[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6208818,"mediaKeyId","3740621-f8b867b7e479ab1cab79e86d66d517b8","parentId",3740621,"title","District athletic director proposes pay-to-participate fees; board discusses equity and refunds if levy passes","audioSeconds",935,"startMs",3007000,"endMs",3942000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3740621-f8b867b7e479ab1cab79e86d66d517b8&start=3007&end=3942","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3740621-f8b867b7e479ab1cab79e86d66d517b8/thumbnail_3007000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6208818/Ohio/District-athletic-director-proposes-pay-to-participate-fees-board-discusses-equity-and-refunds-if-levy-passes","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6208818-4f733d20c6dfe3e37ce65d41b66a9f8c/orig.mp4?Expires=1770968174&Signature=BxDJpOjUlSnWzH8y3rxGW8tHsIgOiRPJ6JNhSX557345U5vzqtk~LbBpMUS75QZuQj0jkrTDGwf~O27z356WEQ3obrZ0MZe4ukA1XFjXTYQdcSUB52j3uxM1LRYPUoHrGn47K8FCO5Z3P8dvU9uSIbtsPipoY2H7yk1x~KmrdmsFgyhQLLGob8GSOf5vXylK6OtCcyd3GDqoCDP9dJUo96uDa6m9wpWCmYzSLvj~V-U5ko96O0whhDk8dRWmnB7n4yR8ByHkiQT09yhzfJ-TSwv8VP-laF2BB5ExqHQRBcTGCUbBvN~qDwWfwCi-MUEwi3R3OWI6JnnaIuQyMcTlWw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Garfield Heights School District","date","2025-06-10T11:18:42Z","article","Garfield Heights City School District’s athletic director presented a pay-to-participate proposal Monday that would charge students per activity to help address current budget shortfalls, pending board approval and legal review.

Coach Mike Cruz, the district’s athletic director, told the board he is “very much opposed to pay to participate” but presented the proposal as a financial necessity. The plan would charge $150 for participation in one activity, $250 for two activities (a $50 savings), and a maximum of $300 per student for three or more activities in a school year. Fees would be assessed per student, not per family.

Why it matters: Board members raised concerns about affordability, potential declines in participation and program viability. Staff said checks or electronic payments could be collected this fall but that funds would be refunded to families who paid if a November levy passes and the board decides to eliminate the fees.

Details of the proposal and board discussion:
- Fee structure and comparison: Cruz said the district’s proposed rates are “on the lower side” compared with other districts he surveyed (average reported aggregate about $172). The district would cap family cost per student at $300 if a student participates in three or more activities.
- Payment timing and method: Cruz initially favored payment by check to create a clear paper trail; board members discussed using Infinite Campus or Easy Pay for online payments and the complications of refunding electronic deposits if a levy passes. The board asked staff to consider cashier’s checks, ACH or other secure methods and to prepare for refunds if needed.
- Start of obligation: Cruz said the obligation would begin on the season competition date (the first official game or contest). He noted exceptions such as season-ending injury would be handled case-by-case and recommended a refund in those circumstances.
- Equity and participation risks: Board members warned the fee could reduce participation or push families to open-enroll elsewhere. The athletic director estimated the district could “lose up to half” of student participants in some programs if the fee is enacted, risking the ability to field teams in some sports.
- Policy and legal review: Cruz and Dr. Reynolds said staff will draft a formal policy and submit it to the district’s legal department; the board will review the policy and consider waiving readings if necessary to put a temporary policy in place before the fall season.
- Communications and contingency: Cruz said he has informed coaches that the plan is a “possibility” and that staff will distribute communications to families immediately once the board approves. He also proposed not cashing checks collected in the fall and returning them if the levy passes in November.

No vote was taken Monday. The board directed staff to draft policy language, coordinate legal review, and prepare communications for families. Several board members stressed that the measure should be temporary: Dr. Reynolds said the district would eliminate pay-to-participate if the levy passes and the board agrees to restore funding.

Board members and staff acknowledged the trade-offs: the proposals would raise revenue to sustain athletics and extracurriculars but risk reducing student access and participation. The board planned further policy discussion and legal review before any implementation.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Garfield Heights City Schools - June 9, 2025 - Special Board Meeting","oneSentenceSummary","Coach Mike Cruz presented a temporary pay-to-participate proposal to offset budget shortfalls: $150 for one activity, $250 for two, $300 maximum for three or more. The board discussed payment logistics, equity concerns and a plan to refund fees if a November levy succeeds; staff will draft policy for legal review.","taxTitle","Garfield Heights City Schools, School Districts, Ohio","taxId",38842,"location","Ohio","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6208823,"Garfield Heights reports mixed state test results, plans literacy-focused interventions",2262,734000,2996000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3740621-f8b867b7e479ab1cab79e86d66d517b8&start=734&end=2996","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3740621-f8b867b7e479ab1cab79e86d66d517b8/thumbnail_734000.jpg","/articles/6208823/Ohio/Garfield-Heights-reports-mixed-state-test-results-plans-literacy-focused-interventions","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6208823-7e3805391d1bd62f860b5b5a96d1a0ee/orig.mp4?Expires=1770968174&Signature=dwMkpFuZoQzhOlgdcjM8cNOyL25yTvqN7V4Qa~8l8e58o8s-3ZMFyTd6n73UIbuaEvgRv3hhcazreNDybJZvYTHmq8-mRXXRtQ2MRH3Ol-qlahZIj4S0WSE~N3SNPJCrfjSOFis6XYnGA3n-5PB9r4U7F6l~o0mqpgfDJYe4-cgL9mwsV4TNSjjXYYFaWUd5u95KOR~EKFKPv1rQFxGspn4rc1LL1oPzT4hnpBrwH9sMxCfXHjG7bUk4oC96GJ20Wzi7L1FjDCrZn~hjBKyUAxEd0GBli7mXhx5HzqTh0O198rkJ879mMOuNyxwYYTDljJEUF4nDDkq6z-wVOXir2w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Garfield Heights City School District officials on Monday presented year-end state testing and diagnostic data showing uneven performance across subjects and student groups and described a multi-pronged plan to boost literacy and core instruction.

The presentation to the Board of Education, led by Dr. Reynolds and instructional staff including “Miss Basia” and Dr. Stitt, reported gains in math and social studies but a decline in English language arts (ELA), and said more than half of students in three of four tested content areas were at the “basic” or “limited” levels — classifications the district identifies as not proficient.

Why it matters: ELA declines and persistent gaps for exceptional learners (students with disabilities) signal potential weaknesses in core instruction and intervention systems that the district says it will address through curriculum fidelity checks, expanded interventions, staffing changes and more frequent data monitoring.

District staff said the state-mandated, newly adopted ELA materials were in their first full year of implementation and acknowledged that transition and implementation fidelity can affect outcomes. “This is the year of full implementation of the new state mandated ELA curriculum,” Dr. Stitt said, listing adopted materials including Heggerty Foundations for K–5, Wit & Wisdom for K–3, EL Education for grades 4–8 and My Perspectives for high school.

Staff identified these specific findings and responses:
- Distric t results: Social studies and math showed upward trends; ELA declined this year. Staff said social studies has “consistently increased” while ELA performance dropped relative to last year. Exceptional learners showed inconsistent growth across assessments.
- Diagnostics and accountability: The district uses AIMSweb as its approved diagnostic screener for K–8 ELA and math; staff said AIMSweb 2 will be used next year for a social-emotional learning screener to connect behavioral and academic trends.
- Core instruction vs. interventions: Dr. Stitt explained “core instruction is their main curriculum, this grade-level content that the students should receive,” noting that weaknesses may stem from either how core instruction is delivered or unaddressed student learning gaps that require interventions.
- Targeted curriculum and programs: The district will monitor fidelity of the new K–3 foundations (Heggerty), expand interventions (UFLI for reading intervention; Wilson Just Words in intervention programs), and continue EL Education and My Perspectives at secondary grades.
- Scheduling and staffing changes: For grades 6–8 the district plans 90-minute blocks for ELA and math with the last 20–30 minutes devoted to small-group instruction; two additional Title teachers will be added at the middle school and intervention specialists will push into classrooms. The teaching-and-learning team will hold weekly instructional “huddles,” and coaches will be placed in each of the five buildings with content specialties.
- Monitoring and assessment cadence: Weekly data conversations in teacher-based teams (TBTs), quarterly all-grade-level data meetings, benchmarks and checkpoints from the state reporting system (CRS), and progress monitoring via AIMSweb and pathways/Indmentum for individualized remediation were described as the backbone of progress tracking.

District staff also discussed known limitations in the presented data: the OST/End-of-Course reports represent all students tested and can change when state “report card” data are finalized; some students are tested while enrolled elsewhere and remain in the tested pool; and diagnostic measures differ substantially between kindergarten (letter names/sounds) and grade 1 (oral reading fluency), which creates an expected performance gap at the K–1 transition.

Funding and resources: Board members asked how state support aligns with the new mandate. Dr. Stitt said the state provided approximately $125,000 last fiscal year toward curriculum purchases while the curriculum adoption totaled “close to $200,000,” meaning the district covered the remainder up front and is reimbursed later for some professional development costs. “We front the cost up out front and then we go back send this to them and they reimburse us,” Dr. Stitt said, adding that the state’s initial stipend and reimbursement model does not always cover ongoing implementation costs.

Board members asked about pace of change, equity and whether the new curriculum is being taught in self-contained classrooms for exceptional learners; staff said materials were provided to special education classrooms and that alignment and fidelity monitoring will be priorities.

The board did not take a formal vote on any instructional policy at the meeting. Staff described next steps as continued implementation and monitoring over the coming school year, weekly instructional huddles, paired walkthroughs with coaches and administrators, and targeted professional development designed to improve ELA outcomes and grade-level access for exceptional learners.","At a June 9 special work session, district staff presented state testing results showing gains in math and social studies but declines in English language arts and persistent gaps for students with disabilities; the district outlined curriculum, intervention and monitoring steps aimed at improving literacy and grade-level instruction next year.","actionData","errors"]

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District athletic director proposes pay-to-participate fees; board discusses equity and refunds if levy passes

Garfield Heights reports mixed state test results, plans literacy-focused interventions