Mr. Laughlin needs to run for office. He is not only a person who thinks but writes well and understands the Constitution. How can we have someone like Santorum running for office when there are brilliant people like Mr. Laughlin? Bravo, Mr. Laughlin.
There is no problem with having a county system. Allegheny County in Pittsburgh serves all the communities and there is no problem. The same is true in Mercer county. Both systems are digital data systems besides being call centers. The calls are automatically transferred to each community. That is what you can do with NEW TECHNOLOGY. Trumbull County has the newest technology. There is no reason for each community to have their own systems. Besides, nobody is going to lose his or her job.
The taxpayers cannot have one more penny added to their taxes in Liberty township. Township property tax rates are already at maximum. Lastly, the police had their own 911 system when they did not respond to emergency calls about Mary Rush and she died on her front porch having accidently locked herself out of her house. The police would not get out of their car to investigate her cries for help since it was raining and cold that night. People pleaded on 911 for assistance and the police did not act. So, whether you call that a homicide or not, it was a unnecessary death related to our own failed 911 system.
If you want to see teacher salaries, here is the website: http://ohiocasb.org/about/school-sala... Teachers do not make $13 an hour. Include their "Cadillac" health plan and their step increases and their pensions and their 3 month vacation and their sick days, they do quite well. Even the State Commission said there was personnel excessiveness in this district. Well, look where their greediness got them. Of course, it was the board that approved the contract and "Lead and Learn" and allowed the treasurer to have books that could not be audited. The state just charged the BOE more money for time spent on the audits because they were such a mess. Don't vote for any levies. They will just waste your hard earned money. Maybe, you have to pay for your health insurance, work 12 months a year, do not have ridiculous pensions and do not get automatic step increases. Ask the district how much they spend on substitutes. It is incredible. And, teachers get paid for their sick days when they retire. So, no more whining from the teachers. Ask the board what they are doing about a new contract. Incidentally, everyone in the district gets this "Cadillac" health plan, not just teachers. I am sure DIane DeVito will keep the contract details secret until we can't do anything about it. Because, she just wants to move on - oh, with your money. Get involved or they will be in your pockets soon.
Couple more questions for Diane. She wants open enrollment again. Did you not previously blame open enrollment for the loss of students and our money? Students left for other schools and Liberty gets to pay for them. Great job. So, why are you bringing this up again? And, what about the $1.3 million stimulus money? Can we trust that this money was spent correctly?
The former board president, Diane DeVito, who wasted money and now is complaining that they have not had new revenue since 1995, claims that she has moved on and has no secrets. Questions for Diane? Do you realize that taxpayers pay one of the highest rates in Trumbull County? Are you negotiating another ridiculous contract, a contract that has not been changed since 2008? Are you keeping secrets about this contract and giving away the store again? Do you think you should apologize for wasting the taxpayers money? As part of the "Lead and Learn" fiasco, don't you think you should do us all a favor and resign? Do you think you and Flannagan should forget traveling to Columbus to attend Board conferences or pay for it yourself since we are broke and will continue to be broke for a long time? And, finally, do you really think anyone in this community will vote for a new levy? No way. More cuts coming. How can you move on? Are you in denial or just arrogant about your performance as a board member? Do you also think that the school board members should refuse pay for each of their meetings? We have no money to pay the dedicated members. Great job Vindicator. I hope they continue to expose the truth and secrets that Diane doesn't think exist.
Hey, Diane, person who complains about no new revenue. What did you do with the $1.3 million stimulus money you received? Can we see what's in your notebook that you referred to?
The former board president who wasted money and now is complaining that they have not had new revenue since 1995, claims that she has moved on and has no secrets. Question for Diane? Do you realize that taxpayers pay one of the highest rates in Trumbull County? Are you negotiating another ridiculous contract? Are you keeping secrets about this contract? Do you think you should apologize for wasting the taxpayers money? As part of the "Lead and Learn" fiasco, don't you think you should do us all a favor and resign? Do you think you and Flannagan should forget traveling to Columbus or pay for it yourself since we are broke and will continue to be broke? And, finally, do you really think anyone in this community will vote for a new levy? No way. More cuts coming. How can you move on? Are you in denial or just arrogant about your performance as a board member? Great job Vindicator. I hope they continue to expose the truth and secrets that Diane doesn't think exist.
Why is the board and the administration constantly trying to blame others for your incompetence? When the state came in because of your fiscal irresponsibility, the chairman said that the biggest problem with school districts in trouble is their denial that they have a problem. The arrogance of the administration and board and the constant denial of their problems have lead to the current problems we now have. Quit blaming everyone else. Should we talk about giving all your employees a "Cadillac" health plan that the state has told you is not in keeping with the rest of the state. Why won't you listen to anyone? Hopefully, the state and the voters will make you listen. We already have the highest taxes in Trumbull County. The majority of school districts in Ohio are not in your shape and they don't blame others for their problems.
"Lead and Learn" were not charter schools. They were conversion community schools sponsored by the Liberty Local School District. The Board thought they were going to get paid twice to educate the same select students. This was a deal too good to be true and it turned out not to be true. The problem was with the negligence of the Board and administration.
Just like Liberty Local School District never publicly advertised an open position on the board due to the resignation of Gloria Lang, the board and administration failed to get anything in writing during this whole “Lead and Learn” fiasco. The board then failed to get a letter of credit for the additional $100,000 promised after the $250K payment was negotiated. When we asked at a board meeting about a letter of credit to ensure the $100K be paid, we were told that they did not need it but they would get the money for sure. Well, now we learn that the $100K is in question. Obviously, the BOE negotiated the $250K money and the verbally promised $100K money because they did not want to go to court since they had nothing in writing. Attorney Grinstein, a former board member, was praised for these negotiations but then decided not to run again for the board. Do these people do everything with a handshake and a smile? It is time that the public realize that students were “chosen” to attend the private school within the public school building and everything else with the administration and board is done in secret and the public is duped every time. They now say that they were lied to by people who ran “Lead and Learn” but they have no written documentation proving it. This is the 21st century. Who runs a business like this? They wasted the public’s money and now will probably come to us for more money through another levy. Don’t buy it. They need to learn the hard way how to manage money and to be more transparent. It is obvious from the emails in the Vindicator that people in charge are hiding a lot of dirt. Please get involved and speak your opinion. And, did you know that particularly everyone in the district (teachers, bus drivers, tutors, cafeteria workers) is working under a 2008 contract that contains a “Cadillac health plan.” I am sure the Board that is supposedly currently negotiating will not be like Niles and stand firm but will give them an even better “Mercedes” plan even though they are broke. Get involved. Come to the board meeting Monday night.
First Amendment freedoms don’t place churches above the law
Mr. Laughlin needs to run for office. He is not only a person who thinks but writes well and understands the Constitution. How can we have someone like Santorum running for office when there are brilliant people like Mr. Laughlin? Bravo, Mr. Laughlin.
February 21, 2012 at 8:35 p.m. permalink suggest removal
Proposed end of Liberty 911 center called ‘death sentence’
There is no problem with having a county system. Allegheny County in Pittsburgh serves all the communities and there is no problem. The same is true in Mercer county. Both systems are digital data systems besides being call centers. The calls are automatically transferred to each community. That is what you can do with NEW TECHNOLOGY. Trumbull County has the newest technology. There is no reason for each community to have their own systems. Besides, nobody is going to lose his or her job.
The taxpayers cannot have one more penny added to their taxes in Liberty township. Township property tax rates are already at maximum. Lastly, the police had their own 911 system when they did not respond to emergency calls about Mary Rush and she died on her front porch having accidently locked herself out of her house. The police would not get out of their car to investigate her cries for help since it was raining and cold that night. People pleaded on 911 for assistance and the police did not act. So, whether you call that a homicide or not, it was a unnecessary death related to our own failed 911 system.
February 12, 2012 at 7:31 p.m. permalink suggest removal
Liberty BOE OKs $1.2M in cuts
If you want to see teacher salaries, here is the website: http://ohiocasb.org/about/school-sala...
Teachers do not make $13 an hour. Include their "Cadillac" health plan and their step increases and their pensions and their 3 month vacation and their sick days, they do quite well. Even the State Commission said there was personnel excessiveness in this district. Well, look where their greediness got them. Of course, it was the board that approved the contract and "Lead and Learn" and allowed the treasurer to have books that could not be audited. The state just charged the BOE more money for time spent on the audits because they were such a mess. Don't vote for any levies. They will just waste your hard earned money. Maybe, you have to pay for your health insurance, work 12 months a year, do not have ridiculous pensions and do not get automatic step increases. Ask the district how much they spend on substitutes. It is incredible. And, teachers get paid for their sick days when they retire. So, no more whining from the teachers.
Ask the board what they are doing about a new contract. Incidentally, everyone in the district gets this "Cadillac" health plan, not just teachers. I am sure DIane DeVito will keep the contract details secret until we can't do anything about it. Because, she just wants to move on - oh, with your money. Get involved or they will be in your pockets soon.
January 24, 2012 at 10:37 p.m. permalink suggest removal
Liberty BOE OKs $1.2M in cuts
Couple more questions for Diane. She wants open enrollment again. Did you not previously blame open enrollment for the loss of students and our money? Students left for other schools and Liberty gets to pay for them. Great job. So, why are you bringing this up again?
And, what about the $1.3 million stimulus money? Can we trust that this money was spent correctly?
January 24, 2012 at 6:15 p.m. permalink suggest removal
Liberty BOE OKs $1.2M in cuts
The former board president, Diane DeVito, who wasted money and now is complaining that they have not had new revenue since 1995, claims that she has moved on and has no secrets. Questions for Diane? Do you realize that taxpayers pay one of the highest rates in Trumbull County? Are you negotiating another ridiculous contract, a contract that has not been changed since 2008? Are you keeping secrets about this contract and giving away the store again? Do you think you should apologize for wasting the taxpayers money? As part of the "Lead and Learn" fiasco, don't you think you should do us all a favor and resign? Do you think you and Flannagan should forget traveling to Columbus to attend Board conferences or pay for it yourself since we are broke and will continue to be broke for a long time? And, finally, do you really think anyone in this community will vote for a new levy? No way. More cuts coming. How can you move on? Are you in denial or just arrogant about your performance as a board member? Do you also think that the school board members should refuse pay for each of their meetings? We have no money to pay the dedicated members. Great job Vindicator. I hope they continue to expose the truth and secrets that Diane doesn't think exist.
January 24, 2012 at 6:04 p.m. permalink suggest removal
What has Liberty ‘Learn’ed?
Hey, Diane, person who complains about no new revenue. What did you do with the $1.3 million stimulus money you received? Can we see what's in your notebook that you referred to?
January 24, 2012 at 5:41 a.m. permalink suggest removal
What has Liberty ‘Learn’ed?
The former board president who wasted money and now is complaining that they have not had new revenue since 1995, claims that she has moved on and has no secrets. Question for Diane? Do you realize that taxpayers pay one of the highest rates in Trumbull County? Are you negotiating another ridiculous contract? Are you keeping secrets about this contract? Do you think you should apologize for wasting the taxpayers money? As part of the "Lead and Learn" fiasco, don't you think you should do us all a favor and resign? Do you think you and Flannagan should forget traveling to Columbus or pay for it yourself since we are broke and will continue to be broke? And, finally, do you really think anyone in this community will vote for a new levy? No way. More cuts coming. How can you move on? Are you in denial or just arrogant about your performance as a board member? Great job Vindicator. I hope they continue to expose the truth and secrets that Diane doesn't think exist.
January 24, 2012 at 5:25 a.m. permalink suggest removal
What has Liberty ‘Learn’ed?
Why is the board and the administration constantly trying to blame others for your incompetence? When the state came in because of your fiscal irresponsibility, the chairman said that the biggest problem with school districts in trouble is their denial that they have a problem. The arrogance of the administration and board and the constant denial of their problems have lead to the current problems we now have. Quit blaming everyone else. Should we talk about giving all your employees a "Cadillac" health plan that the state has told you is not in keeping with the rest of the state. Why won't you listen to anyone? Hopefully, the state and the voters will make you listen. We already have the highest taxes in Trumbull County. The majority of school districts in Ohio are not in your shape and they don't blame others for their problems.
January 23, 2012 at 8:03 a.m. permalink suggest removal
What has Liberty ‘Learn’ed?
"Lead and Learn" were not charter schools. They were conversion community schools sponsored by the Liberty Local School District. The Board thought they were going to get paid twice to educate the same select students. This was a deal too good to be true and it turned out not to be true. The problem was with the negligence of the Board and administration.
January 22, 2012 at 1:06 p.m. permalink suggest removal
What has Liberty ‘Learn’ed?
Just like Liberty Local School District never publicly advertised an open position on the board due to the resignation of Gloria Lang, the board and administration failed to get anything in writing during this whole “Lead and Learn” fiasco. The board then failed to get a letter of credit for the additional $100,000 promised after the $250K payment was negotiated. When we asked at a board meeting about a letter of credit to ensure the $100K be paid, we were told that they did not need it but they would get the money for sure. Well, now we learn that the $100K is in question. Obviously, the BOE negotiated the $250K money and the verbally promised $100K money because they did not want to go to court since they had nothing in writing. Attorney Grinstein, a former board member, was praised for these negotiations but then decided not to run again for the board. Do these people do everything with a handshake and a smile? It is time that the public realize that students were “chosen” to attend the private school within the public school building and everything else with the administration and board is done in secret and the public is duped every time. They now say that they were lied to by people who ran “Lead and Learn” but they have no written documentation proving it. This is the 21st century. Who runs a business like this? They wasted the public’s money and now will probably come to us for more money through another levy. Don’t buy it. They need to learn the hard way how to manage money and to be more transparent. It is obvious from the emails in the Vindicator that people in charge are hiding a lot of dirt. Please get involved and speak your opinion.
And, did you know that particularly everyone in the district (teachers, bus drivers, tutors, cafeteria workers) is working under a 2008 contract that contains a “Cadillac health plan.” I am sure the Board that is supposedly currently negotiating will not be like Niles and stand firm but will give them an even better “Mercedes” plan even though they are broke. Get involved. Come to the board meeting Monday night.
January 22, 2012 at 9:41 a.m. permalink suggest removal