Lakewood City School District agrees to reconsider elementary school consolidation

Lakewood Elementary School Consolidation Controversy For several years now, Lakewood City School District has been looking into consolidating its school buildings, due to declining enrollment, but that effort has recently resulted in a lawsuit settlement that has taken officials back to the drawing board. As public schools around the country face similar considerations, leaders in Lakewood say the district has seen a decrease of roughly 2,400 students since 2003. Despite the decrease, consolidation discussions have become heated, with the Friends of Lakewood Schools group suing the district over the manner in which plans were established for the repurposing of Lincoln Elementary School, with the district's hope to turn it into a child development center. That lawsuit was recently settled, putting that plan on pause for the time being. On Tuesday's episode of the "Sound of Ideas" hosted by Stephanie Haney, Ideastream Public Media's education reporter Conor Morris shares what the lawsuit settlement means for the future of Lincoln Elementary School. Guests: - Conor Morris, Education Reporter, Ideastream Public Media - Zachary Robock, Former Lakewood Elementary Planning Task Force Member Solo Row Across Pacific Ocean Endeavor Access to clean water is a luxury not everyone has outside of the United States, and that disparity is the reason Mentor native Katie Spotz is preparing to row 10,000 miles solo across the Pacific Ocean, beginning in a few short months. It's a journey that will take around eight months to complete, as Katie aims to become the first woman to row solo from South America to Australia and the first American woman to row solo across the whole Pacific Ocean with the goal of bringing clean water to 100,000 people. On Tuesday's edition of the "Sound of Ideas" hosted by Stephanie Haney, Katie shares what inspired her to undertake this feat, and why she's focused on providing clean water access for others. Follow Katie's journey at KatieSpotz.com Guest: - Katie Spotz, Endurance Athlete, Water Access Advocate