A Solid Future for Shaker Schools

Ep 9 - Highlights of the Podcast

In case you haven't had time to listen to the previous 8 episodes, this episode contains the highlights of those episodes. Featuring 14 guests sharing for a total of 16 minutes and 31 seconds, these subject matter experts ranging from the Assistant Director of Buildings and Grounds, to Board members, teachers, and residents discuss why they believe that passing Issue 13 is vital for Shaker Heights and why voting yes is in the best interests of our students and residents. You can hear all the previous episodes by going here [https://www.spreaker.com/show/a-solid-future-for-shaker-schools]. This podcast is hosted and produced by Mark Goode, a resident of Shaker Heights, on behalf of the Committee for Shaker Schools [https://www.buildingshakerschools.com], a grassroots, citizen-based campaign organization that works to help pass Shaker Heights City School District levies and bond issues. The Committee's primary mission is to inform voters about upcoming school levies and bond issues and direct efforts towards ensuring their passage.

Ep 8 - An Empty Nester Supports Issue 13

Dr. Donna McIntyre Whyte is a long time resident of Shaker Heights. Dr. Whyte moved to Shaker in 1982, reared her family here, earned her Ph.D. at Case Western Reserve University, and now teaches at Cleveland State University. Dr. Whyte explains why she chose the elementary school (Moreland) for her children and how she became involved in the school system, beginning with service on the PTO and eventually serving on the Board of Education. While Dr. Whyte's story arc is familiar to some, it gives her a unique perspective on the role public schools play in the character and legacy of Shaker Heights. Because she served on the Board of Education in the 1990s, she also has experience with school levies. She has experience in weighing the pros and cons of proposing a levy to taxpayers and the degree to which any Board deliberates that action. Though her children have graduated from Shaker schools and her youngest grandson graduates in June 2024, Dr. Whyte supports the levy, on that will not directly benefit her family. Listen to why Dr. Whyte supports the levy and what she believes it means to the city of Shaker Heights and its residents. This podcast is hosted and produced by Mark Goode, a resident of Shaker Heights, on behalf of the Committee for Shaker Schools [https://www.buildingshakerschools.com], a grassroots, citizen-based campaign organization that works to help pass Shaker Heights City School District levies and bond issues. The Committee's primary mission is to inform voters about upcoming school levies and bond issues and direct efforts towards ensuring their passage.

Ep 7 - Supporting Issue 13: Early Nester and Empty Nesters

The majority of residents of Shaker Heights do not have children in the Shaker Heights school system. For that reason, we feel it is important to hear from members of this constituency. So in this episode, we talk with four Shaker school district taxpayers, three of whom live in Shaker Heights and one who lives in the city of Cleveland (near Shaker Square) and pays Shaker Heights school taxes. Three of our guests don’t have children or grandchildren in the school district while one of them has two young boys who will be eligible for preK in the coming years. We asked those who have no children in the district, why they support the levy. Conventional wisdom says that those who have children in the district will support the levy but those who don’t may not. But these three do support the levy . . . and their reasons are informative. One participant, who has no children and doesn’t live in Shaker Heights proper, is a passionate supporter of the levy. Her reasons may surprise you. To the young professional and mother whose children have yet to enter the Shaker system, we asked why she is choosing to send her children to Shaker schools and given the cost of the levy, why she supports it. This podcast is hosted and produced by Mark Goode, a resident of Shaker Heights, on behalf of the Committee for Shaker Schools [https://www.buildingshakerschools.com/], a grassroots, citizen-based campaign organization that works to help pass Shaker Heights City School District levies and bond issues. The committee's primary mission is to inform voters about upcoming school levies and bond issues and to direct efforts toward ensuring their passage.

Ep 6 - The Numbers - Understanding the Cost of Issue 13

In this episode, we talk with Heather Weingart and Jeffrey Issacs, both members of the School Board for the Shaker Heights School District. I asked Heather and Jeff a series of questions relating to the financial cost of the levy as well as a number of issues associated with how the Board determined the needs to be addressed by the levy. In addition, Heather and Jeff field a number of questions posed on social media. The questions discussed include but are not limited to the following: * How did the Board identify the needs to be addressed by the levy? * What process was used to prioritize those needs? * When was the last time the Board went to the citizens for a capital levy and what lessons were learned from that experience? * How did the Board obtain community input for this levy? * Describe the meetings the Board had with members of the Shaker Architects and Planning Committee and what impact, if any, those meetings had on the final proposed designs for the levy? * During the past 24 months, the Board considered many options. Why did it consider a “single elementary school” option? * Describe the process of working with the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission (OFCC). * What incentives does the Board have to keep construction costs under control and what processes has it embraced to achieve these cost control objectives? * What plans, if any, does the school district have to enable Shaker residents to get “off hour” access to school recreational facilities? * What will the Board do if the levy doesn’t pass? This one hour discussion goes to the heart of many concerns raised by Shaker Heights citizens. If you would like to have further conversations with either Heather or Jeff, please reach them through these email addresses: * Heather Weingart (weingart_h@shaker.org [https://shaker.org]) * Jeffrey Isaacs (isaacs_j@shaker.org) This podcast is hosted and produced by Mark Goode, a resident of Shaker Heights, on behalf of the Committee for Shaker Schools [https://www.buildingshakerschools.com/], a grassroots, citizen-based campaign organization that works to help pass Shaker Heights City School District levies and bond issues. The committee's primary mission is to inform voters about upcoming school levies and bond issues and to direct efforts toward ensuring their passage.

Ep 5 - Conversation with Shaker Teachers, Part 2

In this episode (Part 2 of 2 of “Conversation with Shaker Teachers”), we talk with three teachers * Kelly Grahl * Jill DiPiero * Alesha Edwards These professionals teach in at Lomond Elementary school in Shaker Heights. We asked them to share from their experiences about the challenges they encounter in teaching in the Lomond school building. The topics we discuss include: * What it’s like to teach in schools that don’t have air conditioning (and how that impacts the children/students) * What challenges they’ve encountered with the current (and limited) electrical system * How the current configuration of the building classrooms impacts teaching in the 21st century * Why reconfigurable space is necessary for individualized teaching and instruction * What is needed to create and enhance school safety at Lomond (with an example of school safety done well – at Warrensville Heights Elementary school) * What it means to be a Title 1 school (40% of the students live in homes below the poverty line) and what equity means for them * The problem of the lack of access (non-ADA compliance) I believe this episode is vital for residents interested in knowing why the school district needs this levy to pass. This podcast is hosted and produced by Mark Goode, a resident of Shaker Heights, on behalf of the Committee for Shaker Schools [https://www.buildingshakerschools.com/], a grassroots, citizen-based campaign organization that works to help pass Shaker Heights City School District levies and bond issues. The committee's primary mission is to inform voters about upcoming school levies and bond issues and to direct efforts toward ensuring their passage.