Civil Municipal - Feb 2024

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND PARTNERSHIPS Collaborations with the cities of Brecksville and Broadview Heights are extremely important to the success of the district. Harrison conveys, “These relationships and things that we have done together have only enhanced our school district.” From the land swap that facilitated the building of the new intermediate school to the support from the city council in each community, he underscores the positive impact assistance from these entities has had for Brecksville-Broadview Heights. In addition, Harrison points to partnerships with local vendors, who are pivotal in providing goods and services for an efficient school system. Relationships with the local business community are also crucial, not only in terms of supply chain but also in providing essential opportunities for students. “Our business community within Brecksville- Broadview Heights, and the opportunities that they make available to our students to experience real- world learning, goes beyond just the exchange of money and goods that a school district would have to a vendor. It is a lot of transfer of knowledge as well.When they open up their doors to our students to be able to experience those real-world learning opportunities, it’s an awesome, awesome opportunity. That’s why we’d like to work with our local business community because they can give back in many different ways.” SUPERINTENDENT HARRISON’S PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY Harrison’s educational philosophy centers around finding efficiencies that keep the attention on a student-centered experience. “We need to be solely focused on meeting every single student where they’re at and helping move them forward and preparing them for whatever career that they choose,” he explains. “When you’re walking into a classroom, the students should be doing the majority of talking and work. And the teacher is a facilitator of knowledge, rather 163 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 5, ISSUE 02 BRECKSVI LLE-BROADVIEW HEIGHTS CI TY SCHOOL DISTRICT