Teachers, Parents Moving Forward with New Chardon District Layout
This is the biggest change I’ve seen in my time on the board – Guy Wilson
Parents, students and teachers in the Chardon Schools district now know the answer to the question of where their students will be for the 2018-19 school year.
At their Feb. 20 meeting, in a room crowded to standing-room-only with parents and teachers, the Chardon Schools Board of Education voted “yes” to move forward with a reconfiguration plan they have been developing since 2015.
Amanda Jonovich — the vice president of the parent-teacher organization at Park Elementary School and a member of the district’s Reconfiguration Committee — spoke at the meeting, addressing fears of both parents and volunteers in the district.
“The school officials have thought about the fears that myself and my fellow parents have as far as school environments and making sure it’s a smooth transition for our students. They’ve thought about recess and getting teachers to escort the fourth- and fifth-graders where they need to go in the buildings, keep them separated, make sure their environmental needs are taken care of. So I don’t have any concerns as a parent sending my 9-year-old to the middle school,” Jonovich said.
She explained while most of her fellow Park PTO parents would be moving with their students to Munson next year, parent volunteers from Maple and Hambden elementary schools have already stepped forward to help make the transition.
“Everything’s going to be OK,” Jonovich said.
Tammy Segulin, a math teacher at Chardon High School and president of the Chardon Education Association, commended the administration, parents and teachers who worked together to realign grade levels, rethink transportation routes and make faculty collaboration easier.
She also acknowledged the need for the district to pass a 3.9-mill levy in May to allow the schools to continue providing high quality education.
“On behalf of the 192 members of the Chardon Education Association, I wish to share that our members voted to endorse the May 2018 levy. And, to continue, although we’re excited and realistic at the same time about reconfiguring, I would be remiss if I didn’t say that reconfiguring means we say goodbye to Hambden, and we lay off some fabulous teachers and classified employees,” she said, becoming emotional.
The district issued an email to parents outlining the coming transition process. In it, Superintendent Michael Hanlon announced a new plan for moving forward with a unified “Hilltoppers” identity.
All schools, from pre-kindergarten to high school, will share the Hilltoppers brand.
The email also outlined the “core values” established at Chardon High School that will be adopted across the district: Community, Humility, Achievement, Respect, Dignity, Optimism, Nurture.”
The email also outlined the new roles for principals of Hambden and Maple elementary schools.
Rhonda Garrett will remain principal at Park, while Mat Prezioso, currently principal at Hambden, will replace Louise Henry, who is retiring as principal at Munson at the end of this school year.
Maple Principal Kelly Moran will, according to the email, assume a key role in the transition of staff, students and curriculum, and direct the district’s literacy programming with Assistant Superintendent Ed Klein.
The two will work to develop and implement a comprehensive literacy plan for all grade levels.
At the meeting, Sheldon Firem said several of his fellow board members have ties to Hambden, which made voting for its closure a difficult decision, even knowing the population trends and the cost to keep the aging building running.
“This decision wouldn’t be made if we didn’t have to make it,” Firem said.
Board President Karen Blankenship was happy the district will not return to the budget strains of earlier years when art, music and gifted programs were cut. Her children were students at the time.
Guy Wilson, who showed off a Hambden Wildcats sweatshirt from the years his daughter attended the school, said it was a painful move for him and other Hambden families, albeit necessary.
“This is the biggest change I’ve seen in my time on the board,” Wilson said.
The board discussed the need for parent involvement as the move goes forward, since many children will be adjusting to entirely new buildings.
District staff still has a lot of work to do, which Hanlon outlined in his email.
“We must arrange for student assignments to schools, further transportation planning, staffing assignments and logistics of transitioning,” he wrote.
However, Hanlon again emphasized reconfiguration alone will not solve all of the district’s problems.
“Failure of the levy will force additional cuts beyond those we have discussed to this point. Those additional cuts will need to be implemented at the beginning of the 2018-19 school year,” he wrote.
Passage of the operating levy on May 8 is still vital to the stability of the district, he said.
