He had practically nothing to say about the facilities and bond levy.

Which is appropriate, as there have been no advancements in the needs analysis or in communicating with We The People.

Let me see if I have this right. The buildings need millions in repair that the BOE cannot afford to do. Build new buildings for $200,000,000, and then do not maintain them. Then, voila, we are back at the buildings need millions in repait that the BOE cannot afford to do. I could go on, but you probably get the point.

The last time that I check my bank balance, $40,000,000 was about one fifth of $200,000,000. I believe that most home owners in the two cities involved engage in routine maintenance. If we don't, we get cited by the City. Don't the schools get inspected?

Two things stand out for me:
1. The low rating of district in achievement tests. Heuer solution: All kids in grades 4-12 have ipad or laptop. However there is no evidence that this will help improve performance. Apparently this does not matter as he appears to be doing something even if it not focusing on the the 3 r's.
2. Heuer states the schools are not condusive to learning and therefore implies we need $200 million to rebuild them all. How is it Chagrin/Mayfield and other districts get by with buildings that are equally if not older than Heights yet in those districts there is no "outcry" for new buildings? In fact, I believe the Chagrin Middle school has parts that are over 100 years old.
All in all , this speech hs been repeated for as long as he has been there. Nothing new except for the manufactured "need" of $200 million to rebuild all the schools at the taxpayers expense.

What amazes me is how they can continually talk about how advanced we are, that we are on par with other districts, that we are being looked to as a school of the future.... if that is truly the case then our city, state and country are in deep trouble from an educational standpoint. I swear they are going through this with blinders on. Yes we have to look to the future and have a plan in place but we still need to focus on the basics and I fear that is being left in the dust.

Outside the box solution: Table $200 million levy. Rather than including all the schools, focus on just onerebuild/renovation that can be done on time/under budget. If successful, and I would hope that it would be, revisti the other schools.
To move forward on the present ill conceived, rudderless path is a recipe for disaster guaranteed. If passed it will accelerate the home price declines, encourage more price concious families to split for better districts with lower taxes, and most importantly does NOTHING to improve the school district in its present form. At present the only thing that the BOE and its toadies know how to do is raise taxes. And you can see where that has gotten the city and its schools.

The school district is only as good as the students that walk through the door. The problems in the schools are largely the problems of failed home situations for thousands of students that are enrolled in CH-UH. These are problems that Chagrin Falls and Mayfield for the most part do not have to deal with. There is no building in Mayfield that is as old as the oldest buildings (plural) in CH-UH. I can't speak to Chagrin Falls, but I do know that a lot of those buildings have seen renovations in recent years, making the numerical "age" almost a moot point.

If you want to argue that the buildings themselves are a moot point then that's fine, because there's a lot of truth to that. As mentioned above, students from supportive backgrounds will still do usually well in crappy buildings, and students from troubled backgrounds will often do poorly in immaculate facilities. That $200 million price tag, even with state aid, even spread out over decades, is still a tough pill to swallow. I get it. But there is still a bare minimum level of maintenance that CH-UH facilities absolutely need and that cost is going to be in the tens of millions of dollars. And I don't even know if that number takes into consideration the fact that Boulevard and Fairfax are already a decade past their respective shelf life.

UH res: 1st paragraph agreed to.
2nd paragraph: Just why should we trust a BOE that pays lip service to achievement tests, with a total rebuild of the schools? As another poster pointed out, why is there at present $40 million in deferred maintenance? Who is asleep at the the switch for the past 10 years? This is criminal and I mean that in all seriousness. As I pointed out Chagrin Middle School is for the most part is 100 years old yet it is maintained. Is it this Shergalis fellow who is in charge of basic maintenance? Or is it the snake oil salesman Heuer who deals with "big' ideas? Or is it the BOE who has their heads in the sand or is it just plain incompetence? Have you been on the Civic Commons discussion web site at the chuhfacilities.org page?
I have and they are all blathering idiots pining about "sustainable" schools and "swing" classrooms/schools while in the mean time property values continue to plummet and the for sale signs grow like weeds with folks itching to get out of town asap. Think about it.

Michael, I think you're talking about Chagrin Intermediate School (Grades 4-6), not Chagrin Middle, which is a newer building. Chagrin Intermediate is quite old, but has been renovated. Not sure if that school backs up your argument.

Boulevard & Fairfax are in bad shape. That doesn't mean the whole district needs a new building. Replacing one school is much different than a whole district of schools. The district is probably going to close an elementary school either way, so pick the crummiest building and move everyone else around.

It all comes down to wither or not the residents of the district feel they have the money for these renovations or new constructions. But I hope if the school board goes through with this, they at least do it in a way that cuts down on the buildings maintenance.