Lakewood residents urge board to keep seven neighborhood elementary schools open as task force deliberates

Hundreds of residents and several board members pressing the Lakewood Board of Education on April 7 called for preserving the district's seven neighborhood elementary schools as a facilities task force reviews options to address enrollment and budget pressures.

The public-comment period filled with speakers who cited walkability, the social-emotional impacts on students and the district's recent $100 million investment in three rebuilt elementary buildings as reasons to avoid closures. "Families choose Lakewood for a reason. For many families, that reason is walkability," said Amanda Kyber, a Virginia Avenue resident. "We should be fighting to protect it even when doing so comes at a cost."

Why this matters: The elementary facilities task force has been meeting since last August to consider scenarios about building use, capacity and program location. Board members said they have been attending task-force meetings as observers and now plan to stop attending so the group can deliberate independently before making recommendations to administration and the board.

Public comments recurred around several themes: preserving walkable, neighborhood-based schools; fears that closing a building would displace families who rely on short walks or local before- and after-care; the potential erosion of community trust after recent capital investments; and concerns that consolidating facilities could increase absenteeism among at-risk students. Elena McCourt, a Lake Avenue resident whose children attend Lincoln Elementary, told the board that closing or repurposing a recently opened building "will erode trust and support with the very community members needed to pass a new levy." She cited a district estimate that closing one or two schools would save roughly $500,000 per year while the treasurer projected larger operating deficits of about $6 million in 2026 and $13 million in 2028.

Several speakers urged alternatives to closure. Parents and staff recommended exploring redistricting first, maintaining decentralized preschool in neighborhood schools, and finding creative ways to keep class sizes equitable without eliminating neighborhood buildings. "We shouldn't be trying to compete with locally owned and operated centers that can offer year-round care," said Kelly Moyer, a parent of four who attends Lincoln programs.

Some task-force members and speakers urged the board to consider state-level pressures when weighing options. Board member comments referenced recent proposals in Columbus that could change how underutilized school buildings are treated; board members said planning ahead may help the district retain local control.

What board members said at the meeting: President Katzenberger and other board members praised the task force's turnout and diligence. The board emphasized that no final recommendation has been made and described the process as ongoing: "We want time to sit with the information for a little while," one board member said, urging the public to allow the process to play out.

Ending: The task force will continue its remaining meetings to narrow scenarios and produce recommendations for the administration and board. Meanwhile, dozens of residents who spoke at the April 7 meeting said they will press the district to preserve neighborhood schools and to ensure any future levy request is framed to maintain the features that drew families to Lakewood.