August 30, 2024

Hello Lakewood Schools Families,

Last week we began another school year! I hope you all had a great summer and enjoyed some rest and relaxation before your students walked through our doors for 2024-25.

As most of you already know, I was hired as Interim Superintendent late last month and am honored to take on this new position after working in this district for nearly 25 years. I love our district's families and educators and look forward to building on the fine work of so many who have come before me.

With that said, in many ways we are off to a great start this year, and that had a lot to do with all of the things that happened this summer to prepare. Spaces were cleaned and painted, floors were waxed and shined, lawns were manicured, and new exterior lighting was installed. My sincerest thanks to all of the individuals responsible for making our campus look so great. Our educators worked tirelessly to prepare their rooms and curriculum plans. I appreciate the extra effort they have put forth for our students. Our sports teams also prepared for competition and good sportsmanship during the summer and have started their regular seasons, while the Lancer Band has completed their epic preseason regimen in preparation for the season ahead. Kudos to the coaches and directors for their leadership.

Now, I want to share what my focus will be on for this school year. The Lakewood Board of Education and I have been discussing many things since I was hired, and I want to be transparent with our families about where the priorities lie:

• Rigor in Teaching & Learning – Lakewood Local Schools' curriculum is broad, balanced and aligned with Ohio’s Revised Learning Standards. There is a clear progression of knowledge and skills that also is flexible and responsive to individual student needs and interests. Our focus is on student growth, mastery of material, and achievement. My commitment to you is that we will be, now more than ever, measuring progress against our own philosophies and policies.
• Student Behavior & Bullying – Student and staff safety is a top priority in Lakewood Local School District. We take this responsibility very seriously and appreciate the partnership of students, staff, families, community members, and our first responders to keep everyone safe. We have heard concerns from parents and guardians about discipline, harassment and bullying in our buildings. Based on these concerns and the subsequent conversation, we are taking action to put a plan in place. Please look for a separate communication on this soon.
• Athletic Culture – Athletics are an important part of student development, proven to support academic performance, teamwork, mental health, leadership and more. We will be focused on making sure our athletes are representing our values in every contest, our athletic department and programs are running smoothly and efficiently, and that concerns are addressed and resolved.
• School Attendance – This year, Lakewood is raising the bar on student attendance. I believe that the student attendance rate is one of the most accurate predictive indicators of student success and preparedness, and that the student absenteeism rate is among the most accurate predictive indicators that students will struggle. I have tasked all buildings with relentlessly pursuing remedies for all excessively absent students this year. We simply must maximize the amount of time our students have with our excellent teachers in order to make the school year more meaningful and productive.
• Restoring Pride – In our strategic plan, our Community Pride & Engagement goal areas statement says that “Lakewood Local Schools creates and fosters a school community whose members are engaged, communicative, supportive, and proud to be Lakewood Lancers.” I think many people in our community feel this way, but we want the majority to.

All of our Strategic Plan Goal Areas (see more here), will continue be a focus, of course. We believe that if we are accountable to these goals as a district and as a community, we will continue to improve, achievement will increase, and decisions about doing what’s best for students will be clear.

I am excited to have our Lakewood family all back together in one place, accomplishing extraordinary things, and I look forward to supporting the efforts of our district, faculty and staff, and our students this year. Thank you all, in advance, for your continued support. Let’s Go, Lakewood!

Sincerely,

Scott Coffey

Interim Superintendent, Lakewood Local Schools

Reimagining education, instilling community pride, inspiring future success.