Last night, Monday January 14th, was the organizational meeting of the Swanton School Board. Mona Dyke and I, the two "newbies" were a little nervous, as we saw the gallery filling up with people. We were duly sworn in by treasurer, Cheryl Swisher, and away we went!
First item of business was to elect a board president. I spoke first - I mentioned that all 3 gentlemen on the board had about the same level of experience, which was far more than either Mona or myself, so I had gone back and looked over the vote numbers from their respective elections. Jeff Michael had received over 1600 votes ((1623, to be exact); Mike Wiederman had received 1488, and Dennis Heban had received 1369. Therefore, I nominated Jeff Michael as board president.
As I was speaking, Mr. Wiederman was nodding, as though in agreement. However, when I was finished speaking, he then said, "I have been asked to nominate Dennis Heban for board president.", which was an odd way to put it . . .
Superintendent Neil Weber suggested a "secret ballot" as opposed to an oral vote, so we each wrote our vote on a little piece of paper and Cheryl then declared Dennis Heban the "winner"with 3 votes to Jeff Michael's 2 votes.
At the break between the organizational meeting and the regular meeting, Wiederman went to Michael and said he hoped Jeff wouldn't take it personally, but that he (Wiederman) and Heban had talked about it ahead of time, and they "had a strategic plan" that involved Heban being board president now, and Michael being board president the following year when "they would really need (him) to help get the levy passed".
Interesting.
I do not know either Mr. Heban or Mr. Michael well enough to offer an opinion as to which of the two men would make the best board president this year. That said, I am uncomfortable with any "behind the scenes" machinations taking place outside of the open meeting forum that determine the outcome beforehand. It is exactly that kind of thing that angers people, and from my experience, angry people vote "no" on levies.
I hope this board, made up of fairly new people (no one with more than 3 years board experience) will be able to re-gain the public trust. I sincerely hope that the president election behind-the-scenes process was an isolated incident, never to be repeated.
Beyond that, I think it was a productive meeting. The Park and Recreation Board has decided to pursue becoming a park district which will add around $60,000 to the school district coffers annually. THAT is a good thing.
A new contract for treasurer, Cheryl Swisher, was negotiated and agreed upon. This poor woman had been trying to get a new contract since last October, and her existing contract expired at the end of December 2007. I am thankful we were able to hammer out an agreement that was fair to both sides of the table.
In addition, the Board has agreed to digitally record their meetings for podcasting online; public presentations and reports by the principals are to be placed at the beginning of the agenda from now on, so we don't hold those poor people hostage until the end of a meeting. We also decided to do a board newsletter to our residents, to keep folks informed on what their school board is doing. Neil Weber will put something together as a suggested format, and I will work with Mona to get mailing cost options available for this purpose. Although our bulk mailing rate is around $0.17 per piece, we think we can get the job done much cheaper by using the Key Shoppers' News instead. These items will be brought to our next board meeting.
We also changed the meeting dates from the third Monday of each month to the third Tuesday instead. Looking at the school calendar of 2007-'08, and also the 2006-'07 showed that there are many third Tuesdays where no other school function is scheduled. All third Mondays had other functions scheduled, and some third Tuesdays also have other things as well. It was decided that, if the third Tuesday scenario ends up not working so well, we will make a change at that time.
Speaking of meeting changes, the board also decided that contract issues needed to have their own separate meeting on a date separate from the regular scheduled meeting so that board members could avoid what has been done in the past; namely, waiting until the end of a regular meeting and then going into executive session to hash out contracts. The former system always resulted in very late nights for board members, and tired people are not able to think as clearly and do the best job. By holding a special meeting for contract issues, the board will be fresh and a lengthy meeting will still allow everyone to be home at a decent time of night.
So! All in all, I think things went rather well for our first meeting of the year. Our school board has a great opportunity to lift our district to higher levels than in the past, providing we don't allow former bad habits to sabotage our efforts.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Monday, January 14, 2008
Seminar Report
This past weekend, new Board member Mona Dyke and I drove down to Findlay to attend a seminar for new school board members, put on by the Ohio School Board Association (OSBA). It was a 2-day affair, and I was only able to attend the Saturday sessions, while Mona went both days.
From 9 a.m. until 3:45 p.m., we sat in a small room with 90+ other new school board members and learned some basic information about the position to which we were all recently elected.
On the ride home, Mona and I talked about our opinion of the whole affair. We were pretty much agreed that there wasn't much detail given - although some of the questions from the floor provided some interesting tidbits.
Especially in the financial area, we were disappointed. Our "facilitator" for that portion of the day was a lobbyist for the OSBA, who was entertaining but gave too broad an overview of how state legislative decisions have already affected school funding. We would have benefited from some hard facts here, but he spoke as though all of use were intimately aware of the facts already. He did emphasize the importance of knowing and contacting state representatives and senators who have a personal hand in legislative issues, to give them our opinions and desires with regard to school funding options. At one point, he introduced state representative Cliff Hite to us, who encouraged us to contact him with school funding concerns at any time.
The Sunday session was to include information on the Sunshine Law and other legal issues. I haven't had a chance to ask Mona about any of it yet, but I hope she gleaned more information than we got on Saturday.
Tonight - January 14th - will be the school board's organizational meeting, beginning at 6:30 p.m. I am hoping that the other board members will consider changing our meeting dates to Tuesdays, as I have discovered far fewer conflicts on those nights (according to the school calendar for the past two years).
In addition, I plan to ask about recording the meetings themselves, and then podcasting them so that our district residents may have access at any time. One thing mentioned at the Saturday seminar was the importance of communication with residents - newsletters, weekly or monthly articles in local papers, etc. were some of the ways suggested to keep residents informed. We have a district website now, and many of our manuals and the five-year budget forecast is already online. I think podcasting the actual meetings and maybe creating a newsletter would go a long way to keep folks apprised of what is happening at the board level.
We'll see what happens!
From 9 a.m. until 3:45 p.m., we sat in a small room with 90+ other new school board members and learned some basic information about the position to which we were all recently elected.
On the ride home, Mona and I talked about our opinion of the whole affair. We were pretty much agreed that there wasn't much detail given - although some of the questions from the floor provided some interesting tidbits.
Especially in the financial area, we were disappointed. Our "facilitator" for that portion of the day was a lobbyist for the OSBA, who was entertaining but gave too broad an overview of how state legislative decisions have already affected school funding. We would have benefited from some hard facts here, but he spoke as though all of use were intimately aware of the facts already. He did emphasize the importance of knowing and contacting state representatives and senators who have a personal hand in legislative issues, to give them our opinions and desires with regard to school funding options. At one point, he introduced state representative Cliff Hite to us, who encouraged us to contact him with school funding concerns at any time.
The Sunday session was to include information on the Sunshine Law and other legal issues. I haven't had a chance to ask Mona about any of it yet, but I hope she gleaned more information than we got on Saturday.
Tonight - January 14th - will be the school board's organizational meeting, beginning at 6:30 p.m. I am hoping that the other board members will consider changing our meeting dates to Tuesdays, as I have discovered far fewer conflicts on those nights (according to the school calendar for the past two years).
In addition, I plan to ask about recording the meetings themselves, and then podcasting them so that our district residents may have access at any time. One thing mentioned at the Saturday seminar was the importance of communication with residents - newsletters, weekly or monthly articles in local papers, etc. were some of the ways suggested to keep residents informed. We have a district website now, and many of our manuals and the five-year budget forecast is already online. I think podcasting the actual meetings and maybe creating a newsletter would go a long way to keep folks apprised of what is happening at the board level.
We'll see what happens!
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Park and Prejudice
As I mentioned in my previous post, the December meeting of the School Board included an item that was an eye-opener, at least for me. Here is the gist of it:
Apparently, since time immemorial, the Swanton School District has placed a levy on the ballot on behalf of the Swanton Park & Rec. No one is exactly certain how this began, but it has continued down through the decades on the premise that residents in the entire school district should be taxed via school district levy for Swanton Parks because some school sports functions utilize park facilities (e.g., the baseball diamond, etc.).
The park recreation system has never gone through the process of becoming an official entity, or park district, which would then give it the authority to place a levy on the ballot for itself (think Toledo Metroparks, for example, which had an item on last November's ballot in Lucas County). Rather, Swanton Park & Rec has piggy-backed onto the Swanton School District for its operating expenses: to wit, levy monies and administrative tasks (which are performed by School District personnel).
Still with me?
Perhaps it made sense, way back when this all started, even though the logic escapes me as I learn about it in 2007. . . but recent cuts in state school funding (thanks to Gov. Strickland) have forced the current School Board to seriously question the situation.
To put it more clearly, this 0.4-mil levy for the Parks effectively costs the School District $58,000+ dollars per year! Because Park & Rec has not bothered to organize into a self-supporting entity, it has cost the School District untold hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years.
Given our district's recent money problems, we are well within our rights to question those former School Board members who allowed this to continue during their tenure.
For a more detailed explanation of the financial implications involved, give a call to the School District treasurer, Cheryl Swisher. It will curl your hair.
At the next meeting of the School Board (January 14th, 7 p.m.) we will be discussing this issue, and no doubt representatives from Park & Rec will be in attendance. This has been a very sweet deal for them, and we expect they will want to maintain the status quo.
At the last meeting, Mr. Kahl (P&R board) made emotional statements of how the Swanton Park & Recreation system serves underprivileged children throughout the entire school district . . . . however, he gave no facts that could support the current levy situation. School board members at that meeting did not allow themselves to be put on a guilt trip that evening by Mr. Kahl, and decided to NOT put the Park levy on the March 2008 ballot. Rather, the issue was tabled until the next School Board meeting in January.
I am sure that it is a tedious paperwork process for the Park & Rec system to create a park district. Twisting the collective School Board's arm for levy money is far easier. But what is the right thing to do? Phone calls around the immediate area and around the state have proven what we surmised: there is NO school district in the state of Ohio that places a park levy on the school ballot thereby losing critical funding for its students. We are unique in Swanton - and in this case, it is not in a good way.
It is time for the Park & Rec Board to step up to the plate and create a park district, and it is time for the Swanton School Board to assist them in that process by refusing to place them on any future school levy ballots.
(Oh - as a side note, you might find it interesting to learn that, according to treasurer Cheryl Swisher, of the $58,000 the Park & Rec board has been getting each year, a full $49,000 of it goes to their staff )
Apparently, since time immemorial, the Swanton School District has placed a levy on the ballot on behalf of the Swanton Park & Rec. No one is exactly certain how this began, but it has continued down through the decades on the premise that residents in the entire school district should be taxed via school district levy for Swanton Parks because some school sports functions utilize park facilities (e.g., the baseball diamond, etc.).
The park recreation system has never gone through the process of becoming an official entity, or park district, which would then give it the authority to place a levy on the ballot for itself (think Toledo Metroparks, for example, which had an item on last November's ballot in Lucas County). Rather, Swanton Park & Rec has piggy-backed onto the Swanton School District for its operating expenses: to wit, levy monies and administrative tasks (which are performed by School District personnel).
Still with me?
Perhaps it made sense, way back when this all started, even though the logic escapes me as I learn about it in 2007. . . but recent cuts in state school funding (thanks to Gov. Strickland) have forced the current School Board to seriously question the situation.
To put it more clearly, this 0.4-mil levy for the Parks effectively costs the School District $58,000+ dollars per year! Because Park & Rec has not bothered to organize into a self-supporting entity, it has cost the School District untold hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years.
Given our district's recent money problems, we are well within our rights to question those former School Board members who allowed this to continue during their tenure.
For a more detailed explanation of the financial implications involved, give a call to the School District treasurer, Cheryl Swisher. It will curl your hair.
At the next meeting of the School Board (January 14th, 7 p.m.) we will be discussing this issue, and no doubt representatives from Park & Rec will be in attendance. This has been a very sweet deal for them, and we expect they will want to maintain the status quo.
At the last meeting, Mr. Kahl (P&R board) made emotional statements of how the Swanton Park & Recreation system serves underprivileged children throughout the entire school district . . . . however, he gave no facts that could support the current levy situation. School board members at that meeting did not allow themselves to be put on a guilt trip that evening by Mr. Kahl, and decided to NOT put the Park levy on the March 2008 ballot. Rather, the issue was tabled until the next School Board meeting in January.
I am sure that it is a tedious paperwork process for the Park & Rec system to create a park district. Twisting the collective School Board's arm for levy money is far easier. But what is the right thing to do? Phone calls around the immediate area and around the state have proven what we surmised: there is NO school district in the state of Ohio that places a park levy on the school ballot thereby losing critical funding for its students. We are unique in Swanton - and in this case, it is not in a good way.
It is time for the Park & Rec Board to step up to the plate and create a park district, and it is time for the Swanton School Board to assist them in that process by refusing to place them on any future school levy ballots.
(Oh - as a side note, you might find it interesting to learn that, according to treasurer Cheryl Swisher, of the $58,000 the Park & Rec board has been getting each year, a full $49,000 of it goes to their staff )
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
December Meeting 2007
The final meeting of 2007 for the Swanton Board of Education was held December 17th. Ms. Cathy Cline was not in attendance, so she missed out on the words of thanks from fellow board members directed toward her and Mr. Green, who is retiring from the Board. In recognition of their service to the community, two large posters (created by students) hung on the wall and there was a cake! In addition, a beautiful glass gift was presented to them, with each of the schools etched on the surface - very nice.
I was surprised that the meeting did not begin on time. I arrived at ten minutes before seven, and was annoyed with myself for "rushing in" so late - but the meeting did not begin until some twenty minutes later. I'm not sure if this is normal or not. Time will tell.
At one point, Mr. Green welcomed me as a new board member, and asked if I had anything to say to those in attendance. I had not expected to be asked to speak, and I'm sure I sounded like a dolt. I'll be ready in the future!
One of the first items of business was to give recognition to two former students who had helped on the most recent yearbook. I learned that this is a standard part of board meetings which is confusing to me. Why do we recognize student achievements at school board meetings instead of at school assemblies in front of their peers? How special is it for the student to receive their certificate in front of their parents and a handful of others, versus in front of the entire student body? From my perspective it makes more sense to have the superintendent and a representative of the board go to the school itself and present the award/certificate to the student at a regularly scheduled assembly. That would have a far greater impact for the student, don't you think? But no one asked my opinion . . . I'll have to share it in January.
The board went into executive session for over an hour. Most in the audience took advantage of that time to have a piece of cake (thanks, Chris Wood!). It was a long wait.
An eye-opening discussion was part of the meeting that night, concerning the relationship between the school district and the Swanton Park & Recreation board. I will write about that in another post, as I want to be sure I have the numbers straight.
The board was informed by the treasurer that, if they wanted to have an issue or levy on the March ballot, state regulations required the decision and paperwork to be filed with the county auditor no later than December 20th. After a little discussion between board members, it was decided NOT to have an issue/levy on the ballot in March.
Although a special election could be called in mid-summer if necessary, those are costly to do for the district and are usually avoided because of that. Most likely the next levy will be on the November 2008 ballot.
A few other items were discussed, and then the board retired to a final executive session to discuss the treasurer's contract. Most everyone left at that point - it was 10:30 p.m. and a nasty night to be on the roads.
I was surprised that the meeting did not begin on time. I arrived at ten minutes before seven, and was annoyed with myself for "rushing in" so late - but the meeting did not begin until some twenty minutes later. I'm not sure if this is normal or not. Time will tell.
At one point, Mr. Green welcomed me as a new board member, and asked if I had anything to say to those in attendance. I had not expected to be asked to speak, and I'm sure I sounded like a dolt. I'll be ready in the future!
One of the first items of business was to give recognition to two former students who had helped on the most recent yearbook. I learned that this is a standard part of board meetings which is confusing to me. Why do we recognize student achievements at school board meetings instead of at school assemblies in front of their peers? How special is it for the student to receive their certificate in front of their parents and a handful of others, versus in front of the entire student body? From my perspective it makes more sense to have the superintendent and a representative of the board go to the school itself and present the award/certificate to the student at a regularly scheduled assembly. That would have a far greater impact for the student, don't you think? But no one asked my opinion . . . I'll have to share it in January.
The board went into executive session for over an hour. Most in the audience took advantage of that time to have a piece of cake (thanks, Chris Wood!). It was a long wait.
An eye-opening discussion was part of the meeting that night, concerning the relationship between the school district and the Swanton Park & Recreation board. I will write about that in another post, as I want to be sure I have the numbers straight.
The board was informed by the treasurer that, if they wanted to have an issue or levy on the March ballot, state regulations required the decision and paperwork to be filed with the county auditor no later than December 20th. After a little discussion between board members, it was decided NOT to have an issue/levy on the ballot in March.
Although a special election could be called in mid-summer if necessary, those are costly to do for the district and are usually avoided because of that. Most likely the next levy will be on the November 2008 ballot.
A few other items were discussed, and then the board retired to a final executive session to discuss the treasurer's contract. Most everyone left at that point - it was 10:30 p.m. and a nasty night to be on the roads.
Getting Involved
This past Tuesday, I took a tour of the Crestwood school with Mrs. Linda Reeves, the principal. She escorted me around the building and graciously introduced me to the teachers and staff that were there working with our K-2nd grade children.
Afterward, we chatted briefly, and I learned that Crestwood is in the same boat as Park school: the library is only open three days each week because we do not have the staff to have it open those other two days.
This is a terrible situation for the students.
Any reputable study from any decade clearly shows that teaching and encouraging solid reading habits in students improves performance in virtually every other subject, including math. The reverse is also true: poor readers do poorly in every other subject.
Those libraries are vital to our kids' success - now, and in their later lives as adult citizens.
If we had just a few dedicated people willing to volunteer their valuable time to help out, we could keep both of those libraries open all week long. Just a couple of hours each week would make a huge difference!
To that end, I have volunteered my Friday mornings to be at the Park school library. I am in the process of working out details of also volunteering for library duty at Crestwood.
Our kids are our future - they will be making our cars, dispensing our medications at the pharmacy, running corporations, repairing our roofs, flying our airplanes, nursing us back to health in the hospital, caring for our teeth every six months, staffing our nursing homes, and teaching the next generation of students. It is vital that we give them the best educational foundation possible to help them succeed in their chosen field of endeavor - and that means they need to read, and read well.
Afterward, we chatted briefly, and I learned that Crestwood is in the same boat as Park school: the library is only open three days each week because we do not have the staff to have it open those other two days.
This is a terrible situation for the students.
Any reputable study from any decade clearly shows that teaching and encouraging solid reading habits in students improves performance in virtually every other subject, including math. The reverse is also true: poor readers do poorly in every other subject.
Those libraries are vital to our kids' success - now, and in their later lives as adult citizens.
If we had just a few dedicated people willing to volunteer their valuable time to help out, we could keep both of those libraries open all week long. Just a couple of hours each week would make a huge difference!
To that end, I have volunteered my Friday mornings to be at the Park school library. I am in the process of working out details of also volunteering for library duty at Crestwood.
Our kids are our future - they will be making our cars, dispensing our medications at the pharmacy, running corporations, repairing our roofs, flying our airplanes, nursing us back to health in the hospital, caring for our teeth every six months, staffing our nursing homes, and teaching the next generation of students. It is vital that we give them the best educational foundation possible to help them succeed in their chosen field of endeavor - and that means they need to read, and read well.
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