Lakewood, Ohio Drive through the Metroparks is not the only twist and turn in the year-long debate about the possible closure and eventual redevelopment of one or two primary schools in Lakewood.
Maggie Niedzwiecki, the superintendent of Lakewood City Schools, recently delayed submitting her proposal to the Board of Education.
The decision was linked to a demand letter filed this spring by Friends of Lakewood, a neighborhood organization that opposes school closures, expressing its displeasure with the Lakewood City Schools.
According to the superintendent, the district’s need to disassociate itself from all matters pertaining to the task force group is what caused the delay, which was brought on by the demand letter.
Zach Robock, a local resident and member of the district’s 50-person community task group tasked with researching the district’s seven elementary schools’ futures, then made his letter to Niedzwiecki public last week.
Instead of accepting responsibility for your role in overseeing this process, he said, “Your district-wide email today places the blame of having to scrap all the work that we did on the demand letter.”
“As public stewards tasked with leading Lakewood Schools forward, it is our duty to act in the district’s best interest—even if that means altering our course,” Niedzwiecki said.
Such modifications reflect the procedural complexity inherent in public governance rather than any malfeasance on the part of task force members, board members, or administrators.
The letter from the task force member also makes a number of accusations against the school system and superintendent, including that Niedzwiecki withdrew behind closed doors.
She said that no one had mentioned that we were withdrawing behind closed doors. That phrase is confusing to me. We have been transparent with all of our material through presentations for a full year, and Mr. Robock was a member of our task force as well.
In addition to sharing our data with the task force, a whole website was created specifically for this purpose. Additionally, a survey was distributed to the entire city of Lakewood, not just the people who attend our school, and seven elementary talks were held at each elementary building.
The superintendent responded negatively to Robock’s suggestion that the $29,000 in consultation fees paid to the Akron-based architectural firm The Impact Group be reimbursed.
Robock added that the Board of Education or the superintendent would be unable to resist using the information that was obtained during the task force process.
This strategy appears likely to ensnare the district in legal battles and legal expenditures, he added. In what ways are you distinguishing the task force process from your own endeavors?
The district is creating a clear plan of action that complies with legal requirements and values significant public involvement, the superintendent retorted.
An subsequent update will provide specifics on the procedure, schedule, and suggestions, she stated.
The timeframe and all of that material will be sent to Mr. Robock at the same time that the rest of our community receives it.
Niedzwiecki did provide one timeline update, stating that she was certain her recommendation to the Board of Education will be made by the end of the year after speaking with the district’s legal team and administration for the past week.
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