[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-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",[32,76,88],{"_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",5984314,"mediaKeyId","5775894-b7264068875b5ebaebcecc5566335fe7","parentId",5775894,"title","Parents protest $150 marching-band fee as district outlines $9.5 million shortfall and policy review","audioSeconds",2205,"startMs",3676870,"endMs",5882820,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5775894-b7264068875b5ebaebcecc5566335fe7&start=3676&end=5882","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5775894-b7264068875b5ebaebcecc5566335fe7/thumbnail_3676870.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/5984314/Ohio/Parents-protest-150-marching-band-fee-as-district-outlines-95-million-shortfall-and-policy-review","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/5984314-54be0d24df35ced38b897940729d9e3c/orig.mp4?Expires=1770670888&Signature=g~SPcznelC8qqiCfsS-nwb3AqJzsIf2UoW9UQAm-yVEYz3fmYNu5NdRHSugg15TCSowet5HaBmu8t7ubc3BA4JCT7ULMAzF5UpXwblxjk7Axm34N6MKthZfeyDlPlz7W9ghCaDZ76isi3ZZAa56MIPnRaqdRccnyyc6ZQcWBzULCax36Z4ePUWi~linx6PzJelytAqIWCj41vE1xtPXT~axNnb9sNbNdsm1b50dgDr~fGJKziErW6Ju-VxYsOeEN3K0lmrKcsUZbSE~ycwceDRnF7D-GZPRAzjxUMuF81ozk0~E4CRAS0jEl~5r7B7XRMm-k19kyCUKTi1Ug0GharQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Garfield Heights School District","date","2025-09-16T00:00:00Z","article","Parents, students and boosters confronted the Garfield Heights City Schools board Sept. 15 over a newly announced fee for marching-band participation, while district leaders described severe budget pressures and a plan to develop a formal pay-to-participate policy.
Several parents and the band-boosters president urged the board to rescind or delay a $150 marching-band participation fee they said would prevent students from attending graded events. \"This board has chosen to block kids from contests, parades, and performances,\" parent Renee Bolton told the board. \"Many events which are part of their grade, unless their families can pay.\" Booster president Valerie Toney said the community is low-income and asked the district to avoid excluding students: \"Which child sitting here tonight would you tell that they can't participate because they can't pay?\" she asked.
Superintendent Dr. Reynolds and other administrators said the district is working under acute fiscal pressures and that the pay-to-participate matter must follow district policy procedures. \"We will present something to the board for next month's board meeting, and then we'll go ahead and take it to probably November in order to make a decision on how we're gonna be moving forward with policy,\" Dr. Reynolds said. He described the action as an administrative proposal to be vetted by the policy committee, not an immediate board-enforced suspension of students.
Deja Bailey, a district staff member who spoke to parents at the meeting, said, \"When it comes to band class, your grade will not be affected by marching band.\" A student speaker, Brianna Matthew, disputed that characterization, saying graded out-of-school activities are recorded in the district system and that inability to pay could affect GPA.
The board heard the district's broader financial forecast during the meeting: administration and the treasurer said the district faces a projected $9.5 million shortfall for fiscal year 2027 and proposed reductions including 20 teaching positions and 10 operations positions to address that gap. Treasurer Phil O'Kove said the district already reduced about $4.5 million earlier in the year but that without additional revenue the state could put the district under oversight or pursue a territory transfer to another district. He also said the state had cut district funding by 2 percent for the next biennium (4 percent cumulative) and warned of possible federal cuts to IDEA-B funding.
Board members asked for clear public communications and more time for families if administratively feasible. Dr. Reynolds said the district would follow the policy-committee process and that the administration could provide additional time if necessary. Community members offered to help raise funds; one speaker said his nonprofit could collect donations so families could be covered.
No new district policy was approved at the meeting and administration did not set a final deadline in public; Dr. Reynolds said he would bring a formal proposal to the board in the coming weeks and route it to the policy committee for review before any implementation decision.
","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Garfield Heights City Schools - September 15, 2025 - Regular Board Meeting","oneSentenceSummary","Parents and students told the Garfield Heights board that a proposed $150 fee for marching-band participation would bar low-income students from graded activities. Superintendent Dr. Reynolds said the administration will propose a formal pay-to-participate policy to the policy committee next month; the board was also briefed on a projected $9.5'M ","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},5984319,"District consultant lays out five-year strategic plan; board to review before public release",866,2087290,2953290,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5775894-b7264068875b5ebaebcecc5566335fe7&start=2087&end=2953","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5775894-b7264068875b5ebaebcecc5566335fe7/thumbnail_2087290.jpg","/articles/5984319/Ohio/District-consultant-lays-out-five-year-strategic-plan-board-to-review-before-public-release","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/5984319-abc2d5ecf87472d77ef08b00e76c9341/orig.mp4?Expires=1770670889&Signature=Idyzpu5n9z2AlnSPXqAtaenzMK2X3DeLgBePFpS06GMLQ3UiLaNJ~9-oP3gxj6b8UX9qs4RxzH4Rs65XJBparjGRXCaLWMP5eUjZdlyubfbF94b2xlm8G1j1rZs0hq4yxPr-42MExFcwVnjgiZGgYOvfRqXMm0rcYD-HLPsuG3lY8uO0rq28TTYeehdFmzXnKfd7ku3Fy9ieWZOvVQqui0EDKbQm6FamSiuPd3bj4AlJ4ama-N7Xv~3Dc62CEoKQujPF~rVqhBGdEzuPoQ91OEGWtEOQAKjlyVIK8tM6Ffyu~OK90pohI5Xx5Aj4fHXTxNhREpxVj-G8SjgE6Mp74w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Paul Pendleton (consultant with the ESC) presented a draft long-range strategic plan to the Garfield Heights City Schools board on Sept. 15, saying the plan seeks community ownership, measurable goals, and active implementation over five years.
Pendleton described a multi-stage planning process: a lead team and larger stakeholder meetings, focus groups, a one-day planning retreat, and action teams that drafted specific strategies and action plans. He said the process produced core values, a mission and a vision that emphasize personalized pathways, innovation and community partnership.
The plan lays out five broad goals, Pendleton said: strengthen fiscal responsibility and pass renewal levies to sustain operations; raise academic success so all students demonstrate increased annual growth (the presentation cited a target of \"one-and-a-half years\" growth for some students); increase parent engagement significantly by 2030; develop a district-wide communications plan; and ensure student discipline is applied consistently according to the code of conduct.
Pendleton said implementation has already begun in some areas and that action teams will produce periodic evaluations. He said the board has not yet given final approval; he asked that the board review the packet provided to members and that the administration produce a community-facing brochure after board approval.
Superintendent Dr. Reynolds said the packet will become a working document, and that staff will begin printing a brochure and scheduling public engagement once the board acts. No formal board vote on the strategic plan occurred at the Sept. 15 meeting.
Board members thanked the consultants and staff for their work and asked for public access to the materials; Dr. Reynolds said the district will make the summary available after the board's review and approval process and will revisit progress every six months.
","An external consultant described a five-goal strategic plan for Garfield Heights that emphasizes fiscal responsibility, academic growth, parent engagement, communications, and consistent discipline; the plan will be presented to the board for approval and shared publicly after that review.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},5984325,"Garfield Heights special education director outlines programs and staffing shortfalls",685,646840,1332229,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5775894-b7264068875b5ebaebcecc5566335fe7&start=646&end=1332","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5775894-b7264068875b5ebaebcecc5566335fe7/thumbnail_646840.jpg","/articles/5984325/Ohio/Garfield-Heights-special-education-director-outlines-programs-and-staffing-shortfalls","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/5984325-3e1acd9c10bb5c46787cb0213bc84328/orig.mp4?Expires=1770670888&Signature=nnqhIGAvSNUrxi42FtDkngby1D61T1AT~9R5IuGnbAUil8jfOItRwC9MmQBtXHPKEP0eI-yLi4p-Ze1XuvQQp6Ti2RxDWC50owT-DAVP86kVxTRNY9Wmp1qIm22TFVdB6ceaYEuJ5yvm4TDr~1h~khaCtrVuJxDeWnUSnZDTckv9M6APDXlEYFaBZpNRO~TfD2aKAr~NwOnGZCmVjZ-gQ3~OLEs14oo4I6dGx5iyav3W-AgojDbLZAZj1W8Pc~jnAMz4NvNtqFvdz~7i6H8-7LakyzDsdusZ0Bc3ZoO5UW1w~LzHpaCeXgHvZkvwpDs3ga84hpwi7oyVPqyzxjia8g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Jonah Forte, the district's director of special education, presented the department's annual report to the Garfield Heights City Schools board on Sept. 15, detailing student counts, staffing levels, and active programs.
Forte said the district currently serves 511 students identified for special education services and has 38 students placed outside district schools, down from 52 a year earlier. He said 64 students use the John Peterson and autism scholarship options and that placements take students to roughly 18 external locations.
Forte described current staffing: 36 intervention specialists distributed across buildings, six speech-language pathologists, seven combined occupational/physical therapists, 28 paraprofessionals focused on special education classrooms, six nurses (with a seventh to be added), and four board-certified behavior analysts and registered behavior technicians. He said 32 of those positions are provided by contracting agencies rather than Garfield Heights employees.
\"Short answer is no. We're not fully staffed,\" Forte said when asked whether the district has enough intervention specialists. He listed openings the district would like to fill: three intervention specialists at the high school, one at the middle school, one at Maple Leaf, one cross-categorical teacher at William Foster and two pre-K special education teachers.
Forte reviewed programs he said the district is using to raise outcomes: Each Child on Track (a state cohort program focused on academics, attendance and behavior), trauma-informed student support services (TISS) in partnership with Cleveland Clinic to speed mental-health access, Beyond Words music therapy extended into pre-K, Fieldstone Farm experiential placements, and pre-apprenticeship pathways with local partners including a hospitality cohort and paid training opportunities connected to nearby universities. He also described a drone and IT training partnership with Walsh University that includes FAA testing for students.
The director presented trend data showing gradual improvement in the district's special-education graduation metrics compared with the state target. He said the most recent state-assigned special education report-card data available to the district covered 2022-23 and that newer data was expected in December.
Board members and the superintendent raised funding and state-level concerns during the discussion. Treasurer Phil O'Kove (spelled several ways in the transcript) and other speakers warned about state and federal funding pressure; elsewhere in the meeting a district official said the state reduced its base funding by 2 percent for the upcoming biennium (4 percent cumulative) and that proposed federal changes could affect IDEA-B grant funding.
Forte said the department uses standing meetings, quarterly visits for students placed out of district and quarterly state meetings to track progress. He emphasized contracting with outside providers when Garfield Heights cannot recruit employees directly: \"Of all these staff, 32 are contracted. That means 32 of these staff members are not direct Garfield Heights employees.\" No board action was taken at the meeting on staffing or program changes.
Any follow-up actions or data Forte said would be available later in the year include December report-card releases and continued quarterly meetings with the Ohio ESE cohort to track the Each Child on Track work.
","Director Jonah Forte told the school board the district has 511 students in special education, dozens of outside placements and heavy reliance on contracted staff, and described programs aimed at improving graduation and mental-health support.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Parents protest $150 marching-band fee as district outlines $9.5 million shortfall and policy review

District consultant lays out five-year strategic plan; board to review before public release

Garfield Heights special education director outlines programs and staffing shortfalls