Parents press board for clarity on PAGE program; advisory committee to review future placement

Several parents urged the Parma City School District Board of Education to provide clearer, timelier information about the district's PAGE (gifted) program after recent administrative decisions raised uncertainty about where and how the program will operate next year.

Brenda Mitchell, a PAGE parent, told the board she and other parents felt the district had provided insufficient notice and that messaging had been inconsistent. "Why was there not this amount of care and discussion given to the PAGE program?" she asked, saying parents and students need time to make enrollment decisions and that the community had not received a formal explanation since the February vote. "We haven't gotten any sort of formal apology for how this situation has been handled," Mitchell said.

Liliana Jimenez, whose child attends PAGE, said parents were worried about the program's continuity and the emotional impact on students: "We would like to give our children answers." Marcus Mitchell urged the board to "show your work" when making decisions, calling for clear explanations of how conclusions were reached.

Board member Mister Reyes said the board had previously moved to continue the program for the 2026–27 school year and that administration had formed an advisory committee to evaluate options for how and where PAGE would be implemented. Doctor Cruz confirmed that a meeting of the advisory group was scheduled to continue those discussions; board members agreed to review a draft resolution submitted by Mister Reyes and to provide feedback before the next meeting.

Board and administration stressed that program-site decisions and operational details are administrative in nature but said they will provide additional consultations with families and return to the board with recommendations.