CH-UH Board Expected to Introduce Lay Facilities Committee at Meeting Tuesday

The Cleveland Heights-University Heights School Board will have its regular meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 2 in the Board of Education Building.

The board is expected to introduce members of the newly formed lay facilities committee during the first portion of the meeting, according to one of the members of the committee.

The school board agreed to form a citizens facilities committee at its meeting Aug. 20. Reaching Heights and FutureHeights suggested it form this committee to help make recommendations and suggestions as they continue to work on and possibly modify the facilities master plan, or Plan C.

Plan C was approved by a narrow vote of 3-2 at the July 3 Board of Education Meeting, as was a resolution to put a $130.6 million bond issue on the November 2012 ballot that would have paid for a portion of the projected $206.2 million plan.

But the concern from residents prompted three board members to change their vote the next time around, so that instead of approving the bond issue on second reading 3-2, the board unanimously rejected it.

Click here for more background on the CH-UH Facilities Master Plan.

The lay facilities committee will host its first meeting at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 3 in Cleveland Heights High School’s Legacy New Tech small school. The space was renovated over the summer and is serving as one of the learning community pilots, a preview of the facilities master plan.

The committee is expected to select a chairperson and establish the mission of the group, according to a notice about the event.

The Heights Observer published the full list of committee members Sept. 29.

Board members said city officials, community leaders, alumni, PTA representatives, parents, teachers, voters without children in the district, union members, a private school representative, members of past facilities committees, board members, the administration and more should be on the 15- to 25-person committee. The committee should be tasked with creating alternate plans, engaging the community and coming up with marketing strategies, among other tasks, they suggested.

The full Oct. 2 agenda has been included with this article.