These 4 Cleveland area Supers had the courage to point their fingers at Kasich....does your Superintendent?
I'll bet your answer is no, isn't it?
John
This time alarms were raised in Republican-leaning Rocky River, where more than 300 filled the cafeteria at Goldwood Primary Elementary School to voice their concerns.
Superintendent Michael Shoaf posed a simple question to those who attended: "I live in Rocky River and noticed that my taxes didn't go down, but our school funding did. Is that not why I pay taxes?"
In the past few weeks, superintendents in Solon, Independence and Westlake -- all high-performing schools -- have asked similar questions in community meetings with their residents and teachers. The goal seems to be to rally and mobilize parents and teachers, inform them about the looming cuts and possibly brace them for local tax increases if Kasich's proposals are adopted, which is likely to occur by June 30.
By Patrick O'Donnell
ROCKY RIVER, Ohio -- A wave of rallies about Gov. John Kasich's proposal to cut millions of dollars in state aid from school budgets continued Tuesday night.
This time alarms were raised in Republican-leaning Rocky River, where more than 300 filled the cafeteria at Goldwood Primary Elementary School to voice their concerns.
Superintendent Michael Shoaf posed a simple question to those who attended: "I live in Rocky River and noticed that my taxes didn't go down, but our school funding did. Is that not why I pay taxes?"
In the past few weeks, superintendents in Solon, Independence and Westlake -- all high-performing schools -- have asked similar questions in community meetings with their residents and teachers. The goal seems to be to rally and mobilize parents and teachers, inform them about the looming cuts and possibly brace them for local tax increases if Kasich's proposals are adopted, which is likely to occur by June 30.
Monday night, Westlake school leaders called the plan to cut from districts like theirs and give more money to a few others unacceptable.
"Other districts are not asked to do their share," Westlake Superintendent Dan Keenan said Monday night. "But they [the state] are taking our share and giving it to other districts."
They urged residents to contact legislators and push for Kasich's plan to be changed.
Keenan told the board that if the cuts aren't changed, the district would probably have to lay off 26 teachers, three administrators and 39 other staff. The district would go to state minimum required busing and plans for full-day instead of half-day kindergarten would be scrapped.
Shoaf said Rocky River will lose $6 million in state funding over the next four years if Kasich's proposal goes through.
"The state gives us the highest academic performance rating possible every year," Shoaf said, noting his district ranked third in Ohio behind Solon and Hudson. "So what will our reward be? Every dollar we send to Columbus this year, we'll get 9½ cents back."
State funding will continue to drop in over the next two years, he said. Meanwhile, some schools will get a 16 percent increase in funding.
Voters approved a property tax increase in 2008 for the schools. Shoaf said he did not want to ask for another tax increase and would rather fight these proposed cuts.
"I'd rather change the thinking down in Columbus," he said. "We play by all the rules. What do we get for it? A 76 percent cut."
Independence Superintendent David Laurenzi, who met with residents last Thursday, said voters approved a tax increase this year that was to last through 2014.
"If the budget cuts come, we can't make it to a third year," he said in an interview Tuesday.
Ohio Senator Tom Patton and Ohio Rep. Nan Baker, whose districts include Rocky River, agreed that the proposed cuts are too severe.
"The state goal is to make every student get an equal education," Patton said. "It can't happen because Chick Little County in Ohio won't be able to attract the caliber of teachers, or superintendents for that matter. The governor has wreaked havoc on my district."
Baker said she is drawing up an amendment to guarantee that no school district suffers more than a 20 percent cut, adding that Rocky River and Westlake took among the largest cuts in the state.
Plain Dealer reporter Pat Galbincea contributed to this story.
posted by Kathie Bracy at 10:36 AM
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