Assumption Academy Forum Recap

November 11, 2025

Sunday, November 11th we were joined by representatives from the Office of Catholic Education from the Diocese of Cleveland, Dr. Frank O’Linn, Superintendent of Schools, and Tracey Arnone, Assistant Superintendent of Schools, to show their support for Assumption Academy. Mr. K also joined us and will remain as principal. Students, teachers and families should see no changes to their day-to-day experiences at Assumption Academy. Jodie Varner introduced herself and shared her personal experiences with Assumption and her profession experience that she brings to the role of Mission Advancement Director. 

Father Justin explained that Assumption Academy is strong and he is ready to once again lead a parish school.  Father Justin and Jodie Varner responded to previously provided questions and real-time questions from parents, teachers and parishioners regarding the transitions and changes for the 2026-2027 school year. 

Here are those answers and responses to questions during and after the session: 

FINANCIAL CONCERNS: Assumption Parish has always remained 100% responsible for all funding of Assumption Academy, and we will continue to invest in everything needed to maintain a strong future. Parish Finance Council meets regularly, and the school principal is part of this group that makes sure the school is fully supported and financially sound. Parents have visibility when the Parish publishes their financials every September as required by the Diocese of Cleveland. Families can be assured that 100% of funds raised for school needs are used at Assumption Academy. This includes donations and WeGiveCatholic that are earmarked for specific purposes.

PRINCIPAL SELECTION: As standard for all Parochial Diocesan Schools, the Pastor selects the Principal. 7-9 parishioners with educational, managerial, administrative and spiritual backgrounds will be appointed to the committee. Tracey Arnone, Assistant Superintendent of Schools for the Diocese of Cleveland, has agreed to be in this group. The committee will include 2 parents that are already part of Assumption Academy leadership. This group will review resumes, conduct interviews and prayerfully contemplate who should be hired for this role. As part of this process, we will be gathering parent and teacher input and feedback through roundtables and surveys.  Assumption Academy is an attractive place to work because it has strong family support, solid financial backing, and a history of academic excellence. This is not a time of uncertainty. We are currently compiling the traits required for the next principal from teacher and parent feedback. This will be a key to the parent surveys that we send out in the coming weeks.

TECHNOLOGY, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & STUDENT EXPERIENCES: The main elements of the partnership included shared services, such as joint access to computer programs (Progressbook) and IT management. Our plan is to transition to the same systems with Assumption Academy’s own credentials and access. We are essentially moving from being “outsourced” to “in-house.” We will not give this work to existing staff but evaluate how a new role may best serve the parish and school. Our teachers are the cornerstone of Assumption Academy, and their continued professional development will be supported, and collaboration will be a focus. Students will continue to experience the same academic and extracurricular activities as they are experiencing now and had prior to the partnership.

ELEMENTS CRITICAL FOR COMMUNITY SUCCESS: Supportive Families and Staff participating positively to these changes are key to success. Moving forward TOGETHER and staying supportive of Assumption staff, teachers and families throughout this transition is important. Supporting the decisions of Father Justin and other leaders at both the church and school is critical for the future of Assumption Academy.

CONFIDENCE IN ASSUMPTION PARISH LEADERSHIP: We are confident that after 6 years of the partnership, we have rightsized our classroom approach, made certain staffing decisions and set financial strategies to continue supporting Assumption Academy as a parish school once again. We also will have the opportunity to build our own governance and succession plan.

CURRICULUM: Curriculum updates are always a consideration for existing or new principals. Information Technology is crucial to the success of our students and programs will be evaluated and provided that best meet our students’ and teachers’ needs.

Mr. K’S INVOLVEMENT: It is not standard for the outgoing principal to participate in the selection of the incoming principal. Mr. K will have an opportunity to meet the new principal and share his insight into how he currently supports students, teachers, staff and families. He will also be key as we transition into the areas of technology, student experience and staff professional development.

SUPPORT FOR FUTURE PRINCIPAL: The new principal of Assumption Academy will continue to have full support of Assumption Parish staff and leadership. Needs will be evaluated to determine what additional staff will make this person successful. Additionally, they will have ongoing support from other Diocesan principals (which meet regularly), the Diocese Office of Catholic Education and their previous experience and networking that they bring to Assumption.

TEACHER RETENTION: We are meeting with teachers to host roundtables to gather their feedback on qualities they value in the principal, their suggestions for improvements, and their commitment to the future of Assumption Academy. Our teachers are the heart of the school, and their ideas, opinions and participation are key to a strong future at Assumption Academy. We are listening to their recommendations and concerns and will act upon these recommendations to make sure they have a positive work environment where they feel heard and appreciated. We are committed to making sure that teachers’ salaries are fair and support them with the important work that they do every day for our children. Teacher salaries at a private school are not public knowledge.

ENROLLMENT: Our plan is that families will continue to return next year for their children to be supported by the wonderful experiences at Assumption Academy. Our plan is that this transition does not deter families and we are confident it will not diminish the quality of education and community at Assumption Academy.

RECENT JULIE BILLIART VISIT: Recently, Mr. K graciously hosted the teachers from Julie Billiart to support a professional development day so they could observe general education classroom. They are trained in special education, so this provided them with a different perspective on students and teaching.

CYO: As a standard in the Diocese of Cleveland, CYO is a parish ministry, not a school program.

SAFETY: Safety and facility updates continue to be a focus for Assumption church and school.

TECHNOLOGY SUPPORT FROM THE DIOCESE: There is no centralized way for diocesan schools to share technology resources, but this is a good suggestion.

JODIE VARNER’S QUALIFICATIONS: Jodie attended Parochial Grade School, Catholic High School and graduated from John Carrol University. Her professional experience includes 20+ years in non-profit communications & donor relations and marketing, communications, project management, client relations & client retention in a corporate environment. Her last role at an executive level was to collaborate with companies to identify their needs and put in place solutions to support those needs. She has been an Assumption Parishioner since 2005 with 3 children that attended Assumption Academy. She is a longtime Parent CORP member, spearheaded the inaugural WEGIVECATHLOIC campaign in 2018, volunteered as the school and church communications coordinator that eventually became a part-time job. Today, she continues to coach CYO volleyball and is a Eucharistic Minister. She was also part of the team collaborating with Father Justin, Father Estok and Mr. Vittardi as we began the partnership with St. Albert the Great.