West Geauga Schools Board of Education continued to hear comments from the public about hot topics March 10 during its informational work shop meeting on health care staffing.
During a segment reserved for comments from the public, several open-enrolled students spoke urging the board to continue offering them that option.
Many parents and community members also spoke on a variety of topics.
Megan Patronski, of Chester Township, urged board members to carefully consider ideas and not make hasty decisions.
She said it appears the board voted impulsively to limit open enrollment to at its previous meeting to satisfy a local opposition group against open enrollment, while it appeared to take a measured approach in deciding to offer all-day kindergarten.
“Several weeks ago I asked each of you to consider what kind of board member you intended to be, impulsive or research-based decision makers,” Patronski said. “In less than 10 minutes, you decided to limit open enrollment. Why didn’t you consider the superintendent’s research and wait for the survey results? Now 37 current open enrollment students will be told you don’t want them.”
She pointed out the board used Superintendent Geoff Palmer’s research to decide to offer all-day kindergarten, a decision that was “made with thoughtfulness.”
Patronski further said Palmer’s input was not considered and the limit on open enrollment will cost the board about $800,000 over the next five years.
“There was talk of a 6-mill property tax levy in 2017 to stay in the black,” she said. “I’m not sure that’s what’s best for the community.”
Resident Bob Bower spoke against all-day kindergarten. He said he has a son going into kindergarten and did some research on it.
“After three years, all the research says there is no difference in testing (performance) between half-day and all-day students,” he said. “The school will be providing day care for that half day.”
He further questioned the economics of open enrollment.
“I don’t understand how it’s possible to be more costly to have less children enrolled.” Bower said. “We didn’t need one penny of the $1.5 million in open enrollment.”
A mother of an eighth-grade student complained the traditional class trip to an amusement park is cancelled this year because the trip is not considered educational.
“Maybe they’re not learning math, but they have an allowance and are learning how to manage their money,” she said. “The class thinks it is being punished because they’re bad. But they’re not. They are good kids and they are really upset about the trip being cancelled. They’ve earned this trip for their hard work through middle school.”
Board President Michael Kilroy responded to some of the speakers with other board members commenting on some of his responses.
“We’ve been discussing open enrollment for months,” he said. “We’re not shooting from the hip. We discussed it for 40 minutes, not 10 minutes.”
He said incorrect information is being circulated to the public, including closing one of the school buildings.
“Never have we discussed closing a building,” board member Jackie Dottore added. “Maybe we talked about realigning the buildings.”
She told board member Ben Kotowski he did not speak for the board, referring to a recent letter to the editor he had written.
“You’re only one 20th of the board,” she said. “You don’t speak for the board.”
She proposed a policy change that would require board members to state they are giving their own opinion and not expressing the decisions of the board.
Kotowski replied the board has made “no concise decision” on either open enrollment nor on the use of school buildings.
“If you read my letter, you would see that I am urging the board to make decisions,” he said. “If I was speaking for the board, I would not be urging you to do something. I would love to see the issue of open enrollment resolved.”
Kotowski added, “The figures on not closing schools say otherwise. We’re about to spend $750,000 on a roof for a building. We need to decide if we’re spending money on buildings or students.”
Board member Tom Phelps said the Lindsey building was flooded with calls from concerned parents.
He further said not having community survey research at the previous meeting “tied our hands” on the open enrollment vote.
“I have no desire to make open enrollment go away,” Phelps said. “I’ll listen to an eighth-grader who wants to go here.”
Palmer said he offered to take numbers Dottore presented at the previous meeting back to his administrative committee for consideration in establishing next year’s projected capacity for all students, including open enrollment students.
“But you said you were ready to vote at that time,” Palmer said. “With all due respect, I did not have time to process her numbers that afternoon. I urged you to step back. There’s a reason we have a policy in place to establish our projected capacity.”
Open enrollment student Gabrielle Trout addressed the board.
She praised West Geauga schools for “turning her friends lives around for the positive.”
“It wouldn’t be possible without this school,” she said. “I don’t know what your stance is on open enrollment. From what I’ve heard tonight, you need to make a stance and put an end to the discussion.”
A resident student then spoke.
“We moved here from the Brush school district,” she said. “It took three years. I’ve watched my parents work long hours. It takes a lot of money. You can’t just snap your fingers and move here.”
Open enrollment student Jack Lutat from Burton called his education at West Geauga “exceptional.”
“I don’t just come here and go home, I participate in the community,” he said. “The future of 200 students rests here with this board. We pay taxes, too. It almost feels like discrimination.”
He urged the board to not just research documents, but to also talk to the teachers, students and other parents before deciding on the school’s open enrollment policy.