Pickerington Area Taxpayers Alliance

The debate still rages here about how the City and those that live in southern Violet Township are treated when it comes to spending our tax payer money for the schools.

In 2000 and maybe some time before that the school board at the time proposed and received passage of a massive bond issue for a new High School and Junior High complex. Those on the school board at the time were all voted onto the broad from the unincorporated areas of Violet Township. They received passage of the massive bond issue ($77 Million) with the financial help of the architecture firm who provided the plans and stood to make tons of money based on a percentage of the total construction costs.

Now we learn after the fact when the buildings are finished that they were 20% larger than what would have been allowed under the OFSC and that is probably why they didn?’t include the North High school complex in the ten year master plan. Now if the athletic zealots at North were that determined to build the monument to themselves that would have been fine with me if they would have also agreed to pay for that extra 20%. They didn?’t; so it is now all of our burden to pay for the mis-spent taxpayer?’s funds. We have guys like Mark Uher who was ruthless in his approach and with his demands all to see that he has now moved out of the district since his kids graduated.

In 2003, the district elected Lisa Reade and James Brink. Thinking they were fiscal conservatives and boy were we right. However being fiscal conservative and using some level of common sense doesn?’t go together for these two. Granted Mrs. Reade has been the most out spoken of the group and she continues to relate everything to herself and her two boys. The fact that her two boys are on track to attend Central doesn?’t really mean anything when she allows the powers to be to continue to short change the Central parents and its taxpayers.

I saw something from the township a couple of years ago that said that the PLSD had 42% of its students residing in Violet Township. So the other 58% of the taxpayers for PLSD have no representation on the PLSD board. They claim they do but these two board members up for election were heavily supported by township trustee Weltlich in 2003. I would say if you talk with Reade she will be heavily subsidized this election cycle again from Weltlich. Not sure about Brink.

Somewhere along the line we will need some parity and equal representation of the members of the school board and fairness in how our dollars are spent. Clearly three members of the school board should represent and live outside the unincorporated areas of the school district. That is who I will support.

So who are you supporting?

So if the board members not running are in the unincorporated area, you'll be supporting the incorporated candidates? Is that what I'm reading?

By Just trying to be clear

Hey fairness

Shouldn't it extend further than just board members for fairness and equality? The land for the Sycamore sight was donated and the land for the Tollgate was purchased. The unincorporated township resdents will have a chance to use the Sycamore school due to its location near the city's limits The Tollgate site selected is so far from the city's limits,it seems doubtful any incorporated city residents will ever attend there. Your thoughts?

By Anon

wasted tax money

I will only vote for candidates living in the incorporated areas.

There are a number of problems with the Tollgate site. That is just another example of the way this board and Reade and Brink have failed us all.

They are holding the Pickerington City residents to the strict standards of the OFSC. Under the OFSC the size of the lot for the new Sycamore Elementary school should have been at least 18 acres and it is only a little over 15 acres.

The board went out and bought SIXTY acres for the Tollgate schools. The standards are for a elementary school with a capacity of 750 students they would need the 18 acres. The middle school would only need 25 acres under the OFSC guidelines. So they bought an extra 12 acres. Now there is talk they will DONATE that land for an entrance to a future housing project So I guess they can call it a neighborhood school.

The school board only needed 25 acres for a new middle school and they bought 60. They already have purchased and they are letting it sit idle the 18 acres from the 158 parcel they bought for then North High school complex. The board is only fiscal conservatives when it come to the City students.

They don't have money to build a stadium but they have money at the very same time to buy un-needed lands. At the very least these lands are going for $30,000 per acre now. That works out to be over $1,000,000 they wasted the last few years.

They defend that by saying they are buying land in the growth areas. The over crowding is in the City where they would not be building anything if the land had not been donated. So does the board members know something that the rest of don't? Are they saying there is going to be a big growth spurt in Violet township? If there wasn't before there will be one now. You build the schools they will come. How much will it cost us to bus the kids that extra mile or three every monring and every evening?

It is Tussing and Pickerington that are over crowded, Sycamore (new) will not have enough space to accomadate that overflow.

Reade and Brink are not getting my vote.