Me Second
I find myself in the uncomfortable position of agreeing with Central Mom. I think the building itself at Central is just fine. I know that Mr. Kemper and staff take great pride in the condition of the building and grounds and it shows. I have been in both high schools and the differences in the condition are obvious. I think the technology is on par. I would like to see the equipment upgraded more often but no matter how many levies and for how much we pass, our board will divert the money to staff salaries. Don?’t you think that the PEA knows how much they will ask for and when based on levies? Also, I think the district is way too top heavy in people not associated with classrooms.
As to equality in overall facilities, I think the major difference is the athletic facilities. I think that in order to earn more votes from the city, Central needs athletic facilities equal to North in every aspect. Yes, land will need to be bought but there is a lot of land adjacent to Central that could be used. High school athletics is an important facet of both the academic environment but also a vital part of the community. If you don?’t believe me, spend a couple of years in Texas like I did.
Let?’s face it, for good old family amusement, there just isn?’t a lot to do without leaving town. Improved athletic facilities could be a draw as an entertainment venue for local sports but also to bring in events from outside the area. I don?’t need to remind all of you of the performance records of each of the schools since the split. That is common knowledge. Central has outperformed North in nearly every aspect. Why you ask? Pride is my answer. Despite significantly inferior athletic facilities for every sport, the athletes at Central rise above it and shine.
You might think I place too much emphasis on athletics. That is not true. The academic record of our schools is well known. The percentage of college attendees is high and college graduates is high etc. Does Pickerington produce Michael Jordans or Peyton Mannings or Derek Jeters? No we don?’t. We may never but that doesn?’t mean we should keep the obvious disparity between our schools. I, for one, think that home town athletics is a good, wholesome entertainment venue for our families. It also keeps some of our discretionary spending in the community. I can?’t afford OSU Tickets or Browns or Reds or?…. Pro and college sports have become too costly for me to try to take the spouse and kids to. Way too soon, even the Clippers will be out of reach for me.
I only have a few words left to offer an opinion of the leadership in the school district. I agree that most to all of the board members need to go. We need fresh faces and ideas to lead. However, remember that last time no one ran. So we can complain all we want about Reade and her self promotional platforms and how much she loves the sound of her own voice, but unless someone steps up to run against her, we are stuck. So Central Mom, I encourage you to consider running for a seat on the board this fall. Granted, sometimes you are controversial and sometimes you bore me, but I think your heart is in the right place and with the information you would be privy to as a board member, you might be the person we need to lead the effort for change. At least consider it.
