By Noell Wolfgram Evans

The Cuyahoga Falls Board of Education met for their regularly scheduled meeting at 5:30 p.m. on Sept. 24, 2025. The meeting took place in a packed library at Cuyahoga Falls High School. In attendance were Board of Education President Alecia Coco, Vice President Anthony Gomez, Board Member Patrice White, Board Member Carrie Schaefer and Board Member A.J. Harris. Also attending were Superintendent Andrea Celico, Treasurer/CFO Kristy Stoicoiu and other members of the district administration.

The meeting opened with a roll call. With all members present, a motion was made to approve the evening's agenda. The motion passed unanimously and Harris led the Pledge of Allegiance.

In front of a large, anxious crowd, the board moved to the first order of business, which was a vote on a school closing. White opened the discussion by recommending the closure of Preston Elementary School. Harris also recommended closing Preston. 

“This was the hardest decision, but we have to make the most responsible choice for this district,” he said. 

As she agreed with the suggestion that Preston be closed, Schaefer said, “This was a very emotional decision. It’s not about the quality of the people who are there, but how we can best use our resources.” 

Gomez, who said he attended Preston, also recommended that it be closed. Coco had the same recommendation. In making it, she thanked the community and staff for being involved in the process. 

“I know that this does not offer much solace to our families, students and staff who will be affected by this decision,” Coco said.

A motion was made to close Preston Elementary School beginning with the 2026-2027 school year. The motion passed unanimously.

Stoicoiu presented a content agenda for board approval. It passed with unanimous consent, as did the minutes of the Sept. 10 meeting. 

Nine donation items were presented to the board for approval. They included a number of supply donations, a donation of white T-shirts for Lincoln Elementary School by the Bailey Road Christian Church and a donation of toys and electric pencil sharpeners by the Ron Marhofer Auto Family. The donations were approved by the full board. The board also approved without comment an amended appropriations list.

The next item on the agenda were the financial reports from Stoicoiu. She commented that there was just under $10 million in the general fund, which was “about what’s expected at this point in the school year.” Stoicoiu said she will be presenting a forecast in the October meeting and then it will start to be regularly presented every August. These reports were approved by the board.

Celico next offered up a consent agenda for the superintendent’s business. A motion was made to accept this and the motion was approved. That agenda consisted of a number of personnel items, including certified and classified appointments, leaves of absence and retirements. Celico thanked all of the retirees and made special mention of Karen Newsome, who will be retiring from DeWitt Elementary School after 47 years of teaching.

In her general comments, Celico said the State of the Schools address will be held on Sept. 29. The district is also in deep planning for the Oct. 3 football game, which will be the first to take place at the new stadium. She is also preparing for the district's annual discipline assemblies for middle and high schoolers. She will be leading a discussion alongside a judge, an FBI agent, the prosecutor and the school resource officer. This year, the discussion will range from school threats to fighting to the use of vapes.

Celico announced that at the next Ohio School Boards Association meeting, Gomez, Schaefer and Lincoln Elementary School will all be receiving special recognition.

She closed her remarks with a comment on the decision to close Preston, saying “the board made a really difficult decision and I appreciate the job you had to do. We have a plan to communicate our closure to everyone this evening.”

Coco then moved on to additional board business. First up was a request to the board to approve Cuyahoga Falls High School PTSO, Gordon DeWitt Elementary School PTO, Elizabeth Price Elementary School PTO, Instrumental Music Patrons, Cuyahoga Falls Visual Art Booster Club, Cuyahoga Falls Vocal Music Patrons, Silver Lake Home and School League as support organizations. Approval was granted unanimously. 

The board then passed a resolution to adopt a cybersecurity program. It was noted that passing this resolution allowed the district to stay in compliance with Ohio House Bill 96.

A first reading was held for the 2026-2027 school year calendar. There were no comments or questions about the reading.

What followed was a brief discussion about potential items to add to future board agendas. Celico remarked that she will be presenting the revised bus routes soon. Those are needed for January when the new campus opens. 

There was only one committee report made. Harris spoke about recent legislative efforts in the Ohio Statehouse that could affect taxes, including levies. 

“It’s clear what they are doing,” Harris said. “These are strategic ways to defund public education in Ohio.”

Each board member then took time to make general comments. Each noted how special the final football game at Clifford Stadium was. Schaefer called it “pretty emotional,” while White recalled her time on the sidelines as a cheerleader. Coco saw the event as “monumental,” and Gomez reminisced about going to one game a year with his classmates from Preston.

The board then moved to executive session to “consider the purchase of property for public purposes, the sale of property at competitive bidding, or the sale or other disposition of unneeded, obsolete, or unfit-for-use property.”