Bay Board of Education Aug. 9 meeting overview

This report contains member observations and selected highlights of the Aug. 9 meeting of the Bay Village Board of Education. It is not an official statement by the League of Women Voters, nor does it represent the official minutes of the meeting.

Board Vice President Dave Vegh called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. in the Bay Middle School Library. Other Board members included Mrs. Beth Lally; Dr. Scott Schultz; and Mr. Paul Vincent. Lisa Priemer, President, was not in attendance.

Public Comments: At this meeting, tickets were distributed to those who wanted to speak and were randomly selected. Those people were given five minutes to share their ideas. A sampling of what was said is included in the following:

• Some people were supportive of mandatory masking for the upcoming school year; some were against it.
• A suggestion was made to require masks only in grades for which the vaccination is not available. Another suggestion was that masking should be consistent; if masks are required in the classroom, they should also be required in extra-curricular activities.
• Several health care professionals reiterated that wearing masks can slow the spread of the Delta variant as vaccinated people can get sick from it and transmit it to others. It was appreciated that the Board is staying abreast of the data and is willing to revisit the masking guidelines when additional information is available in two weeks.

Change Order: The Board approved a resolution authorizing the Treasurer and Superintendent to act on behalf of the School District Board of Education related to the Bay Stadium Field House.

Consent Items: The Board approved the minutes of the last meeting as well as the following resolutions: the appointment of Moira Erwine as Interim Human Resources; accepting a donation from the Music Boosters Organization to pay for half of the Music Trailer and from Cathy and Gary Borsos to Glenview Center; certified and classified personnel contracts; a memorandum of understanding with the Bay Teachers Association and The Bay Individual Small Group Instruction Teacher Association for Phase 5 COVID-19 Stage 1 In-Building Model; an agreement with Applewood Centers Inc. as well as with Monarch School for the 2021-2022 school year.

Superintendent update: This was the first time that Char Shryock, the newly appointed Interim Superintendent, addressed the Board although she is not new to the District. Shryock has served as the District’s Director of Teaching and Learning since 2011.

The Interim Superintendent reported that the new Bay Schools website, www.bayvillageschools.com, is now accessible and consistent. She thanked Mrs. Semancik and Mr. Reynolds for their hard work on this project. Other tech projects are also in the works.

Shryock pledged that anyone who contacts her will hear back from her. She emphasized that it’s good to hear outside voices and diverse opinions as that is what builds community. A desire to do what’s best for the children of Bay Village is our common ground. Shryock explained that the District came to its decisions about COVID precautions after reviewing data and recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Cuyahoga County Board of Health, and the Case Western Reserve trend maps. Data is on a two-week delay.

Full details about the Rocket Return Plan can be found on the Bay Schools website.

Town Hall meetings are scheduled at each District building in order to give students’ families the opportunity to have a discussion with the Interim Superintendent, individual building principals, and a member of the Board. All meetings are 6:30-7:45 p.m. and scheduled as follows:

• Normandy, Aug. 19;
• Bay High, Aug. 24;
• Bay Middle School, Aug. 26;
• Westerly, Sept. 2;
• Glenview, Sept. 8.

Virtual meetings are also being offered. You can register at bayvillageschools.com/town_halls to attend one of these meetings.

The District is applying for status as a Purple Star District which will designate the District as military friendly.  This will be achieved by appointing a military family liaison and completing specified activities.

Shryock introduced the District’s new Strategic Plan – "Reaching Beyond the Horizon." She outlined the seven driving factors outlined in the plan: recognize growth and celebrate success; lead educational excellence; prioritize service to others; promote a school life balance; one community, many voices; foster real-world work skills; and inspire creativity and innovation. The full plan can be found by visiting the Bay Schools website and clicking the Strategic Plan link at the top of the page.

Treasurer Report: The financial statement for June 2021, available online via the shortcut www.bit.ly/3kbvfrd, was approved. Other items approved were disposal of assets; technology purchase by Dan Sebring; and the Joinder Agreement as a member district of Suburban Health Consortium for services from Northwest Group Services Agency.

The next general Board meeting will be Monday, Aug. 23, at 6:30 pm.