Superintendent’s contract extended; land purchase approved

by Laura Bednar

Feb. 14 board of education meeting

The Nordonia Hills Board of Education unanimously extended the contract of Superintendent Dr. Joe Clark starting Aug. 1, 2023 through July 31, 2028. Said Clark of his position, “I love what I do, I love who I do it with, and I love who I do it for.”

Board member Chad Lahrmer said he was excited to have Clark “committing to stay with us hopefully through the bond issuance and building project.”

Board member Matt Kearney thanked Clark for his willingness to compromise regarding his compensation, which Kearney said will “save the district money over time and ensure a more sound financial future.”

Under terms of Clark’s contract, his base salary will be $154,000 with a 2% raise in contract years 2024-25 and 2025-26.

Land purchases

The school district will purchase 5-acres at the corner of South Bedford and Highland roads from Tri-Interstate Properties for $650,000.

During open forum, parent Sabrina Pines said, “Do we really need to purchase land right now, before a levy passes?”

Clark said the district has wanted the land for years. “If you’ve ever been to a sporting event, you know the parking is atrocious and getting in and out is atrocious,” he said. “We always wished we’d find a way to add more parking and add access to Highland Road. It also does add flexibility if we ever are to have a bond issue and build.”

Kearney said he favored purchase partly because the property was zoned for commercial use. “A commercial company could come into that spot and potentially disrupt things going on at the high school facility,” he said.

The board also approved the purchase of land between the Cuyahoga Valley Career Center’s parking lot and the five acres at Highland and South Bedford roads for $90,000.

Clark said the seller, Shirley V. Beeley, wanted to sell and approached the school.

“We will have all that land between the high school and Highland Road, all the way west to Ohio State Waterproofing,” said Clark.

Calendar and courses

Looking ahead, the board approved the 2023-24 school year calendar. The first day of school will be Aug. 24, with holiday break from Dec. 25-Jan. 5, spring break from April 1-5 and the last day of school June 4.

Several new courses will be added for the 2022-23 school year, including: Black history I and II, personal finance/economics course shift, biotech, digital fabrication, remotely piloted aerial systems, algebra II equivalency: math modeling and reasoning, leadership and community involvement, life on your own, science of cooking, cadet core I, sports officiating, adaptive art, urban landscape design and jewelry I. ∞