Blog Category: Politics

Author's Name: Robert Vance
Author's Email: Email Contact Form
Author's Website: http://robertnelsonvance.com/

It seems to me that when it comes to the school district and politics, most voters are too uneducated and don't care enough to educate themselves about the issues. All they see is an increase in their taxes. And furthermore, recently, they automatically jump to the conclusion that the increase in their taxes is because greedy teachers want a raise. They don't hear about the increase in number of administrators, or the administrative overhead, etc.

It'd be nice if all voters could fully understand issues before they were allowed to make a vote. Unfortunately that is not the case. I don't vote on issues that I haven't studied, I wouldn't want to make the wrong decision. But that wouldn't matter much anyway, because the public only knows what they're being told.

I'd like to see the teachers union educate the public more about the district's spending habits. Educate the public about the giant bureaucratic hairball the school district's administration has become.

Then maybe the voters would put some pressure back on the district to make some budgetary changes - like say pay the zillion district administrators and their five secretaries each less, or spend less money on motivational speakers for the school district convocation every year, etc.

It's not just the teachers that are hurting right now, it's all of the non-administrative staff as well. Just look at some of the schools and the rate in which they continue to fall into disrepair.

When you walk into a school, in the least every Monday, you should see a nice, clean, presentable building. How many times do you walk into the building where no more has happened over the weekend than the trash cans being emptied and the floors being vacuumed. It's because the custodial and maintenance staff has been cut so thin over the years. It's not their fault, it's the district administrator's fault.

I remember walking into Dublin Sciota a while ago and seeing a custodian, on a school day, polishing the door handles to the front doors of the school. At Hilliard Davidson, the glass in a door gets broken and it gets taped up and left for a couple weeks before being replaced. They're just too short staffed.

What's more important these days? I understand that attitude reflects leadership and that the district wants to have great people at the top, but seriously.

I love Hilliard and the people in Hilliard City Schools, and I will be as supportive as I can, but there needs to be some change.

HEA needs to seriously bring some of these other items to the public's attention and put some pressure on the district to seriously consider their priorities before this continues much longer. Otherwise, I agree with you, it's going to wind up being a lose / lose situation for the district and the teachers, and it will wind up being a lose / lose situation for the public and the students.