Reynoldsburg schools: 2 unions passing up pay hikes next year

a first step in the right direction. Hopefully the unions will not try to increasease their demands in the contract talks that will follow in 2011.

Agreee, it is a first step. Voters of the Reynoldsburg school district, many of the support staff works and teachers live right here in our city. They have tightened their belts and stepped to the plate to do their part. NOW it is your turn to show your fellow citizens that you too are doing your part. You need to VOTE FOR the needed levies.

Now it's time to step up Reynoldsburg. Yes--Ohio's school funding model is lame. But stop taking it out on your children. Is your future to stay up with nice communities or will you be the next Whitehall (although even Whitehall passes the occasional school levy)? Someone sacrificed so that you could have an education with all the things attached to it (sports, music, student government, etc.) Now it's time for you to pay forward.

It is great to see people pulling together and putting kids first. Sometimes it is hard in this economic climate to consider how lack of funds really effects kids going to school; but the most valuable choices are made when choices are difficult. I hope the community follows suit in Reynoldsburg; and puts kids first!

I agree that something needs to be done. The community has a dangerous mix of a high percentage of low income non homeowners with multiple children who financially contribute very little (actually negative figuring in free lunches) and a high percentage of older homeowners on fixed income with no children and an already alarmingly high real estate school tax rate.
Maybe people are tired of having the financial burden of taking care of the non contributors in society.
Oh wait, didn't people choose to increase their handouts to the MRDD, Zoo, Metro Parks, Seniors, Alcohol and Drug & Mental Health Services and General Fund?

Well Well Well so all the employees stepped up to the plate in Reynoldsburg. Now we are all supposed to be impressed and vote for the next levy. I think they saw the handwriting on the wall. And American Citizen I would like to know who you consider the non contributors. I am a senior citizen on social security who pays real estate taxes. We got no cost of living raise yet we get flack for not voting for a levy that would raise my real estate taxes by 40 dollars a month. My opinion is that I don't want to pay for someone elses child to play sports or belong to clubs.If You want your child to do all that, then fine, you pay for it. Reynoldsburg is no different than anywhere else we pass a levy and everybody gets a raise Just look at Southwestern schools. Pass a levy and the higher ups get a bonus.

Well congratulations for finally coming on board with pay concessions that others(fortunate to still be employed) were forced to deal with over a year ago. Not that I am trying to look at the negative, but I will be curious to see how many people still end up with higher incomes even with these concessions. In some case when the staff was reduced at the end of the 2008/2009 school year, the same people were rehided by the district,but given a new title with more money. Of course this was not made public and in order to know one would have to have known the names of people let go and then go online to the school borad documents to see the same names rehired with higher salaries. Now we need to see what amount will be requested for the levy that surely will come up for a vote in May. We have seen everything from 5.something to 15. something to 9.something. Now what point are we at? This news is what I was waiting for in order to educate me as to why I should change my NO vote to a YES vote. If they come back with a permanent levy I may still vote NO, I want to pay for what is needed at the time and not go for the gold just because. Can you imagine if the 15. something levy would have passed?

Now let me see if I have this straight. The story is released to the Dispatch for Sunday publishing….Monday is a holiday…..the special Board meeting for a vote is Tuesday mornning at 7:30A.M.
Not much time for any public discussion or input on a matter of so much importance to the community.
It sounds as if they have taken a chapter from the President and Congress on healthcare reform. Secret negotiations, backdoor deals, keeping the public in the dark and then saying to public…”look here at what we have done for you”. Who knows what the cost will be down the road.
The REA has given up nothing. A freeze “is not” a concession (a give back like 5% is). No mention was made about any across the board base pay increases. They only mentioned not getting “step increases” and “cost of living” raises. Nothing was mentioned about their “Cadillac” health plan, which has already been passed by the board for the coming year.
Timing is everything, as the board must decide in early February in order to get levy on the May ballot and that is only weeks away. Now the unions can boast to everyone…”Look at the extraodinary examples of shared sacrifice we suffered for you”. You can connect the dots for yourself, but do not to be fooled by all of this.

Tim wrote:

Well Well Well so all the employees stepped up to the plate in Reynoldsburg. Now we are all supposed to be impressed and vote for the next levy. I think they saw the handwriting on the wall. And American Citizen I would like to know who you consider the non contributors. I am a senior citizen on social security who pays real estate taxes. We got no cost of living raise yet we get flack for not voting for a levy that would raise my real estate taxes by 40 dollars a month. My opinion is that I don't want to pay for someone elses child to play sports or belong to clubs.If You want your child to do all that, then fine, you pay for it. Reynoldsburg is no different than anywhere else we pass a levy and everybody gets a raise Just look at Southwestern schools. Pass a levy and the higher ups get a bonus.

There has been one year (2009) in the last 25 where Social Security recipients have not recieved a COLA. In the 5 years prior to your 0% increase you recieved increases of 2.1%, 4.1%, 3.3%, 2.3%, and 5.8%. This comes out to a 19% increase since 2004. That's better than a lot of working folks got. But I guess working folks aren't entitled to the type of raises Social Security recipients get.

Tim you would fit into the "high percentage of older homeowners on fixed income with no children and an already alarmingly high real estate school tax rate."

If you dont vote yes then your home value will continue deteriorate to fall and the neighborhood will continue to deteriate.
If you do vote yes then you will be paying for the "high percentage of low income non homeowners with multiple children who financially contribute very little (actually negative figuring in free lunches)" and face an even more financial strain.
Pick your poison, a few more bucks in your pocket monthly with falling home value and increase crime or a tighter budget (if that is possible) and hopefully stabilizing the neighborhood.

Tim you would fit into the "high percentage of older homeowners on fixed income with no children and an already alarmingly high real estate school tax rate."

If you dont vote yes then your home value will continue to fall and the neighborhood will continue to deteriorate.
If you do vote yes then you will be paying for the "high percentage of low income non homeowners with multiple children who financially contribute very little (actually negative figuring in free lunches)" and face an even more financial strain.
Pick your poison, a few more bucks in your pocket monthly with falling home value and increase crime or a tighter budget (if that is possible) and hopefully stabilizing the neighborhood.

Vote yes! Those of you who are complaining of "secret agendas" and hateful to the education in Reynoldsburg, should move. Find that place where everything works out like you think it should. I would bet that those complainers are the same folks that would complain wherever they go.

wow wrote:

Vote yes! Those of you who are complaining of "secret agendas" and hateful to the education in Reynoldsburg, should move. Find that place where everything works out like you think it should. I would bet that those complainers are the same folks that would complain wherever they go.

So those who vote No are hateful? Please assure me that you do not pass this type of judgement on to your children.

At first glance this does appear to be a step in the right direction, however I have to agree with another poster....this is not a concession and it certainly is not extraordinary.

American Citizen wrote:

If you dont vote yes then your home value will continue to fall and the neighborhood will continue to deteriorate.

Today's Dispatch reports a total of 19 homes solde for zip code 43068 in both Franklin and Licking County. 9 of those homes were sold to banks. The failure of the multiple levy attempts is not driving Reynoldsburg's property values down, foreclosures are. Job loses related to the recession contribute to foreclosures. Most property owners have less money due to the recession, sadly many will lose their home. Be grateful that you are not in their situation and try voting for what is right for the masses not only yourself. More foreclosures will follow since it takes months for a bank to buy a home. Adding additional taxes onto struggling homeowners is not prudent. Together we will weather this storm,If you have extra money to give please donate all that you can to our schools, don't sit back waiting on a levy to pass before you give generously.

Do you think that the South-western City Schools will follow Reynoldsburg's lead??

Ha,ha,ha,.....I think we all know what they'll do.

Voting no is not hateful. Trash talking is hateful. Everyone is entitled to vote how they want. Speaking untruthfully to farther your agenda is hateful.

Just curious wrote:

<quoted text>
So those who vote No are hateful? Please assure me that you do not pass this type of judgement on to your children.

reality check wrote:

Do you think that the South-western City Schools will follow Reynoldsburg's lead??
Ha,ha,ha,.....I think we all know what they'll do.

Hey clueless, it's the other way around. Reynoldsburg educators are doing what SWCS educators already did a year ago.

About time wrote:

Well congratulations for finally coming on board with pay concessions that others(fortunate to still be employed) were forced to deal with over a year ago. Not that I am trying to look at the negative, but I will be curious to see how many people still end up with higher incomes even with these concessions. In some case when the staff was reduced at the end of the 2008/2009 school year, the same people were rehided by the district,but given a new title with more money. Of course this was not made public and in order to know one would have to have known the names of people let go and then go online to the school borad documents to see the same names rehired with higher salaries. Now we need to see what amount will be requested for the levy that surely will come up for a vote in May. We have seen everything from 5.something to 15. something to 9.something. Now what point are we at? This news is what I was waiting for in order to educate me as to why I should change my NO vote to a YES vote. If they come back with a permanent levy I may still vote NO, I want to pay for what is needed at the time and not go for the gold just because. Can you imagine if the 15. something levy would have passed?

Wrong. The fired teachers were not all hired back. You went from about 15 music teachers down to 6. Now Reynoldsburg, which used to be a shining example of artistic excellence, is barely hanging on. The six remaining teachers are doing all they can, but the loss of elementary music will erode the whole system from the bottom on up. It's truly shameful.

wow wrote:

Vote yes! Those of you who are complaining of "secret agendas" and hateful to the education in Reynoldsburg, should move. Find that place where everything works out like you think it should. I would bet that those complainers are the same folks that would complain wherever they go.

Talk about putting your head in the sand. I suppose if someone said... now here is a cliff WOW, we want you to jump off, and you would!!!!

Don’t you want to be informed, know what is going on, instead of just being led around by the nose in hopes that everything will be just hunky-dory (Status quo)? Not me!

I am not hateful to education in Reynoldsburg. What I am for is a
reasonable explanation as to how and why my money is spent. It is my money… it is your money.