Pickerington Area Taxpayers Alliance

WOW!!!! Talking about biting the hand that feed you. Barb Slaven whose contract was not renewed this year was sent a solicitation letter that must have been one of rubbing the salt in the wound. I wonder how the fund raising is going. Is this really another pay to play scheme?



Solicitation raises eyebrows

Pickerington schools' vendors urged to give $1,500 for levy effort

Sunday, September 16, 2007 4:01 AM

By Bill Bush

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

If the Pickerington schools' vendors didn't realize who butters their bread, a letter from the campaign supporting a 5-mill operating levy this November reminded them.
In ''kindly asking for a donation of at least $1,500 from each district vendor,'' the Sept. 6 campaign letter informs companies doing business with the district that a growing school district means ''higher sales for you.''
''Your business benefits greatly from the needs of our 10,000+ student school district. As our student population has grown, you most likely have also seen our orders from this district grow as well.''
''?…Therefore, PLEASE consider your donation with both a generous heart and head. And a stamped and addressed envelope has been provided for your convenience. Thank you in advance for your support.''
A former public-relations consultant for the district, Barb Slaven, objected to the letter.
''I took it as extortion,'' she said. ''I took it as, 'If I don't give, I'm not going to get a contract.' ''
That wasn't the message, said Cathy Olshefski, a parent who is the volunteer chairwoman for the levy campaign, Vote for Pick Kids.
''I don't think it says that at all,'' Olshefski said, noting that Ohio law requires a competitive process for most school-district purchases. ''We're not implying anything at all.''
The letter was meant only to inform vendors that what's good for the district is -- in the big picture -- good for them, the community, property values and students, she said.
''People interpret things differently, I guess,'' she said.
District spokeswoman Amanda Morris said the district doesn't control what the campaign does, and that the selection of vendors has nothing to do with campaign contributions. The campaign received the list of district vendors through a verbal public-records request, Morris said.
Olshefski couldn't immediately say Friday how many vendors received the letter.
Political causes are commonly financed by vendors with a potential financial stake in the outcome, said Joseph White, chairman of the Political Science Department at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.
But putting a minimum donation amount in writing ''feels a little close to the line,'' he said.
''The setting of the amount is particularly off-putting and makes it look more like a shakedown. It sounds like a price. ?…
''It strikes me as a particularly poorly worded version of an expectation that probably exists in other types of (political) situations.''
For Slaven, the stamped return envelope was even more perplexing than the fact that she was asked for a donation because she used to do work for the district.
''So I save 41 cents to send $1,500,'' she said. ''I was touched by that maneuver.''
bbush@dispatch.com



By Henry

Just the beginning of shakedowns

I only hope the Dispatch gets the entire vendor list from PLSD and contacts others. I wonder how many will capitulate to keep their contracts.

Frankly I'm PO'ed that they still charge pay to play fees at the schools. Didn't they tell us that after we passed one of the levies, oh I don't know, 6 or 7 ago that they would take away that extortion fee?

PLSD has one of the highest outside academic participations in the state. At $190 a pop, I sure would like to see the actual income and expenses sheets for all these programs. When you see 300-400 kids on the sidelines at a football game and another 300-400 band members, I got to wonder if they will put anyone on a team to get that $190.

Does anyone have an idea as to how to get the income versus expenses records for all the pay to play festivities in PLSD?

Play to Pay Fee's

When we were told what our play to pay money goes toward we were told it covers ~ 1/3 of the supplemental contracts of the coaches - it does not cover the entire cost of the sport. The district pays for the rest of the supplemental salary. Some sports make more money than others I am sure - Football & Basketball probably pays for just about everything. Sports like swimming & golf have to be very expensive and are probably subsidized by other sports.

Gate fee's & concessions go to fund the Athletic Dept's - my understanding is the district doesn't fund the athletic portion - the boosters do.

By Tiger Parent

extortion??

This discussion went sideways real quick. I think the pay to play reference here meant that those that donated to the levy committee would be in line for contracts with the school district in the future. I don't think that will be an issue for Barb Slaven now. Sometimes I get a little irritated at the Dispatch and their self rightness of those that want to see their kids educated only to sit on their collective hands when these issues are on the ballot. When the levy and bond committee can get their voters out they can normally win. The problem with the upcoming levy is that if it fails we won't sit here with the status quo it will mean a loss of funding for the district. Around $2.8 Million. Asking vendors and those that are associated with the district for contributions is not against the law nor is it unethical. I would think if I was a teacher or a vendor it would be in my best interest to help fund the committee. However the committee probably could have been more sensitive to what they said and to whom they sent their letter.


It is not extortion like Slaven puts it.