Chamber Expo, Flipped Car and E-Report Cards & More: Week in Review

Here's what's happened in Cuyahoga Falls over the last few days.

1. The 2013 Chamber Expo draws hundreds: Miss the bi-annual event? Check out photos taken by the chamber. 2. Motorist hits house, flips car after hitting a house: A 25-year-old Stow man was hospitalized early Wednesday after running a stop sign, hitting a house and flipping his car. We had photos of the crash scene at Bailey Road and Hollywood Avenue, which sent two others to the hospital. 3. Cuyahoga Falls homes head to sheriff sale this month: Four will be shown April 5. Find out what the minimum bids for the homes are here. 4. Man charged after shooting gun through neighbor's home: A woman in the 1200 block of Buckingham Gate found a fired bullet in her apartment and a hole in her wall. Read more to find out who police think is …

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School District Wants Feedback on Switching to E-Report Cards

What do you think the pros and cons are to using Progress Book?

Before making any final decisions, the Cuyahoga Falls City School District wants to know how the community feels about using Progress Book for K-12 report cards.  Here's a little information pulled from the Progress Book website: "Software Answers is the premier provider of web-based classroom and student management solutions for the K-12 education market.  Our Progress Book education applications are used by over 750 school districts across the U.S., running with optimum parent-teacher communications, streamlined teacher processes, education that is aligned with state standards, and doing it all online with completely integrated programs.  Progress Book solutions are scalable, enabling districts of all sizes – from 100 students to over …

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Lou Schott - eFriend -- Cuyahoga Falls, OH

2:27 pm on Thursday, March 28, 2013

To: Amanda and all of the other kind people interested in the performance of the people around them, Given the capacity to report performance (aka Report Card) in a digital manner, we now need to know how to use the performance report. In the short term, this initiative may seem like a useful way (low cost way) to satisfy a repeating pattern of the past 100 years of using report cards. In the …   more ›

Blog: New Schools Should be a Priority

Lately, it feels like the kids in our schools aren't getting what they deserve. I constantly hear about the Portage Crossing Project and all the money going into it yet, I am sorry but I don't see any progress going on there.

Cuyahoga Falls, Woodridge Expected to Get Boost in State Funding

State funding to both schools is expected to increase over the next two years.

Both Cuyahoga Falls and Woodridge are big winners in state funding over the next two years. The Cuyahoga Falls school district is expected to get nearly $12 million in 2014 from state funding, according to preliminary numbers from the Ohio Department of Education. That is $1 million more than in 2013, when the district received just under $11 million, an increase of  10 percent. In 2015 the state is expected to dish out $12.7 million to the district, another six percent boost, resulting in another $690,000. Woodridge should receive more than $1 million in 2014, a 129% increase from the $472,000 they got in 2013. In 2015 they are expected to receive around $1.4 million, another 25 percent boost. In May, voters will decide whether or not to …

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Earl Elevant

12:22 pm on Friday, February 8, 2013

Of course they'll still need it. They've got lots of uses for our money. They just have to take it from us first.   more ›

Realities of Dealing with School Safety

Parents and faculty work together to keep line of communication open.

Fear for our children’s safety is a universal feeling for parents. We do everything possible to keep our children safe. We can’t hold their hands forever. We must release our grasp and let them venture out on their own. Cuyahoga Falls parents place their trust in faculty and staff as they send their children back to the classroom, away from their vigilant protection. We all know the grave realities of school violence. Memories of the Columbine shootings remain vivid in my mind. My three-year-old son napped in his room as the story broke. I watched in disbelief with my father, a retired high school vice principal, shocked by the unspeakable violence perpetrated by the Colorado teenagers. The recent news of a thwarted alleged bomb attack by …

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School District Develops a New Strategic Plan

Superintendent Holland initiated, 'Planning for the 21st Century.'

With a new superintendent at the helm in the fall, the Cuyahoga Falls City School District will also have a new strategic plan in place for the upcoming academic year. “Planning for the 21st Century,” or PT21, is the 2011-2014 strategic plan for the school district that will replace “The Plan for Excellence,” the strategic plan implemented in 2006 that in 2009 met its goal of achieving an “Excellent” rating for the school-district’s state report card. Former Superintendent Ed Holland initiated development of both the proposed and previous strategic plans. Facilitator Jim Zwisler, a retired Akron educator serving as a private consultant for several school districts throughout Summit County, has led the steering committee since last fall in …

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Nichols to Begin Aug. 1 as New Falls Superintendent

School Board votes 5-0 to approve three-year deal.

As the new superintendent for Cuyahoga Falls City School District, Todd Nichols said he understands “what it takes to restore the roar” in Cuyahoga Falls. The Cuyahoga Falls Board of Education, at a special meeting Monday night, unanimously approved a three-year contract for Nichols. The $120,000 contract with Nichols begins Aug. 1, as well as an interim, consulting contract through July 31. Named last week as successor to outgoing Superintendent Ed Holland, Nichols will come to the school district from his position as superintendant in Bucyrus, where he oversaw a 1,700-student school district with a $15 million budget. Nichols' previous base salary at Bucyrus CSD was $104,900, $110,000 including incentives. “You guys have been extremely …

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Week in Review: June 12-18

Cuyahoga Falls City School District gets a new superintendent, fire station gets a new roof.

The week ended with news Friday that the Cuyahoga Falls City School District will name Todd Nichols the next superintendent. Szalay’s is open for the season and Cuyahoga Falls got a shout-out on national TV.  Here's a brief roundup: • Szalay’s Farm Market is open for the season. The sweet corn isn’t local yet, but there’s plenty of fresh and local foods to draw in summer crowds. This is the 80th year of the Szalay family farm.   • We launched a new feature this week: Where Are They Now? with a profile of Jessie Greene-Hill, a 1998 Woodridge High School graduate who is now making and selling jewelry at Put-in-Bay on Lake Erie.   • Cuyahoga Falls got a shout-out from Valerie Bertinelli during her appearance on "The View" Wednesday to promote…

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Woodridge Board to Hire New Principal

Out with the old and in with the new. The Woodridge Board of Education will vote to hire a new building principal Tuesday night.

With the current Woodridge High School principal's resignation on the agenda, the board of education will also vote tonight on the hiring of a new building leader. The Woodridge Board of Education will vote Tuesday night on whether to hire Joel Morgan to take over the reigns at Woodridge High School. The school’s current principal, Mic Becerra, has asked the board to accept his resignation tonight. Morgan will be offered a  three-year deal if his contract is approved. He will be asked to assume his role starting on August 1, 2011 (the contract expires July 31, 2014). Morgan’s annual salary would be set at $91,000. Like the other members of the administration, it's required he contribute to his health care premium costs. The benefits for …

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Cuyahoga Falls Board of Education Agrees to Extend Contract with Teachers

Marathon executive sessions run into the night.

The Cuyahoga Falls Board of Education met in executive session three times in Monday’s special meeting before voting to extend the 2010-2011 contract through the school years ending in 2013. After the third executive session Monday night, the board added a memorandum of understanding between the Cuyahoga Falls Board of Education and the Cuyahoga Falls Education Association to the agenda to enter into a new two-year contract. This essentially extends a contract originated in 2007. The board voted 4-0 in favor of the memorandum of understanding. (Board member Barbara Gunter had to leave about 9:30 p.m.)  The board and the teachers’ union now must agree to the final terms. The board met first to discuss whether to accept or appeal a lawsuit …

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