***Chiefs Opinion*** Chief’s Babble…..on Field Schools. Well….we go to polls again tomorrow. Field Schools has a levy on the ballot. While I usually do not get involved in politics, I have at times injected my opinions about our schools; primarily because of how I feel about our kids. To some, injecting my opinion is not far removed from an injection like you receive at a doctor’s visit. It can be painful...and a pain in the backside. I have said it before and will continue to say it…No community can be great and have subpar schools. It is a mathematical impossibility. Public services (police, fire, roads) and the school system are the backbone of a great community. If you show me a “not so great” community, I can point to something in the public services or school system as a direct cause. It is usually something in the culture of one of those agencies that leads to a mistrust and then a misfire in the relationship. The schools have had both. Tomorrow there are school board seats and the school levy on the ballot. Don’t vote yes or no for school funding based on your opinion of the board, good or bad. A majority of the seats are on the ballot. Those issues MUST be looked at separately. It is simple, really. In the Record Courier recently, the Editor wrote “The district has not seen a voted increase in local funding in more than 20 years.” He also added “Despite its chronic funding issues, the Field district has been able to maintain an Excellent With Distinction rating, the highest rating on the Ohio Department of Educations annual assessment. Field also is one of the lowest-cost districts in Ohio, spending $7,594 per student per year, compared with the state average of $10,597.” Is there another side to the story? Yep. People feel taxed out. The state and federal government have left school funding (and funding for police, fire and roads) to the public. So, when you can’t change what the feds and state take from you in the form of taxes…it makes people come to the polls with anger towards local issues…and then we suffer, locally. When that happens, a great community witnesses students leaving the district for greener pastures. Those pastures have art, music, physical education, advanced placement academics and other attractive programs. When the schools fail, property values drop, people lose equity in their homes and others stop seeing this as a place to move and raise a family. I ask this. Please consider all of the factors before you vote. I have said it for years. Elections have consequences…both good and bad…..Chief Oliver.
Posted on: Mon, 04 Nov 2013 14:42:23 +0000
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