A job description for TPS Board and how I got involved…
When I first heard there was a grassroots type citizen action group forming with the ideal intent of being diverse, non-partisan and based on a desire to see if we could develop a shared philosophy on what type of candidates would benefit all of the Toledo Public School system, I was intrigued; I decided to attend the meetings and I have made the decision to become involved. I do believe there is hope left in this community that we as concerned citizens can have an impact in the process, that it is possible for people to come together to concentrate on finding candidates that support some or all of these shared ideals and goals. A large part of the work of that I was involved in with this group was spent in developing our idea of a Job Description which is listed on the side bar under “Survival Basics” or here. Invitations were recently sent out to all of the known candidates interested in being a member of the Toledo Public School Board, those that opt to return the questionnaire will be invited to screen for our endorsement/support. I will be a member of that screening committee and I am being joined by Maggie Thurber as well as other members of our community. The screening committee is designed to be diverse and represent various members of our City.
One of the first questions I have been asked is who else is a member? Maggie and I jointly decided to announce our involvement to inform our readership of the group and the job description. Maggie has a post on her blog, Thurber’s Thoughts on her reasons why she has chosen to become involved in this group. Various others have been involved in different stages and will be involved in specific tasks in the days to come. Just as we have not decided on a name, we do not have any type of membership roll, some have participated in one meeting and shared their thoughts, some have participated in many. I realize that’s a tough concept for some of those who were invited to screen, and even a few who will read this. We’re used to groups establishing some type of a name and assuming what an organization will be about based on it’s identified members.
If after reading this post and the job description you are interested in more information and would like to consider joining us, you can email me or you can also attend our first fundraiser which will be held on Friday, April 13, 2007 from 6:00-9:00 p.m. at the The Distillery – 4311 Heatherdowns Blvd.
Suggested Donation: $20 per person which includes:
Coupon for a 16 oz draft beer.
Wings, pizza, veggies, snack foods!
Additional draft beer at $1.00 a draft!
Free softdrinks!
Imported & domestic beer & mixed drinks also available at regular prices.
Breaking rules and molds – love it and good luck.
April 2nd, 2007 at 8:50 amThanks Jill!
April 2nd, 2007 at 9:05 amThanks, Lisa, for hosting the job description. I hope that, between the two of us, we’ll have a lot of people who are willing to step outside their comfort zones and join us in this goal!
April 2nd, 2007 at 9:18 amI agree Maggie, I know I had to give it some thought and I’m sure you did too, but if we don’t try to change things then nothing will ever change.
No problem on hosting the job description – it’s easier to have it here than to have to have you post it out on your blog too.
April 2nd, 2007 at 9:24 amThis initiative is to be commended. I wish the very best to all those involved in this effort. While I do not reside in the TPS district, I am extremely interested in the public education system throughout Ohio and the United States.
April 2nd, 2007 at 10:58 amAs an aside, the date of the fundraiser happens to coincide with the beginning of the National School Boards Association’s Annual Conference. I have been attending NSBA Annual Conferences in one capacity or another since 1984 and will be attending again this year as a guest.
Dare I wish that your efforts will spin off to similar efforts in other public school districts throughout our area and throughout Ohio all of which have school board elections this year, including the often over-looked Lucas County Educational Service Center Governing Board!
Even though I am not a TPS constituent, if there is any way in which you think I may be of assistance, please feel free to contact me.
Roland, I share your hope that this does extend to other parts of Lucas County and Ohio. I’m not deluding myself into believing this will be easy, but as long as we continue to focus on what our common goals are and our desire to have the best public school system possible, I’m optimistic.
April 2nd, 2007 at 11:03 amI have serious concerns about the health of the TPS school system and believe it is at least 75% of the reason people leave toledo for the surrounding communities; yet this is seldom used as an explanation for the departure. I recently spoke with a friend who owns a business in Toledo and lives in the Crossgates school district, he is leaving solely due to the school system and knows at least 10 other former neighbors who have left town for the same reason over the past year or two. Until families believe their children will receive a quality education through public schools or until they experience the same, this exodus will continue. I’m very interested in this initiative, would you please email some additional information; i.e., meeting dates, times, locations, etc.
April 2nd, 2007 at 11:26 amI’m moving out of Toledo. Our new house will have property taxes about $3000 more than our current house. However, considering the income tax in Toledo and the atrocious schools, and factoring in the price of private school tuition for our current preschooler, we decided that this wasn’t such a bad tradeoff afterall. Why would I want to send my kid to a school district that celebrates meeting 4-5 out of 23 state standards and has schools where more than half the students managed to get suspended, sometimes more than once, in a single semester
April 2nd, 2007 at 11:34 amBecause if you leave then it will never get better. It’s going to take many of us to work together to solve it. I understand where you are coming from Dave, my youngest is attending TPS right now. The problems you are moving away from will spring up in the burbs eventually if more and more people move out there and no answers are found to the real problem. Which in part is a lack of community involvement in demanding better…
April 2nd, 2007 at 11:38 am“Until families believe their children will receive a quality education through public schools or until they experience the same, this exodus will continue.”
The exodus will continue for the oft repeated reasons of no opportunities after school, lack of “proper” funding for the schools, the downturn in the city and area.
So what can another committee of people do to alleviate these woes that afflict us now and in the future.
My wife is Para-professional in a charter school and this one charter school is on a shoe string budget and I can say that while the intent of the committee is good but until we see an uplifting in the city, with respect to businesses coming to town, more tax base to draw and a general up turn in the economic condition of the city, the perceived poor job that the school system does will stay the same.
This one school serves the inner city students and they bring, through no fault of their own, problems unlike the surrounding communities. Many are from single parent households, some do not have good role models, some of the kids act out their frustrations through confrontations with other kids and staff and even the parents have been known to come into the school and cause a disruption.
So, there is much to be done, and the city office holders and the administration need to seek ways of improving our area and in turn the schools will improve.
April 2nd, 2007 at 11:41 amLisa
I don’t agree that these problems will spring up in the ‘burbs. I think the real problem is a lot of kids with parents who don’t give a *$&#, who don’t instill any values or work ethic in their children, who are missing from the home. These are the kids who are getting suspended over and over again. They are a terrible group of peers to expose one’s kids too, and I suspect no amount of money or quality teachers is going to make much difference up against them.
Suppose you kicked all the students out of TPS and took the entire student body of Ottawa Hills and moved them in. I.e. Ottawa Hills students in TPS buildings with TPS teachers and TPS budget, TPS after school activities, etc… Do any of us doubt that those students would excel anyways? I certainly don’t.
April 2nd, 2007 at 11:57 amDave, I’ve had children in other districts in the burbs – these problems exist there too and the over crowding and the financial struggles will grow there too.
April 2nd, 2007 at 12:09 pmWell it’s not a question of “exist” or “not exist” but also of degree. When the Blade reports that TPS is meeting 4/23 state standards and the surrounding districts are meeting 20+ I’ll take my chances anywhere but TPS. Don’t misunderstand, I am actually leaving town not just moving to the burbs but I’m going to settle in the burbs of my new town!
April 2nd, 2007 at 12:18 pmDave, I do understand – I did the exact same thing years ago with my older four so I can’t be a hypocrite about it. I made the personal decision to move back into Toledo and I don’t regret that either. For me it was a matter of wanting to make the City I grew up in closer to the way it was before, I do still believe it’s possible for things to be better that by making informed choices in who we support it can make a difference.
April 2nd, 2007 at 12:29 pmLisa, I’m curious what you think would happen if my thought experiment of replacing the entire TPS student body with Ottawa Hills students, leaving all else unchanged, were to come true.
April 2nd, 2007 at 12:31 pmThat’s hard to say Dave, there are many other variables would the Ottawa Hills students live the life of those students who were replaced? Would parental support be the same? There’s no one reason why some of the schools fail to me anyway, it’s a combination of things which is why it is so hard to fix. It’s not just the buildings or just the teachers so merely trading places wouldn’t really do anything but to demonstrate, it’s not really the teachers or that particular public school system.
I can tell you that my 6th grader has had an easier time in TPS because despite the state curriculum, a good portion of what is being taught she already knew. In a way given the move and some of the early problems we experienced that probably worked out for the best and it increased her self confidence.
April 2nd, 2007 at 12:38 pmAnother sad part is that many of the outlying school districts, when they get TPS students, simply cannot deal with them because of the things they have been allowed to “get away with” at TPS. They are also behind where the other school district is and struggle to catch up, if they even can catch up. I have my thoughts on part of the reason why this is, Lisa and I have spoken personally about it, but I’m not going to voice them here because I do not feel like being attacked at this point.
To Lisa, Maggie and all others involved in this gressroots effort:
I commend you for doing this, I think it is a great idea and an opportunity to steer away from the negativity that other such groups have gotten in the past. The future of TPS needs to focus on the students, and how best to serve them as a whole, not as a specific race, sex or age. Too much time has been put into “this type of student” this and “this type of student” that. A school district is not specifically about the child that is black, white, hispanic, asian, etc, a school district is about the entire group of children who have to attend there. As soon as we can put the focus back on the children as a whole, I feel the district will have a chance at improving. If that cannot be done, that I fear the future of TPS will come no where near the legacy it once was!
April 2nd, 2007 at 12:48 pmDave, don’t blame the school district from what you are really doing. Does the term white flight mean anything to you? It should because this is what you are doing. This is what white supremacy is all about so it is not a surprise. I must say before I go any further, I don’t mean to offend you, but if you are offended you should because you and so many other people run away from your problems because that is the easiest thing that you could do which wouldn’t require any work. Guess what think about how many African American parents would move out if they had your job and your money. For all of the people running away from the problems of TPS you are all cowards. Including my best friend, who works for TPS, and is enrolling his daughter in private school next year. Think about the fact that so many of the teachers in the TPS don’t even have their children enrolled in TPS because they are doing a crappy job at teaching. They don’t want their children being taught by someone just like them. Does that make sense? Don’t get me wrong, teachers spend about 180 days a year with children, but parents are with them 365 days a year. It is just as much as their blame for why their children are failing, but honestly do we think that teachers are being taught in college “How to handle Inner City African American Children.” I don’t think so!
April 2nd, 2007 at 1:50 pmLisa and Maggie you are doing a wonderful job. I commend you for your drive in wanting to change the system. This is where I do have a problem at though. It takes much more than just endorsing a candidate in order to make these changes. You should be setting up programs geared towards keeping kids in school, or pushing for alternative schooling to eliminate the exclusion of students through suspensions, hosting programs to get parents involved, setting up a task force to monitor education gaps. No ones doing that in this city and it hurt to sit back and allow these disparities to continue to go unaddressed. I very much doubt that this is just a hobby meaning your group that wants to endorse a candidate, but be the voice of the children. This isn’t about Larry and Daborah because once they are gone unless someone step up and create these programs, challenge the union, and get parents involve we are going to continue to see these disparities grow and that is where the real battle begins.
anonymous…after looking at the system, I came the conclusion that willingness to change has to be present on the Board before support for many of the suggestions you’ve made can be implemented with success. There are other groups doing many of the things you’ve suggested – some people involved in those things are also involved with this new group.
Sounds like you’d be a good addition to the group…
April 2nd, 2007 at 1:55 pmSo you’re forming a group of diverse, etc. residents to determine who would make the best TPS school board member candidate, right ? What was the name of the group that got together & decided that YOU & your group were the best qualified to determine that ? I think you just went from being a great source of objective info to being…I don’t know what.
Either run for the seat yourself(great idea) or let the voters decide, not sure if you should have any other role in it…
April 2nd, 2007 at 2:00 pmThanks Maggie. I am considering it. I just don’t want it to be all talk. In the worse cause scenario what if Richard Brown and Lisa Sobecki win school board, and Chris and whom ever else don’t is the only course of action at that point to just go to the school board meetings and make a presentations or post comments and talk about on blog boards. I hope that what the groups are doing is as effective as TPS is in failing our children.
April 2nd, 2007 at 2:04 pmanonymous…I can only speak for myself…I have no preconceived ideas about who the best candidates will be…and part of the reason to share the job description is to help begin the public involvement in making an informed decision about who the best candidates are.
April 2nd, 2007 at 2:10 pmJrs, so you don’t believe citizens should group together out of concern? I understand the general premise of your concern, but the assigned value of any endorsement made by this group is only of value if it’s one the larger community supports. That can only be done if information on the candidates is put out there. My opinion counts no more than anyone else’s nor do I think that is what anyone involved in this is suggesting.
April 2nd, 2007 at 2:11 pmLooking at this discussion and the other regarding labels, descriptions and emotions, I had to think that the effort of the group will be one that is good but may be diminished by, labels, descriptions and emotions.
People are short term thinkers for the most part and are driven by emotions and labels, as in; “I know we need better schools, but Mr. Whomever is such a nice guy and that is why I am voting for him.”
And so on.
And then there comes the questioning of the groups that come forward and they have to be sold to the public at large as not just another special interest groups interested in pushing its agenda.
April 2nd, 2007 at 2:18 pmBAck to the comment that there is flight to the burbs other than the schools because of the downturn in the economy and lack of jobs… are you aware that 60% of the teachers and administrators of TPS live outside Toledo. They are supported by Toledoan fianancially but do not support Toledo with their residency. They have jobs in Toledo, why don’t they want to live here? It’s the school system
April 2nd, 2007 at 2:19 pm“They have jobs in Toledo, why don’t they want to live here? It’s the school system.”
And we know this because?
April 2nd, 2007 at 2:25 pmBecause a majority of teachers don’t enroll their children in the Toledo Public School system. Which means they don’t entrust their own children to the very school system they are a part of. While it could of course be taxes or other issues, that’s where the belief comes from that it is based on the school system.
April 2nd, 2007 at 2:29 pmLR:
If you recognize that your opinion is on equal footing with that of everyone else, why endorse at all ? There is great power & responsibility in making an endorsement as a group. Are you sure you want to go there ?
I think your strengths are in delivering the info (why not arrange a series of debates, coffee chats, etc)or running for the seat yourself (you too, Thurber)but not in making an endorsement…
April 2nd, 2007 at 2:36 pm“…that’s where the belief comes from that it is based on the school system.”
Belief absent any hard data….
One persons belief is another’s dis-belief at times. People need facts to make decisions.
From what I see it is not all “the school system” that is too blame. How can teachers teach when kids are unruly. And yes, there are some that claim that we need to return to the days of corporal punishment but those days are behind us now.
When I go into the charter school, because that is only school I have access too, I see a lot of what I saw when I was kid, absent the single parent families, the swearing by 3rd. and 4th. graders and the general economic condition of the city.
This problem is not unique to Toledo and it has a lot in common with all the economically depressed cities and towns through out the U.S.
There are bright spots in the country where there are schools succeeding in economically depressed areas.
Maybe search them out and see what their plan for success is.
April 2nd, 2007 at 2:36 pmDear Anonymous,
Please don’t call me a coward because I have made a decision that best serves my child now rather than waiting until it’s too late because our lovely school board would rather bicker and complain about assinine things rather than put their focus where it should be. Or because too many teachers and administrators are in nice cushy jobs that allow them to not give a shit if my child gets a proper education because their lovely union has allowed them to do so. To remove my child from TPS schools was not a cowardly decision, it was a very smart and brave one.
My childs education cannot and should not have to wait, if I had seen ANY amount of change then I’d have stuck it out, but when things steadily continued to get worse I decided enough was enough and pulled them out of this wonderful school district that you so cowardly defend anonymously.
I am THRILLED to report that my child has made complete turn around and is doing very well in school again at their NON TPS school. I know without a doubt that I made not only the right decision, but the perfect decision for them! But I also made that decision with them, giving them the opportunity to stay at TPS, never saying a bad word about TPS around them or allowing them to know my true feelings. If they would have decided to stay at TPS I would have supported that decision. But they didn’t, which I feel was the best thing for all involved!
Whether a person has money or not, they do have choices about their childs education. Some TPS schools are better than others and the option of moving them to a better school within the district, sometimes can be a possibility. Unfortunately too many parents simply don’t give a crap, and that attitude flows over into their children.
I am one of the families who lives on a VERY low income, so money had nothing to do with it. It had to do with the fact that as a parent I have to make decisions that best suit my childs needs. Think of it as abuse, would you continue to allow your child to be abused over and over again and not remove them from the situation? I very highly doubt it. And in my opinion, my childs ability to get the education they are entitled to by law was being abused, so I removed them from an abusive situation. I refuse to be bullied into thinking that I made a cowardly or incorrect decision because the face of my child proves otherwise on a daily basis as do their grades.
And time is NOT on a childs side when it comes to the importance of education. Improvements need to be immediate because the longer it goes on, the less the chances of change will be.
April 2nd, 2007 at 2:39 pmjrs – sometimes the best contribution you can make is not to be the candidate but to be helping the candidate in a successful election…that’s where I am today – but thanks for the suggestion.
April 2nd, 2007 at 2:41 pmI can’t disagree with you on that jrs, I really had to think about being on the screening committee for that reason, if you’ve read my blog for some time, which it appears you have this is something I don’t normally do and I can promise that I’ll present it the same way I have everything else or at least tried to do with everything else. I’ll be honest about my opinion and get information out there for others so they can base their own opinion on the facts for themselves. It’s why I didn’t endorse candidates, because my decision is not any more of value than yours.
My reason for deciding I would be on the screening committee was so that I could be able to report that information and to give my personal impressions. With you and others as readers – it will get discussed and even if at the end we don’t agree? No one can say that we didn’t present the various sides of it.
April 2nd, 2007 at 2:45 pmLet’s see, all I did was take a better job in a different city and anonymous has bravely called me a white supremicist for saying I was going to live in the burbs rather than enroll my child in an inner-city school in my new hometown. ANd he is wrong about another thing, they do actually have classes in college with titles like “how to teach inner-city african-americans”, although perhaps not so blatantly named.
April 2nd, 2007 at 3:27 pmAnd why does anonymous think he knows my race?
April 2nd, 2007 at 3:28 pmI didn’t tell you about the secret camera Dave?
I do offer you congratulations on your new job though when you do move I’m going to miss what you have contributed here.
April 2nd, 2007 at 3:30 pmMy statement was very simplistic, and it would be nearly impossible to prove. So let’s go by deduction. Is it the taxes, probably not, if you work in Toledo and live outside Toledo, you still pay the payroll tax? Property taxes? The biggest hike has been for the construction of the new schools, and even at the current rate, the property taxes are not much different than the surrounding communities. Neighborhood quality? Toledo has great neighborhoods and some not so great, the great neighborhoods are very affordable. Job? Well, that’s answered. What about trash collection? We do have excellent service and though I’m totally opposed to the trash tax, $3.00 won’t break the budget of the majority of working families. What other reasons for the exodus? If there are others, let’s explore what other reasons would push 60% of the teachers and TPS administrators from Toledo. It is to be expected that a per cent of those on the city payroll, teachers, police, firemen, city works, administrators, etc. would live outside the city; however, 60%? That warrants explanation, we are left with conclusions based on deductions.
April 2nd, 2007 at 3:42 pm“What other reasons for the exodus?”
There have been many stated by varied people in The Blade and they seem to be same for so many years.
But to get to the root of the issue is easiest if they were asked directly.
April 2nd, 2007 at 4:00 pmWe have learned over the last few months that our tax burden is not the highest, nor is it the lowest. There are multiple reasons people leave urban areas for suburban living, some are safety, schools, rural living, escape from government regulation if you own a business. The city has 512 out of 2990(I think) of its employees that live outside of the city limits. Their reasons are many I am sure.
It is our responsibility as elected officials, both city and school board to make Toledo the type of city people want to live in, not tell someone where to live.
But until the schools and the city open a conversation about the real problems, we will continue to slide downward if we do not find ways to be more efficient with our collective 1 Billion dollar budget. That’s alot of trash people.
Lisa, I know you enjoy educating people. One of the ways to do this is to enlighten people as to how their property tax bill is divided up, and what entities get how much of that bill everyone is always complaining about.
April 2nd, 2007 at 4:37 pmThe purpose for this group is the single purpose of trying to find people in the community that would make stellar school board members.
It isn’t for forming groups and pushing for this or that – it is just for putting two people on the school board in Novembers election that will not cooperate with the system as it is – and will be willing to do the right thing. Whether or not it is politically expedient.
As a member of the group I can tell you that this makes sense to me. This board is responsible for the policy, budget approval and union negotiations that ARE the school system that is educating our kids.
Once you get a majority of people who care about education, for every single student, then you can start to make the initiatives you mention above – but right now, it falls on deaf ears. Because the agenda of the majority of the board doesn’t really involved a quality education for the children.
So you fix the big problem at the top, first. And that is what this group is doing.
Anything else would be like people arguing over what kind of interior should be in a car. A car that doesn’t run.
April 2nd, 2007 at 4:50 pmRespectfully Kate, but picking two people that “will not cooperate with the system” isn’t going to solve the problem. It will take people who have the ability to get others to join with them in changing the system. It’s going to take cooperation and reaching out to others to make this happen.
April 2nd, 2007 at 5:06 pmSo anonymous introduces race. That’s fair, I guess.
Is Rahwae Shuman employed by TPS? Remember the incident three years ago involving Francine Lawrence? At that time, Shuman was president of the Toledo Alliance of Black School Educators, taught adult ed, and had been a teacher in the district for 21 years.
Shuman’s own words :
“The NAACP should be saying what I’m saying. It’s their fight. But you’ve got white people who consider us second-class citizens controlling the NAACP. … That is a shame. I never thought I’d live to see that.”
“It is disrespectful to Lincoln students to not have a single African-American teacher in the building. It’s time for us to wake up. No other race in history has turned their children over to the enemy to be educated.”
“Our leadership has been bought out by our enemies, white people control the NAACP! You should be concerned; your child is spending eight hours a day with someone who considers them a slave.”
“… white people, our enemies, who consider us to be second-class citizens.”
If moving to a better school district is considered being a racist, then what would you call Shuman? Let me guess: insightful.
April 2nd, 2007 at 5:27 pmThere is power in numbers and the number of this group has grown. While I missed a couple of meetings I have stayed on top of what is happening and what progress has been made.
The children are our future. If you don’t see them as worth standing up for, then you should re-think your purpose.
As for why people move….lots of reasons, but I can tell you that the second most important question people ask when they want to search for a home is, “What school district is this home in?” About 80% of the time when I say TPS the clients make a face, get a frown on their face, or ask to see homes in Maumee, Perrysburg, Sylvania, Rossford, etc. They want nothing to do with the system as it is.
This has to change. And I’m trying to do all I can to help with that. I hope that more folks do the same.
If people have time to blog and complain about all that’s wrong with the schools, I would hope they would use some of that time to attend our meetings, attend School Board meetings, and do a little research.
April 2nd, 2007 at 5:33 pmI think the ’status quo’ would have been a better syntax choice.
We need someone who is not willing to go along with business as usual Lisa Renee – I know you know that because you’re familiar with the product of the system as it has been at TPS. Multi-million dollar deficits, poor test results, massive teacher layoffs and the exodus of about 1/5 of the students.
I’d like somebody who’s allergic to doing business like that.
April 2nd, 2007 at 5:49 pmTOLEDO’S PUBLIC SCHOOLS WILL NEVER IMPROVE AS LONG AS THE ADMINISTRATION VIEWS THE STUDENTS AS NOTHING MORE THAN A SOURCE OF FUNDING. TO MAXIMIZE THE AMOUNT OF MONEY THE SCHOOLS CAN GARNER FROM EACH STUDENT THEY WILL KEEP THE PER PUPIL OVERHEAD TO A MINIMUM. THIS MEANS OVER CROWDING THE CLASSROOMS, CLOSING ‘UNDER UTILIZED’ BUILDINGS, AND KEEPING MAINTAINCE AT A MINIMUM. MOST OF OUR SCHOOLS CURRENTLY HOUSE MORE STUDENTS THAN THESE BUILDINGS WERE BUILT TO SAFELY HOLD. WHERE IS THE CONCERN FROM THE POLICE AND FIRE DEPTARTMENTS FOR THE STUDENTS SAFETY AS A RESULT OF THIS OVERCROWDING? OUR STUDENTS ARE JUST NUMBERS. UNTIL THIER EDUCATION AND SAFETY TAKE PRIORTY OVER THIER STATUS AS A SOURCE OF INCOME FOR THE ADMINISTRATION, TEACHING THEM TO LEARN IS JUST NOT IMPORTANT TO THE ADMINISTRATION!
April 2nd, 2007 at 6:30 pmI suggested to 2 influencial residents of Toledo, a politician and a TPS employee of 21 years that it would be wonderful if they would visit and observe a couple Charter Schools as a learning opportunity to understand what is happening in the Charter Schools which draws parents to enroll their children in alternative educational institutions. I suggested Wildwood Environmental. Comment from the politican.. I wouldn’t step foot in one of those schools. Comment from the TPS employee, it would be like a scab crossing the picket line, I wouldn’t be caught dead in one of those schools. How are we to improve TPS if those who can make change happen choose to remain blindfolded to any innovation or changes. It seems TPS is blaming Charter Schools and vouchers for their decline in enrollment instead of facing the reality that parents are reaching for alternatives which were never available in the past. Please let’s open our eyes, our minds and our hearts to growth and needed change for our children in TPS.
April 2nd, 2007 at 6:32 pmI think this is a great idea. I hope this screening committee remains fair and impartial. I would be very concerned if there was some other purpose than that stated, and I hope none of the members have any agenda going into it other than to interview and give a fair and impartial opinion about each candidate. Here is one concern I have now. What if a candidate chooses not to interview before your committee? How would you then justify recommending someone else if you were unable to adequately evaluate everyone? Even if a candidate refused, would that automatically eliminate him or her from your consideration?
April 2nd, 2007 at 7:39 pm“How are we to improve TPS if those who can make change happen choose to remain blindfolded to any innovation or changes.”
With leadership and not squabbling and bickering and personality conflicts. Leadership from the city council, leadership from this administration and the future administrations.
April 2nd, 2007 at 7:49 pmKurt it would be kind of hard to evaluate someone who didn’t want to screen. Let’s hope all of all the candidates think this is important enough to screen for then it won’t be an issue.
April 2nd, 2007 at 7:59 pmGood question, Kurt…the group hasn’t discussed how to handle this yet. Our group members should do all we can to encourage all the candidates to meet with us. I know that everyone is interested in giving a fair opportunity to all those who are interested in being a school board member. And the only partiality will be toward the job description that’s been developed.
As a candidate, I never declined to meet with a group to share my views and ideas…but these candidates may not feel the same way.
My personal perspective is that I wouldn’t automatically eliminate a person who refused to meet with us, but I can anticipate that such refusal would leave a negative impression…do you agree?
April 2nd, 2007 at 8:03 pmOf course I agree Maggie. I’m just imagining a scenario where a meeting time is inconvenient for someone, either a candidate or committee member.
April 2nd, 2007 at 8:28 pmI forgot to mention the reason I like this idea. I like this because people often are unaware of whom to actually vote for. A lot of people, believe it or not, rely heavily on Blade endorsements. I don’t see anything wrong with another group endorsing a candidate. I think, if anything, it puts more information out there. Of course, people should learn about candidates on their own and shouldn’t actually rely on endorsements, but this is a step will certainly help put more information out there about candidates. I wonder, however, how you will get your message out.
April 2nd, 2007 at 8:35 pmKurt – from my perspective, we’ll do everything we can to ensure that potential candidates who want to meet with us can do so…
As for how we’re getting the message out? This is a start – want to help?
April 2nd, 2007 at 9:14 pmI am certainly interested in helping, but with the bar exam coming up in July, my time will be limited.
April 2nd, 2007 at 9:16 pmTHIS is what Toledo needed.
Thank you thank you thank you!
By knowing the credibility each of you that have publically acknowledged involvement within the community, this group will over time have a strength a lobbyist will envy.
I’d hate to be the one to say this, but the politics in this city suck. The Democrats are two distinct personal-agenda democrats and the republicans are just window dressing. Two members of the school board are overwhelmed by the stupidity of the other three and a hypocrite mayor runs his own sandbox his way.
The time has come for change.
Today you are but one voice. After this shingding, you will be known within this community as a harbinger.
April 2nd, 2007 at 9:59 pmThanks Brian, but it takes all of us, my primary role in this is getting the information out to all of you and being involved as part of the group doing the screening process. I have the fun part, the blogging about it.
Politics at times here can be frustrating, even me a devoted political junkie at times wonders if we can ever move forward when it comes to some of this…
April 2nd, 2007 at 10:09 pmI see a lot of anger is all the comments being made. I see a lot of problems between blacks and whites. I see every one has the idea there is a simple solution. One item why are people moving out of toledo. Everyone thinks it’s the school. Think about this. All you schools were built 50 years ago and all the houses were built around it. New schools around old houses. This will not work. This will lend to more problems. Another problem is all the new schools are being built by out of town contractors. What about community inclusion and edge program. Not any concern about helping our people in town. We continue to put people in charge just because they worked for the school system and not someone who knows business. Too much politics ….
April 2nd, 2007 at 11:14 pmRich, I for one do not believe the solution is an easy one, this is merely one small step.
April 3rd, 2007 at 12:17 amMaggie, I plan on attending the meeting at the Distillery. I look forward to introducing myself to you and Lisa Renee. I think you’ll find me very charming and good looking. Perhaps you can convince me to participate in this organization.
April 3rd, 2007 at 12:34 amBe careful Kurt, supposedly I’m very persuasive…
April 3rd, 2007 at 12:38 amAnd I’m easily persuaded.
April 3rd, 2007 at 12:49 amThen it should be a very fun night…
April 3rd, 2007 at 1:05 amAs Roland winces and observes secretly in the darkness of the shadows as the plot unfolds, he says very profoundly as his keen deductive powers alert him that something is afoot:
April 3rd, 2007 at 9:22 am“Interesting.”
Well I just HAVE to attend; The Distillery is in my back yard.
I have to expound on my comments on Maggie’s blog about a Student’s, student’s parent(s)/guardian(s) and teachers list of qualifications similar to the one for the Board member’s.
(I’ll be lurking, cowering actually, in the darkness. . .)
April 3rd, 2007 at 10:30 amBest wishes on your endeavor. I plan to tell several people about it.
It’s my understanding that “back in the day” the Board of Education was inhabited by area business leaders and that they did a really great job. There are several of that type who live in the district. Seek those people out — they can win and they’ll look at the role as a service to the community rather than a political stepping stone.
By the way, South Toledo has two “Excellent” rated elementary schools, and one magnet high school rated “Excellent” as well (with the second highest performance index score in the state of Ohio). Don’t paint the whole district with a broad brush. There are people whose children are receiving a first-rate education in TPS and their schools have test scores to support that claim. I would argue that these successes have everything to do with parental involvement(as they do at any school) which is evident every time you walk into Harvard, Beverly, and Toledo Technology Academy.
April 3rd, 2007 at 2:37 pmNot all African-Americans are Black! I have many White Jewish friends from South Africa. Back to the subject of finding the best candidates to run the the school board, will no doubt be another learning experience for all of you. Maggie and Lisa Renee are willing and able to put words into actions. I wish everyone who does enter the race, much luck.
April 3rd, 2007 at 3:36 pmAnd not all blacks are African-American, some are African and not American at all. Some are from the Caribbean. The wost was in the last Winter games when a black woman won a bobsled medal and the idiotic announcer proclaimed “she is the first African American from any country” to win a medal in the event.
April 3rd, 2007 at 8:29 pmALthough people didn’t take too kindly when John Kerry’s (very white!) wife announced she was African American!
April 3rd, 2007 at 8:30 pmBlack, White, Brown, Pink, or Yellow there is a problem with the structure of our education system. And guess what, it’s not just in Toledo. I’m left questioning where are the parents while all of this is happening. If we examine the number of students failing, or getting kicked out of school or dropping out the numbers would be beyond belief. And, if school districts across the country were in fact at fault for this and held accountable for their failure in educating our youth then there should be an uproar across the country, and a march on Washington.
But it’s not because so many of these parents can’t help but to feel that they are ultimately responsible for the failure and lack of discipline of their children. I don’t mean to sound one sided because all of us know that there is enough blame to go around. From 50 Cent all the way up to George Bush and his No Child Left Behind policy.
What about the Union, and “oh how are you going to get the money to pay the teachers the raise that Brother Eugene promised us.” The answer is look at the statistics. Now tell me is it warranted. That should be the last thing that they should be thinking about right now. If you set standards at average all you’re going to get is a below average effort because the mindset of kids is to do just enough work to get by. There needs to be a commitment to change on their part.
Do you want to hear more because I got a lot more to say?
April 4th, 2007 at 1:42 amPosting some links to documents that at least to me tend to indicate that when the city lifts itself up economically so to shall the schools.
Like I wrote before my wife is a para-professional in a charter school and she sees angry/depressed/anxious kids as well as angry/depressed/anxious parents of all colors.
http://www.utoledo.edu/colleges/education/par/Comparison.html
http://uac.utoledo.edu/Publications/1997/Race,%20Income%20and%20Test%20Scores.pdf
http://uac.utoledo.edu/Publications/Ohio_High_School_Transformation_Initiaive_v3.pdf
April 4th, 2007 at 8:43 amAji, I’m sure people are interested in hearing more. NC, thanks again for the links. You are going to run out of room for your gold stars.
April 4th, 2007 at 10:14 am“You are going to run out of room for your gold stars.”
I am getting building permit for the Gold Star addition.
April 4th, 2007 at 10:26 amNC, I think the city laid off the “Gold Star Building Permit Office” employees due to lack of _________(fill in the blank).
I think that means you get a free pass.
Now that there seems to be a position description for TPS bored (er, I mean Board) candidate, is one forthcoming for people who make comments on blogs, ToledoTalk, SwampBubbles, and so forth?
(Roland Hansen ducks as a variety of both sharp and blunt objects are thrown his way.)
April 4th, 2007 at 1:09 pmHere is an interesting site posted over on Swamp Bubbles.
http://columbusdispatch.greatschools.net/modperl/go/OH
April 4th, 2007 at 8:09 pmFailure of TPS is by design. Toledo was built by imagrants. No one had cars schools were built and houses were built around them. Well the old schools are being rebuilt new schools surrounded by old houses. Think about that. Another thing is out sourcing were we go out of the area to get our school built,which affects community inclusion and minority from jobs. Teachers should have to live with in the area they work. TPS needs to work with the city to demolish the junk houses in stead of giving the slun lords loop holes to over charge. It is not just black being misused but it is the poor. TPS goes out of town for their SUPER… goes out of town for their contractors and out of the neiberhood for teachers. think about this………..
April 10th, 2007 at 12:26 pm