Pickerington Area Taxpayers Alliance

Continued some more

6. I summarized my views on the new high school and junior high school above. I did not vote to hire. I think the price is at least $10 million too high. I think the buildings are taking at least a year too long to complete. And I do not believe we should retain the construction manager for this project to serve as construction manager for any future building project.

7. I think that the PLSD has put too much emphasis on athetic facilities, especially in the design of the new high school and junior high school. You'll get no argument from me on that. I opposed building a second field house, see no need for a separate soccer stadium and, if I had my druthers, would not have built a second footfall stadium.

8. Your guess is as good as mine on whether two more elementary schools will get us through the next 8 to 10 years without portable. In my view, unless the entire City Council (except Mr. Shaver), the Mayor and the City Manager are turned out of office soon, all bets in this regard will be off.

9. With some reluctance, I will vote for the levies in November.

10. Whether the PLSD is placed on fiscal watch is immaterial to me (as are the overblown state report cards and proficiency tests). I simply want to assure that we have sufficient housing for our students, and sufficient operating revenue to assure them the high quality education that they deserve. Although I am at least as fiscally conservative when it comes to some things as almost anyone in this community (and have the battle scars to prove it), and although I have opposed more tax issues than I have supported during my time on the school board, I am satisfied that, in this instance, the levies are warranted.

By the way, not all ''spins'' that surface during levy campaigns come from the school board. Some ill-informed people who work on these campaigns get carried away with their own slogans and say things that just are not so. And sometimes they do not take kindly to correction, especially from a school board member. That is one reason why I stay far away from levy campaigns.

By Bruce Rigelman

Thank You !!!

First of all I would like to Thank You for not just reading the comments of a lot of frustrated parents but taking the time to try to answer a lot of hard questions.

Personally I am very torn about what to do with the levy. I know we need to build the schools, & probably more that you're asking for, but if the school board really believes the growth rate will continue as it has the last 10 years & portables will be gone for 8-10 years with this levy, I'm scared to death.

Without strong statements to our local governments, about an issue that could destroy our schools, it leads me to believe there is either a lack of understanding of the situation or an alliance with the local governments, Council & Township on issues of growth. They are making decisions that effect your Schools why on earth is it out of line to say, ''Hey, wait just a minute !!''

I do not believe either Mrs. Oakes or yourself feel that way, but also heard Wes say Tuesday evening, ''He can't change what they do.'' I think the School Board has more influence than you think & certainly could rally the parents behind you in support of lower densities, slower growth, etc. Inform your parents & invite them to come support your efforts on specific dates at Council, via local papers like the Pickerington TImes-Sun - they will need to move their meeting to World Harvest !!!

Please inform whoever was behind the School Bell aritcle it did you more harm than good !!! But thank you again for your comments at least I'm thinking again !!

Do the Math

Lisa,

I understand you did quite a job mathematically in filling up the two new elementary schools the other night that proves that two new schools are a band-aid to a gaping, gushing, festering wound. Could you please repeat you equation here because I think you hit on something that all Mr. Stemen?’s spreadsheets are missing?


By Simple Man

Elementary Schools

There are currently 141 classes in K-4 in the Elementary Schools if you take that x's the max capacity of 26 you get a capacity of 3666 students in 5 schools.

Of the 141 classes, 22 are in portables or a capacity of 572 students - again actual students may be a couple less per classroom.

That gives you a capacity of 3094 students w/o portable classrooms + two new Elementary Schools of 1600 students & maybe another 10 classes at Heritage if the offices are moved elsewhere. Could be up to 4954 students or 1288 open spots, for growth with an expansion of & keeping Heritage an Elementary School. Probably very adequate space for the near future.

But if Heritage is converted to a middle school you lose the entire school in the equation. Heritage currently has 20 classes & probably room for another 10. I understand that Diley will be full next year so Middle School space is needed as well.

Classroom #'s include AM & PM Kindergarten & are provided by the individual Elementary Schools. I am President of the Friends of the Pickerington Public Library & we sponsor an Elementary Reading program calleed ''Patches for Progress'' & supply tracking forms for the School District's Elementary school age children in grades K-4.

I think we to know the status of Heritage to know if Elementary Schools are in good shape or not. But it doesn't solve the problem of Middle Schools. The levy is one school short.

The need for the additional school has been created by the City & Township. The School Board has the responsibility for asking our Community leaders to act responsibly to protect the very reason the builders want to come here. Every parent in the school district would support them in this quest.