Medina superintendent: Levy failure means trouble for schools

Superintendent Randy Stepp said Monday night his satisfaction over the district's recent "excellent with distinction" rating was tempered by the possibility of program and staffing cuts if a 11.7-mill operating levy fails on the Nov.

[Mary]

What do you NOT Understand about the everyday person's struggles? The Homeowners are constantly being taxed for everytime you build another schoolwith money you don't have, you think nothing of trashing the homeowners and even any taxpayer who has lost their job, had major medical bills, have things on their plate that come first over your school system. I watched one televised school meeting and a taxpayer had legitimate concerns, spoke with respect only to have one of the board members get all heated. The Gazette doesn't seem to acknowledge the overtaxed residents of Medina City, now do they? They don't ask about their job loss, their medical bills, their expenses, such as car, insurance, food and ALL of it has gone up. Where is our help? We can't go to another taxpayer and ask for a raise? or more money. We have had to just tighten our belt and live within our means. I knew you would throw in the busing, I watch a nice steady stream of cars dropping kids off at AI Root, so apparently people are able to do this.(I know because they are illegally just stopping traffic on Sturbridge all the time) I say go to a sales tax, so that EVERYONE in Medina has to pay, like the people living off the welfare system that are abusing it. Not the ones with legitimate reasons to be on it. This way instead of using government assistant to buy drugs and wide screen TV's they can help their children at school instead!

[SylviaLashmin]

*SHAKING*

I'm soo scared of the big bad school district/board that always threatens us with cut programs and busing!

Hey how about instead of letting my 7th grader listen to RAP MUSIC, specifically TPAIN let me buy ya a drank teach my kids using ethics and respect!

Just for those who don't know about T-PAIN's song here's the lyrics for you:

[Verse 1:]
Baby Girl
What's Your Name
Let Me Talk To You
Let Me Buy You A Drink Theen
I'm T-Pain, You Know Me
Konvict Music nappy boy ohh wee
I Know The Club Close At 3
What's The Chance A You Rollin Wit Me
Back To The Crib
Show You How I Live
Lets Get Drunk Forget What We Did

[Chorus:]
Imma Buy You A Drank Theen
Imma Take You Home With Me
I Got Money In The Bank
Shawty Whachu Think Bout That
Find Me In The Grey Cadillac
We In The Bed Like
Ooh Ooh Ohh, Ooh Ooh
We In The Bed Like
Ooh Ooh Ooh, Ooh Ooh

[Verse 2:]
Talk To Me, I Talk Back
Lets Talk Money, I talk that
Crunk Juice Bottle
Oakly Shades
Shawty Got Class
Oh Behave
Lets Get Gone
Walk It Out (Walk It Out)
Just Like That
That's What I'm Talkin Bout
We Gone Have Fun
You Gone See
On That Patron
You Should Get Like Me

[Chorus:]
Imma Buy You A Drank Theen
Imma Take You Home With Me
I Got Money In The Bank
Shawty Whachu Think Bout That
Find Me In The Grey Cadillac

We In The Bed Like
Ooh Ooh Ohh, Ooh Ooh
We In The Bed Like
Ooh Ooh Ooh, Ooh Ooh

Totally appropiate for a 7th grader right???? Where the heck do you hire these people!

[Rachel]

Unbelievable! Nice to see what these teachers are getting paid to do. That song is not appropriate for a 7th grader, and I wouldn't let my child listen to it. period.
I think the schools are bad influences on the children today, they have no respect, you have 12 year olds by my home talking about sex, in detail and how they want a baby. Starting to make sense that the schools are not using appropriate class material and are not monitoring the kids when thy are there.

[Steve]

The two main issues that are going to destroy this school district, way too many administrators (5 high school principals, please) and an ridiculous teachers pension! Why is it that we are responsible for everyone's retirement but our own (see gm bail-out)????????? I'm voting "NO", tighten your belt and cut the fat as you are hired to do Stepp, don't make our children pay for your inadequacies as a superintendent!

[Jakie]

BOO HOO, the schools don't have money. I say cut the teachers pensions, cut part timer benefits, live the life of many of your taxpayers that are supporting your schools!

[Jakie]

Oh and do your realize the teachers work alot less hours all year than the many of us with full time benefits, plus, they take some of their in service days and go golfing or out to dine. Please, there are MANY ways you could be crunching the budget.

[DEB]

When a School Sup caves to political pressure not to show The Presidents message of encouragement for all children. I can't trust his judgement with my tax $$.

[Jakie]

They would have showed it perhaps if they had known the detail of the contents of what he was going to say, that was not released. They had no idea where he was going with this again publicity thing. The way the media has been and this celebrity status crap, I would rather leave it to MY right as a parent what I want my child to see. I thought his speech was very good actually and viewed it on my time with my kid to where it was not analyzed by a bunch of teachers like I had to hear about at election time. With the way the teachers are, they would have put their own political spin on it and I want them to BUTT out and teach my kids what I send them to school for.

[Tom B Stone]

No matter what the superintendant decided on the sppech of the President, he would have not satisfied everyone (I believe in the e-mail from him, it even stated how it was a lose-lose situation for him no matter what). Besides, it was a logistics nightmare to plan to get all the students in one area at the specific time (again, not knowing what was to be said) and then sacrifice whatever classes would have been taught for the student at that time. If the school decided to show the speech, the Obama haters would hold their kids from school (sacrificing the rest of their education) and saying, "I don't want my kids listening to that non-citizen". Then with not showing the speech, you get the Obama lovers saying the school is trying to censor our children from the leadership of the country. As the saying goes, you will never satisfy 100% of the people 100% of the time.

[Grant]

It'll satisfy me when they teach our kids how to read and write instead of the crap they teach them now. Boo Hoo, so they didn't get to listen to the President. The parent was just too lazy to get off their cellphone to spend time with their kid and watch it with them.
But your right NO one will be satisfied because everyone lies.

[Jason]

Let's not get distracted by the President speech. Don't be fooled. This levy will increase everyones tax bill by at least 20%. So if you are paying $3,000 per year, you will now pay 3,600 at the end of 3 years. My question to everyone is this: We pay $9,997 per year per student, Brunswick (a school with the same number of kids) pays $8,700 per year per student, yet we are both rated excellent. How is it that they can do the same job on $1,300 less per student?

In fact, if we cut down our payment to $8,700 per student ($8,700 x 7300 students) we will save $9,500,000 per year, the same amount of money this levy will bring in. One way we can cut our costs to $1,300 per year is bring the teacher and administrators salaries into the world of 2009. The average teacher salary at Medina is $62,000/year with raises and projected raises of 5% year (even though inflation has either decreased (2009) or increased by 2-3%(2006-2008). By 2013 the average Medina teacher will make over $70,000/YEAR, not bad for 12 weeks off per year. These raises are despite the fact that most of the people in the last year have either lost their job or have taken pay cuts of 20% or more. Here is a potential solution, cut the teacher and administrator salaries by 15%. The average teacher will still make $52,000/year more than most people who work 52 weeks per year, and this will save the district about $8,500,000/year. If we just do this, the levy is not needed, and if the teacher refuse, then get new teachers. I am sure there are plenty of highly qualified teachers who would be willing to make $52,000/year and the teachers we let go, best of luck trying to find a teaching job, or for that matter any job in this market. You will know how the rest of us feel very quickly. This is just one suggestion, there are plenty more, but it is time that we tell Mr Stepp, enough is enough! We voted 70-30 against the last levy and you went ahead and built the schools because "you knew best". Mr. Stepp come down from your ivory tower and walk amongst the common folks. We are not here to be treated as an open wallet for your resume building brain farts. I want Mr. Stepp to have to go to the people he hired (teachers) and say I am letting 150 of you go or you all must take pay cuts because I decided that "I knew what was best for the schools" and now we are broke.

Remember, 20%+ increase in taxes.

VOTE NO on November 3.

[Gayle]

Vote NO! I wasn't given a raise this year, my car broke down had to get a new one (used), I have a chronic illness and my meds cost over $2300 A month when my insurance caps, My house payment because my taxes are in it, went up last time, my insurance went up, gas prices went up, my prescriptions went up and where is MY loan? Whose bailing me out? Whose paying my bills? NO ONE. So suck it up, the schools need to use the money they have and make it last LIKE THE REST of us. Can the trash talk we don't care out the kids, They need to eat right? they need a roof over the head right? They need their medical right? Or is the school going to foot the bill for that? And by the amount of cars I see taking thier kids to school over to AI Root, they don't need buses and the amount of high school brats that ride your bumper, they need driving lessons.

[Bob Phillips]

I agree, cut the pensions, cut the pay, increase the hours and school year.

[Adam]

To all of you people who don't want to help the schools out, watch out when the kids today start running this country. When you guys want social security aid or help because you are not making enough money to survive, they'll remember where you guys were when they needed help as kids. They won't have your back either and will be laughing as you all have to suffer.

[Mary Jo]

Adam, you obviously are pro tax, you did no research on how money was being spent and your reasons show me that you own no home and probably pay no taxes. Your attitude alone shows how YOU don't care about the parent who is facing a job loss or pay cuts, kids need to eat too, so parents and homeowners voted no. The homeowner keeps footing the bill for the schools, while we have an abundance of children coming in that are on welfare that pay nothing towards your school. Did you even read the levy and how it increased for 3 years more and more. What happened to the past levy, sales tax, the lottery, where's that money.
Your anger directed at the taxpaying homeowners? One day you will realize your home, feeding your kids, trying to have a job will be the present priority not this levy they came up with to cover their overspending while foreclosures are many if you check the Gazette out. Sorry but maybe it's time the schools got back to the basics till the economy improves and then present other alternatives instead of taxing the hell out of the homeowners.

[Tax Payer]

The superintendant needs to be removed. The insane amount of money he was requesting from HOME OWNERS, not welfare bunnies, is upsurd. He probably thought it was practical when he assessed his own wages and thought he could afford such an increase.$1.37 dollars for every $100 dollars, translation =$100,000 house would cost $1,370 at the third year. Thats $114 extra dollars a month on what you pay now for property taxes, 114 taken away for raising your children, paying car bills, insurance, food, hmm, maybe money you could set aside for college for the ill treated children/tax payers of Ohio by the Ohio Government.

This superintendant needs to be removed. He is appearantly thoughtless, and this is a huge example of why he should be removed. What other stupid, unintelligent shinan-gins is he up to that we do not know about??? Ask that to yourself.

[Pay Cut For Teachers]

Medina City School teachers and administrators average yearly salary is over $75,000. They only work 9 months out of the year and enjoy extended vacation time. This would equate to $100,000 per year for a regular 12 month working schedule that most of us have to endure. They also enjoy premium medical coverage and 401k/pension benefits. Companies are cutting salaries and benefits in all walks of life during these troubled economic times. If the teachers and administrators are willing to take a 10%-15% cut in their salary and benefits, then I would gladly support a reduced school levy tax to help fund the schools. A sacrifice has to be made on both sides for this to be a true community partnership to help keep our schools properly funded.

[Mary Jo]

The increase went up for 3 years! Really! They are boo hooing about exactly what the homeowning taxpayer is going thru. I drive to work early and believe me there are a heck of a lot of people driving their kids to school already. Some don't even stop at the stop sign at AI Root, they barrel right out in front of you or stop on the road which is ILLEGAL and have almost caused wrecks or kids hit. That board should have been voted out, people needed not to have just voted no on the levy but on these out of control spenders. I would NEVER support a levy anytime soon because my taxes vs my property value are a JOKE. Let the welfare people start footing the bill for their kids instead of taxing the people who worked to own their homes. We already had to cut back on our personal lives, meds, gas, utilites, food. I just get sooo sick of Fox8's story this week about boo hoo for the sports etc... Where our story on how the school board have threatened and spoke to the residents like they are just horrible people. Maybe they need to suck it up, because we are done with the levies!