Lora Cover
My name is Lora Cover, and I’m running for re-election to the Shaker Heights Board of Education and supporting the operating levy because I believe deeply in the power of public education and because our students, our community and our staff deserve leaders who will both celebrate what makes Shaker special and push for the changes we need to thrive.
As a former teacher and longtime leader in education, I’ve spent my career making sure schools and nonprofits put students, families and staff at the center of their decisions. Since joining the Board, I’ve worked with my colleagues to launch the largest facilities modernization in district history, expand pre-K so more of our students start school ready to succeed, and develop goals to make sure that we are focused on what matters – our students succeeding in and out of the classroom.
Looking forward, my priorities are clear: making sure every child has access to excellent, engaging instruction; ensuring our teachers and staff have the support they need to do their best work; and managing district resources responsibly so that Shaker remains strong for generations to come.
These are challenging times for public schools, locally, statewide and nationally. But I know the strength of this community, and I believe we can keep moving forward. I would be honored to continue serving Shaker Heights students, families and educators for another four years. And hearing from students firsthand is critical, so please continue to reach out and share your ideas.
Kevin Dreyfuss-Wells
I believe in community. It’s why I’m an architect. It’s a profession that requires understanding people, organizations and communities, their culture, challenges and opportunities, then finding creative solutions to common problems.
Community is why we chose to live in Shaker Heights 17 years ago, returning to where my wife grew up. It’s why we love living in Ludlow, a place rich with wonderful people, spanning two cities but one united neighborhood. And it’s why we chose Shaker Schools for our son, from Onaway to graduation.
Because I value my community, I serve it. Through work on local community organizations’ boards, appointments to bodies like the City Planning Commission, and committees like Forward Together and the Shaker Facilities Advisory Committee, I’ve learned how our community works. I’ve built networks of neighbors and local officials and learned how to get things done.
That action includes my work making the Ludlow pre-K a more community-centered place, replacing planned pavement with a substantially larger playground. I led neighborhood stakeholders and advocated to the schools, city and foundation to re-design and fund a better, greener place for preschoolers and neighborhood kids alike.
I believe that we achieve better results when we deeply involve the entire community in two-way dialogue, sharing our concerns, our insights and our hopes. If elected, that community-centered approach will be my focus, finding ways to engage students, parents, teachers and neighbors in finding solutions that build opportunity for every student and make our community stronger.
Ardelia Holmes
I am a longtime Shaker resident, a mother of children across grade levels, and a candidate because I believe Shaker must become what it has long claimed to be: a true model of equity and excellence.
I have walked both sides of this district inside classrooms as a temp employee, in leadership as a high school PTO officer, and as a parent navigating the system with my own children. I know the promise of Shaker, and I know where we continue to fall short.
Professionally, I bring the lens of an entrepreneur, strategist and economist — someone who has built systems where transparency and measurable outcomes are not optional. I believe our district finances must be tied directly to student outcomes. Equity is not a slogan; it is how we budget, how we measure progress and how we hold ourselves accountable.
My priorities are clear: make equity the standard operating practice, ensure special education access is fair regardless of income, and strengthen trust between families, students, staff and leadership through visible, accountable presence. Representation matters. A board that does not reflect or respond to its full community cannot lead it forward.
Structural issues are not excuses for delay, they are the very reason to act now. We cannot wait for the “long haul” while children are failed in real time.
This campaign is not about one seat. It is about building a district where justice is visible in classrooms, finances and leadership, because our children cannot wait.
Kate Nielson
I’m Kate Nielson, a Shaker alumna and parent of young students at Ludlow and Onaway. These important perspectives are not currently offered by other Board members or candidates. As an attorney and policy advocate with experience working on education, gender equity, economic security and civil rights, I can also help the district navigate policies that impact our schools.
The role of the Board is to support the administration to fulfill the mission of the District, while holding the superintendent and treasurer accountable. I support passage of the levy, and I will ask the tough questions to ensure the compromises that are inherent to making budgetary decisions reflect the priorities of the community. I will listen to students, families and teachers to discern where individual problems need tailored solutions, or systemic issues require broader responses.
My priorities are ensuring 1) the pre-K program is successful and accessible to all families, leading to prepared learners, a shrinking achievement gap, and eventual cost savings through reductions in the need for remedial instruction, 2) our teachers feel supported and have the resources to successfully teach students in a detracked environment, 3) all students feel a sense of safety and belonging, and can reach their full potential, and 4) the district is successfully communicating with multiple stakeholders, including about shortcomings and areas for improvement.
On the Board of Education, I will use my policy expertise and advocacy skills to realize the promise of Shaker. I humbly request your vote and partnership to achieve these goals.
James Reed
Hello, my name is James Reed, and I am running for Shaker School Board. I have been a Shaker Heights resident for over 62 years, and my four children are graduates of SHHS. As a long-time educator and Shaker resident, I am the only SHHS graduate who has served as the principal of SHHS. I have been working in education for over 33 years, where I started as a middle school teacher and then became an administrator. During my time as an administrator, I have served as principal at Cleveland Heights High, Shaker Heights High, Beachwood High, St. Edward High School, Campus International, and as building administrator for Chardon High School.
I believe that my career experiences give me a unique insight into the operations of schools of various types – large, small, public, private, urban, suburban, diverse, not diverse, and differing curricular focuses. In short, all the concerns that are present in Shaker Schools currently. The common objective of all the aforementioned schools is the same – optimizing student success, that would allow its students to succeed at the highest level.
The community of Shaker Heights is special and unique in many ways, but I believe that it is only pushed to excellence through the common thread of education in our schools. I have always believed that this community’s greatest responsibility is to give its youngest members the tools that will help them become leaders of this state, this nation and the world. And I take that responsibility very seriously.
Jenny Steadman
I am running for Shaker Heights School Board because every child deserves to feel safe, physically and mentally, supported, and prepared to succeed. As a longtime community volunteer and advocate, I’ve worked on local and national campaigns, raised funds, organized neighbors and stood up for issues that matter, especially public education and reproductive justice. That experience has taught me how to listen, bring people together and fight for progress.
My priorities are simple but essential: ensuring that every student has
the resources they need to thrive — equity of equality — and that every teacher and staff member has the tools to do their jobs well.
I know the challenges we face — state and national governments that cut funding, limit mental health resources and push against the needs of our schools. But here in Shaker, we can choose differently. We can invest in our kids, our teachers and our community.
Our community motto says, “A community is known by the schools it keeps.” I want to restore pride in that truth, strengthen communication between the board and the public, and ensure our schools reflect the very best of Shaker Heights. Together, we can keep Shaker moving forward.
This story appears on page 4 of the Sept. 26, 2025 print edition.
