Jan. 28, 2016 – The Cleveland Heights-University Heights Board of Education held a joint meeting with city officials from University Heights on Thursday evening.
As they did during Monday’s meeting with Cleveland Heights city officials, CH-UH School District staff provided University Heights city leaders with an update on the construction underway at Heights High School at the corner of Cedar and Lee.
School officials discussed the transition of the Wiley campus in University Heights when the high school returns to its original building in 2017. At that time, both Monticello and Roxboro Middle Schools will move into Wiley for two years. The schools will remain separate in name but will share some common space such as the cafeteria, gyms and auditorium.
Board Vice President Ron Register shared that the high school project is currently tracking over 30 percent for EDGE (Encouraging Diversity, Growth and Equity) participation in using vendors that qualify as DBE (Disadvantaged Business Enterprise).
School officials also touched on the middle school renovation process, which is in the initial design phase. Architects and designers with Moody Nolan hosted a visioning session on Monday with staff and students from both Monticello and Roxboro middle schools.
Superintendent Dr. Talisa Dixon provided city officials with materials on the District’s new Strategic Plan and outlined a number of updates regarding the implementation of the plan:
- All school safety plans have been completed per a new state requirement. CH-UH is one of a handful of school districts that is far ahead of the state-mandated deadline of May 2016.
- The District is planning to start a pre-kindergarten program at Oxford Elementary in 2016-2017.
- CH-UH is expanding its Options program for high school students, providing more avenues to recover credits and graduate on time.
- The District’s CTE program, the Tri-Heights Consortium, is expanding to include new courses and certifications.
- Canterbury Elementary is expected to be IB (International Baccalaureate) authorized following its final visit in the spring. Monticello Middle School is also expecting IB authorization in 2017.
City of University Heights officials detailed their current efforts, including an expanded road reconstruction program this upcoming summer. The city has seen budget surpluses for a number of years and plans to use some of savings to work on its roads.
University Heights is also pursuing a number of grants. The city was one of four cities, along with Cleveland Heights, Parma Heights and Olmsted Falls, that was awarded a master planning grant by Cuyahoga County.
Next Meeting
The CH-UH Board of Education will hold its next regular meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 2, at 7:00 p.m. at the Board of Education offices in University Heights.