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There will be no change if voters keep passing school levies
TweetThere will be no change if voters keep passing school levies
EDITOR:
Is it possible I don’t live on the same planet as the Liberty School Board? On the planet I live on, the Vindicator and other area newspapers, radio and TV stations have for the past few years reported many plant closings and layoffs. Many of these workers not only lost their jobs, but hospitalization and pensions as well. I received an e-mail the other day from AARP stating 14,000 people a day are losing their hospitalization. We can only guess how many of these may be our friends and neighbors living in Trumbull County and especially in Liberty Township. Has the school board taken the time to see just how many homes have been foreclosed on in our township?
I am positive there will be students that graduated from Liberty High School this year, some with high honors, who will be unable to attend college this year due to lack of financial help from their parents. The job market has collapsed, making it impossible for our children or even their parents to find any kind of decent work that pays well with hospitalization.
When you go to the polls think of your family, neighbors and friends who may have lost their home, hospitalization and pension and may even be wondering where their next meal may come from. Please vote no on the Liberty school levy.
This school board lost the May election by more than 2000 votes. The only way to get their attention now is to defeat the tax issue once again, hopefully, by a bigger margin.
Changes have to be made on how we govern our schools from the federal, state and local levels. There are ways this can happen, but it won’t come about as long as we pass levies. As voters we must force the issues now.
EDWARD J. TOCK
Liberty Township
Comments
There will be no change if voters keep voting down school levies. What so many people don't realize is that when schools fail, your community fails.
The "AARP" voters in Liberty defeated the levy last time, and chances are they will defeat it again this time. I've been to the board meetings, I've argued with you to no avail. You say that this is the board's fault the school district was in trouble, and they are wrong asking the people for more money. What solutions do you suggest?
I can tell you that the moral levels in the halls are pretty low. While some are still happy they have a job, others are constantly complaining about being in a pay freeze for the last three years. Perhaps there are unnecessary teachers and administrators that the district could do without...there would be additional funds available if we shaved some fat, right?
What if, instead of making cuts all around, we make the parents more accountable? Instead of wasting class time to handle discipline problems, what if the teachers were actually able to teach? We could go back and forth, trying to find blame in one another and poke holes in theories about who was wrong and who's fault this is. But instead, why don't we work together to solve the problem?
How do you suggest the school district generates the necessary funds to ensure our kids have the best possible educational opportunities?
Clark Kent - Do you have children that go to Liberty Schools?
Those that are not parents of school-age children will probably vote against the levy (the "AARP voters" mentioned above, among others). In the past, potential failure of a school levy would raise cries of property value reduction and loss of extracurricular activities.
At this point, property values are already in the dumper.
I don't know about the current state of extracurricular activities in Liberty (yes? no? pay to play?) but I would expect there will be some painful changes if it doesn't pass - not a threat, but a reality.
Superman,
The funding method for schools is atrocious, and hopefully, the changes coming from Governor Strickland will benefit the school's funding options. His proposal to postpone the income tax reduction isn't sitting to well with some, and we all know the debate about the video poker machines...
As much as I would hate to see some of the programs go at the school, they could probably do without some of the classes and extra-curriculars that are currently offered. If you compare the Liberty School District to others with similar student population and similar socioeconomic backgrounds, you'll see that there are fewer teachers per student in the LSD than in the others.
Short of mandating a test to prove adequate amounts of competency and responsibility to procreate, there will always be a need for schools, churches, and community care groups to help assist those that are less fortunate than you and I. The "butt-wiping" programs you speak of are there for the same reasons you state...necessity is the mother of invention. Who will tell this kid that disrespecting his elders is wrong, and that you shouldn't run with scissors if the "dirt bag" parents won't?
The attitudes among citizens, teachers, parents, and even students has changed since the 50s and 60s. Students nowadays have this sense of entitlement, and they think that flipping burgers is a job that is below them. How do we shift that mentality back to becoming upstanding, hard-working American citizens??
Passing a 9.9 mil levy will be very difficult, if at all. I encourage you to vote no. But remember the age-old adage when you push that button...it costs money to make money. Times are tough all over, but when it comes down to it...the community fails when the schools fail.
If elected to the school board, I don't think too many parents would be happy with your KITA initiative...
I, too, am fed up with the current state of our schools/economy/attitudes/country. What happened to all the respect?!? Where did all the responsibility go? We could sit here shaking our heads and saying "kids these days..." or we do something about it. You on the board, me in the classroom...I bet we could whip 'em into shape...