Several dozen people attended the North Royalton School District’s (NRSD) State of the Schools address, given by North Royalton School Superintendent Greg Gurka. The event, held on February 17, was a Chamber of Commerce event, sponsored by Cuyahoga Community College CCC West. Newly-appointed President of the CCC Western Campus, Dr. Donna Imhoff, was introduced and offered a few comments.
Gurka began, “2015 was a year of great successes for our district and also a time of great challenges.” He noted that last year, the district concluded its five-year Strategic Plan and developed a new three-year plan, which incorporates the district’s core beliefs and vision, including the “mission of inspiring and empowering learners and the six goal areas remained the same. What changed were the action steps that are now in place to keep our district moving forward and making sure that we continue to be one of the top districts not only in the area, but the state.”
Gurka talked about student achievement and noted that the state report card is being released on February 25. The preliminary data shows a performance index of 102.7, equivalent to a B, which is consistent with past performance. He noted, however, that the Quality Profile, which can be found on the district’s website or in hard copy at the district’s board office, includes added accountability measures, which, he thinks is a better representation of how North Royalton students are educated. “ Our students do achieve in the North Royalton Schools and it is because of a concerted effort by our curriculum and pupil services departments working with our buildings to identify the needs of the students and develop plans to address those needs. This is the vision written in our strategic plan and it is something that we take seriously,” said Gurka.
He then went on to talk about the goal areas of communication and community engagement. Communication has had continual exploration and expansion, focusing on new methods of electronic communication, such as a monthly electronic newsletter and the Bear Way digital magazine. Also, Your Royalton Schools is direct mailed four times a year and published twice a year in the Royalton Recorder. A Community Engagement Task Force was established and charged with engaging the community in order to receive input on all aspects of the district, which is helpful in planning how to better communicate, while gaining insight into the view of the community.
“Our district continues to foster a culture of respect and collaboration between all parties. Positive working relationships, coupled with open communication to be able to talk through and solve issues before they become problems, is a cornerstone to us. While that last statement may not sound like much, I need to tell you it is everything. And it starts with leadership that is willing to sit down and discuss things and see the big picture.” Gurka noted that every individual that comes into contact with students makes sure that things are running properly.
On a financial note, Gurka noted that “our district continues to be fiscally responsible with our tax dollars. Under the guidance of Treasurer Biagio Sidoti, our district is positioned well financially for the next several years. Changes to our operating environment, including the closure of the Early Childhood Center and other staffing and purchasing considerations, has allowed us to stretch the operating dollars. The operating levy which was approved in May of 2009 and expected to last 3 years is now expected to last at least a decade to 2019. Our district recently completed an audit by the State and once again received a clean report.”
“All of these goal areas equate to good things happening in our schools, and I am very proud of what happens in our schools day in and day out,” said Gurka. “We face many challenges, but our dedicated administrative team, our teachers and support staff and most importantly, our wonderful PTA, Booster and other support groups allow us to overcome many of the challenges and obstacles. In addition, our School Business Partnership program fosters a relationship with area businesses to support programs and services to our students and staff.”
Gurka then spoke of each school and examples of some of the happenings that have taken place.
“In his book, ‘Good to Great’, James Collins says: ‘Good is the enemy of great. And that is one of the key reasons why we have so little that becomes great. We don’t have great schools, principally because we have good schools. We don’t have great government, principally because we have good government. Few people attain great lives, in large part because it is just so easy to settle for a good life.’ Here in North Royalton, we have to be cautious about saying good is good enough when we are talking about our children and our future. We have to make sure that we are providing great programs, great opportunities, great resources and great facilities in order for them to achieve their maximum potential. Not just their adequate potential, their maximum potential, we need to help them go from good to great,” noted Gurka.
With that, he noted that the classroom should mirror what is being done in business, giving opportunities to have “ flexible learning spaces, opportunities to collaborate, problem solve and critically think to solve real world problems today. I hear a great deal about students not being prepared for the world of work.” He then posed the question, “Do we, as a community, take the necessary steps to foster their growth and experience in that area?”
Gurka then spoke again of the Community Engagement Task Force and the work they have done over the past year to develop a plan to address that student need, to include a new elementary school, middle school renovation and a teardown and rebuild of sections of the high school, a recommendation that was delivered to the community at a meeting on February 1. The district administration is gathering feedback before the measure is placed before the Board of Education. Our community is a fantastic place to live and raise a family. That is why many, many of us are here,” concluded Gurka. “And, our students do receive a wonderful education. However, we cannot sit back and rest on our laurels and put on our rose colored glasses and say that since kids are getting a good education now that we do not need to do anything. Our job as leaders is not to only protect today, but to prepare for tomorrow and our civic responsibility is to make sure that the next generation has the opportunities to succeed. When you really look at it, this is not a facilities issue at all…it is an educational issue. North Royalton cannot be left back in the pack. We owe it to our students and we owe it to ourselves as residents to do what is needed to not only provide for the children of today and tomorrow, but to assure that our property values are maintained for the communities’ long term success. I urge you to get involved in the discussion and be part of the solution. Do not let the good we are doing now get in the way of the greatness we can become. A community is only as strong as its schools and the cities of North Royalton and Broadview Heights are both strong because of the schools. Yes, there is a lot of work ahead of us to stay a top-tiered school district. With the ever-changing requirements from the state and new assessments that measure student achievement, we know there may be rocky roads ahead. But I know our dedicated staff will work tirelessly, as they have done in the past, to make sure that our good gets better and our better becomes best.”

By GLORIA PLEVA KACIK
Contributing Writer