Pickerington Area Taxpayers Alliance

Failure to Communicate

Dear Any Mouse,

What we have here is a failure to communicate. You see, in public service positions like the school board, there is perception and there is reality. You are dealing with what you feel is reality. You obviously have more insider information that the average Joe. You either are in transportation at the schools or you are, as I?’ve long suspected, a board member. Either is irrelevant so save the denials.

Let?’s first look at your math. Pardon me if I don?’t get it, I think that we need to talk about your scenario of moving 50 buses back and forth to North each day? In other words, let?’s test your logistics theory.

Reality - Apparently Mr. Kemper was gracious enough to offer space in his building for the transportation company and its employees.

Perception - Apparently there is enough vacant space at Central that it can be given away. This space, regardless of its size and/or configuration should not be used for student purposes only. My tax dollars should be used to accommodate a contractor to whom we already pay large fees. Our contract with them isn?’t written well enough to state that you, Mr. Contractor are solely responsible for addressing the needs of your employees. Perhaps we could negotiate a lower overall cost to our contract since we are providing you use of our facilities. Our contract with this service provider includes, and I quote ?“a rest and preparation facility for the drivers with lavatory facilities, utilities, land rent, property taxes. You need additional office space with furniture, utilities, taxes, etc.?”? Perhaps we should see if we can spend $2,000 to save $5,000.

Reality ?– A bus won?’t start and a mechanic is required.

Perception ?– I, as a taxpayer am at least in part responsible for the operation of the fleet of brand new buses. I am responsible for assuring that one of the largest transportation companies in the area has enough mechanics available to assure that the fleet operates adequately to fulfill their contract.

Reality ?– A transportation ?“node?” as you call it is essential to the effective and efficient operations of a transportation company.

Perception ?– We may have been a little hasty in seeking a new transportation contractor. Little forethought was given to establishing this node prior to awarding the contract. It was assumed that the city would allow this node to be constructed in the historic district of the Olde Village. It was assumed that the township trustees would welcome this node in the township. Both assumptions were wrong and now we are working Plan C. Both entities were as favorable towards Plans A and B as they would have been for ?“FEDEX, UPS, Walmart etc.?” to be located here. Our pitiful roads can?’t handle it.

Reality ?– Other than aesthetics, there is no discernable difference in the quality of the overall educational experience between North and Central.

Perception ?– Each time we are willing to forgive this board for atrocities of the past, we get these little issues shoved down our throats like buses at Central and not at North; 8-lane tracks at North and 7 at Central; and other subtleties mentioned numerous times in these postings.

The perception that there is a North vs. Central issue in this community is not propagated by the staff, students or parents in the Central District. It rests totally on the shoulders of the school board and those ?“up North?” who, for example, will not tolerate the buses on their hallowed grounds. You want to assure that we are not spending $5,000 to save $2,000. I want to assure we aren?’t spending or saving a dime to continue the division of this community over school districts. I want to assure that realities and perceptions are in line when these public servants again come to seek to get our wallets out of our pants to take what they need.

Any Mouse, please revisit your resolutions for the New Year.

By Central Dad

I've done my homework

Mouse, I'll break down your points one at a time.

Preparation facilty - Is there one of these places at Central? I'd like to know where it is and exactly how the school board found the dollars to create such facility. There is no such place and none would be required at North.

Additional office space - Why is this needed? Who is occupying these offices and what do they do all day? Again, no such facilities were required at Central so they would not be required at North.

Mechanic in the event of breakdown - Since there are no facilities for such an event at Central, they would do the same thing at North when a bus breaksdown. A mechanic in a equipped truck is dispatched to correct the problem on site if possible. If the bus cannot be fixed on site, it is towed to a garage. Now I suppose that you're going to tell us that the cost of a mechanic traveling back and forth between North and Central is too high. We must have some pretty lousy buses.

Time cards - I'm gonna need you to tell me where the time clock is at Central. There isn't one and therefore one would not be required at North. Bus drivers payroll is generated by their company not the schools. The bus company bills the schools for the time.

Sorry, Mouse, but your arguement does not hold water. However, you do sound strangely similar to one of those parents at North that has been quite vocal about not wanting any buses parking at Pickerington North High School.

Mom

By Central Mom

Line by line

Bruce,

Where I stand (and I know you want others to join in but it?’s a holiday and I?’ve had a lot of coffee):

(1) Agree and why wouldn?’t the district share some concepts with us? Why do they have to appear to be the almighty overseers without engaging their stakeholders?

(2) Agree ?– absolutely. Show me da money!

(3) Agree ?– from a holistic perspective. Think outside normal boundaries to utilize all space for education and support services without adhering to the current mindset that ?“this building is for Junior High only?”.

(4) Agree ?– But I feel your use of significant is subjective.

(5) Agree, in part ?– careful planning and integration of other governmental entities in the district could come up with a build-out schedule and timeframes. However, given the current state of affairs with the building industry, that would at best be a fast moving target. The last thing we need is to allow Lew and Vince a moving target. We have to be better able to nail their shoes to the floor to inhibit their dancing abilities. Remember the failure of the initial school boundary committee was largely based on failure of the district to provide a fixed set of numbers.

(6) Agree ?– however, as stated above I believe that the uncertainty of the building industry cannot be forecast. We must list the knowns and the unknowns and plan accordingly. It is imperative that the local governing entities look at the large parcels owned by residential developers and begin the process of rezoning to take advantage of the fact that these developers need to unload those parcels, they need to make a buck and we don?’t need scores of new houses. If these parcels can be flipped to development that is more beneficial to the community, the schools can have a more fixed target.

(7) Agree ?– totally and unconditionally!

(8) Hmmmmmm ?– Let?’s work on this one. Are they a comparable bargain compared to classrooms? No because by nature they are temporary. Are they adequate teaching space? Yes, in the short term. Obviously their serviceable life is less than a classroom. The district uses the number $40,000 for a modular. First, is that still a good number? Second, how much does it cost per square foot to build a classroom? The district maintains that the State mandates them the larger classrooms than what is probably really needed but since they always point their finger at the State we won?’t argue that point. How much is a classroom? The district uses the number of nearly $40,000 to relocate a modular. I?’m willing to bet that if you called out to Zanesville where I know there are a lot of companies who service house trailers, you can get a better price.

Let me throw something out here. Are there any other districts in Ohio with similar demographics and socioeconomic statistics that are in the same boat as us? Are there any others who have faced the population growth and failure to be able to pass a levy? There must be. Has anyone gone there to look at what they have done? What accommodations have they made? Do they use modulars? Did they seek to determine a least common denominator in levy failure? Did they seek professional assistance? Did they give up and keep leasing modulars?

The questions may seem endless but why does this district feel they have to work in a vacuum when it comes to solving problems? Why do these board members think they are smarter then the average board member elsewhere? Why can you look at others?’ successes and failures to see where you can improve?

I?’ve got to go get another cup of coffee. Talk to you later and Bruce, thanks again for your involvement in our community.


By Central Dad

The Facts about Doublewides

I've never been a fan of doublewides as classrooms, even though two of my daughters attended classes in them for several years with no ill effects. For one thing, it is difficult to control access to them by outsiders. There is no way to include them in a general lockdown of a school, and outsiders need not use a central entrance and pass by an office to get to one of these classrooms.

They also burden the common facilities of the schools at which they are stationed. Fairfield Elementary, for example, has gymnasium, lunchroom, library, lavatory and other common facilities that are designed only for 750 students max. Yet, at one time, through use of doublewides, more than 1,000 kids attended that school.

Doublewides are extremely expensive to move (which is why I do not call them portables -- they really aren't). Although I am not sure this number is correct, I was once told that it costs $20,000 to move one of those puppies (i.e., half as much as it costs to buy one in the first place). Also, I have been told that these things are structurally weakened by each move.

However, I agree that the school board needs to gather and publish the facts, especially the economic ones. Getting the facts out of the administration, unfortunately, was always a problem when I was on the school board. One often had to risk personal threats and intimidation to ask really hard questions. The administration, in some cases, made up its mind on a matter before the facts were in, and then did everything in their power to prevent inconvenient facts from leaking out. That is one reason why the PLSD has a new superintendent, and, in my opinion, still needs a new business manager.

Be that as it may, the school board does need to objectively determine the actual cost of a doublewide classroom, including utilities and maintenance, as well as useful economic life, vs. a conventional classroom. How much does it actually cost to move one of these things? Why? Get some bids. What resale value, if any, do these things have? Have we ever actually tried to sell one? If there is a resale market, why don't we purchase them second-hand? Administrators on whom the school board cannot depend to help them gather these facts in an objective manner need to be summarily fired.

The PLSD needs to suspend judgement on the issue until all the facts are in, and they then need to make an objective decision, based on the facts. This, admittedly, has been a problem with our administration and, sometimes, with our school board. They need to turn over a new leaf, and demonstrate to all of us that they have done so. This will take time. They did not lose their credibility overnight. But here is a good place to start.