Chagrin Falls - Exempted Village Schools

At Chagrin Falls Schools, our organizational driver is to “Inspire All to Grow and Thrive.” A key part of that is providing a functional, safe, and inspiring learning environment. This summer, we're excited to share several improvement projects underway across our campuses, strategically designed to enhance the educational experience for all students.

Enhancing the Learning Climate:

• Improved Air Quality and Comfort: New HVAC systems are being installed at the high school and middle school.  This is the closing phase of a five-year project that improved each campus to be at modern HVAC specifications. This significant upgrade will replace aging equipment.  It will also provide programmable monitored temperature control and ventilation throughout the buildings. Improved airflow and comfortable classroom temperatures will contribute to a better learning environment for students which equates to better focus and retention of information.
  

• Brighter Classrooms at Gurney Elementary: Outdated lighting at Gurney Elementary will be replaced with energy-efficient LED lighting in both classrooms and hallways. This project offers a two-fold benefit: brighter classrooms will enhance the learning environment for students, while the energy-efficient LED lights will result in significant cost savings for the district in the long run.  The controls are on remote dimmers so the teachers can reduce lighting properly when needed to adapt to different instructional purposes.

Prioritizing Safety and Security:

• Modernized Bus Fleet for Reliable Transportation: The safety and comfort of our students is our top priority. Five brand new buses will be added to our fleet this summer. This ongoing investment keeps the average bus age at an impressive 4.2 years. Newer buses are more reliable, but reliability is also part of properly maintaining our current fleet through proactive preventive maintenance which is a key factor for our district as well.  New bus radios, new bus cameras, and new safety stop arm cameras are all part of our fleet upgrades to help protect our students.
  

• Grant-funded Security Enhancements: Building on our commitment to safety, grant funding has been used to address security vulnerabilities identified by assessments conducted by our school resources officer and an external audit. While specific details of the improvements cannot be disclosed for security reasons, these measures will further enhance the safety and well-being of our students and staff.  These upgrades were achieved through grant funding in the amount of  $516,442 which were needed improvements not paid by local tax dollars.

Enriching Student Life:

• Track for Harris Stadium: Thanks to a matching grant from the Ohio EPA, Harris Stadium is getting a brand new running track! This eco-friendly upgrade will feature a state-of-the-art surface made from recycled tires. The new track will provide a safe, high-performance running surface for student-athletes to train and compete at their best, fostering a strong athletics program within the District.
  

• New Varsity Softball Field: A dedicated softball field is under construction on the south side of the 7-12 campus. This new field will provide a home base for our Varsity Softball team, eliminating travel time for our softball athletes to Gurney for practice and games. Having their own dedicated space on the High School campus will not only improve the team's efficiency but also foster a stronger team spirit and sense of community.
  

• Classroom Refreshments: Select classrooms across the district will receive a refresh with new flooring to replace outdated materials. New flooring in the high school library will be installed this summer. Additionally, newer window treatments are being installed in classrooms to improve natural light control. These improvements will help to create a more productive atmosphere for learning.