Pickerington Area Taxpayers Alliance

Answers to Your Questions

Maverick,

I applaud your directness in asking me questions. As mentioned I would like to look to the future rather than re-hashing who said what and when.

No is the clear answer to your second, third and fourth questions. The bylaws of the Pickerington Athletic Booster Club do not have a residency requirement. There are no other athletic booster organizations operating or formed in our school district. In fact, there may never be another athletic booster organization formed. We are only planning for the future, researching and discussing options. The Executive Committee will be making recommendations at our annual meeting for a vote of the all members. I believe after our club approves any changes it will require a vote of the Board of Education. Hopefully, by the time final boundary decisions are made, we are ready to work. I think you have read far more into a three-word comment. Make no mistake about it ?– there are not two organizations ?– and may never be!

I have done very little on the Boundary Committee, to be very frank, except try to reach a consensus in my subgroup. I have participated with no one in formulation of plan. And I have spoken with no one outside of my subgroup and persons at boundary committee meetings. I did praise a person?’s approach early in the process. He used the data supplied by the Committee as a family project with his kids participating in putting the numbers on a map of where each subdivision was and how many kids lived there. I wish more families would use his approach.

So clearly my answers to the questions 2, 3 & 4 is no. In terms of my report as the Civic Affairs Chairman for my civic association meeting in late November, I must confess it was not a written report so I cannot in all honesty answer the question. Bob Harding was there as well as my other of my neighbors and friends. The meeting had minutes. I have given lots of updates on the boundary committee process for the numerous meetings I attend. I know I always encourage participation and state contrary to some public comments boundaries truly have not been set. I also am known ?– and I know you may find this hard to believe ?– to express a personal opinion or two in most of my presentations.

Did you personally hear my presentation at the meeting or was it hearsay? Do think that it is even possible considering the past events in this community that in the future we can treat each other with respect? For the sake of our community, I truly hope that our past differences will not forever divide us?

Before it's too late

OK, after reading TWIP and PTS today, I will make one last plea to the readers of this forum. Before the decision on the boundaries for the new schools goes any farther, please demand that the plans be provided to all residents of the PLSD for review and comment. This decision will stand and if you wait until after it is made, there will be nothing you can do to change it. It?’s not like school names. This is the big league.

Setting new boundaries for just the new schools serves only a short-term need. The boundaries need to be adjusted for all schools taking into account the ?“?…three more elementary schools and one more middle school in the future?” that Mr. Yocum states as ?“?…conjecture ?– don?’t take that as the gospel.?” Well, guess what? It may not be gospel but it is written in stone. We?’ll get the schools, one way or another. Mr. Yocum knows id and he knows where they will be and when they will be built. Why on earth would we do this boundary debacle over and over again? Why on earth would we pay Planning Advocates $1,000 per person per hour again and again? Why would we subject ourselves to the same people in the same roles on the same teams producing the same results over and over again?

Let?’s try just once to do it right the first time and give our kids a sense of stability. Give them the opportunity to understand, as soon as it becomes relevant to them, where they will be going to school. They need to know and we need to know.


By Maverick