Two February FHSD Board Meeting Points NOT to be Overlooked

All of the current members of the Forest Hills School District (FHSD) board of education ran election campaigns focused on transparency and fiscal responsibility. For over two years, there has been very little discussion about how to overhaul the district and accomplish both goals. Until now.

At the February 2024 meeting, Drs. Jason Simmons and Wendy Strickler-Biederman —  two freshman board members — discussed fiscally responsible and transparent  ideas that should not be ignored. But, they require cooperation from board president Sara Jonas and vice president Katie Stewart to keep the momentum moving towards action.

First topic brought up by Dr. Simmons was about hiring a full time district employee in charge of donations and grants. Simmons said “Wendy and I were at the OSBA (Ohio School Board Association) training earlier this month. We spoke to some of the representatives there and they said for a district our size (FHSD), it's not uncommon for someone to be on staff” for that purpose. He then suggested, “we can continue having conversations with folks and see if that is something the district wants to pursue.”

There is an old  saying in hockey (Wayne Gretzky) that says “you miss 100% of the shots you DON’T take.” That is exactly what FHSD is doing by not having a dedicated person in charge of individual/institutional gifts and grant writing. That position would pay for itself with the revenue it would generate. A dedicated grant writer would alleviate some of the taxpayer burden by stretching levy money, until Ohio lawmakers do something to fix our broken public school funding model. The money is out there. The district just needs the resources to keep their stick on the ice (be ready for anything).

Dr. Wendy Strickler-Biederman asked questions in the meeting about FHSD being prepared financially 5-10 years down the road. This could include a big-picture idea involving the district’s physical footprint. 

How would this be different from the attempt made by the board to consolidate high schools in 2022? Transparency and communication instead of closed-door discussions. By starting the conversation in a public meeting of the school board, Strickler-Biederman is keeping the community in-the-loop. 

It is important that this kind of decision takes time. The proposal by Rich Neuman in 2022 seemed aimed at rushing new board members into making a decision based on perceived necessity. When there is talk about something as big as combining high schools and decreasing the district’s footprint, it shouldn’t be done in haste … or secret.

Thankfully, it seems we can expect open communication and focus on big-picture issues by Drs. Simmons and Strickler-Biederman that will help FHSD thrive. It is a refreshing change from the previous year’s focus on culture war politics. But in order for these important issues not to be overlooked, it requires a considerable change in focus by the board president and vice president. Will they shift away from culture war politics like the cancellation of Diversity Day, attempts to ban books/poetry, and removing student murals? Will they focus more on the future financial sustainability of FHSD? Time will tell and we will be watching.