Navigating the Garfield Heights Board of Education: Meetings, Structure, and Public Participation

The Garfield Heights Board of Education plays a vital role in shaping the educational landscape. Understanding how the board operates, its structure, and how the public can engage is crucial for parents, community members, and anyone invested in the success of the school district.

Meeting Schedule and Location

Regular meetings of the Board of Education are typically held in the boardroom of the administration building, located at 839 Whiteriver Avenue. However, meetings may occasionally take place virtually or at various school locations. To ensure awareness, the specific location of each board meeting is posted on the agenda. Meetings are generally scheduled for the second and fourth Wednesday of each month.

Public Participation

Your participation is welcome at Garfield Re-2 School Board meetings. The board recognizes the importance of community input and provides opportunities for public participation. During the "Public participation" segment, individuals can present brief comments or pose questions to the board for consideration or follow-up. Each person is asked to focus comments to three minutes. The boundaries are designed to help keep the meeting focused and in no way should limit conversations beyond the board meeting.

Updates to Board of Education Meetings

The Board of Education is excited to kick off the 2025-2026 school year! With the new year, there will be some updates to how Board of Education Meetings are structured, so that Board meeting time is more focused on data related to student outcomes. This includes a shift to a consent agenda and Board questions and answers being published to BoardDocs. We are excited for this next step in our pursuit of strong student outcomes at CMSD.

Cleveland Board of Education Structure

Cleveland’s current school governance structure was created by Ohio House Bill 269 in 1997, and took effect September 9, 1998. The Board of Education is made up of nine voting members appointed by the Mayor of Cleveland from a slate of nominees selected by a local nominating panel, established under State law. At least four of the nine members must have significant expertise in either education, finance, or business management. The Board of Education functions as the governing body of the School District. The first meeting is a work session devoted primarily to information gathering and deliberation on issues for future Board business meetings. For the first semester of the academic year, work sessions are held at Arnold Pinkney East Professional Center, 1349 E. 79 Street. During the second semester of the academic year, the work sessions are moved to Garrett Morgan High School, 4600 Detroit Avenue.

Read also: Inside Garfield's School Board

Encouraging Community Involvement

Parents and the community are encouraged to attend Board meetings. In addition to conducting the business of the School District at these meetings, the Board also provides for public participation (at Board business meetings) in order to hear community concerns and recognize the achievements of our students and staff and the contributions of our community partners.

Request to Speak Form

The link to the request to speak form will go live the morning following each Board Work Session and will remain open until noon the day of the next scheduled Board Business Meeting. This sequence will provide the public with a window to notify the board of an intent to speak. The first 13 individuals who submit their Request to Speak form in a timely manner will be recognized at the Board Business Meeting and permitted to address the Board for up to three minutes on the issue indicated on their submitted form. A separate form must be submitted for each speaker, and speakers may not yield any portion of their time to another person.

Regular Board Meeting Procedures

Regular Board Meetings are generally held on Wednesdays, but are occasionally rescheduled around holidays. Board meetings are held at the John Stanford Center for Educational Excellence. The Seattle School Board generally holds at least one Regular Board meeting monthly. During Regular Board Meetings, the Board takes public testimony and votes to take most final actions. However, Board discussions regarding items approved during Regular Board meetings often begin weeks earlier with preparation of Board Action Reports and Introduction to the Board.

Board Action Reports (BARs)

When an item is brought to the Board for action, a Board Action Report (BAR) is drafted, along with any accompanying Board policy or other attachments as needed. Often these documents are prepared by staff, but Directors also may develop Board Action Reports, generally to revise or adopt policies and resolutions. Board Action Reports are placed on draft Regular Board Meeting agendas developed by the School Board Office. These draft agendas are then reviewed and finalized by the Board President and Superintendent, which set two Regular Board meeting agendas at a time. BARs for contracts, grants, and other routine business like meeting minutes are placed directly on a Consent Agenda for action by the Board. Other Board Action Reports are scheduled to first be introduced at one Regular Board meeting, and voted on at the next Regular Board meeting. When an item is introduced, it is presented by staff or the sponsoring Director, and Directors have the opportunity to ask questions and discuss, but no action is taken. After introduction, the Board Action item is then generally scheduled for a vote during the next Regular Board meeting as part of the Consent Agenda.

Consent Agenda

Per Board Policy No. 1400, Board Meetings a Consent Agenda is used to expedite business at Regular Board meetings by having the Board approve multiple items with one motion and vote. The use of a Consent Agenda is best practice for governing bodies (See more information on using a Consent Agenda to streamline meetings from the Municipal Research Services Center). When an item is placed on the Consent Agenda, it may be removed by any member of the Board during the Regular Board meeting.

Akron Public Schools Board of Education

The Akron Public Schools Board of Education is the official body representing the citizens of Akron on all matters of public education. The board is non-partisan and non-sectarian. All policy issues are voted upon by board members at their regularly scheduled meetings. A simple majority of votes carries an issue. Committee chairs report at each board meeting. The board of education comprises seven members assisted by an appointed officer - the treasurer. The board president and vice president are elected from the membership at the first meeting of each calendar year. The board meets the second and fourth Monday of every month.

Live-Streamed Board Meetings

Board meetings are live-streamed in unedited form by Akron Public Schools. Our signal is communicated to YouTube, which then televises our meetings as they happen. These meetings are not edited. Due to the nature of electronic communications, there may occasionally be a technical matter that could interrupt the audio and/or visual images.

Other District Activities and Announcements

The Garfield County School District 16 is proud to announce our student interns! Junior Mountaineers Camp (JMC) is back on the Western Colorado University campus again this summer, AND we’re adding overnight adventure camps for middle and high schoolers, featuring backcountry hut trips, expedition trips, and more! JMC is a state-licensed summer day and overnight adventure camp that blends athletics, outdoor recreation, and STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, math) learning. Led by experienced staff and Western students, JMC provides a safe, active, and inclusive experience for campers. Families can register by the week, with each week offering a unique theme and outdoor recreation activities. BUE 4th grade students had a blast during their Winter Ecology Trips. They learned about winter survival skills, orienteering, snowshoeing, and beaver habitats and behaviors. GVMS Weekly Wrestling Schedule! Please note, we will be charging gate fees for GVMS home games. GVHS' Weekly Winter Sports Schedule! We invite you to apply for our 2nd Annual Shark Tank competition. The Shark Tank competition is open to all students.

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