Dear Shaker Heights Schools Community,

Happy New Year! We look forward to welcoming our students back from winter break tomorrow.

As I shared with staff and faculty earlier today, the District recently learned there may be an opportunity to accelerate segment one of the facilities plan timeline, which would mean being able to begin the renovation process of Woodbury sooner than initially anticipated.

This accelerated timeline would provide students and staff earlier access to safe, modern spaces designed for today’s learning and teaching needs while also providing potential cost savings to the District. 

In order to be able to begin the Woodbury renovation process earlier, students and staff would have to vacate Woodbury at the end of the 2023-2024 school year. If the timeline is accelerated, we expect some summer programming would remain at Woodbury through August 2024.

We are exploring this accelerated timeline with multiple working groups providing input into its feasibility. These groups currently include a K-5 staff and faculty workgroup, headed by Mercer Principal Roneisha Campbell; a middle years staff and faculty workgroup, headed by Woodbury Principal Eric Forman; the Facilities Advisory Committee community stakeholder group; the Finance & Audit Committee; as well as various District administrators.

District administrators will be engaging in an initial discussion regarding this accelerated timeline with the Board of Education at its January 9 meeting, with more details likely to be discussed during the January 23 Board of Education Work Session. A decision regarding the finalized timeline can be expected in the coming weeks.

Additional information will be shared as it becomes available. There will also be continued opportunities for community engagement in this process as the plans and timeline take shape and move forward.

This is an exciting time and I appreciate your patience and partnership as we create this lasting change for our community.

Sincerely,

Dr. David Glasner

Superintendent