Board hears education report: field trips, PSI services, special‑education policy and large donor gifts to athletic facilities

The board received multiple education and policy items during the business portion of the meeting, including proposed field trips, an annual services contract, adoption of state model special education procedures and large donor gifts for athletics.

Education staff presented field‑trip proposals for Lakewood High School: a March 2025 trip to Cincinnati, Covington and Louisville for softball and university visits, and a longer international trip to England, Scotland and France scheduled March 26–April 4, 2027. The international itinerary includes Edinburgh, York, Warwick, Stratford‑upon‑Avon, Oxford, London and Paris with visits to historic and cultural sites.

The report listed a proposed service agreement with PSI Associates Inc. to provide professional auxiliary services (e.g., speech/language) for students in non‑public schools located in the district; the transcript records a per‑provider figure: “each language pathologist, $4,044.60,” with additional services billed hourly under district direction.

On policy matters, the board was presented with a resolution to adopt the model special education policies and procedures prepared by the Ohio Department of Education. The presenter said the Ohio operating standards for the education of children with disabilities require districts to adopt written policies and procedures; the district chose to meet that obligation by adopting the state’s model policies.

Staff also disclosed three donor gifts to support athletics and facilities: Lakewood Athletic Boosters donated $155,000 toward the weight room at Lakewood High School; the Lakewood Rangers Educational Foundation donated $20,000 to the weight room and an additional $30,000 for a new baseball‑stadium scoreboard. Board members publicly thanked donors.

Why it matters: the field trips and services affect student programming; the special education policy adoption aligns district procedures with state operating standards; the gifts represent significant private funding for athletic facilities and capital items.

The items were reported to the board as part of the education and policy reports; the transcript does not record a roll‑call vote on the PSI contract or the policy resolution during this meeting.