Maple Leaf principal cites improved performance index and falling absenteeism at Garfield Heights meeting
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Summary
At the Dec. 15 Garfield Heights board meeting, Maple Leaf Principal Mike Ferlino reported a rise in the school’s performance index and a drop in chronic absenteeism, while outlining specific interventions for declining ELA scores and new community partnerships to support students.
Mike Ferlino, principal of Maple Leaf, told the Garfield Heights City School District Board of Education on Dec. 15 that the school and district have posted measurable gains in recent years while targeting remaining gaps.
“We are a 3 star school district,” Ferlino said, summarizing the district’s current rating (two stars in achievement, three in progress and two in gap‑closing). He told the board the district’s performance index rose from 56.3 to 60.1 compared with the prior reporting period.
Ferlino said the district identified declines in English language arts for fourth and fifth grades and has introduced a 40‑minute intervention block with biweekly reassessments to place students in flexible small groups. He credited steady increases in math and science to ongoing instructional supports and pointed to subgroup movement away from the lowest performance band as evidence of progress.
Attendance also figured prominently. Ferlino told the board chronic absenteeism fell from about 47% in 2023 to roughly 32% currently. He described a package of incentives — dubbed “Stay in the Game,” weekly and monthly raffles, and public recognition — and partnerships with organizations such as CareSource and a Communities‑in‑Schools‑style program led by Paige Tanner to reinforce family engagement and student supports.
Ferlino highlighted several school initiatives that staff say support academic and social needs: a districtwide food pantry and clothing closet started by guidance staff; an expanded gifted‑education program that hosted a virtual NASA career event; experiential field trips to Hale Farm and the Natural History Museum; and extracurricular options such as bucket drumming and an art club.
The principal also noted community fundraising: a Penny Wars drive yielded about $600 in donations that were matched to more than $1,200 during a radio‑station visit. Ferlino opened the floor for board questions after the presentation.
Why it matters: The presentation ties classroom interventions, family engagement and community partnerships to the district’s recent rises in its performance index and lower chronic absenteeism rates. Those figures help shape district planning and priorities for the coming school year.
What’s next: Board members did not take formal action on the presentation itself; the superintendent and principal left the board with an open request for ongoing support for targeted interventions and partnerships.