The Observation Deck

Bill Call wrote:https://www.lakewoodcityschools.org/post-detail/~board/lakewood-city-school-district/post/update-from-treasurer-on-state-budget

Bill

I wish you would have posted your take on the story, instead of the link.

This underlines exactly what the two of us have argued about since I first met you.

The problem is not the students, not the teachers (though the union...), nor is it the buildings or parents.

The problem is TERRIBLE MANAGEMENT at the highest levels, along with them throwing out bullshit facts.

During the latest attempt to get Grant School for the person that acquired McKinley for a dollar, and the BOE buildings for not much more.

Management have blamed safety, regions, classes, class sizes and even the breeding practices of Lakewoodites instead of asking themselves, what could they do better? Why do charter schools have a two year waiting list, and we can't pay kids to come here. Why are they turning away pre-school admissions?

But let's pretend they are. Why did the Board of Education over build our needs, by $50,000,000 or more? Easy answer - bad management.

They will cry it wasn't us, it was the community, the consultants, the task force members, everything and anything but "the buck stops with us."

I mean they are all nice people, but it would be even better if they had the ability needed to run the schools, instead of putting on theater (task forces with their preconceived agendas).

Just like in the Rick Berdine years, the BOE listened to the Treasurer, who use the Superintendent as a puppet, and the BOE just nods, smiles, and gets bennies for themselves, their kids, and their friends.

There are at least two charter schools I know of that are licking their chops, at Grant and its location. Ready to stop Lakewood School maneuvers that witnessed loss of millions in in taxes when MicKinley was liquidated on the fly .

They have run the Lakewood Schools into the ground, to the point they have decided to manage downsizing instead of running the schools.

.

.

I didn't make a comment because I wanted to see what others have to say. I'll eventually get around to some numbers. It use to be easy to get information from the State Board of Education web site. Now it's really difficult.

The Lakewood board has wanted to close Grant for a long time, maybe ten years or more.

According to Grok the Lakewood City schools spend $20,151 per student teacher ratio of 17:1. I think Grok might be wrong but;

That's $340,000 per classroom. If you had one classroom of 17 kids how would you spend the money and why is it not enough?

Bill Call wrote:I didn't make a comment because I wanted to see what others have to say. I'll eventually get around to some numbers. It use to be easy to get information from the State Board of Education web site. Now it's really difficult.

The Lakewood board has wanted to close Grant for a long time, maybe ten years or more.

According to Grok the Lakewood City schools spend $20,151 per student teacher ratio of 17:1. I think Grok might be wrong but;

That's $340,000 per classroom. If you had one classroom of 17 kids how would you spend the money and why is it not enough?

Schools, just like the old City Administration has a real problem with transparency and accountability.

To give the city credit, they now make it easy to find records, and numbers.

.

Bill

I had the pleasure of speaking with one of our state reps while in Parma.

He said, The state is preparing to make up as much as 80% of that projected loss.

FWIW

.

Jim O'Bryan wrote:Bill


He said, The state is preparing to make up as much as 80% of that projected loss.

.

I wonder if the State is cutting school funding to pay for the Staes contribution to construct the new Browns stadium?

Forget schools. Lakewood needs more bars.