March 2012 - Issue 10 ABV Mailer

RUMORS are things people SAY...

On March 6th, 2012

Citizens for Garfield Heights 5101 E. 115th Street Garfield Heights, OH 44125

FACTS are things you can PROVE.

LEVY FACTS: Amount: 9.4 mills Type of Levy: Operating Will generate: $4.1 million Last Operating Levy Approved by voters: 1992 Cost to average homeowner: $21/month

A Strong Community Needs a Strong School.

That’s What We Had...

But Now, We’re Worried.

Endorsed by :

— State Senator Nina Turner — State Rep. John E. Barnes, Jr. — The Chamber of Commerce

Paid for by Citizens for Garfield Heights, Pete Walchanowicz, 5101 E. 115th Street, Garfield Heights, Ohio 44125

RUMORS are things people SAY...

FACTS are things you can PROVE.

On March 6th, 2012

The RUMOR

THE FACT

Due to financial mismanagement, the Garfield Heights City School District is once again asking for a levy.

NOT TRUE: The district is once again asking for a levy because it has been operating on the same voter-approved funding since 1992. Imagine living on the same household income level for the last 20 years. While the cost of utilities, personnel, operations has increased, the GHCS has had to do more with the same or even less voter-approved operating money.

It doesn’t matter if kids have athletics, clubs and extracurricular activities.

NOT TRUE: Not according to current admission standards for our kids who go to college, which place a premium on students’ extra-curricular activities. Additionally, research and crime statistic tell us that the highest juvenile crime rate is in the hours immediately after school. Schools with good after-school programs have higher achieving students, and the neighborhoods around the schools are safer for all citizens.

Residents of Garfield Heights pay higher taxes than other communities.

NOT TRUE: Of the 80 taxing districts in Cuyahoga County, Garfield Heights is 9th with an effective tax rate of 91.14 mills. However, of the 31 school districts in Cuyahoga County, Garfield Heights City Schools is 27th with an effective operating tax rate of 34.41 mills.

There are too many administrators in the Garfield Heights City Schools

NOT TRUE: Not when you compare our number of administrators (20.2) to the county average, which is TWICE AS HIGH at 40.2. In districts with similar size as GHCS, the GHCS is still substantially below, where similar districts have 27.9 administrators on average. Neighboring schools have a considerably higher average of administrators as well.

There is too much spending going on in the Garfield Heights School District

NOT TRUE: Not compared to other similar districts. The GHCS has the LOWEST PER PUPIL expenditure of all 31 school districts in the county. Additionally, our teacher’s base pay is among the lowest in the county as well. Plus, our district is severely understaffed when compared to other similar districts. At approximately 208 full time employees (FTE’s), the GHCS is well behind similar school districts, that average 246 (FTE’s) and neighboring school districts. At some point, you get what you pay for, and our students will be the ones who will suffer.

Teachers already make too much money.

NOT TRUE: Not compared to other teachers in the county. Teachers’ average salary at the GHCS is the fourth lowest in the county.

If we wait, the state will help us out, and that wouldn’t be so bad…

NOT TRUE: You say this as if it’s a good thing, and it’s not. The state bailing out the schools completely takes away our local community’s ability to make its own decisions. There is no local voice in making decisions for our students. We must take action locally to prevent this, and passing this levy is one way to do so. Plus, when the state loans a district’s money. EVERY DOLLAR must be repaid out of the local taxed collected.

Senior citizens don’t receive any benefits from voting for school levies.

NOT TRUE: Yes they do, both directly and indirectly. As the city’s 2nd largest tax payer, (behind only Marymount Hospital) the city collects 2% of all incomes earned in the city to fund its own operations, which include services for seniors. If the schools continue to cut jobs, that means less revenue to the city and ultimately less money to provide seniors with those daily services available to them. What a shame that would be.

I don’t have any kids in the schools, and there’s no good reason to support the levy.

NOT TRUE: Perhaps the best reason of all is that studies clearly connect the quality of schools to the quality of life in a community. Property values are already at perilously low levels. Without good schools, property values will sink or stay stagnant.

Ask a local realtor, and he or she will correct you.

How can the school district ask for more money if they can afford all that new construction and renovations at Elmwood and Maple Leaf.

NOT TRUE: The district is not paying one dime of construction and renovation costs to Elmwood and Maple Leaf. All these costs are being paid by the Ohio School Facilities Commission (OSFC) through credits earned from construction of the High School and the addition at William Foster back in 2002.