You say you are responsible to your community, and that "schools are a fundamental element in our community and our children's lives."  Unfortunately, your actions if heeded by enough misinformed voters, WILL adversely affect our community's health and our children's lives for many years to come.   My values require me to build a better world for our children.

  

You speak of doing your homework and fact finding, but it appears that you (like others in the community) have locked onto some false and/or insignificant "facts," and are using them to rationalize why you oppose the levy.    Unfortunately, you really aren't interested in opening your mind, because you might have to change your position.  

 

Anyone who knows anything about the rating system knows that an efficient rating is actually very good for the 9th largest district in Ohio, with a very diverse population.   Those who understand the ratings also realize that they correlate best to socioeconomic status of families.

 

You stated that "many seniors fail to graduate because of the proficiency test."  In fact, it's been very few.   You complained that "college-bound students must take remedial courses."  Westerville has larger college-bound numbers than many comparable schools, and its grads are in great demand and succeed very well at even the most competitive colleges.   The idea that you are distorting here is that, of course, some individual students well down in the class rankings may need an occasional remedial course in a specific area.   Doing something to improve a weakness is NOT a negative.   You do not mention the many at all levels of their graduating class who compare very favorably to those comparably ranked students from other high schools.

  

Another claim is that "we pay among the highest teacher salaries in the country."  While our teachers are not poorly paid, the overall salary schedule is not even among the highest in the state, and is comparable to others in the area with much lower reputations.   What you failed to say was average teacher salary is based on teacher seniority, and we have a very experienced faculty.   You also complained about administrative raises, but failed to note that they
have been far below comparable districts for years or that the difficulty of their jobs has increased dramatically.   This is partly because of a dramatic increase in the number of ineffective parents.

 

Taxes are not cheap (including ours), but Westerville School taxes are in the middle of the pack in the area, and well below those districts we are generally compared to for quality.   You failed to place the blame where it belongs, on Ohio's atrocious school funding system.   The Board purposely kept the last levy as an emergency one to give voters a chance to renew it periodically.   Some are confused in thinking that taxes have gone up each time.   In fact,
this is the first new school tax in some time.  Others have advocated the ridiculous idea of "simply getting rid of the problem part of the district" (is there a hidden agenda here)?  They are hopelessly misinformed about how school districts are regulated, and about the financial history of Westerville Schools in
relation to these areas.   And you wonder why the Board might not continue to listen to you.   Hint: simple solutions sometimes are 100% unworkable.

 

I hope all voters will look at the big picture.   Westerville Schools are not perfect, but what has always made Westerville a good place to buy a house and live is Quality at a Reasonable Value.   Anyone who knows education knows there isn't fat in Westerville Schools.   Sure, anyone can find decisions with which we disagree or an item they don't like in a multimillion dollar budget, but that's not a reason to vote no.   That item is probably what someone else needs from the district, and it's the district's job to serve all.

Westerville Boards have done this for a long time, in spite of the hassles they have received.   Obviously they have made mistakes, but they have also helped make Westerville the great place it is to live, work and go to school.   Further cuts will ultimately erode the quality of the district and of the community.   It is that quality that keeps our house values up and our community thriving.   It's the first thing people ask when they move into an area.   Look around at communities where malcontents are constantly fighting the schools (and levies fail) and compare!

 

You asked in your letter what I could do to help your cause.   Here's my advice.   Your lack of knowledge about education speaks volumes.   Do your homework, without looking for answers that merely reinforce your existing beliefs.   Look for real facts and relay them honestly and fairly.   Most of all, please support something positive!

 

Richard Smith