No Shortage Of Hot Issues On Ballot | WBNS-10TV, Central Ohio's...

There is no shortage of hotly-contested issues on Tuesday's ballot. Voters are being asked to decide the fates of more than 20 school levy and bond issues, along with statewide issues pertaining to war bonds, livestock regulation and future of casinos in Ohio.

[F SWCS]

VOTE NO on Issue 47 and YES on Issue 3!

[awesome]

There are more than enough resources available to teach your child at home-plus you don't have to worry about him/her coming home singing about "saint Obama" Private and state run schools are overrated and do not deserve another penny!

[Bluerose]

Please share this information with friends and family in the South-Western school district!!!
Five Reasons I am Voting NO on Issue 47
These are the comments and opinions of Cindy Legue
1)$34 million So-called Budget Deficit
2) Benefits Package of South-Western City School Employees
3) Financial Mismanagement of Taxpayer Dollars
4) Lack of Labor Union Concessions
5) Recession
Voting NO does not mean I am against the students. It means just the opposite. I truly believe that passage of Issue 47 is not in the best interest of the students of South-Western City Schools (SWCS). The below write-up explains why.
Failure of Issue 47 will give the school board and administration no other choice but to negotiate concessions with the labor unions in 2010, something they should have done when the contracts expired earlier this year, 2009. Negotiating salary freezes for two years and reductions in fringe benefits will, in effect, right-size the compensation structure, saving taxpayers millions of dollars annually going forward. If Issue 47 passes, the labor unions will know the money is available for raises and will be less likely to agree to concessions, costing students academic opportunities and taxpayers millions of dollars in the future.

[Bluerose]

Salaries and benefits account for 83% of the nearly $200 million operating budget of South-Western.. Instead of negotiating concessions and making cuts to the extremely generous benefits package in 2009, the school board and administration chose to eliminate sports and extracurricular activities (saving the district $2.5 million). SWCS employees will receive a total of $2.1 million in step raises this year. In my opinion, the money saved from eliminating sports and extracurricular activities paid for these raises.
Additionally, the board decided to eliminate high school bussing, endangering the safety of hundreds of students. The administration and school board did not have the best interest of students in mind when making these decisions. They did, however, make sure they could still pay raises for hundreds of administrators and employees.
In my opinion, passage of Issue 47 will only guarantee these types of decisions will continue - decisions that negatively impact the students and positively impact the administrators and employees of South-Western. Passage of Issue 47 will only cover up the real issue facing SWCS - an unsustainable compensation structure – a compensation structure that is out-pacing taxpayers’ incomes.
If Issue 47 fails, the school board needs to immediately vote to reinstate sports, extracurricular activities, and high school bussing – the money is available in the 2010 budget (see www.swcs.k12.oh.us – October 2009 Forecast – fiscal year 2010 ending cash balance of $12.6 million). They also need to implement pay-to-play to help offset the cost of sports/extracurriculars. Labor unions need to be told the money is not available for the 4.5% annual raises that are forecasted in 2011 and 2012. The district can save over $33 million by 1) implementing a real salary freeze for just two years and 2) keeping benefits expense at 2006-2009 levels (32% of salary expense).
$34 million So-called Budget Deficit:
In my opinion, superintendent Bill Wise, his administration and the school board have misled the public by claiming the state will have to come in and take over the district. This does not need to occur because the $34 million deficit uses inflated assumptions and the labor union contracts have not yet been renegotiated.
The $34 million so-called budget deficit, which has been the #1 selling point for Issue 47, includes the following:
-$15,714,100 in raises through 2012 (4.5% annual raises)
-$17,371,024 increased benefits expense, much of which is due to inflated benefits assumptions through 2012 (benefits have been 32% of salary expense for the last 4 years. However, Hugh Garside’s calculations have this percent increasing to 36% by 2012).

[Bluerose]

Benefits Package of South-Western City School Employees:
The taxpayers of South-Western can no longer afford to pay for the extremely generous fringe benefits package offered to South-Western employees. These benefits include, but are not limited to:
- Free Dental and Vision Insurance Premiums for ALL employees, costing taxpayers $2,315,144 annually
- Free Health Insurance Premiums for 64% of employees, costing taxpayers $9,503,360 annually
-$1,200 annual ‘bonus’ for employees opting out of health insurance coverage, costing taxpayers $196,800 annually
- Covered at 100%- Inpatient hospital stays; Outpatient surgery; Medical equipment; X-Rays
-$10 co-pays for specialist visits
-$10 co-pays for 3-month mail in prescriptions (both generic and name brand preferred)
- 10% employee retirement contribution is paid for by taxpayers for 100 administrators, costing taxpayers $1,051,765 annually. Teachers and other employees are required to pay this 10% contribution themselves.
Financial Mismanagement of Taxpayer Dollars:
The South-Western administration and school board, in my opinion, have mismanaged the finances of the district. As mentioned above, they have put administrator raises and fringe benefits above the interests and safety of students. They allowed hefty 4-6% raises every year, even though they knew the district was in financial trouble back in 2006, while at the same time they cut academic and extracurricular programs for students and laid off teachers. They spent well over $100,000 over the last few years on employee meals, paid for by taxpayers. They continue to operate a Community Education program that loses over $85,000 a year. This program has nothing to do with educating the children of the district, but offers evening classes to adults. These are just a few examples of the financial mismanagement of taxpayer dollars by the school board and administration..
Lack of Labor Union Concessions:
As mentioned above, Passage of Issue 47 will reduce the school board’s bargaining power to negotiate concessions with the three labor unions in 2010. If Issue 47 passes, the labor unions will know the money is available for raises and will be less likely to agree to much needed concessions. It will guarantee business as usual.
Recession:
We are in the middle of a recession. Why are taxpayers expected to fund 4.5% annual raises and extremely generous benefits packages for South-Western employees? These same taxpayers are losing jobs, taking pay cuts, losing homes to foreclosure, and living paycheck to paycheck. Senior citizens on fixed incomes will not even receive Social Security cost of living increases this year. SWCS employees need to share in the impacts of the recession and the labor unions need to agree to real pay freezes for two years (like state employees agreed to).
Thank you!!
Cindy Legue

[Bodie]

I heard Cindy Legue talk at a board meeting. What good her dad accomplished as a respoected reporter with the Dispatch she with her dim whitted views and scewed numbers has flushed down the toilet.
She has no clue the damage a no vote does to home values and jobs during this RECESSION.
She claims to know how to manage funds etc but I wouldn't let her manage a 2 yr old's allowance unless I would want the kid broke by the time they were 3

[awesome]

Bluerose-with you 100 percent have witnessed the waste of money! lazy employees who are backed by unions so they don't have to worry about complancy.Students out of control in classrooms while teachers are getting coffee or texting. Have had students come to me askingme if I knew where their teacher was. Sat in classrooms when teachers were mia. Interesting that daycares are not asking for voters money, yet they have cameras in the rooms. How many of us with school-age children can view what is going on in the classroom? Probably against ACLU and union rules!

[Private 1]

Bluerose wrote:

Benefits Package of South-Western City School Employees:
The taxpayers of South-Western can no longer afford to pay for the extremely generous fringe benefits package offered to South-Western employees. These benefits include, but are not limited to:
- Free Dental and Vision Insurance Premiums for ALL employees, costing taxpayers $2,315,144 annually
- Free Health Insurance Premiums for 64% of employees, costing taxpayers $9,503,360 annually
-$1,200 annual ‘bonus’ for employees opting out of health insurance coverage, costing taxpayers $196,800 annually
- Covered at 100%- Inpatient hospital stays; Outpatient surgery; Medical equipment; X-Rays
-$10 co-pays for specialist visits
-$10 co-pays for 3-month mail in prescriptions (both generic and name brand preferred)
- 10% employee retirement contribution is paid for by taxpayers for 100 administrators, costing taxpayers $1,051,765 annually. Teachers and other employees are required to pay this 10% contribution themselves.
Financial Mismanagement of Taxpayer Dollars:
The South-Western administration and school board, in my opinion, have mismanaged the finances of the district. As mentioned above, they have put administrator raises and fringe benefits above the interests and safety of students. They allowed hefty 4-6% raises every year, even though they knew the district was in financial trouble back in 2006, while at the same time they cut academic and extracurricular programs for students and laid off teachers. They spent well over $100,000 over the last few years on employee meals, paid for by taxpayers. They continue to operate a Community Education program that loses over $85,000 a year. This program has nothing to do with educating the children of the district, but offers evening classes to adults. These are just a few examples of the financial mismanagement of taxpayer dollars by the school board and administration..
Lack of Labor Union Concessions:
As mentioned above, Passage of Issue 47 will reduce the school board’s bargaining power to negotiate concessions with the three labor unions in 2010. If Issue 47 passes, the labor unions will know the money is available for raises and will be less likely to agree to much needed concessions. It will guarantee business as usual.
Recession:
We are in the middle of a recession. Why are taxpayers expected to fund 4.5% annual raises and extremely generous benefits packages for South-Western employees? These same taxpayers are losing jobs, taking pay cuts, losing homes to foreclosure, and living paycheck to paycheck. Senior citizens on fixed incomes will not even receive Social Security cost of living increases this year. SWCS employees need to share in the impacts of the recession and the labor unions need to agree to real pay freezes for two years (like state employees agreed to).
Thank you!!
Cindy Legue

Whats wrong with having good benefits. Without these benefits teachers will go else where and the district will be in more trouble.
I have noticed that most people that do not want the levy to pass are older adults who do not realize a good school district makes a community. Your house value will go down and you will not ever be able to sell, but I guess you do not care if you next move in life is to a nursing home.

[F SWCS]

Private 1 wrote:

<quoted text>
Whats wrong with having good benefits. Without these benefits teachers will go else where and the district will be in more trouble.
I have noticed that most people that do not want the levy to pass are older adults who do not realize a good school district makes a community. Your house value will go down and you will not ever be able to sell, but I guess you do not care if you next move in life is to a nursing home.

Nothing is wrong with good benefits if the employer (taxpayers) can afford it. Many people have taken a hit in this recession and this administration is not immune to it. The housing market has been tanking for some time now. It seems to me all of the yes voters are planning on moving real soon?

And you supporters of this corrupt levy...stop vandalizing public property with those hideous ribbons. Way to teach the kids that it is OK to vandalize. I guess if they had sports they would be too busy to do that? Be a parent and control your uncaged animals now that the school is unable to.

[Bluerose]

Private 1 wrote:

<quoted text>
Whats wrong with having good benefits. Without these benefits teachers will go else where and the district will be in more trouble.
I have noticed that most people that do not want the levy to pass are older adults who do not realize a good school district makes a community. Your house value will go down and you will not ever be able to sell, but I guess you do not care if you next move in life is to a nursing home.

Did you miss the part that showed that sports and extracurriculars were actually part of the 2009-2010 budget but the board voted to suspend those activities so that they could pay raises and increased benefits? There is nothing wrong with good pay and benefits when the taxpayers can afford them. These particular packages are over the top. We are in a recession!

[Private School Alum]

Bodie wrote:

I heard Cindy Legue talk at a board meeting. What good her dad accomplished as a respoected reporter with the Dispatch she with her dim whitted views and scewed numbers has flushed down the toilet.
She has no clue the damage a no vote does to home values and jobs during this RECESSION.
She claims to know how to manage funds etc but I wouldn't let her manage a 2 yr old's allowance unless I would want the kid broke by the time they were 3

Do you have a degree in accounting or a state certification as a certified public accountant? Cindy has put herself and her family out in the front line and I've told her thank you for bringing the corruption out in the open. Cindy is a very intelligent person and one of high family morals. She cares about the children and is fighting against the injustice and propaganda being fed to them.
On another note, Cindy's and my children attend private school and if the SWCS academics met the same level as our school does, then I would support the levy, however, the academics at SWCS is disgracefully substandard as reported in public records.

[Grovetucky]

Bluerose is Sandi Davis or Terry Jones in Drag again

[Jason]

Real Estate Taxes are already too high considering the current house crises. We have all lost value -yet continue to pay inflated taxes. How can we support an increase like this? SWCS come back during better times...bag this and make due like the rest of us! And quite bothering us with these constant levy issues until such time-balance your budget with what you already have. Take your case to the county auditor, maybe they can help you in the future

[GCc]

If anyone has every taught school they would understand it is a tough, under compensated and appreciated career, but one we choose because we love children, we love to teach and enrich young lives. In todays world, we teach not only english speaking american children but we have class rooms of immigrated, mexican, somali children who are seeking a better education. It can be difficult but we do it and we send these children (all children) out into the world with skills they would not otherwise have. Our children are our future, without this levy they will lose vauable education opportunities, not just sports but advanced placement classes, language, arts all things our future leaders need to go foward in life as productive adults.....Its not about the benefits or paycheck though I feel I have earned both, it is about the children and community they live in.

[awesome]

Private 1 wrote:

<quoted text>
Whats wrong with having good benefits. Without these benefits teachers will go else where and the district will be in more trouble.
I have noticed that most people that do not want the levy to pass are older adults who do not realize a good school district makes a community. Your house value will go down and you will not ever be able to sell, but I guess you do not care if you next move in life is to a nursing home.

No,most people who do not want the levy to pass are first-hand knowledged people who know about the fraud and abuse! Children need an education! The odds of children growing up to get big bucks playing pro-sports or having a singing career over being able to complete an application is not even worth a debate. It is a duh! If this school district is strictly teaching children what they need to know to have a decent life(don"t care about african music instruments-not going to get my child a career) they should not continually need more money. It is the constant demand by parents who want the schools to raise their children .Wakeup and be a parent! The south`western school district did not give birth to your children.

[GgsvilleMom]

Bluerose wrote:

Please share this information with friends and family in the South-Western school district!!!
Five Reasons I am Voting NO on Issue 47
These are the comments and opinions of Cindy Legue
1)$34 million So-called Budget Deficit
2) Benefits Package of South-Western City School Employees
3) Financial Mismanagement of Taxpayer Dollars
4) Lack of Labor Union Concessions
5) Recession
Voting NO does not mean I am against the students. It means just the opposite. I truly believe that passage of Issue 47 is not in the best interest of the students of South-Western City Schools (SWCS). The below write-up explains why.
Failure of Issue 47 will give the school board and administration no other choice but to negotiate concessions with the labor unions in 2010, something they should have done when the contracts expired earlier this year, 2009. Negotiating salary freezes for two years and reductions in fringe benefits will, in effect, right-size the compensation structure, saving taxpayers millions of dollars annually going forward. If Issue 47 passes, the labor unions will know the money is available for raises and will be less likely to agree to concessions, costing students academic opportunities and taxpayers millions of dollars in the future.

I agree. I'm not against the students, I just don't agree with the levy. There's money out there, SWCS doesn't know how to use it. I can't afford anymore taxes, I know my neighbors can't. My neighborhood has already gone to CRAP with so many people losing their houses and moving. It's scary.

[Your neighbor]

Jason wrote:

Real Estate Taxes are already too high considering the current house crises. We have all lost value -yet continue to pay inflated taxes. How can we support an increase like this? SWCS come back during better times...bag this and make due like the rest of us! And quite bothering us with these constant levy issues until such time-balance your budget with what you already have. Take your case to the county auditor, maybe they can help you in the future

My husband and I have no children, and feel as though we shouldn't have to pay to educate other people's kids. However, in today's economy when you see the value of your home continue to go down and it is in direct relation to the school system that the home is in, how can we NOT vote for the levy? My husband and I feel that the extra 200 a year is a small price to pay considering that the value of our home will hopefully hold. There is no way to bring in new home buyers and new tax revenue to the school system if we don't spend what amounts to one night out at Pizza Hut. I know that for a lot of people when they go to move to a new area, the first thing they look at if they have kids, is the school system. If our school system is a disgrace because people have the mentality taking care of their childrens' education is a bother, then what chance do they have? If we don't invest in the children of tomorrow the investments that we all make today are worthless, regardless of what it is we are investing in, be it our home or our children.

Yes, times are tough all over, but at some point we've all got to suck it up and look at the bigger picture and do what is right.

This is after all for YOUR children.

[Collins]

Well my children do not have the good fortune of being able to attend private schools. My children can't be home schooled because I'm a single parent and I have to work. Failing this levy is not doing me or MY CHILDREN any favors and if you have children in the district going to our schools then you would know that! As most of the NO voters do not have children in the school I can understand where you are coming from...you don't want to pay into something you don't use. That really hurts my family but I can see where you are coming from. I will never be able to support an effort run by people who are not affected by both sides of the issue. Ohio is not the only state that has school levies, it's not the SWCS that has invented school levies, and it's not the SWCS that decided to have all the administration that is required of them. I don't agree with picking apart pay and benefits out of spite because maybe your options are not the same is far or constructive at this point. If you want teacher benefits become a teacher...I'd like to live like a rock-star but alas I didn't spend the time to develop the talent and I wasn't born naturally gifted. I just hope that once all is said and done that Terry Jones and his camp take all the energy they have put forth hurting my children with their propaganda to good use and figure out a way to get the state and federal government to understand the bind they have put the public school system in because until that happens we are going to be dealing with this every few months. When the well is dry its dry ~ talking about it is not going to fill it up again. Crippling the SWCS district is not the answer to changing school funding. As you can tell I voted YES for the Levy and I will continue to put up signs, ribbons, and march until my children have the education that all children in public schools around our community have. In addition to that I will also keep researching funding issues and keep pressure on my State Representatives to find better options then going to the community and begging for money for my children’s education as it’s blatantly clear that quite a few in the community don’t care. Trust me I don’t like this situation any better than anybody else does and on top of that I have to watch my children cry and loose opportunities every time a levy is voted down.

[F SWCS]

Collins wrote:

I just hope that once all is said and done that Terry Jones and his camp take all the energy they have put forth hurting my children with their propaganda to good use and figure out a way to get the state and federal government to understand the bind they have put the public school system in because until that happens we are going to be dealing with this every few months. When the well is dry its dry ~ talking about it is not going to fill it up again. Crippling the SWCS district is not the answer to changing school funding. As you can tell I voted YES for the Levy and I will continue to put up signs, ribbons, and march until my children have the education that all children in public schools around our community have.

It is not up to Terry Jones and his camp to take their energy to the State. The yes voters and the district need to do that. We vote it down to force a change and that change will never happen by voting yes. The no voters have not hurt the children, this administration has. They take all they can from the children before taking from themselves. Sorry, I refuse to support that in any way shape or form. Crippling the school district is the answer...it FORCES change. Be careful where you hang those ribbons...some would call it vandalism depending on where you put it.

[Collins]

awesome wrote:

<quoted text>No,most people who do not want the levy to pass are first-hand knowledged people who know about the fraud and abuse! Children need an education! The odds of children growing up to get big bucks playing pro-sports or having a singing career over being able to complete an application is not even worth a debate. It is a duh! If this school district is strictly teaching children what they need to know to have a decent life(don"t care about african music instruments-not going to get my child a career) they should not continually need more money. It is the constant demand by parents who want the schools to raise their children .Wakeup and be a parent! The south`western school district did not give birth to your children.

Well to a point I agree with you, my child was in Marching Band when we had one and I have no problem paying to play for that opportunity I would work more than one job to do that for her (I have worked three at a time just a few years ago in order to make things work). I don’t want anybody else to raise my kids as a single parent they are my NUMBER ONE priority and short of not intentionally hurting them I would never dream of asking anybody else for their assistance in their development. One of my children is gifted and if they make cuts to the curriculum that will begin to hurt her seriously. No, not all children are going to become professional athletes or musicians but they do get a lot of scholarships from them. There are a ton of different levels colleges and universities out there that will give a chance to a mediocre player because all the schools are not big ten. On that note though, what else is there to cut? Academics! AP classes do help a very large majority of our children get into college. Can they still get into college without all theses programs? A few ingenious ones will but many more will be left behind and they will sit in the community and stagnant because they have no where else to go. I mean a really ingenious child could make their clothes out of leaves but are we really as a community going to ask them to do that? The money is needed Vote for the Levy and then lets all get together with our community and our children and figure out a way to fix the issue of the budget/funding. Again crippling the school is not going to fix it…there are many crippled public school districts and the issues are still there…