Latest news with #LisaNewsome
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Memorial dedicated to Harbor High School
ASHTABULA — Around 30 people from across the city gathered at the intersections of Bridge and Joseph streets Friday for the dedication of a memorial to the former Harbor High School. Attendees included prominent city and county leaders, Ashtabula Area City Schools administration and Harbor High School alumni. The dedication included speeches from prominent residents and a band playing patriotic music and hymns. Doug Spencer, past president of the North End Club, led the program. Spencer said the club's plans for the memorial have been ongoing since 2023, and a lot of work went into it. Adorned in her Harbor attire, AACS Superintendent Lisa Newsome said her 28-year career included coaching at Harbor High, and the school carried great traditions 'This is truly amazing, and I am honored to be a part of it, and I am honored to be still be in the district after 28 years, to be the superintendent, to bring those traditions back to and into Lakeside High School,' she said. Newsome was thankful for the people who came to the dedication, she said. Ashtabula City Manager Jim Timonere said the Harbor and its high school are important parts of Ashtabula's history. 'The Harbor and the high school represent two colors of our past — one educated our youth and the other sustains our families and our entrepreneurs.' he said. 'Together, they helped build the fabric of Ashtabula city.' Timonere said the school fostered a resilient spirit in its students. 'Let us also look forward to the same spirit of learning, of perseverance and of pride in our roots,' he said. 'Let us have future generations understand and celebrate the legacy we cherish today.' Paula Plona, who graduated from Harbor High School in 1968, said the dedication meant a lot for her, honoring the people who were involved with the school, living or dead. 'We're just happy that other people remember Harbor,' she said. Becky Ollikainen, another 1968 graduate, said the memorial shows the high school was not completely lost.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ashtabula school board honors Niemi
ASHTABULA — The Ashtabula Area City School Board honored former member Bill Niemi after accepting his resignation at a meeting Wednesday. Niemi stepped down after seven years on the school board because he is moving out of the district. Niemi's resignation became effective Monday. 'I sat up here [as superintendent] with you for two and a half years, but I've been here for 28 years, so I've been here for all seven years that you've been here,' AACS Superintendent Lisa Newsome said. 'We truly appreciate everything you've done.' Newsome said Niemi was dedicated to serving district families during his time on the board. The board tabled replacing Niemi on the A-Tech board until his spot on the AACS board was filled. Board member Donald Rapose said he was interested in taking the spot, but wanted to wait to see if Niemi's AACS replacement was interested. Interested applicants for the position can submit a letter to District Treasurer Mark Astorino, at 541 West 34th St., Ashtabula, no later than 4 p.m. today. Applicants must be at least 18, a United States citizen and have resided of Ohio for one year and in the county and school district for at least 40 days. The board approved the district's five-year forecast. Astorino said not much has changed from what the board heard at an April 28 work session. 'We're basically using the house version of the current budget bill to model a projection,' he said. Astorino said the district should not be affected by bills lowering how much money districts can carry over. Newsome said staff have to be supported, and the district will have to function in a balanced budget. Board President Scott Yopp said the district will have to focus on not incurring additional costs. 'It's not that we have to watch spending,' he said. 'It's that we have to make sure spending is effective.' Money should be put toward keeping great teachers around and fixing busses to retain families in the district, Yopp said. Board Vice President Laura Jones it is hard to know exactly how the budget will impact the district. 'It's kind of a waiting game,' she said. The board voted to modify its agreement with the architect providing professional and construction administration services for the Lakeside High School reconstruction project, Olsavsky Jaminet Architects, to compensate the company an additional $1.62 million. Astorino said the board could not vote to pay the full amount before, because they did not have the undisputed payment from the insurance company yet. The board originally agreed to compensate the company $200,000. The architect's total compensation now is $1.82 million. The high school's roof collapsed during the 2024 Thanksgiving weekend snowstorm, making it unusable. The board declared it necessary to renew a 1.25-mill levy, which funds district textbooks, educational technology and instructional equipment. The board approved a contract for Astorino to continue serving as the district's treasurer from Aug. 1 2026, to July 31, 2029. The next board work session and regular meeting will be June 18, at 9:30 a.m. and 10 a.m., respectively.
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Ohio bill exempts local students from making up hours after roof collapse
SAYBROOK TOWNSHIP, Ohio (WJW) – Ashtabula Area City School District Superintendent Lisa Newsome on Tuesday reacted to the news that Ohio lawmakers approved a bill that will allow Ashtabula high school seniors to graduate without the required class hours due to extreme winter weather. 'It's absolutely a victory,' Newsome said. 'Basically the 19 hours of instruction they missed back in December will not count against them in graduation. They wont have to make them up.' House Bill 43 exempts this year's senior class from the state mandated hours of instruction required to graduate after they missed three days of school following Lakeside High School's roof collapse back in December. Local dog lost during snowstorm found with high-tech help Photos from inside the high school showed the damage after sections of the roof buckled under the weight of four and a half feet of snow. 'We would never come and ask for forgiveness for a typical calamity day. This was extreme weather, like a tornado or a hurricane. It was devastation of our high school,' said Newsome. True Value distribution center in Westlake to close, 82 workers face layoffs The bill also exempts the district from the required number of hours that schools must be open to continue receiving state funding. Graduation is set for May 29. In the meantime, repairs continue at Lakeside High School. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
