Nordonia locates possible site for new school

by Laura Bednar

June 23 board of education meeting

The Nordonia Hills City School district is putting words into actions by performing a site review of land that could become home to a new school building. During a district master facilities plan presentation in March, Superintendent Casey Wright said a new building for grades 5-8 was the most cost-effective option for Phase 1 of the long-term plan.

Finding a 30-acre site to build a school proved challenging, as Wright said there were limited options in the area and some sites had watershed issues. The school board unanimously approved performing due diligence on a 32-acre site in Northfield Center Township at the intersection of Olde Route 8 and West Twinsburg Road.

According to the agreement with the land owner, ASHTIF LLC, due diligence includes the following: wetlands delineation studies, soil borings or other geotechnical tests, appraisals, engineering reports, floodplain studies, topographical studies, environmental studies, drainage assessments, zoning and land use studies and traffic studies.

The district has 150 days to perform this work and may choose not to purchase the property at the end of the period. The price of the property is $1 million and money would come from the district’s existing finances. Nordonia is responsible for putting $10,000 in escrow toward the purchase before conducting due diligence and an additional $10,000 is budgeted for the due diligence activities, as well as $3,200 for the appraisal, according to Treasurer Kyle Kiffer.

Wright reiterated that experts would determine if the land is buildable and the district would ask the community about building a new school. “We will not go forward with a bond until we have all our ducks in a row,” he said. “Our community expects a solid plan in place and all their questions addressed so they can make an educated vote at the ballot box.”

Board member Sandra Caramela-Miller said it’s important to take time with the decision but said time is also of the essence because there is not much undeveloped land in the Nordonia area. She encouraged community members to bring their questions to the board at a regular meeting.

Strategic plan

Director of Curriculum and Instruction Carol Tonsing updated the board on year one of working toward the district’s strategic plan goal of “achieve.” The vision for this goal is providing students the opportunity to become critical thinkers, problem solvers and lifelong learners.

The administrative team spoke with teachers and then reviewed how one grade level’s lessons in English Language Arts are built upon in consecutive years. Tonsing said data suggests possible inconsistencies in curriculum implementation, assessment expectations and insufficient intervention for struggling students.

Year 2 of the strategic plan is implementation, during which administrative leaders will ensure curriculum alignment, including smooth transitions between general education and special education, Tonsing said.

Accomplishments for the past school year include aligning progression of skills between grade level (vertical alignment) and ensuring the same expectations in subjects at each grade level (horizontal alignment) in K-6 English Language Arts, grades 3-8 science; and aligning reading and math intervention for grades K-12.

Vertical alignment teams were established for ELA and math for grades K-12; data collection was aligned for grades K-6 and high school; and goal alignment was established in grades K-12 in ELA, math, science and social studies.

Tonsing said the focus next year will be mathematics for grades 3 and 7 and high school algebra and geometry.

Security measures

The board approved a $129,600 three-year renewal contract with Centegix for security equipment and software. Wright explained that every teacher can push a button in the event of an emergency and put the school into lockdown, which alerts first responders. Pushing the button once signifies a health emergency for a specific child and notifies the building principal and nurse.

Financial future

The treasurer presented temporary appropriations for the 2026-27 fiscal year, outlining where the district planned to allocate funding. Of the $61.7 million general fund balance, $1.8 million was appropriated for special revenue funds, which include principal support, federal grants for education and data communications; $479,962 for the debt service fund; $507,000 for the capital projects fund; $1.62 million for food service; and $536,837 for student managed activities.