Candidate Profile: Jodi Sourini For Heights Board Of Education

Jodi Sourini

Age (as of Election Day)

54

Position Sought

Cleveland Heights Board of Education

Party Affiliation

Democrat

Family

Husband Ken, son Derek (who is a junior at Heights High). Derek has attended CH-UH schools since kindergarten. He went to Gearity, Boulevard, Monticello, the joint middle schools at Wiley during the middle school renovation project, and is now at Heights High.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

B.S. degree in Public Relations from Kent State University and an MBA from John Carroll University

Occupation

More than 30 years of experience in the fields of Marketing and Corporate Communications

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

Currently serving on the Board of Education, Cleveland Heights-University Heights City Schools

Campaign website

www.jodi4boe@gmail.com

Why are you seeking elective office?

I want to continue my service because our district was on an exciting upward trajectory before the pandemic -- and my work is not yet done.

For example, when I ran four years ago, one of my campaign promises was to work to increase enrollment. Before the pandemic, the Cleveland Heights - University Heights City Schools achieved the first increase in district enrollment in more than a decade.

During the pandemic, I along with my colleagues on the CH-UH Board of Education, pivoted to ensure the safety and well being of our students and staff. I listened to our community and staff’s concerns to make thoughtful decisions. I'm seeking re-election to get our district back on its exciting track.

This board works well together to get results for our community. We listen, tackle tough issues and make thoughtful decisions in the best interest of our community. As the only candidate running who currently has a child attending CH-UH schools, I want to continue moving Tiger Nation forward.

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

The single most pressing issue facing our board is student achievement and overcoming the effects the pandemic has had on our students.

Before the pandemic, Cleveland Heights-University Heights Schools were making exciting gains. We were recognized for excellence in three areas: the significant improvement in our graduation rate, our student participation rate in Advance Placement classes and our high-quality preschool programming. We were seeing our achievement gap between white students and students of color narrowing. The pandemic interrupted this progress when Governor DeWine shut schools and we shifted to remote learning to prioritize the health and safety of our students and staff. Data from across the state, as well as the data in our own school district, show that students suffered significant learning loss from this interruption to instructional time. In addition, many students are struggling with social/emotional issues as the pandemic wears on. The board needs to prioritize, fund and support programs that ensure our students (especially students of color, low socioeconomic status, special needs and English language learners) overcome the effects of this instructional loss and have access to supports for social/emotional health. This board is currently addressing these issues in a variety of ways including our Tiger Summer Camp (which more than 800 children attended at no cost this summer), afterschool tutoring programs, and access to additional social workers, counselors and intervention specialists. As a board member, I will continue to support these programs, help make the community aware of how to access these services and to meet with other school board members from Northeast Ohio and across the state to learn from and share best practices among districts.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I'm an involved parent in the district. I'm the only candidate running who has a child currently attending CH-UH schools. I'm the only candidate running who brings a perspective from the east and north parts of our district. I have deep roots in this community as a 27-year resident of University Heights. And, I bring the experience of having served two years as President of the Board of Education and one year as Vice President of the Board.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)

As an incumbent, I'm proud of my record and this board’s achievements during the past four years in advocating for our students, district and community while demonstrating fiscal responsibility. This includes:

--Spearheading state-wide advocacy for fair school funding which ultimately resulted in a better plan being passed in Columbus

--Successfully completing a superintendent search with public input

--Completing the middle schools renovation project on time and under budget, returning $1 million to the district’s permanent improvement fund

--Refinancing district-issued bonds to save our community $18.5 million in property taxes

--Negotiating a fair and sustainable labor contract that saves taxpayers $1.5 million annually which was approved by more than 90% of union members and is vital for the district’s long-term financial viability

--Implementing more than $5 million in budget reductions during the last three years and the FY22 budget

How do you think local officials are performing in responding to the coronavirus? What if anything would you have done differently?

I feel our board is doing best we possibly can to prioritize the health and safety of our students and staff. We've instituted a mask policy, practiced social distancing, made significant upgrades to our HVAC systems to improve air quality, held vaccine clinics and encouraged vaccination for staff and students who are eligible.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

It’s vital our School Board continue advocating with lawmakers in Columbus to ensure the Fair School Funding plan is fully enacted and funded in the next two biennial budgets. The majority of public school funding is backloaded in years 5 and 6. If implemented, this plan enables the district to continue our high quality programs and extracurriculars. As we push for Fair School Funding, it’s equally important for the School Board to continue evaluating every expenditure to support those that contribute to student achievement. Now that the unpredictable deduction method of funding EdChoice has been eliminated (at least in the first two years of the Fair School Funding Plan), we have a better ability to manage our budget effectively so we can eliminate the need for a levy for at least the next five years.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I was named the City of University Heights' Public Servant of the Year in 2019. I've served two years as the President of the Board of Education and one year as Vice President of the Board. While on the Board of Education, I've been very active advocating for the passage of the Fair School Funding Plan.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

Never give up. Even on your hardest day, reach deep down inside yourself to find the energy you need to accomplish your goals.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

A “performance audit” would hurt the CH-UH School District and the cities it serves, and the candidates demanding one know it.

The challengers running as a slate for CH-UH Board of Education talk a lot about “performance audits.” They circulated a petition with false information calling for one, and express incredulity as to why the Board hasn’t requested one since 1999. They want you to believe that it’s in the best interests of the students and the community. But it’s not, and they probably know that. In fact their support for it reveals a lot about their true intentions.

So what is a performance audit?

A performance audit has nothing to do with performance, and is barely an audit. It’s a review of all district spending, resulting in a report advising cuts to spending above minimums required by state law. Like teachers, teachers’ aides and counselors. Like transportation. Like art and music classes. Like sports and other extracurriculars. Like Honors and Advanced Placement courses, gifted programs and test prep for the SAT and ACT. Those last two are especially counterproductive, because they’re related to things that are measured for the State Report Card.

A performance audit does not include any consideration of the impacts of these cuts. Will grades suffer as class sizes increase? Will fewer graduates go on to college? Will families with the means pull their kids out or move? Will it be harder to attract new residents? The auditors don’t know or care. Their only job is to identify potential spending cuts, not to consider how those cuts may impact the quality of education.

So why are three challengers running for the Board of Education demanding this? The charitable explanation is they don’t understand. If they do understand, then apparently they just don’t care, and that makes them dangerous. No responsible leader, in the public or private sector, advocates for mindless slashing. Their rhetoric about accountability seems meant to mask a contempt for public education and the families who choose it.

All budgets are expressions of values. I believe that every child deserves a broad, enriching, engaging school experience. I believe that education is about more than what happens in a few core classes. I believe that students are investments, not expenses, and that Heights schools students and graduates prove the value of that investment every single day.

To see a presentation on the realities of a performance audit, including real examples, watch the BOE meeting from April 2021 (the presentation on Performance Audits starts at 55:00).