Pickerington Area Taxpayers Alliance

What a joke!!

3 (three, tres, trois, trey, III, one more than two) people attended the public forums for the search for our next school superintendent. I wonder why that is.

Do we not care?

Was it because we know that Reade?’s Rabble has everything under control?

Was it because when these were scheduled we couldn?’t attend?

Let me give you a snapshot of the nights that these forums were held from my perspective. I got off work at 5. I spent the normal 30 minutes on I270 and I 70 to get to the Pickerington exit. I then spent another 30 minutes to get from the exit to near Ridgeview Junior High. I came in and started dinner. Nothing fancy ?– just spaghetti and meatballs. I have three hungry kids, a hungry husband and two hungry dogs who want to go for a walk ?– NOW. I have clothes in the washer and a load in the dryer. I am trying to get all three kids to do their homework instead of fighting with each other. As I am folding clothes the water for the pasta boiled over so I now have to stop and clean up that mess. Wait, now I have to answer an algebra question. What the heck do I know about algebra? Let me see if I can find the calculator. The phone is ringing. My husband just got back with the dogs and they are tracking mud all through the house. OK, forget the homework for now, I need someone to set the table. It will take another 10 minutes to settle the argument as to whose turn it is to set the table.

You get the picture here???? It is now 7 o?’clock and we are just sitting down to dinner. I still have laundry to finish, homework to finish, clean up the kitchen, three baths and somewhere in there I hope to have at least 60 ?– 90 seconds of quality time with my husband before one of us falls asleep.

So when I look at my three questions above I answer YES?…..to all of them.

I am happy this magnanimous board acquiesced to try to involve us in the search for a superintendent. I have to ask, though, if you were at all serious about our input, why couldn?’t you schedule these forums at a time that more people could attend? For the fortunate three who:
a.) don?’t work, or
b.) have their spouses handle everything before they get home, or
c.) only have one kid, maybe a high-schooler who is more self sufficient

I am glad you could attend. I wish I could have. I really do because my profession is in management position head hunting. While you have a firm on board, I still could have made some intelligent comments. But then, there might have been only 4 of us so who would have cared anyway? When you consider that the entire business of the schools is, or should be based on the fact that the taxpayers and supporters of the business have children, jobs, lives and two dogs who want to go for a walk, I would think you would be more thoughtful in scheduling events that we want to attend. Or at least pretend like you care and understand.

I am fatigued by the school district. You win. I?’ll just vote yes for everything. I don?’t care who leads the district or who is on the board. I just need a little rest and I?’ll be fine. I?’ll just work a little harder this year and try to earn enough of a raise to keep up with school taxes.

I?’ll try my best to be the blind little minion that you want us all to be.

Priorities

We are all busy people. Including the 3 souls who made it a priority to rearrange their schedules to attend 1 of the 2 forums offered last week. To imply that these 3 have it ''easier'' than you is insensitive at best.

Was 6 PM ideal for all? Of course not. Is there a time during the week that is? You know the answer to that question. Are there other ways for you to express your thoughts on this topic to the Board (or the person coordinating the search)? I?’m sure you can think of some.

But the bigger question is this ?… will you really make it a priority to put together your thoughts and present them to the Board? Or will you simply bang out another angry posting on this website?

Thanks for setting me straight


Thank you for calling me insensitive. That scores a lot of points. I am so happy that the three favorites of yours (are you one of them) were able to rearrange their lives for you and the school board. Again, I prioritized my family and home over something you obviously deem much more important. For that I humbly apologize for offending you and being insensitive towards the three people who obviously did the right thing. Of course I should have told the wonderful man in my life to ?“Handle It!?” Screw the partnership in minding our family we have worked years to perfect. I should have told my kids ?“Screw the homework for today, you deserve a break. School ain?’t that important anyway.?”

Of the 10,000 students in this district, if the number PLSD threw out a few years ago of 1.8 kids per household holds, there are something like 6,000 parental units in the district. What percentage of the 6,000 parental units do you think 6:00 was ideal for? Is there a time during the week that is better? I know that a time of the day like 8:00 would certainly have been better and I could have and would have attended. However, let me clarify something that I didn?’t want to get into yesterday to avoid calling out vapid snipes just like you. I believe the truth is that the board scheduled this meeting specifically to conflict with 6,000 parental units?’ schedules. They didn?’t want us there. They don?’t give a damn what we want in a superintendent. They just want to say that we were offer the opportunity. They have done this in the past and do it presently with the 9:00 a.m. special board meetings held at a time we can?’t come if we are terrible enough people to put earning a living for our family ahead of attending board meetings and held in a place that if more than three, yes three of us took off work to attend, we couldn?’t fit and sit anyway.

I will spend some time this evening putting together my thoughts on what this district needs in a superintendent to present to the board. Please supply me your email address so I can coordinate with you and have you review my thoughts since you seem so attuned to the person I am in your pointing out to my insensitivity. Also, I would hope that in order for me to make this a top priority as you suggest, that you?’ll waste no time in providing your contact information.

Dear Priorities

Let's talk about priorities. The school board sat on the press release for 10-14 days, didn't they? That only gave a limited time for the working class to arrange schedules. The first priority would be to give the ''insesitive ones'' time to arrange schedules and to get press releases out timely.

Now let's get real. What possibly could the public say that was going to influence the board? Reade's part of the group that picks yes people. The next super will be a mute like the city manager. Then when they speak up they'll be ignored.

Priorities? My achin' arse.

By Another Insensitive Person