City Charter Change Petition

[DougHuntingdon]

sounds like there is someone who works for the school who wants to run for city council really really badly

Why not just say who it is? To paraphrase from another thread, why would they want a such a terrible, thankless job, anyway?

Doug

[stephen davis]

sounds like there is someone who works for the school who wants to run for city council really really badly

Doug,

On the contrary, Councilman Ryan Demro would stand to gain the most with this charter amendment. He is a teacher that I presume would like to work for Lakewood Schools.

If it comes to a vote, we could call it "The Ryan Demro Employment Act of 2007."

Steve

[Grace O'Malley]

"The Ryan Demro Employment Act of 2007."

Now THAT is funny!


I suspect if it goes on the ballot, it will overwhelmingly fail.

[Suzanne Metelko]

"If it comes to a vote, we could call it "The Ryan Demro Employment Act of 2007."

Gee, that's a cheap shot and not really worthy of your usual intelligent wit.

I can name many fine teachers and administrators that live in Lakewood and work for the schools who are interested in this issue, many of whom would make really fine council representatives. Check the names on the petitions. And of course the entire school board has also signed the petitions.

What kind of society fears it's teachers?

[Mike Deneen]

Who fears the teachers?

The Republican party!

Teachers are a favorite whipping boy of the righties

http://thinkprogress.org/2007/02/20/boo ... errorists/

This whole issue is just dripping with irony.

[Danielle Masters]

I can name many fine teachers and administrators that live in Lakewood and work for the schools who are interested in this issue, many of whom would make really fine council representatives. Check the names on the petitions. And of course the entire school board has also signed the petitions.

What kind of society fears it's teachers?

When I spoke to teachers about this issue they were amazed that this restriction even existed. I am glad to hear that the entire school board has signed the petition.

I suspect if it goes on the ballot, it will overwhelmingly fail.

Grace, then what do we have to fear. BTW I only had one person refuse to sign my petition and that was because they had already signed another one. People I spoke to about this issue were overwhelmingly in favor of allowing their children's' teachers the opportunity to serve on council. I for one would trust our teachers to serve on council, I guess I have more faith in them than some do in this community.

Why is there this big fear about letting the community decide whether to change the charter or not? I say put it on the ballot and let the citizens vote.

If it comes to a vote, we could call it "The Ryan Demro Employment Act of 2007."

Steve, that is just rude and I'll leave it at that.

[stephen davis]

And of course the entire school board has also signed the petitions.

Suzanne,

Do we REALLY want our Lakewood School Board and their administration to be hiring elected city officials?

I have talked with many people, including a school board member, that are glad that the schools are not in a position to have to do that.

The Lakewood Board of Education has, with few exceptions done an excellent job of keeping out of non-school politics. Their pragmatic, apolitical approach has served us all well. I’d like to keep it that way. If they have any extra political capital to spend, I prefer that it be used at the state level for funding solutions and reasonable standards.


Also…

What kind of society fears it's teachers?

This is a comment that I just don’t understand.


Steve

[Suzanne Metelko]

Steve, my comment stands. The overriding concern that is most commonly expressed about this issue is that we could have TEACHERS in public office. That's just nuts. Nobody cares that I have the Mayor's assistant making school policy? Or that the police union has someone who is making school policy? Or that a member of the Presbyterian church is making school policy? Or a dog lover making school policy?

As for the school board avoiding politics, that's a function of the people involved and their determination to do their job appropriately. That board could very easily become just as political as any other. Just look across Cuyahoga County. What I really wish is that I could get politics out of city hall. Pipe dreams.

So the questions become, do we allow all of our citizens the right to elected office and do we hold those elected responsible for the job they do? Or do we try to micro manage the vote by restricting access to talented people who wish to run for election?

If we're so afraid of teachers then we could just refuse to vote for them.

[dl meckes]

"Afraid of teachers" equals "Why do you hate America" in my book.

Both sides have real points to make. I hope they make them.

[DougHuntingdon]

Stephen Davis

Thank you for clearing it up. I was close...I just had it backwards, apparently.

Doug

[Suzanne Metelko]

DL, Thats a very 527 thing to say. When people say things like "keeping politics out of the classroom" I'm not sure what conclusion to draw. Are they concerned that students may be more political? Frankly if it weren't for teachers like Bruce Beebe and Jim Van Horn and Lou Cellini, I'm not sure how much I'd care about the politics. I am uneasy with the national campaign to choke off activist college professors. I just can't believe we are discussing limited access to public process in Lakewood.

[dl meckes]

A "527 thing to say."

"According to the IRS, a Section 527 (§527) organization is an organization that is created to receive and disburse funds to influence or attempt to influence the nomination, election, appointment or defeat of candidates for public office."

This is a not-so-sly accusation that I have some party line or some group-think to espouse.

My point was that "fearing teachers" is not a relevant response in the discussion of the potential referendum.

I encourage you to make your points about the positive aspects of your effort rather than using divisive distraction methods, but do whatever you feel works for you.

Since I am learning about the issue and why each side feels the way it does, I had hoped for information that would help me make a decision.

[Jeff Endress]

There are a number of us, products of the Lakewood School system, who indeed, fear teachers. We bear the psychological scars of English class with Miss D. For some, it goes further back to a ruler's crack on the knuckles administered in Fourth grade at McKinley....

What kind of society fears it's teachers?

Those of us still suffering from the recurrent nightmare of being late for English....while forgetting the locker combination...

City workers are allowed to be on the school board and I believe school employees should be allowed to serve on city council

I think that we need to equalize the matter also. So I think we should also exclude city workers from serving on the school board (and perhaps in leadership roles of the PTA)

Is my response tongue in cheek? Absolutely. Is there now, or has there ever been a teacher/custodian/secretary from the Lakewood School District who wished to run for council but because of their employment was denied that privilege? If there is such a person, let them seek the change. If there is no such person, then there is only a tempest in a teapot...

Jeff

[Gary Rice]

As some of you are well, aware, I recently defended teachers in some recent posts.

On the whole, I believe that teachers do indeed care.

But yes, I too experienced a few, shall I say, unforgettable teachers; while growing up in Lakewood.

Teachers reflect the population as a whole, I suppose. The thing is, they have such a public position that, were they unable to support their actions in the classroom, they probably would not be around for very long.

A "difficult" teacher might be thought of, as helping produce higher standards, or thought to bring on excess frustration, depending on the child's perceptions.

A "good" teacher", on the other hand, might be thought of as a positive helper to their students, or as being so soft-hearted, as to perhaps let things slide.

Really good teachers try to balance everything; not an easy task to do.

As you might imagine, teachers have to walk these kinds of tight-ropes every day.

As to the point of running for office? With all that a teacher does, I have no idea where people would ever find the evening and weekend time to devote to that office.

Plus there are ethical and conflict-of-interest laws and concerns that would need to be addressed.

As far as I recall from my experience? I think that a teacher was indeed able to run for office in a community other than the one he/she taught in, but I don't know for sure.

The crux of the issue for me, is that teachers traditionally have not become political figures in the past, due to deeply entrenched traditions.

Now that I'm retired from teaching, I can, and have been, as overtly political as I like. I just do not think that I would have been comfortable doing so while I was employed.

It just would not have felt right to me.

[Suzanne Metelko]

DL, you made my point for me. My 527 remark was aimed at what I perceived as your attempt to divert the discussion from the supposed problem of teachers in city government with some crack about "Why do you hate America". I agree that neither have merit for this discussion. It's not my sentiment, I'm just reporting the news. Sorry for the misunderstanding.