February marked the one-year anniversary of The Euclid HOPE Violence Reduction Task Force, led by volunteer co-chairs Pam Turos, Emily Holody and Taneika Hill. One year of working to build a safer community through collaboration with residents and city leaders.

“What Euclid is doing is innovative,” said Dr. Prakash Ganesh, Medical Director for the Cuyahoga County Board of Health. “I keep telling other cities to look at what Euclid is doing when they ask me about reducing violence in their communities.”

Over the past two years, while Euclid, Cuyahoga County, and nationwide gun violence have reached the highest levels we’ve seen in our lifetime, three Euclid mothers have kept an ongoing text thread of mutual support and encouragement.

Chances are, we’re not the only ones.

Over the past two years, while Euclid, Cuyahoga County, and nationwide gun violence have reached the highest levels we’ve seen in our lifetime, three Euclid mothers have kept an ongoing text thread of mutual support and encouragement.

Chances are, we’re not the only ones.

Beginning in January 2023, Euclid property owners should notice a drop in their tax bills because a $5.2 million emergency school tax levy is set to expire at the end of this year.

“We promised voters that if the State of Ohio ever fairly funded schools, we would relieve some of the burden on our taxpayers,” said Donna Sudar

As I reflect on the goals of these new programs, I am excited about what this could mean for Euclid students and families. The 2022-23 school year will be a year for implementation, measuring outcomes and adapting our strategies based on what the data teaches us.

During each regular monthly meeting, we have a school leadership presentation. In January, it was Euclid Middle School, in February – Chardon Hills STEM, and in March – Arbor elementary. This has become one of my favorite parts of board meetings, when students, teachers, staff and families are there to celebrate all of the good programs and people in our schools. This also helps the board stay connected to the personal impact of our policy and budget decisions.

May 2-6 is Teacher Appreciation Week, and I hope you’ll take a moment to connect with the teachers in your life. I still see a few “We support Euclid teachers” signs around town, and I like the idea that our community appreciation doesn’t have to be limited to contract negotiations and nationally recognized holidays.

If I could choose a single goal over the next four years to have the most positive impact on our school community, it would be improving family-school engagement.