Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Mark Smithberger will be recommended for the job for the start of the next school year.
On May 16, SHS Now said on Facebook that a recommendation will be made to the Strongsville Board of Education to make Mark Smithberger the next principal of the high school. On the district's website, the high school is already congratulating Smithberger for the promotion. "SHS would like to Welcome Mr. Smithberger as our next SHS Principal. He will be replacing Mr. Steffen for next school year.We would like to give a big 'THANK YOU' to Mr. Steffen for his time of fine leadership and wish him the best in his retirement!" Smithberger has been assistant principal for the last three years. Prior to his career in Strongsville, he was also an athletic director for another school district. The next school board meeting is scheduled for …
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Here's what's been going on in Strongsville
A rundown of the top Strongsville stories this week: Teachers strike costs city cash -- Strongsville has to transfer money into police account to cover the cost of overtime from security during the strike. School enrollment dips -- Officials expect a significant decrease in the number of students next year. Homes in foreclosure -- 11 properties go to sheriff's sale in May. Road work ahead -- The city hires an engineer to unsnarl traffic at the Albion-Prospect roads intersection. Upgrades at schools -- Plans for building a new middle school and updating other buildings are moving forward quickly. Schools to cut pay-to-play fees -- The superintendent recommends reducing pay-to-participate costs by at least half. Man living in woods -- …
Friday, May 10, 2013
Ball is rolling on several improvements in Strongsville district
School officials have wasted no time in tackling improvement projects they promised with an $81 million bond issue. Six months after voters approved the issue, several of the projects are already under way and officials are knee-deep in planning the others. An overview, according to Business Manager Mark Donnelly: • Wireless network at elementary schools -- The district has decided to wire the elementary buildings for the Internet with in-house staff, and could have the job done by the end of summer. "I know that's aggressive, but I think we can do it," Donnelly said. • Preschool expansion -- Bids will be opened in June, and construction of a new activity area and offices, plus new windows and other items, will be done this summer. "We'…
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Students in Strongsville will dip below 6,000 next year; teachers will likely be laid off, official says
Enrollment in the Strongsville City Schools is expected to dip below 6,000 next school year, a sign of an aging population and -- potentially -- the effects of the eight-week teachers strike. Assistant Superintendent Cameron Ryba said he is projecting the 6,200-member student body will drop to 5,800 for the 2013-14 school year. "Enrollment continues to decline," Ryba said. Ryba said the effects are being seen first in elementary schools. While Strongsville High School is graduating classes of well over 500, kindergarten registration hovers at about 250 a year. He is estimating that next school year, the high school's enrollment will drop by 41 students and the middle schools will lose 63. The elementary schools, meanwhile, will lose 300…
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
City has to transfer money to cover expense of security at schools
The eight-week teachers' strike in Strongsville cost the city $275,100 in police overtime and benefits. City Council Monday night transfered $231,800 into the police department's account to cover the salaries of officers stationed outside schools, meetings and school board members' homes during the eight-week strike, and another $43,300 in to the police pension fund. "That's a lot of potholes," Councilman at large Duke Southworth commented during a committee meeting Monday night. "It was a huge inconvenience to the taxpayers of the community," Mayor Tom Perciak replied. "But we're sworn to provide safety, and that's what we're going to do." The first four weeks of the strike cost the city $135,000 in police overtime, Finance Director Joe…
Monday, May 6, 2013
Superintendent recommends chopping sports costs in half and eliminating general education fee
Superintendent John Krupinski is recommending the district cut pay-to-play fees in half and eliminate the general education fee in the 2013-14 school year. Krupinski last week asked the School Board to consider getting rid of the $60-per-student general education fee, and cutting the pay-to-participate charges by at least half. He suggested dropping the fee at the high school from the current $400 per sport to $200, and the fee at the middle schools from $300 to $150. Another option, he said, would be to cut cut the middle school fee even more -- to $100. The reductions were first mentioned last month, when the district received a $3.2 million windfall in unexpected tax revenue. Strongsville schools are "probably at the top" of the scale…
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Here's what's been going on in Strongsville
A rundown of the top news stories in Strongsville this week: Teachers strike ends -- Both the union and School Board ratify a contract, ending the eight-week old strike. Strike aftermath -- Classes are canceled Monday so substitutes can gather their belongings and teachers can set up. A Strongsville High School teacher who crossed the picket line reports that her property is damaged when other teachers or students move it from one room to another. Crime is down -- The Strongsville Police Department's annual report shows many offenses were down in 2012. Computer scam reported -- The first incident of a nationwide computer scam is reported in Strongsville. Teacher complaints fielded -- Building principals are handling a number of concerns…
Friday, May 3, 2013
First School Board meeting since teachers' strike is low key; only 3 parents speak
Superintendent John Krupinski called on staff, parents and the community to come together in the wake of the eight-week teachers strike, which came to an end at the beginning of this week. "As we begin this new chapter, we still have the same goal -- to work together as a team," Krupinski said at a School Board meeting Thursday night. The meeting was low-key and sparsely attended, in sharp contrast to the last session, when more than 700 people filled the auditorium at Strongsville High School. Only one police officer guarded the hallway, and only three people asked to speak during the public comment session. The strike's aftermath nonetheless set the tone for the meeting: • Parent Peggy Uhler said she was disappointed in the board for …
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Strongsville High School is investigating incident
The healing has not begun quite yet in the aftermath of the Strongsville teachers strike. A Spanish teacher at Strongsville High School who crossed the picket line and returned to work several weeks ago arrived Tuesday morning to find some of her belongings had been moved from one classroom to another -- and ruined in the process. High School Principal William Steffen said he is looking into it. "I'm not sure we're going to find out who did it, but we're investigating it," he said. Rumors of the vandalism swirled on Facebook throughout the day, with parents saying Maria Schleich was in tears when she found her property damaged. Here's what happened, according to Steffen: Some of Schleich's belongings, including paper wall hangings, were…
So far, few parents have asked to have their children removed from classrooms after strike
Strongsville teachers returned to their classrooms Tuesday morning after an eight-week strike and, for the most part, students did, too. Assistant Superintendent Cameron Ryba said that as of mid-day Tuesday, he had heard of fewer than five cases where parents insisted their children be removed from a teacher's class. He acknowledged, though, that there have been other incidents he is not involved in. "I'm sure there are others the (building) principals are handling," Ryba said. "This is going to be an evolving process." With tempers running high on both sides of the issue, a number of parents cited the behavior of certain teachers during the strike and said they do not want them teaching their children. Ryba said principals are working …
SHSparent86
12:30 pm on Saturday, May 11, 2013
One plan has a longer driveway and the field in place, which probably works better for traffic flow since the school will have many more students. The other plan moves the field. Both are up on school website. more ›