John Curry and Dave Speas discuss school funding

"My only suggestion, that you touched on in your letter, is for all of us (retired and actives) is to put pressure on for increased funding and the elimination of charter schools. This is almost an impossible task with the current political atmosphere in this country. A massive "replacement" of many current legislators in Ohio and the U.S. will need to take place before this situation will change."

From John Curry
11/12/05

Dave, you touch upon a REAL problem. I also understand the problem of the local schools and their purses. We are in a pickle that isn't helped by our legislature's failure to supply adequate funding -- despite an Ohio Supreme Court order to do so. That is compounded with the current sad state of affairs not only on the state picture but also with our national deficit! I wish I had a magic wand to wave and all would be well.

My only suggestion, that you touched on in your letter, is for all of us (retired and actives) is to put pressure on for increased funding and the elimination of charter schools. This is almost an impossible task with the current political atmosphere in this country. A massive "replacement" of many current legislators in Ohio and the U.S. will need to take place before this situation will change.

On the good side, I think this movement is beginning throughout this country. The pendulum has begun to swing- the cause: the tremendous amount of human misery Buckeyes and Americans have suffered due to the pay to play and corporate mentality that has existed in our country and especially in Ohio. I will do what I can to help, but I only wish I had a solution.


From Dave Speas
11/12/05

John, We need to do a cost analysis for school districts. I am for this but I do sit on a school board in Clark County. My financial director and I have looked at the history of the cost of the 14% to our district.

In 94-95 it cost our district about $740,000 and in 04-05 it will cost us about $1,400,000. Since in the same ten year time period the state has just barely increased our share over the difference in percentage, we have cut $450,000 our of our budget this year and could only certify a one year raise for this school year for our teachers.

Unless the state gets more generous we are going to have to explain to our voters why we are asking for more money to be able to increase the teachers' share and our share of the increase instead of it going to the children. We need to know in some basic way how the increase in our share is going to prolong the healthcare service for our teachers retiring and what the total cost will be statewide at the current level and then added over the extended time.

Our board is not opposed to this plan but we are struggling with how we get the money to run our schools in 2007, fairly pay our staff, and do it on the backs of our tax payers who are going to ante up more money than they did last time we had a levy. I believe we need to get much more active in the movement to demand the state live up to the supreme court's finding that they need to find a fair way to fund schools, become outraged and work like crazy to get rid of charter schools not doing the job, and work against the legislators not complying with the finding by the judges. If we do not, the figures we see shows that 50% of the schools in this state will be in the red by 2009 and then up to 15% a year thereafter.

If boards are being asked to pay more, we should, as an organization be more active in the above movements. I would like your thoughts on this problem and how you see us solving it at the local level.