Graham starts early as district chief

Former Lorain City Schools superintendent Jeff Graham returned to the district June 15 as the new chief executive officer.

“Very exciting,” said Graham, 53, who was at the helm of Lorain Schools from August 2015 to December 2017.

Graham, tapped by the Lorain Academic Distress Commission to lead the district as CEO, originally was to start Aug. 1.

But a work contract approved June 14 allowed Graham to start early in Lorain, while giving Canton City Schools leaders more time to begin their leadership search, said Graham and Randall Sampson, chairman of the Lorain Academic Distress Commission. The first day was a work day. “A lot of phone calls and a lot of teleconferences,” along with a few in-person meetings, Graham said.

He admitted leaning on interim CEO Greg Ring for guidance to get to know Lorain Schools again.

“(Ring’s) a great guy and I appreciate him sticking around for a couple of weeks to help with the transition, interviewing; we’ve still got positions to fill,” Graham said. “It’s been busy in a good way.”

Lorain Schools leaders and educators around Ohio are waiting for procedures about how school will resume in August.

Precautions are needed to stay healthy amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.

“With the governor, ODE, Department of Health, they’re telling us to prepare for pretty much every scenario,” Graham said, referring to Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and the Ohio Department of Education.

One scenario would be to start classes using the traditional model of students, teachers, staff and administrators returning to their school buildings, Graham said.

Another would be a blended approach, with students dividing time between school and home, he said.

A third scenario would be entirely distance learning, similar to how the school year ended, Graham said.

Even if the schools open, some parents may not be comfortable sending their children to school, so the educators must figure out ways to meet their needs, he said.

“So, we have a lot of work to do in terms of information

gathering,” Graham said. “In order to meet either one of those scenarios, we’ve got a lot of work to do.”

That’s not to say work wasn’t happening before, but public health expert guidance changes almost daily, so there is much to do to prepare, he said.

Renewed community engagement

Lorain has grown a number of public education advocates waiting for state lawmakers to change House Bill 70, which governs state takeovers for districts struggling with academics.

Lorain remains under HB 70, which requires the CEO to engage community stakeholders and create an academic turnaround plan.

Graham said he expects that will happen soon, with more information about public engagement available possibly as early as next week.

“We have to engage our stakeholders,” he said. “Right now, we have a plan to get a plan.”

The Lorain Academic Distress Commission expects Graham to evaluate what kind of academic turnaround plan the district will use, Sampson said.

It may be a continuation of the current plan, known as The Lorain Promise, or Graham may choose to augment it or make a new one, Sampson said.

When the Lorain Academic Distress Commission approved The Lorain Promise, nobody had in mind the effects of COVID-19, he said.

Now, Lorain and the nation are in a recession that started in February, with high unemployment and millions of jobs lost, Sampson said.

Lorain Schools must deal with lost tax revenues and the possibility of a levy on the ballot in the fall, he said.

Graham must consider new hiring practices and educational tools in light of the pandemic.

“It’s so many things to consider that there is no cookie cutter methodology,” Sampson said. “Everything has to be customized for the moment, with the eye on the prize being education for children.”

There will be input from support staff, teachers, parents, students and community leaders, he said.

Public engagement likely will happen with remote meetings and surveys, Graham said.

“Regardless of what we do, we need to err on the

side of keeping people safe,” he said.

More to do

Lorain Schools will have action relatively soon on issues ranging from personnel to finances.

Ring put together a nice structure for the organization and there’s still a number of positions to fill, Graham said.

“We’re putting a team together,” he said.

Graham added he was not ready to talk about the possibility of adding staff.

“I’ve got a whole lot to learn and a whole lot of people to listen to,” Graham said. “As of right now, I’m more in that mode.

“I’m more in the listening mode than the idea mode. But again, I’m pretty excited about the team that’s coming together.”

In recent weeks, Sampson has emphasized a new level of cooperation between the Lorain Academic Distress Commission and school board.

The Board of Education is full of community leaders, Graham said, predicting that will continue.

“They speak for the community,” he said. “Their voices will be heard. We will have a very strong relationship.”