LAKEWOOD, Ohio — The Lakewood School Board voted Tuesday unanimously to repurpose Lincoln Elementary into an early learning center, and now the superintendent is outlining what the next steps will look like.
The 5-0 vote came after a settlement between the district and community group Friends of Lakewood, which had filed a lawsuit alleging the board had violated Ohio's Open Meetings Act. As part of the settlement, the board agreed to hold additional community meetings in August before taking a final vote no sooner than Sept. 4.
Superintendent Maggie Niedzwiecki said the decision to settle was driven in part by the financial and time costs of continued litigation.
"It was still going to be a whole another year of depositions. Ultimately, it was the financial decision that we were utilizing district dollars, taxpayer dollars, on this lawsuit," Niedzwiecki said.
The district reiterated that declining enrollments was still a key factor behind the repurposing. Niedzwiecki said elementary enrollment is down nearly 500 students, enough to fill Lincoln's entire 500-student capacity.
"When you look at your facilities, and you ensure that your class size is maintainable at all of your buildings, it allows you more money for educational programming," Niedzwiecki said.
Some parents, including members of Friends of Lakewood, argued the board moved forward without fully addressing community concerns. Protests were held ahead of the vote, and some residents called for the process to be paused.
Niedzwiecki pushed back on claims that the district lacked transparency, pointing to a yearlong task force of about 50 people, seven community conversations held at each elementary building, a district-wide survey, and roughly 179 speakers at 45 board meetings.
"I do believe that because we don't agree with the outcome doesn't mean there was an absence of process," Niedzwiecki said.
Lincoln Elementary parent Gina Rhodes said she is still processing the decision.
"It's disappointing to feel as though the community's concerns weren't really adequately addressed by the school board and by the superintendent," Rhodes said.
When asked what she would have wanted from the district, Rhodes said she wanted more openness throughout the process.
"I would have liked to see more radical transparency," Rhodes said.
One of the most pressing concerns for families is walkability and safety. Niedzwiecki acknowledged some students will have longer walks to school under the new boundaries, while others will have shorter ones, while still ensuring safety.
“For the last couple of years, I hold a safety and security meeting, and sitting at our table is our fire department and our police department, and we are going to continue to work with our safety forces to ensure that our crossing guards are in the right place, and if we need more of them,” Niedzwiecki said.
New school boundaries will be presented on Sept. 28. The district will also launch a new webpage where families can find information and use an interactive map to look up which school their child will attend.
Niedzwiecki adds that the district also plans to hold events celebrating Lincoln's legacy before the transition to an early learning center, which is expected to open in August 2027.
Friends of Lakewood released a statement following the vote expressing continued concern about the data presented at the Sept. 8 school board meeting.
"We share the community's frustration with the misleading data at the September 8 school board meeting and with a process that shut down residents from pointing it out in the room. We continued to hear incorrect utilization calculations, savings numbers that don't add up, and even a new suggestion that two elementary schools could close. This is a district-wide decision that spends taxpayer dollars, and the public deserves complete, consistent numbers on enrollment, on the real savings, and on the traffic and safety impacts before it goes any further. We expect real answers on September 28," the group said.
Despite her frustrations, Rhodes said she remains committed to Lakewood's public schools but wants to see more transparency moving forward.
"I still love Lakewood. I could never imagine moving out of public school. I care deeply about public school, and so in many ways it doesn't even feel like an option to consider any other choice," Rhodes said.
Nadeen Abusada is a Cuyahoga County and immigration reporter at News 5 Cleveland. Follow her on Instagram NadeenAbusada or email her at Nadeen.Abusada@wews.com.
