Parma Schools Seeks Public Input For Strategic Consolidation Plans

Parma City School District Superintendent Dr. Charles Smialek

Parma City School District Board Members and Administrators discussed during an August 15 meeting the next steps of the district’s Strategic Consolidation process.  

This fall’s plans include again soliciting input from community members to help the Board make an informed decision about the future of their facilities. 

Similar to the meetings that occurred this spring, district leaders and representatives from GPD Group, an architectural firm advising the district throughout this process, will seek input in Town Hall-style sessions designed to both educate residents and solicit their opinions.

This fall, residents will provide their reactions to specific options for the Parma City Schools campuses of the future. GPD Group and Parma schools’ leaders analyzed survey data and feedback from the spring’s meetings to determine the options most likely to gain consensus support. These are the options:

Elementary Schools (Pre-K through 5th Grade)

Option A: Six schools

Option B: Seven schools

Option C: Eight schools

Secondary Schools (6th through 12th grade)

Option A: One high school (9-12), two middle schools (6-8)

Option B: Three secondary campuses, each with one 6-8 school and one 9-12 school

Option C: Two secondary campuses, each with one 6-8 school and one 9-12 school and a separate campus for Career Technical Education and other district functions

Community members will now be able to share their perspectives about the best possible models of and locations for schools.  

Board President John Schweitzer explained, “The idea all along has been to consolidate the number of campuses that we operate. In each of the secondary models that we are weighing, we will be able to reduce the number of campuses we operate from six to three. On the other hand, we know from our surveys and meetings that neighborhood elementary schools are very popular. We have to determine the most appropriate number of these. We will use this fall to gain more information about what people think we should do.”

The Board of Education also heard from Squire, Patton, and Boggs attorney Richard Manoloff. Mr. Manoloff explained the Expedited Local Partnership Program (ELPP), which the district will most likely use for funding construction if it passes a bond issue in 2020. 

In summary, “ELPP Allows school districts to pass a resolution requesting to enter ELPP. The Commission then performs an assessment of the district's facilities and enters into an agreement with the district on a Facility Master Plan that covers the entire needs of the district. The district then chooses a "distinct portion" of their Master Plan to fund through local efforts. When the district's turn later arises in the Classroom Facilities Assistance Program, the money spent by the district on the distinct portion is credited against the local share of the entire Master Plan projects.” (source: ofcc.ohio.gov)

The district will hold 12 community meetings, beginning September 3 through December 14.

Tuesday, 9/3/19, 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM at Green Valley Elementary School

Monday, 9/16/19, 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM at Pleasant Valley Elementary School

Monday, 9/30/19, 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM at Thoreau Park Elementary School

Saturday, 10/5/19, 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM at Parma Heights Library

Monday, 10/14/19, 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM at Greenbriar Middle School

Monday, 10/28/19, 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM at Hillside Middle School - Media Center

Monday, 11/4/19, 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM at Shiloh Middle School

Saturday, 11/9/19, 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM at Parma-Snow Library

Monday, 11/18/19, 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM at Valley Forge High School - Media Center

Monday, 12/2/19, 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM at Parma Senior High School

Monday, 12/9/19, 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM at Normandy High School

Saturday, 12/14/19, 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM Parma Branch (Powers) Library

More information can be found on the district’s website, www.parmacityschools.org/superintendent.

Charles Smialek

Charles Smialek, Ph.D. is the Superintendent of the Parma City School District.

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Volume 11, Issue 9, Posted 2:14 PM, 09.02.2019