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LAKEWOOD, Ohio -- The Lakewood Board of Education Monday night (Oct. 20) voted to approve Superintendent Maggie Niedzwiecki’s recommendation to repurpose Lincoln Elementary School into the newly created preschool Early Learning Center. “We reached this decision focusing on what’s the best educational experience for kids,” Lakewood City Schools Board President Nora Katzenberger said. “That’s what we base every decision on. “We know that we have some hard work ahead to ensure that the transitions are as smooth as possible, but we always want to keep our students’ well-being as our No. 1 priority.” Regarding the difficulty of the decision, Katzenberger said it’s been a long 14-month process. “The Board of Education listened to every comment from the community, every word of every email and took everything to heart as we made our decision, but we made the decision that was best for all the students in the district,” she said. “We know that it’s going to have a significant impact on our families, but we also know that it’s going to be the best thing for everybody in the long term.” The superintendent on Oct. 5 recommended -- in the spirit of greater accessibility and equitable learning environments -- related moves that were also approved at the meeting involving the district’s special education and specialized programming. Effective for the 2027-28 school year, the CHAMPS program will move from the basement of Horace Mann Elementary School to the first floor of Hayes Elementary School, the RISE classroom from Emerson Elementary School into the former CHAMPS space at Horace Mann Elementary School and the self-contained gifted program from Grant Elementary School to Hayes Elementary School. Also, the Early Learning Center will provide before and after-school care, as well as summer daycare options. “This recommendation reflects the collective effort, care and wisdom of our families, staff, students and community members who have guided us throughout this process,” said Niedzwiecki in a press release. “We understand that change is never easy and that this decision will bring some sadness and disappointment. Our focus must remain on providing equitable, high-quality learning environments for every student in our district.” The transition will begin in the spring with the district establishing two teams -- one composed of families and students, another of staff members -- to address student transitions, staffing, walkability and curriculum. The district also plans to release new elementary school boundaries at least one year in advance of the transition to give families and staff ample time to prepare. More than a year ago, the district convened a 50-member community task force, which was charged with studying the future of the district’s seven elementary schools. The entire restructuring process is tied to what the district says is a decade-long trend of declining enrollment, with roughly 1,600 fewer students in the district and its seven elementary schools at 66% capacity for K-5 students. Members of the community group Preserve Lakewood Schools -- which advocated for the district to stop the entire elementary school closure/repurpose process and begin strategic planning that would include “meaningful engagement with and input from the community” -- took part in a community protest held prior to the meeting. In response to the Board of Education’s recommendation, the group questioned the legality of the decision, noting “Tonight’s vote is not final,” while looking ahead to Election Day. A statement read: “If voters elect new board members who oppose consolidation, the Board can revisit and reverse tonight’s decision before it takes effect.”
