln, Roosevelt, and Grant on the chopping block to be repurposed into a community rec center building or centralized preschool. Let’s stop there though - the enrollment data being presented to us during the community engagement meetings was taken from 2022 when many families had pulled out to homeschool or make other plans due to COVID. Since then, enrollment appears to be flattening per the data shown; however the district is moving forward full steam with the seven scenarios without having new data analysis in place. This is too important of an issue to be glossing through with incomplete data on enrollment (while stating that enrollment decline is driving this entire repurposing study). With the task force being made up of a large number of district staff, does it truly represent the diverse needs of Lakewood’s families and taxpayers?

District presentations have been centered on operating efficiency and classroom size equity with no mention of what parents are most concerned about: safety during morning commutes to school and the children’s social/emotional wellbeing.

Safety: Closing a school will create longer walking distances for many. The district is not considering bussing, instead keeping all walking distances to under 2 miles to avoid that requirement. Action for Healthy Schools suggests limiting walks to school from ½ to 1 mile and LEED (Leadership for Energy and Environmental Design) defines walkability as being within ½ mile of a site. Currently there are open crossing guard positions that have remained unfilled and the need will only increase with closures. I am not confident in the promise to hire more crossing guards should school commutes change. Winter weather can also pose a safety challenge. According to GLISA, a NOAA CAP team, our region has on average 103 days that fall below 32 degrees Fahrenheit. To prevent frostbite, which occurs due to exposure to temperatures below 32 degrees Fahrenheit, the Cleveland Clinic recommends trying to limit exposure to 10-15 minutes before going back inside. Yet, it takes approximately 20 minutes to walk one mile according to Google, and so bumping the walk up to 2 miles or 40 minutes (the maximum distance for the district to avoid bussing expenses), would pose a danger to families walking to school. My family would likely end up driving to school due to the lack of safety, and therefore the whole reason we live in a walking community is no longer valid. Increasing walking distances for young children and adding traffic congestion contradicts Lakewood's commitment to being a walkable community for residents and students.

Social/Emotional Wellbeing: The children currently in mid-elementary wore masks for their preschool experiences at Lakewood City Schools. Necessary at the time, yes, but these children are still recovering from the social-emotional impacts of the pandemic and beginning to solidify friendships and sense of community. To make a change midway through their elementary careers would simply be devastating. It doesn’t appear that the district has given much consideration to the specialized care that would be needed to assist students with this major change in buildings and peer groups, particularly students with disabilities, on 504 plans, IEPs, and otherwise.

In the increasingly isolated digital era, there is something indescribable about walking our children to school in the morning and feeling part of a community. It allows us to get out in the fresh air, see a parade of familiar faces, and get to know other parents to facilitate playdates. Walking/biking to school provides elementary students a practical way to demonstrate sustainability in action. It inspires students and families to adopt sustainable lifestyles thus supporting the Global Awareness/Citizen Vision of a Lakewood Ranger competency by allowing students to engage in activities that promote sustainability and a more promising future. Young children who walk or bike to school are more likely to continue the habit as they age. Biking to school supports a Growth Mindset, as it provides opportunities to learn from our failures and persevere in the face of obstacles, like when your water bottle falls out of your backpack, you forget to wear gloves, or the bike rack is full, and you need plan B. For those in upper elementary school, walking independently to school promotes risk assessment, environmental knowledge, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities notes Mariah G. Schug, Associate Professor at Widener University. These skills enhance the Critical and Creative Thinking Competency. This is the "soft" side of the school closure decision that is impossible to quantify in charts and data. I cannot underscore this intangible benefit of the walkable proximity of the public schools enough - it is a major draw when families are deciding to move into Lakewood. The mayor and city council should take note. 

Even if you don’t have children in public schools, closing schools can have far-reaching effects, including permanently changing neighborhood dynamics, potentially lowering property values, increasing traffic congestion and making Lakewood less appealing to families due to reduced walkability. If walking distances increase past 1 mile, there will be longer lines of traffic congestion near schools, as families idle in line until they can drop off their children at school. No one wants to get stuck behind one of these drop-off lines on their commute to or from work. Yet, it’s understandable that many parents will not be able to walk their children more than 20 minutes one way to school.

The district has decided to proceed with redistricting the boundaries of all elementary schools, disrupting students and families, and is considering repurposing buildings as I describe above. Additionally, the district is planning to propose an increased levy on the ballot in 2026 after fellow residents just saw their property taxes increase at least 30%. Taxpayers will be asked for more money and it is important that our voices are heard on how the schools should be serving the needs of Lakewood’s families. The superintendent will make her final recommendation to the Board of Education in May 2025. If you are passionate or curious about this issue, please join the Facebook Group “Save Lakewood’s Elementary Schools” for further discussion. Emailing the Board of Education with concerns is another actionable step.

Caity Solomon, LHS ‘05, is a Lakewood homeowner, business operations specialist, and mother of three in the Lakewood City Schools.