Schools schedule informal meetings with residents
Community can pick from more than 50 dates to chat with superintendent, board, principals
Each school building has scheduled several dates over the next few months where residents can informally meet with principals and tour buildings to learn more about infrastructure needs and the bond. The superintendent and school board members have also planned open office hours. The full list of times is available at www.northroyaltonsd.org/MeetingDatesTimesFebruary-March2017.aspx. File photo by JAIME ANTON
NORTH ROYALTON — Despite the creation of the Community Engagement Task Force, the numerous open meetings both during and following the 18-month process of analyzing and discussing building and educational needs, dozens of coffee talks, resident surveys, social media updates, email updates, district website postings and extensive media coverage, some are still misinformed while others believe the district should do more to convey the need for repairs and the bond issue.
In an effort to exhaust all avenues of communication and be as open and accessible as possible, the district has announced more than 50 informal facilities discussions residents can attend to gather accurate information.
These discussions will be in the schools, “One-on-One’s with the Principals,” where residents can ask anything about repairs, the bond and tour the sites firsthand.
Superintendent Greg Gurka will host office hours as part of Talk with the Superintendent, where residents can drop by and freely chat with him in his office at 6579 Royalton Road.
School board members are also making themselves available during, “Chat with the Board,” where one or two members will be present for informal chats prior to upcoming work sessions and board meetings.
Regular board meetings will be moved to the elementary schools so residents can visit those buildings. The Feb. 6 board meeting will be at Albion, March 6 at Royal View and April 10 at Valley Vista.
The full list of meeting dates, times and locations can be found at www.northroyaltonsd.org/MeetingDatesTimesFebruary-March2017.aspx.
There will also be another community meeting at 7 p.m. March 21 in the high school’s performing arts center at 14713 Ridge Road.
The intent is accessibility.
“Our goal is to make ourselves, from principals to the superintendent to board members, accessible to allow the community to give input and for us to answer any questions,” Gurka said.
Providing residents with correct information about the building and upcoming bond is another goal.
“We want to help residents understand all the dimensions of why the bond issue is back on the ballot. Communicating with the community has always been important, and we just want to provide another avenue to reaching us,” said school board member Jackie Arendt.
The board opted Jan. 23 to place the November bond issue on the May 2 ballot for a final time.
If approved, the bond will cost the owner of a $200,000 home $18.08 per month for 30 years generating $88.9 million to be used to build one new elementary; update the middle school; and raze and rebuild the ‘50s and ‘60s sections of the high school and upgrade the ‘70s and ‘80s sections. It also provides $500,000 yearly in permanent improvement dollars to maintain the buildings long term, a mechanism school officials have said is lacking now, resulting in the mounting needs.
If the bond fails a sixth time, school officials have said the district will be forced to implement Plan B, which would eliminate $3.4 million annually in programming and services including busing. This savings would be put toward the more pressing needs: roof, HVAC, electrical and safety upgrades over the course of a seven-year repair schedule.
School Board Vice President Dr. John Kelly said it’s still evident many residents are unaware of building issues, and he encourages them to come and see at these meetings. Many still do not know what the bond issue provides; how the money will be spent; the sense of urgency; that buildings are having a negative impact on learning, etc.
“The building tours and open office hours that have been scheduled are a great way for residents and parents to ‘see for themselves’ what our facilities look like,” Kelly said. “I hope residents will talk to us and to the folks that live in our buildings. Of all the ways to get information, reading a letter to the editor is probably the least accurate.”
In an effort to exhaust all avenues of communication and be as open and accessible as possible, the district has announced more than 50 informal facilities discussions residents can attend to gather accurate information.
These discussions will be in the schools, “One-on-One’s with the Principals,” where residents can ask anything about repairs, the bond and tour the sites firsthand.
Superintendent Greg Gurka will host office hours as part of Talk with the Superintendent, where residents can drop by and freely chat with him in his office at 6579 Royalton Road.
School board members are also making themselves available during, “Chat with the Board,” where one or two members will be present for informal chats prior to upcoming work sessions and board meetings.
Regular board meetings will be moved to the elementary schools so residents can visit those buildings. The Feb. 6 board meeting will be at Albion, March 6 at Royal View and April 10 at Valley Vista.
The full list of meeting dates, times and locations can be found at www.northroyaltonsd.org/MeetingDatesTimesFebruary-March2017.aspx.
There will also be another community meeting at 7 p.m. March 21 in the high school’s performing arts center at 14713 Ridge Road.
The intent is accessibility.
“Our goal is to make ourselves, from principals to the superintendent to board members, accessible to allow the community to give input and for us to answer any questions,” Gurka said.
Providing residents with correct information about the building and upcoming bond is another goal.
“We want to help residents understand all the dimensions of why the bond issue is back on the ballot. Communicating with the community has always been important, and we just want to provide another avenue to reaching us,” said school board member Jackie Arendt.
The board opted Jan. 23 to place the November bond issue on the May 2 ballot for a final time.
If approved, the bond will cost the owner of a $200,000 home $18.08 per month for 30 years generating $88.9 million to be used to build one new elementary; update the middle school; and raze and rebuild the ‘50s and ‘60s sections of the high school and upgrade the ‘70s and ‘80s sections. It also provides $500,000 yearly in permanent improvement dollars to maintain the buildings long term, a mechanism school officials have said is lacking now, resulting in the mounting needs.
If the bond fails a sixth time, school officials have said the district will be forced to implement Plan B, which would eliminate $3.4 million annually in programming and services including busing. This savings would be put toward the more pressing needs: roof, HVAC, electrical and safety upgrades over the course of a seven-year repair schedule.
School Board Vice President Dr. John Kelly said it’s still evident many residents are unaware of building issues, and he encourages them to come and see at these meetings. Many still do not know what the bond issue provides; how the money will be spent; the sense of urgency; that buildings are having a negative impact on learning, etc.
“The building tours and open office hours that have been scheduled are a great way for residents and parents to ‘see for themselves’ what our facilities look like,” Kelly said. “I hope residents will talk to us and to the folks that live in our buildings. Of all the ways to get information, reading a letter to the editor is probably the least accurate.”