Garfield Heights board accepts president's resignation, approves interim superintendent and moves levy renewal to ballot

The Garfield Heights City School District Board of Education on June 15 accepted the resignation of Board President Ashley Thomas‑Jefferson effective June 30, 2026, and commended her service. The board adopted resolution 2026‑14 to acknowledge the vacancy and directed the treasurer to notify the Educational Service Center of Northeast Ohio and the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections.

Mrs. Thomas‑Jefferson spoke briefly, thanking colleagues and reflecting on her service: "This is the era of my life that I didn't expect to end at this moment. I am just so thankful to be sitting at this table amongst you," she said.

The board also approved an interim superintendent employment contract with Samuel Bottsford (resolution passed by roll call).

Budget and fiscal actions: the board approved May 2026 financials, adopted appropriation amendment 2026‑32 to close out the current fiscal year and passed permanent appropriations resolution 2026‑33 to set the legal FY27 spending limit (the treasurer said the FY27 appropriation total is around $56 million). The treasurer explained payroll timing and federal/state grant timing as reasons to update appropriations periodically.

Levy action: by roll call the board approved resolution 2026‑39 to submit a no‑increase $4.1 million renewal levy to the voters; the district’s staff noted the levy will be subject to roll-back and, if approved, will run for five years under current law. The treasurer explained that if a levy similar to this fails, a future replacement could result in higher effective tax rates for residents.

Other governance actions: the board accepted the resignation of the treasurer (resolution 2026‑40) and adopted resolution 2026‑43 honoring the departing board president. The board also adopted a cybersecurity policy (resolution 2026‑38), approved revisions to the K–12 student dress and grooming handbook language, and approved a settlement agreement with an administrator, Michael Cruz, rescinding a prior non‑renewal.

Votes at a glance (roll call results as recorded): - Agenda amendment (add item 16.15): unanimous yes (5–0). - Adoption of amended agenda: unanimous yes (5–0). - May financials approval: unanimous yes (5–0). - Appropriation amendments (2026‑32 and 2026‑33): unanimous yes (5–0). - Interim superintendent contract (item 9.1): approved (5–0). - Acceptance of Ashley Thomas‑Jefferson resignation (2026‑14): approved; Thomas‑Jefferson abstained as noted in the record. - Cybersecurity policy (2026‑38): approved (5–0). - Levy resolution to submit to electors (2026‑39): approved (5–0). - Student handbook dress/grooming changes: approved (5–0). - Settlement with Michael Cruz (18.3): approved (5–0).

What happens next: Treasurer will submit required notices to county election officials and the Educational Service Center; staff will finalize ballot language once county calculations (DTE‑40 form) are returned and will pursue implementation tasks tied to approved appropriations.

Ending: Following votes and remaining agenda items, the board moved into executive session for personnel matters and scheduled the next public meeting for the following Monday at 6:00 p.m.