October 9th Message
October 17, 2025
Dear Avon Lake City Schools Community,
I hope this email finds you well. Please see below for an update on a variety of important topics, including students' successes, our visioning and engagement gatherings which recently took place, and reminders about a change to our upcoming cell phone policy. Please enjoy reading!
Congratulations Student-Athletes on Your Successes!
Congratulations to our varsity boys cross country team, consisting of Niko Koutouras, Alex Schulz, Liam Maitland, Luke Gunter, Nathan Grieger and Ian Fababe, who recently won the SWC. All the best this week at Districts. Congratulations also to Cassidy Valerino on her 6th place finish at the SWC championships earning 1st Team All Conference. Our varsity boys and girls golf teams each qualified as a team for their district tournaments. The qualifying boys were Maximos Prohaska, Chase Cartwright, Kollin Nilson, Tyler Fenton and Benjamin Santo. The district qualifying girls team consisted of Presley Martter, Adalyn Becker, Lily Dorsey, Jamie O’Toole and Julia Skelton. Congratulations to both teams. The ALCS would also like to congratulate our boys soccer, girls soccer and volleyball teams who have all advanced in the OHSAA tournaments by winning their opening contest. Go Shoremen and Shoregals!
Message on Property Taxes from State Organization
The Buckeye Association for School Administrators, an organization to which I and my administrative team belongs, continues sharing information relative to property taxes and its impact on schools. Ohio property taxes feel out of control, not because schools are overspending, but because state leaders have shifted the burden away from businesses and slowed school funding for decades. Families are now carrying a greater share of the load, while schools are left to absorb rising costs with fewer resources. In 1991, homeowners and farmers paid 47% of school property taxes. Today, they pay nearly 70%. In 22 years, state school funding has grown less than 1% a year when adjusted for inflation, even though our costs continue to rise each year. Ohio schools are standing with families in demanding real reform that protects both education and essential services. The Avon Lake City Schools will continue to commit to:
- Transparency: We will continue to be clear about where funding comes from and how it’s spent.
- Empathy: Property taxes feel high because they are high—homeowners and farmers are paying more than ever.
- Partnership: We support reform that relieves families while ensuring strong schools and safe communities.
We encourage you to review this flyer for more important information particularly regarding public schools in Ohio and property taxes. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
5-Year Forecast Delivered at Board of Education Meeting
The ALCS Board of Education approved the district’s latest 5-Year Forecast as presented by Treasurer Autumn Reed at its regular monthly meeting earlier this week. Required by Ohio Revised Code to be approved by the Board and submitted to the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce, this 5-Year Forecast presents a snapshot of district finances at a certain point in time, and to be a roadmap for decisions aimed at encouraging financial sustainability and stability. You can read the full presentation that Treasurer Reed has posted to her webpage here.
New Middle School Planning and Design Process
The design progress for the new Avon Lake Middle School is moving forward following two significant meetings, a staff engagement and a community visioning session, held in late September. The goal of these sessions was to allow users the opportunity to participate in the design process and gather feedback that could influence the design of the school's interior spaces, the overall layout, and educational opportunities for the future. Engaging stakeholders, or the end-users who will be in the building, is a big part of the architectural design process. By proactively involving staff and residents, the district ensures the new facility will meet the educational needs of students and reflect the community’s vision for its schools. We continue to update the website with new content, feedback, plans, and pictures. Be sure to check back regularly and visit.
At this past Tuesday’s Board of Education meeting, the important news was shared that Theresa Lengel has been identified as the prospective principal of the new Grades 5 – 8 building when it opens in the Fall of 2028. While still several years away, our leadership team feels strongly that identifying the building’s leader today permits important time to prepare a building vision, collaborate with staff, and perform the other necessary preparatory tasks that will help ensure success tomorrow, upon the facility’s opening. For the time being, Mrs. Lengel will remain principal of Troy Intermediate School. More information is likely to be shared in the future as we all continue planning and preparing. Until then, please join the ALCS in congratulating Mrs. Lengel on this upcoming and intended transition.
Cell Phone Usage Policies at Each Building Level
The State of Ohio’s new cell phone regulations for the school day take effect on January 1, 2026. Building principals in the ALCS have been hard at work developing their implementation procedures. Here is what our students and families can expect at the start of the new year.
At All Elementary Levels: During school hours, students will be required to keep the phone in the locker/cubby or backpack and have the device turned off. If a parent needs to contact their child or a child needs to contact a parent, that communication must go through the school, and in most cases, the main office.
At Troy Intermediate: Students may have personal electronic devices on school property but may not use them during instructional time, including in classrooms, hallways, during lessons, recess/lunch or other learning environments. Use that violates the Acceptable Use Policy, such as taking unapproved photos, recordings, non-academic social networking, texting, or accessing inappropriate content, is strictly prohibited at all times.
At Learwood: Students will not be permitted to operate any personal electronic devices between 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. without staff permission. First offense: Device confiscated and held in the office until the end of the day. Additional offenses: Parents pick up devices from the office after school. Electronic devices (Phones, tablets, smart watches, etc.) can be used as “technology” for instructional purposes as determined by the classroom teacher.
At ALHS: Cellular telephones may be possessed, but not visible or audible, bell to bell, except for teacher-defined instructional purposes and/or medical reasons. In addition, cellphones must be stored in the provided cell phone storage area in the classroom. Lunch time is not considered instructional time. First offense: The device is confiscated, held in the office until the end of the day, and returned to the student. Additional offenses: The phone is held in the office until the end of the day, returned to the student, and a parent/student/administrative meeting is held to discuss the matter.
We thank our community for their continued support of the Avon Lake City Schools. Have an enjoyable weekend.
Sincerely,
Joelle M. Magyar
Superintendent of Schools
Please Join Your School PTA!
Each of the Avon Lake City Schools has a Parent Teacher/Staff Association (PTA) that is very active and which works closely with the District, Parents, and Community of Avon Lake.
Please consider joining the PTA associated with the school that your child attends. If you have students in multiple buildings, it is best to join each building.
It’s a great way to get involved and to help support the teachers, staff, students, and community!
For your convenience, below is a link to each school’s PTA membership website.
Eastview Elementary School PTA
Redwood Elementary School PTA
Westview Elementary School PTA
Troy Intermediate School PTA
Learwood Middle School PTA
Avon Lake High School PTA
Electric Bike Laws and Safety Reminder From Avon Lake Police Department
Champions Early Foundations Preschool and Kindergarten Programs
Upcoming Important Dates
October 24 - End of First Quarter
November 3 - Professional Development Day (Teachers and Tutors Only)
November 26-28 - Thanksgiving Break
To view the complete district calendar, click here.
Building Newsletters
Just in case you missed a newsletter from your child's school, or have multiple children in our district at different buildings, we have links below from each building principal for your convenience with the most recent information sent to families. A link to our quarterly District Facility Focus newsletter is also below.
