The Observation Deck

The recent predictions for an accelerating decline in the number of students attending the Lakewood school system should be a wake up call to the voters in this City.

For ten years the school board has been given a literal blank check to operate the system. The result has been deteriorating quality, increased cost and declining enrollment.

The board likes to brag that it has been able to extend the time between tax issues, implying that it was able to do so because of strict budget controls. That is simply not the case.

The board has been able to avoid an operating levy because:

1. It asks for millions more than is needed and banks the surplus.

2. It serves fewer and fewer students each year.

I guess it would be like a restaurant bragging about how much less it spends on food costs, hiding the fact that it serves 50% few diners.

A few more years like the last ten and the Lakewood schools can just close up shop. How is that for a business plan?

The most important question for any school board candidate? Are the schools being operated for the benefit of the students or the benefit of the employees?

For ten years the school board has been given a literal blank check to operate the system. The result has been deteriorating quality, increased cost and declining enrollment.

Bill: On what do you base your conclusion that the quality of education has been deteriorating at Lakewood Schools? Perhaps the NCLB report cards?

Would it be fair to also state that virtually every business (as well as individuals) have also experienced a significant increase in costs over the past 10 years?

As to declining enrollment, exactly how is the Board responsible for the population demographics? Over the same period of time the overall population in the city has also decreased. Would it not be rational to assume that as that population decreases (and family size also decreases) that the school population would show a fall-off?

Your analysis as to savings as a result of fewer students is also flawed. Fewer students means fewer dollars from Columbus and Washington, while system costs, buildings, staff, etc. continue to increase.

Jeff

Bill,

Your post is so loaded with false premises and inaccurate assumptions that your questions are unanswerable.

Start over. Be slow and accurate. Ask non-leading questions. I'm sure that you will get answers that everyone will learn from.

When I hear questions like this from somebody like Tucker Carlson, I change the channel.

Steve

with just 17% of the funding being taken over by the feds and having to find funding for 83% of the cost to run this district , I think the school board and district have done an exceptional job. We're not bombarded with levy's other than the building proposal levy (which I don't really understand) and our NCLB report cards have been great. And while more than half of the cost is picked up by taxpayers and homeowners, and NCLB costing the State of Ohio an extra 1.447 Billion dollars anually (on top of what it already costs to impliment it), we're not doing too bad!

Lakewood as a district spends the most per student in our area, so every student is taken care of. It's tough to be between a district with 47,000 students(cleveland) and 2,500 students(river) and compare them to each other on how well they do with funding.

I'd like to see new school board officials, and maybe a few more snow days.

I think this year for our senior prank, us seniors wanted to shovel a huge pile of snow in Dr.Estrops driveway so he can't get to work or outside of his home. The only problem is, there is no snow.

I thought we were getting somewhere with this whole senior prank thing

The most important question for any school board candidate? Are the schools being operated for the benefit of the students or the benefit of the employees?

Bill,
As a parent I can tell you the schools are definitely being ran for the benefit of the kids. While many districts throughout the state and country for that matter are getting rid of music and art programs, we can proudly say that Lakewood has not. Class sizes are small, the largest class of any of my children is 22. We have wonderful special ed teachers. We offer a wide variety of AP programs in the high school. Our middle schools and elementary schools have excellent gifted programs. We have alternative educational opportunities for those who can't for what ever reason attend traditional high school. The demographics of our city have changed and I think our schools are doing a wonderful job adapting to these changes.

I also should say that I want my children's teachers to be fairly paid. I want everyone involved in the schools to be fairly paid. It's important that the people in charge of teaching and assisting in the teaching of our children be fairly compensated. They have very important jobs and I honestly want the best people in those positions.

While I will admit I have had my differences with the schools from time to time, I think that is normal in life. No one can expect to please every member of a community, that is not an attainable goal. The important thing is that the district continues to put the needs of the students first. As long as Lakewood continues to provide a high level of education I will be pleased.

One last thing is I looked up the report cards for our district. I think the district rating of continuous improvement is very misleading. Four of the twelve schools, including the high school, are rated excellent. Here are the individual school ratings:

Lakewood High School - Excellent

Emerson Middle School - Effective
Harding Middle School - Continuous Improvement
Horace Mann Middle School - Effective

Franklin Elementary - Effective
Grant Elementary - Excellent (2004 Blue Ribbon Award)
Harrison Elementary - Continuous Improvement
Hayes Elementary - Excellent
Lincoln Elementary - Excellent
McKinley Elementary - Effective
Roosevelt Elementary - Effective
Taft Elementary - Effective

Here is the link for the ODE:

http://webapp2.ode.state.oh.us/reportca ... irn=044198

2. It serves fewer and fewer students each year.

This is why we are closing buildings. We do have fewer students and therefore we need fewer buildings.

Danielle Masters wrote:The demographics of our city have changed and I think our schools are doing a wonderful job adapting to these changes.

I agree. The system does reasonably well when compared to other similar districts. I will be posting some info on discipline problems that shed a somewhat less than favorable light on the direction the schools are taking.

Many parents agree with your assessment of the schools. Many do not.
The question is: Are families with children stampeding out of Lakewood because of dissatisfaction with the schools or because of a dissatisfaction with the City in general, or just because?

Would you like to conduct a thought experiment?

Pretend you are sitting in that classroom of 22 students. Take a look around. The district spends $250,000 to maintain that classroom for one year. How would you spend the money?

Your response to my post was reasoned, well informed and well written. I hate when that happens.

Bill Call wrote:I agree. The system does reasonably well when compared to other similar districts. I will be posting some info on discipline problems that shed a somewhat less than favorable light on the direction the schools are taking.

Bill

What is you beef? I will tell you I get frustrated at times by the school board, then I stop and think of the variables. I also think of the background of our school board, then I pick up the phone and talk with them. They live and die Lakewood Schools, while they make decisions I do not always agree with, I am sure many others are glad.

Bill Call wrote:Many parents agree with your assessment of the schools. Many do not.
The question is: Are families with children stampeding out of Lakewood because of dissatisfaction with the schools or because of a dissatisfaction with the City in general, or just because?

None have expressed any dissatisfaction through this board, in any story and to be honest in letters. Again while we all might have an occasional question, I have heard of no torch parades to the Board building.

I can understand how some parents feel upset by the closing of Franklin. It seems and I do not have all the answers that a promised was made or maybe implied, and that some feel the flavor of that agreement was broken. For the sake of the argument, let's say it was. Which is thee BIG PICTURE is more important. That promise, or the savings? That promise or getting the job down faster and cheaper? I ask because I know you do not like new taxes.

Bill Call wrote:Pretend you are sitting in that classroom of 22 students. Take a look around. The district spends $250,000 to maintain that classroom for one year. How would you spend the money?

I am not sure and do not have the facts, but for some reason I keep thinking run it on $200,000 and set aside $50,000 for college scolarships. So that at the end of their education there is Almost $50,000 set aside for each student to continue their education. Of course I would also throw in a "come back to Lakewood for 5 years to pay off loan with residency."

Bill Call wrote:Your response to my post was reasoned, well informed and well written. I hate when that happens.

Bill, it is the one thing all of us hot heads hate.


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please lets not open the can of worms about the dress code.

it goes so unnoticed at the High School level, that I didn't even know it exists. I think it was a matter of getting used to it, and figuring out punishments and how to deal with the kids that break it in a reasonable manner.

Ivor Karabatkovic wrote:please lets not open the can of worms about the dress code.

it goes so unnoticed at the High School level, that I didn't even know it exists. I think it was a matter of getting used to it, and figuring out punishments and how to deal with the kids that break it in a reasonable manner.

Ivor

Are you telling me you never had to reach over your head to see if your stomach showed!


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I haven't.

Funny how people interpret things differently. My guess was the decline in students (in Lakewood) is related to a conscious choice of smaller family size. Who can come up with a good theory? Pat

pat ballasch wrote:......Funny how people interpret things differently.....

That very sensible observation ends the discussions on this post. (well, maybe it ends them)