Pickerington Area Taxpayers Alliance

Mark Uher stated five reasons or criteria that he would use to support a school board candidate. Mark has shown very little aptitude in his selection abilities in the past. Clearly in 2001 the Pickerington School System had an excellent rating and Mark was proud of that. All of the candidates that Mark Uher supported for Pickerington City Council are now under a recall effort. One resigned and another decided not to run this year. Mark Uher has never been able to fully understand the school funding formula and to understand how growth affects all five of his reasons to support a school board candidate.

1. ?“Community involvement in the board decision making process.?” Does this mean in Mark?’s mind that potential board members must be brain washed prior to serving on a school board? Wouldn?’t a person with a good business mind work just as well? Didn?’t Mark?’s candidate Wes Monhollen come right out of the business world? Now we all must wonder how good of a business mind did Wes really have?
2. ?“Strategic plan to build community consensus to support quality education.?” Now we get into the Mark Uher code language. Clearly Mark has difficulty understanding how the schools are funded here in Ohio. He has never acknowledged the poor tax base that his favorite Republicans have given this school board to work with. I believe Mark is not bright enough to understand the formula.
3. ?“Ensure compensation of staff remains competitive in today?’s environment.?” Pay to the teachers still works down to our tax base which those currently in office, who Uher supported, have failed to address.
4. ?“R-2 residential zoning throughout the district and legislative authority to enact impact fees on home builders.?” Our current problem and our problems in the future are operating funds. Uher doesn?’t understand that impact fees do not fund those quality teachers he talks about above. Here again slowing the growth rate creates time for the school system to absorb new students and to reach the goals Mark is suggesting.
5. ?“Restoring the excellent rating to our schools.?” Obviously if we slow the growth and improve the tax base to provide more money per pupil then our schools will regain the ground we lost under the leadership of the Mark Uher endorsed candidates.

Clearly Mark Uher has been very inconsistent over the last few years. He is biased in his decision making process and has made some real bone head moves in supporting the candidates he has. Just as clear is the fact that he has a vested interest in the schools because of his livelihood at the Ohio Chamber of Commerce. Members include BIG HOME BUILDERS.

The fact that Mark Uher started off attacking Lisa Reade, who understands everything stated above, shows Uher?’s poor understanding of the issues. I will put my money and my vote with the CLUB.



By Actual member

Mark won't answer the question

Mark Uher still won't tell us if he met with Tim Shaffer on school funding and give us a summary of the meeting.

By Paying Attention

It takes more tax dollars

Paying attention,

You will be doing more than paying attention if Mark and his cronies to get elected. Notice that every point Mark makes costs operating funds that we do not have. Mark's only knee jerk reaction is to raise our real estate taxes with yet another levy campaign. What will they say this time? The schools fell from Execllant to Effective because we didn't have enough money to provide intervention for some of these at risk students in our grade schools.

The people Mark supported in 2001 (Parker, Wright, Maxey, and Monebrake)are the main reason we are in this mess. They can't be depended upon to solve the problem they can't see. How can you give the school teachers raises when the school board is very close to financal watch? If we don't have quality teachers how do we go any higher than being an effective school?

Is Larry Sigman the mover and shaker ''behind the scenes'' the one to lead this school board to the promise land. He is the one that pushed the new high school and the expensive sports facilities. Those that questioned this expendure were riped by Mark Uher and his booster friends.

The debt service on that new High School complex comes right off the top of our real estate taxes. It will be a great determint to future tax levy campaigns. It will not decrease each year like a normal bond levy. It will be maintained at 11 mills and each time the value of your home goes up so does the amount you pay for the New High School.


I hope every voter is paying attention this November. If you let your feelings and passion for sports and other school activities over take your common sense then we will repeat the mistakes of our past. Mark Uher stands with the developers and accepts their money and promises without question. Wes took a phone call for the promise of $600,000 now that is delayed and lowered.

We need new faces on the School Board along with those in City Hall.