Voters say 'no' to school levy

If we are in such need of this money to continue the education that our children deserve then why are we going to wait to make the decision to go back in May until February? The only way for this community to pass this levy and do what is best for our children is to make the decision NOW and to push from the beginning. I also believe that the public needs to be made aware of the implications of not passing a levy will do to our already declining housing market. Although this seems common sense it is not at the forefront of most minds when taking into consideration paying more in taxes.

Our children deserve the best that our educational system has to offer and Reynoldsburg is doing a great job for our kids, however to continue to remove class offerings will not benefit our children or our community.

The wait is necessary because the community chose to change its school board as well. The board, not the superintendant, makes these decisions. It would be unethical to force the incoming board (2 of 5 will be new) to accept a decision from lame ducks when such decisions are not needed at this time.

When the Board and Administration decides that the new High School will be a seperate, new High School rather than a STEM school, the levy will pass.

Cut the extra curriculars and help save more money. Kids are there for an education frist then extra's after. Hars, yes! But you have to do what you have to do to make it and give the kids the education they need. Don't cut educational classes first cut extra's first.

The failure of the levy will not have a negative impact on home values. Due the the economic environment home values have been under extreme duress for the last two years. Passing a levy to try to increase property values is like trying to fight a forrest fire with a teaspoon full of water.

Thank you to the Reynoldsburg community for using common sense and not allowing the school district to take more money from our pockets to increase the wealth of the school employees and administrators.

There are plenty of ways to cut money from the district budget without reducing offerings to the students. If you don't believe me get a copy of the negotiated agreement (teachers contract, it is very enlightening.

What in the world is happening in Reynoldsburg? Is anyone concerned about the children and the future? People seem to be concerned about salaries, the value of their homes, opening buildings we can’t afford, and Astroturf in the stadium. But, is anyone concerned about the future of our children? Our future? And as stale as it sounds - the future of this country?

I heard from several people within the school system that the Board would let the parents “suffer” through the first part of the school year and then the levy would pass. It’s not about our suffering, Mr, Dackin, it’s about the education of our children. And as the head administrator of the school system, each and every one of those children should be the first thing you think of every morning and the last thing you think of when you say your prayers each evening.

If you truly want to make your mark, why don’t you find a way to make Reynoldsburg the exception rather than the rule? It takes no leadership to make decisions to cut and take away. It takes a man of integrity and vision to inspire his staff and say,“This is going be tough, but we’re going to give our kids a great education with what we have to work with.”

How do you want to be remembered when you’re getting a gold watch for your service? Do you want to be that person that left the legacy of a broken and failed system or do you want to be the man who was on “60 Minutes” saying,“I wanted the best for our kids and our community. I cared enough. We fought the odds and we made it happen.”

I believe that absolutely no one in the system or the community has the best interests of my children at heart. Not one of the teachers and not you. So, Mr. Dackin, step up and prove to me that I am wrong. Drop the carrot and stick approach and prove that you are a capable administrator. Accept the challenge to make our schools what they should be. Prove to us that you care about our children. Put priorities in order and look at the situation seeking wins instead of losses. Be an example for other school administrators. Be a man of honor. Let people see good results and you will be held in high esteem. And then I guarantee your levies will pass.

OF COURSE the levy failing affects home values. Who wants to move into South-Western schools?? Not me. And Reyn is heading in that direction.

Well the city should simply be ashamed of themselves. To think that you can't support the school system, which any economic expert can tell you directly effects everything from property values to bringing new businesses, makes me see how sad the city I grew up in has become. I graduated in 2003 and unfortunately have two younger brothers struggling through schools that can be described as mediocre at best. When schools fail the city follows quickly and there are NO exceptions to this fact. If you would like to dispute that fact please name ONE thriving city that has subpar schools.. still waiting.. exactly.

Look no farther than Whitehall to see the future Reynoldsburg has ahead of it.

Reynoldsburg residents should be proud of the their "NO" vote.

It is not easy to vote no - "no" voters are constantly berated and belittled, portrayed as cheap, child hating dim-wits.

I have 4 children, 3 in Reynoldsburg schools, and everyone in my family is educated.

We are not lemmings who simply follow the crowd, nor do we cave to guilt and scare tactics. We research the facts and make decisions based on common sense.

Perhaps it is time for Reynoldsburg to be the leader and show other communites that their children can still be successful without continually handing out more money to the school district. Once this happens on a large scale maybe Ohio will get with the rest of the country and scrap the idea of funding schools through property tax / levy's.

I still don't understand why everyone "WITH CHILDREN" (apartment dwellers, renters, boarders, etc.) aren't asked to pay an additional fee for each child that attends school - this does not have to be called a transportation fee -(Reynoldsburg receives millions of dollars from the federal government for transportation and it is illegal to charge a transportation fee). It appears to me that the home owners are asked to carry the brunt of new taxes, and a big portion of us DO NOT have children in school. Once again - taxing home owners without children is not the solution to subsidize school children in Reynoldsburg. Reynoldsburg has several condo communities (home owners that are seniors without children) these seniors with limited incomes taxes would go up also. The school funds shortage needs to be spread out to a more equal audience. Those families that receive govt. assistance would probably qualify for some type of freebie from the feds to off set their cost. The freebie would be added to the federal money that the school distrtict already receives for each student.
Yes Reynoldsburg is growing with new housing for families (with children) put the burden on the backs of them as well as home owners and businesses.
From what I see - the residents have adjusted transporting children into the busy day to day routines.

Is there anyone out there that can check out just how much money Reynoldsburg schools receives from the feds for transportation?

And is it legal for them to refuse to bus because they are receiving funds for transportation?

I am constantly amazed at those who don't believe in providing funding to our schools. The district has cut to the point where our students are stuggling to compete with students in other districts for college admissions and jobs. Sure, the parents bear the burden - they are paying for their kids to play sports and risking their jobs to go pick up their kids in the middle of the work day. Athletic and music boosters have busted their hind-quarters raising funds to help these kids be able to participate in sports and band. Don't kid yourselves - these things do matter and keep kids engaged and yes, some Burg kids even get scholarships to college due to sports and music.

Why do people without kids pay taxes for our schools? Duh! It's because these are PUBLIC schools - not private. If we want to go to nothing more than private schools everywhere we could do that but taxpayers are still going to bear the burden of subsidizing the impoverished students whose parents can't pay the private school tuition. Every last person in this dying city went to school that someone else paid for - sure some of them went to private school because mommy & daddy could afford it but the bottom line is that the majority of our citizens grew up going to PUBLIC school that someone else paid for.

One last thing - for the love of God, stop blaming the school district for the new turf on the football field and thank the volunteers at the Touchdown Club and other booster organizations for the countless hours they spent to raise the money to make that project happen!

Leaving Soon - I apologize for bringing up the touchy subject of Astroturf. I was not concerned about who paid for it, my point was simply that artifical grass seems to get more attention than the fact that these children aren't getting the education they need. I'm a homeowner and I know that anything added to my monthly budget makes it harder to make ends meet. However, it appears that no one is concerned about the real issue and that is our children and their future, the future of Reynoldsburg and the future of the country. I would imagine most of the people who have commented here about paying for education were educated in public schools, had their children educated in public schools and will be lead by a government in 15 years made up of adults that have been educated in public schools. I likely paid for their education or their kids'education in the last 21 years that I have owned a home on an income that is probably less than most of theirs. Instead of fighting the system, I would be interested in having them come up with a plan for the government to fund education that doesn't depend on property taxes. Honestly, if people have to pay for their children to go to school with the costs as high as they are -- they will stop having them because they can't educate them, there will be no hope for the future and it won't be an issue anymore. Or they will have them, not educate them and we'll be paying for their public assistance to help them survive. If our house is worth anything, we're probably not far behind you.

First, I see some really brilliant comments and opinions on this blog.

Second, however, I take offense to the statement that some went to private school because mommy and daddy could afford it. My children are in private schools and it's not because we can afford it but because we sacrifice and work more than one job to make sure we can afford it. It's in their best interests. And most families of the children in classes with my children are in the same situation for the same reasons. I don't want my children in a classroom where the students are allowed to have mobiles and allowed to text while class is going on. And yes, that is happening within Reynoldsburg. It may be against the rules but the teachers permit it.

And I'm a bit confused because those promoting the levy have been stating how excellent our education is yet someone experienced with the same on this blog - AbandonRburg - states that he/she has "two younger brothers struggling through schools that can be described as mediocre at best". Which statement are taxpayers to believe? The statement of those who are much less than objective and truthful or the statement of someone who has experienced the situation?

I'm appalled at the statement that the "Board would let the parents “suffer” through the first part of the school year". I truly believe that's really what this has come down to. I don't think it's about the education or the kids anymore. It's about egos of people in the Administration and on the Board who are used to getting their own way. Suddenly, they aren't getting what they want, and spite and vengeful attitudes are showing through. Letting the parents suffer? Using the children as pawns? How immature. Three times the taxpayers said no. How many times until it's understood no means no? Rather than lashing out at the taxpayers, use the energy to show fiscal accountability and responsibility. Prove you deserve the money and can manage it for a change before asking for more.

Also, I have a question regarding the new turf on the football field since the subject was brought up. Was the entire amount funded by the booster organizations? Or was a portion funded by the boosters and a portion paid for by the District. Also, are the booster organizations maintaining and paying for the upkeep of the turf or is it the District?

I think it is safe to say those without children do believe in paying for the "PUBLIC SCHOOLS" in the community. We are just tired of our property taxes being treated as bottomless ATM machines that can be accessed when the district falls short.

Once again-spread the burden(and this is what this levy is)around to those that have children in the school system - even if they only rent.

If I have to pay three thousand plus a year in taxes(and I don't even have children) and my rental neighbor who has three children in Reys. schools pays nothing - welllll.....

Those that aren't property owners don't realize it is not just our property taxes that "GO UP EVERY TIME" we have an election-there are several other levys that have their hands out as well (and they usually get passed.

The dynamics of Reynoldsburg is constantly changing. It is getting to be a blur from where Columbus ends and Reynoldsburg begins.

I say we get rid of the Reynoldsburg municipality and merge into Columbus!!!!!!!!

Citizen II - the Touchdown Club has taken out a 10 year loan for the turf and the money to maintain it also comes from boosters plus the pay to play money. Did the district contribute anything to it? I can't say with 100% certainty but I don't believe they did.
In addition to the pay to participate fees that the athletes now pay, we have the Touchdown Club. The TDC does a fantastic job supporting our athletics and their bingo program has historically been very lucrative in funding athletic developments other than the turf such as the fieldhouse and weightroom at the high school.
I know perception is reality in the minds of most outsiders who look at the donations the TDC has made to our athletic program and they think that the district has paid for these items. Those that think that way need to learn more about the true situation.
The TDC makes six figure contributions to the high school athletic program every year and they're made up of nothing but volunteers who don't even have kids at the school anymore but donate their time and effort every Saturday nd Monday night nonetheless. Add to that the 8-10 volunteers required from the boosters from various sports such as the Reynoldsburg Football Parents Association, Spiker Club, Diamond Club, Soccer Parents, etc. and you have a large number of pretty invested parents who aren't leaning on the taxpayers to sponsor athletics in our community.

Although we are on different sides of the fence, we all believe in education. Determining what are wants and what are needs is debatable along with how to fund them. I heard that Town Meetings may be taking place soon in order to 'hear' what the voters have to say. Perhaps we can each offer some ideas to reduce spending. I am willing to present the ideas in a Town Meeting. Here are a couple ideas off the top of my head.

1. Charge the teachers and employees of the schools a monthly fee to park. This is not out of the norm for many people employed in the private sector, and although small would be somthing added to the revenue stream.

2. Stop ALL sports before reducing the credits needed for graduation. Even with the present play to pay fees, I believe a portion of my tax dollars are being spent on sports. Eliminating sports would eliminate the need to have an athletic coordinator, coaches etc.

3. Do not put another levy on the ballot in May. We have already spent thousands of dollars to get the issue on the ballot. I think after three strikes it is time to chill for a bit and get back to sharpening the pencil.

Those are three to get us started.I will add more as I think of them.

After the failure of the levy my parents, and a few other families we are close with, are leaving the district and while a mass exodus is unlikely there will be a decrease in enrollment ala SWCS.

To the No voters may I ask this.. What is the larger monetary amount? The increase in taxes you may have paid or the amount your home value will depreciate with a school system headed towards the bottom of the state?

Again, name ONE thriving city with a subpar school system.

You can't and to think that "maybe Reynoldsburg can be the first and show other cities how to do it" is simply rediculous.

AbandonRburg wrote:

After the failure of the levy my parents, and a few other families we are close with, are leaving the district and while a mass exodus is unlikely there will be a decrease in enrollment ala SWCS.
To the No voters may I ask this.. What is the larger monetary amount? The increase in taxes you may have paid or the amount your home value will depreciate with a school system headed towards the bottom of the state?
Again, name ONE thriving city with a subpar school system.
You can't and to think that "maybe Reynoldsburg can be the first and show other cities how to do it" is simply rediculous.

Using the Rburg subdivision that I live in only as an example,I can assure you that the decrease in my property value is directly related to the short sales and forclosures which were a result of the owners losing or seeing a reduction in their income, not a result of a failed school levy. We are trying to hold onto our home with one of us retired and the other seeing no increase in my income because my employer needed to reduce expenditures in light of the credit crunch and recession. I do not have the means to pay additional property taxes. Where would you suggest I obtain the funds? If I can not pay my mortgage and tax bill.I will have to sell my home and that I guarantee you will be at a loss because of an increase in property tax directly related to the school. Do not tell me to tighten my belt, I was a property owner and working adult during the last recession, I learned from that and tightened my belt early in this recession. Adding expenses to property owners in the present economy is not the answer.

I was planning on moving to Reyn. With the 3 failed levies and negative community attitude toward the schools, I have changed my mind.
I'm sure I'm not the only one.
Failing school levies is a shortsighted answer to money difficulties.