Copley-Fairlawn Gets Funding Boost, Revere Doesn't

State funding to Copley-Fairlawn will increase by 50 percent over the next two years.

While Copley-Fairlawn schools will benefit from new state funding numbers over the next two years, Revere will not.  The Copley-Fairlawn School District is expected to get nearly $1.2 million in 2014 from state funding, according to preliminary numbers from the Ohio Department of Education. That is $234,00 more than in 2013, when the district received just under $1 million, an increase of 25 percent. In 2015 the state is expected to dish out $1.5 million to the district, another 25 percent boost, resulting in another $292,000. Revere, however, will not recieve a boost in funding over the next two years.  In 2013 the district received $1.3 million from the state. The specific numbers for school funding in Gov. John Kasich's budget were …

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Five Things You Should Know

A flood watch, garden club meeting and a nature-inspired craft session for kids.

1. There's a flood watch in Summit County in effect through Tuesday morning. 2. Fairlawn police respond to several reports of shoplifting at area businesses. 3. Bath Garden Bamma Club meets on Wednesday for speakers, plant exchanges, garden walks and updates on caring for their five community gardens. 4. An approved levy has made it possible for Copley-Fairlawn Schools to begin improvement projects on the high school marquee sign and stadium bleachers. 5. Fairlawn Parks and Recreation naturalists will lead a "Gifts from Nature" craft session for kids ages 9 through 14 on Friday.

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State Grades Copley-Fairlawn Schools Excellent, Revere Schools Excellent with Distinction

Copley-Farilawn falls one category in the rankings, Revere moves up.

The Ohio Department of Education will release state report cards Wednesday and preliminary reports show Copley-Fairlawn Schools and Revere Local Schools districts were rated "Excellent" and "Excellent with Distinction," respectively. Copley-Fairlawn dropped a category since last year to the second highest category. Revere's ranking rose one step to the highest state ranking. The six designations are: Excellent with Distinction; Excellent; Effective; Continuous Improvement; Academic Watch; Academic Emergency. Here's a portion of the metrics used to determine Copley-Fairlawn's ranking: Here a portion of the measurements used to determine Revere's ranking: To see how the districts ranked in every category, view the full report from the ODE on…

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Copley Grandfather Found Guilty

Edward Williams -- who initially faced charges in the Copley-Fairlawn Schools residency case -- sentenced to one year in prison on unrelated fraud charges.

Edward Williams will spend a year in prison on charges he defrauded a state and a federal agency out of more than $100,000. The 64-year-old Copley man is the father of Kelley Williams-Bolar, who was convicted earlier this year of using Williams' Black Pond Drive address to falsify records to enroll her daughter in Copley-Fairlawn Schools. Williams' conviction today is unrelated to the school residency issue.  Specifically, Williams was found guilty of two counts of Tampering with Records, felonies of the third degree, and two counts of Grand Theft, felonies of the fourth degree. According to the Summit County Prosecutor's office: Williams stole $36,023 in benefits from the Summit County Department of Job and Family Services, and $64, 229 …

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Kelley Williams-Bolar Clemency Hearing Set

Woman convicted of falsifying records to enroll her daughters at Copley-Fairlawn Middle School has a chance to clear her name.

The Beacon Journal is reporting that the Ohio Parole Board has agreed to a clemency hearing for Kelley Williams-Bolar in Columbus July 20. Williams Bolar, of Akron, was sentenced 10 days in Summit County Jail and received two years probation and community service for two counts of tampering with records. Bolar was convicted of providing false records to enroll her two children in Copley-Fairlawn Schools. The case was presented to the Summit County Prosecutor by Copley-Fairlawn Schools after an investigator hired by the district discovered that the children did not live with their grandparents, as the mother had claimed. Read the full story here.

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School Days

Patch Debuts Education Column

Every Monday we'll give you school news and events for Fairlawn, Bath, Copley and Richfield.

Hi. My name is Craig Davison. How are you? Great, and thanks for asking -- I’m doing well. I realize this isn’t a conversation. It’s just words on a screen right now. But I’m trying to start one.  I’m going to be covering the schools for fairlawn-bath.patch.com. As part of that, I’ll be here every Monday with school news and features about what’s going on in the classroom. I’ll also be contributing more throughout the week as well. Here’s where the conversation starts. I know your kids and their education is important to you. And I know what’s in your wallet or bank account matters, in good times or bad, and I’ll be there with information on items like Revere’s ballot initiative May 3 for a new tax levy. But I can’t be in every school, let…

Levin Joins Copley-Fairlawn School Board

12 students honored for academic and athletic achievements.

An experienced hand is the new occupant of a vacant position on the five-member Copley-Fairlawn Schools Board of Education. Richard V. Levin has been in the seat before. The 62-year-old Fairlawn lawyer has 17 years of experience.  He served on the board from 1986 through 1997 and again for a four-year term from 2000 to 2003. "It feels very good," Levin said Tuesday night of his return to a seat on the board.  "It was unexpected after being gone for seven years. I could see a need. I couldn't say no." Levin is filling a slot left open by Charles Dressler, who resigned n January with two years left on his four-year term. Coincidentally, Dressler, 52, replaced board member Theresa Masters who left in the middle of her term. Levin has nine …