Board Update

Good Afternoon:

As we near Election Day, just a reminder that the North Royalton School District has a renewal levy on the May 4, 2010 ballot. This renewal levy WILL NOT increase taxes and passage is vital to allow our district to maintain current programs and services. Please spread the word to your friends and neighbors to vote YES on issue 8!

If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to give me at call at 440-785-4240 or e-mail me at dan.langshaw@northroyaltonsd.org.


LAST WEEK IN YOUR SCHOOL BOARD

On April 19th, I held my Monthly Constituent Coffee at the French Quarter Café. I just wanted to thank those who stopped by to give me their feedback. I hold these monthly coffees in order to stay in touch with fellow residents and listen to their feedback. There is no appointment necessary. Simply stop by and talk to me. I will keep you posted when my next monthly coffee in May will be.

I attended the North Royalton PTA’s Founders Day Celebration and Installation of Officers held on April 22nd at the North Royalton High School Media Center. Individuals were recognized for National PTA Life Achievement Awards, Ohio PTA Achievement Awards, PTA Honorary Awards, and Past PTA Presidents. I truly enjoyed hearing about the accomplishments of great PTA members and distinguished staff members! Our district is truly lucky to have so many dedicated parents in our excellent PTAs! For those who were unable to attend, you missed a really great time and even a nice recipe for Pork Tenderloin. However, by popular demand attached is a copy of the recipe. Again, congrats to all those who were recognized and to all the newly installed PTA Officers!

April 23rd-24th I attended the Ohio School Boards Association’s Board Leadership Institute Seminar held down in Columbus with three of my colleagues on the School Board. The seminar focused on a variety of issues that face school boards and education in Ohio. I found this extremely informative and learned a lot from the various breakout sessions that I attended. It was also neat to have an opportunity to interact with school board members from all over the state of Ohio. The seminar ended with State Superintendent Deborah Delisle giving an update on various issues affecting education in the state of Ohio.


THIS WEEK IN YOUR SCHOOL BOARD

The City Recreation Board will be meeting on April 28th at 6pm @ City Hall
13834 Ridge Rd. North Royalton, OH 44133

Valley Vista Nature Center
Over the past six months, we have been meeting with several groups to discuss how we currently utilize the area behind Valley Vista Elementary School more commonly known as our “Nature Center”. The large wooded area has several ponds and streams throughout the property and some pathways. In the past, some high school classes along with a number of elementary classes used the area for curricular issues such as science experiments and just getting out and exploring nature. As a result, many upgrades are currently under way and we wanted to make you aware in case you hear “rumors” about us developing the property or tearing down the forest. We have been working with the Ohio Dept. of Natural Resource on a number of issues and they have recommended that we do a small amount of “thinning” of the trees to allow the canopy of the trees to open up and allow some sunlight to the lower trees and vegetation below. We are also constructing additional pathways that will be lined with wood chips and constructing some bridges that will allow people to cross the stream areas. Once this project is complete, we believe that both the schools and the community will have a better area to come and explore nature.

Albion Elementary Cell Tower
Several months ago, the school district negotiated a contract with a cellular tower provider for the construction and placement of a cell tower on the back property at Albion Elementary School. The revenue that we will receive from this project will be “earmarked” for our educational technology that is used in the buildings. The construction of the tower is scheduled to begin next week and should be completed in late May. The schools have held pre-construction meetings with the contractors to review the logistics of the project to ensure the safety of the staff and students.

Renewal Levy
Just a reminder that the North Royalton School District has a renewal levy on the
May 4, 2010 ballot. This renewal levy WILL NOT increase taxes and passage is vital to allow our district to maintain current programs and services. This levy is a combination of two issues, the first of which was passed in 1990 and was last renewed in 2005. The levy will continue to raise $6,695,000 annually. Please vote YES on issue 8!

SAVE the Date for the next SCENE
The North Royalton School District will host the next SCENE event at 7pm May 6th in the Royal View Elementary School Media Center, 13220 Ridge Rd. SCENE, which stands for school community exchange night for education, is an informal opportunity to ask questions of the school district administration. Hope to see you there!


Have a Great Week!

Dan Langshaw
North Royalton School Board Member
440-785-4240
www.danlangshaw.com

“Putting Students First”