Cleveland Schools make more information accessible to the public
by Chuck Hoven

(Plain Press, April 2008) At the March Work Session of the Cleveland Municipal School District, a number of measures were taken that should result in greater public access to information about the school district and the board that governs it.

First the district announced that information about the school facilities construction plan (the District’s Capital Program) is now available online at www.cmsdnet.net/newschools.
Residents interested in checking on an individual school can go to that site and click on “segments” to be taken to a list of school by years the district is working them. For example under “Segment 3: 2005-2007” you will find Buhrer School. The listing provides the following information: “Buhrer, K-8, 1600 Buhrer Avenue: 81-year-old building has been demolished. Currently enrollment is 443 at Kentucky Swing site. New building sized for 350, to be opened in late fall 2008. Will serve a portion of the eastern area of the Lincoln West Academic neighborhood.”

Under Segment 4: 2006-2008 you can take a look at the status of the new Thomas Jefferson School on W. 46th Street just south of Clark. The listing reads: “Thomas Jefferson, K-8, 3145 West 46th Street. Old building demolished. New building will hold 785 students. Property has been acquired to improve the site. Thomas Jefferson serves the southwestern portion of the Lincoln West academic neighborhood.” The Thomas Jefferson site includes a diagram of the three floors of the proposed building and an outline of the proposed expansion of the site.

At the March Business meeting the board budgeted $175,000 for the demolition of nine houses it purchased to expand the site around the new Thomas Jefferson School. District officials said the site expansion would allow for greater area for the circulation of traffic around the school and for green space and a play area for the children attending the new school. They revealed that they had purchased nine houses to expand the site and are in negotiations to purchase one additional house.

Responding to persistent questioning and insistence by board members Rashidah Abdulhaqq, Louise Dempsey and Natalie Peterson, CEO Sanders and his staff agreed to several additional features to the district’s online presence and its presentation of data to the board and the public to allow for greater openness, greater access, and easier understanding of board resolutions and actions.

The Board agreed to have names and contact information for neighborhood Core Group members working on plans for the design of new schools on the website if members agree to share contact information.

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