Pickerington Area Taxpayers Alliance

Let's translate last week's ''This Week in Pickerington.'' Skip to the end if you don't really care about proof.

''Michael Scott Reeves, assistant principal of Reynoldsburg High School for the last five years, was named new head of PHS Central in a unanimous vote of the Pickerington Board of Education Monday morning. Board member Lisa Reade did not attend.''

---So unanimous of the board members that showed up. ''Unanimous'' and ''all of the board'' are not the same thing.---

''He understands what I call the modern student of today,'' said Pickerington Superintendent Karen Mantia, who advised hiring Reeves over the other two finalists she interviewed. ''He has a good handle on academic needs and has excellent communication and leadership skills.''

---Would that modern student be the same at North, Kare Bear? Or is that race thing going to be a hang up for ya?---

''Our loss is Pickerington's gain,'' said Steve Dackin, assistant superintendent of Reynoldsburg schools. ''Scott's a bright, articulate guy who really has the kids' best interests at heart.''

---I heard Joe Biden say that Barack Hussein Obama was ''articulate,'' too. Again with the naked racism.---

Reeves worked in Columbus Public Schools from 1992 to 2002, serving as a teacher at both Independence and Northland high schools before heading to Reynoldsburg.

He received a bachelor's degree in comprehensive social studies education from The Ohio State University in 1992 and a master's degree in education administration from Ashland in 2002. While attending OSU, Reeves also worked as an undergraduate student assistant coach for the men's basketball team that captured the 1992 Big Ten Conference championship.

Reeves continued his coaching career at the high-school level, where he led Northland boys' basketball team to the district championship game in 1998. He also won the Columbus City League Coach of the Year Award in 2002 as the head of Independence's boys' team.

---Wow, so much coaching and so little teaching. Good choice, Karen. How about someone that can handle the discipline problems that ARE RUNNING ALL OVER CENTRAL?---

Mantia said the selection process was thorough despite its brevity. The Southwest Licking school district hired Kemper on July 6 and contracts for the academic year are scheduled to become effective Aug. 1. Reeves is on vacation this week and could not be reached for comment by deadline.

---So they hurried it up, but we should trust them. They interviewed - for a nationally known high school - THREE people. Can't hear from this Mike Reeves guy directly, because he's on vacation.---

SO, WHAT WE'VE GOT HERE IS...

A rushed process that gets those of us on the ''poor side'' of the tracks (I guess that's what they call Shadow Oaks these days) a limited search to find someone that understands the ''modern'' (black) student. This was so important that not all of the board showed up.

The black thing mattered in Reynoldsburg too.

Mike Reeves was so impressive in his 10 years of teaching that there was a total of nothing about that mentioned other than he's taught in urban schools and coached ALOT of basketball with those kids.

In preparation for this rushed process, despite entering in to his first job without a net in a district radically different from others he's worked at, Mike decided to go on vacation instead of coming to meet the staff at Central, meet the teams that are getting ready for fall sports, or send so much as a ''hi, Picktown'' note to a reporter.

Sweet God Almighty - my kids are doomed. So are my property values.

So much for any future yes vote from me.

Is Tom Wilkinson next?

Is Tom Wilkinson, Tussing Elementary's popular principal, next on Karen (I hate every)Man-tia's chopping block?

I ask because Tussing was on the local news channels near the end of last school year. Apparently, a black nurse to an uneducable special education student was disruptive to the other nurses, teachers and students. She even filed false allegations of abuse against some special education nurses/teachers.

So Tom Wilkinson banned her from returning.

Maybe this disruptive nurse is like Karen's ''modern student'' and we need more of them. Therefore, we need more principals who will encourage this behavior, not stifle it.

the sky is falling

How about we give this guy a chance? Personally, I don?’t know anything about him other than what has been written, and my guess is, neither do you. I assume that he was the best available and that is why he was hired. To begin stirring the race issue is very unproductive and cannot lead to anything positive. I don?’t know why the former principal left and my guess is, neither do you ?– we can only guess and speculate.

Mr Wilkinson is indeed a fine man and an excellent administrator, and I certainly hope that he is not ?“forced?” out. Keep in mind though, that if he does leave after this year, he has had some health issues and it was very widely speculated/assumed that he would be retiring in the near future. The same holds true for the Fairfield Elem principal.

I don?’t know the new guy and he definitely has some shoes to fill and issues to face at Central, but how about supporting him for the first grading period (9 weeks) and then making judgment? Isn?’t that fair?


By chicken little

It all seems so orchestrated


Here's what I do know:

Members of the AAUPP have called Kemper ''racist''. I know this from black neighbors of mine, who went to a meeting (prior to the AAUPP-induced newsfest) thinking it was something other than what it was. My neighbors are strong Kemper supporters, and don't believe he is racist at all. That was their first and last meeting.

Numerous black and white teachers, parents and students attended a board meeting this past school year in support of Kemper's rehiring after retirement. I'm sure they don't know why he left either, but when they come back to school and find a black principal in Kemper's place, many will make the same assumption that people on this website have made, that it was a concession to the AAUPP.

I also know Mantia announced Kemper's resignation at one board meeting, then they board voted on his replacement at the next board meeting two weeks later, in the middle of summer when many people are on vacation, busy with their own lives, etc. It feels orchestrated.

Neither Kemper nor his replacement has been able to be reached for comment. No board members have commented publicly on his reasons for leaving, nor have any publicly praised his years of service. Nothing but silence.

The new superintendent certainly has made a lot of personnel decisions in her short time here, hasn't she? I guess this is what the board was looking for. I'm not sure why - the last time they asked me to voluntarily raise my taxes I kept hearing it was to keep our excellent schools excellent.

And this is the first I have heard of any health problems Tom Wilkinson has. I guess the drumbeat to the chopping block has begun.