What follows is an updated version of a blog entry I wrote in February 2014; the issues today are practically the same as they were then with only minor alterations.
The future begins with a vision.
Often, that vision may sound ridiculous, out of touch with reality, and even ludicrous.
The vision may startle, baffle, and frustrate many . . . but that vision is where the future begins.
I look through my life, and certain changes that were criticized at the time have now become integral parts of our lives: I-77, morning newspapers, computers, internet, wireless phones, self-propelled mowers, online banking, e-books . . . who would have ever thought that we would see such changes? Today, living without these necessities is a rarity . . . they all began with a vision.
However, the problem with a vision is that a price always has to be paid to make it happen . . . and that is exactly the situation currently facing Dover's taxpayers as they consider yet again the value of constructing a new high school. Like all taxpayers, I cringe at the mere thought of increasing my taxes, and I despise the division inevitably caused within the community because of opposing beliefs. The approaching election, due to the issue's sensitivity, has had the potential to be polarizing as taxpayers--loaded with fire on all sides--stake their claims. The bottom line is that decisions soon to be made are as critical to our "neck of the woods" as we have seen in many, many years . . . and our taxpayers need to be as informed as they ever have been.
A legitimate question must be asked: Why would Dover even consider building a new high school? When this question was being publicly discussed over five years ago, I must confess that I, too, had the same reaction, but, the truth is, I knew the question was coming. As a former teacher who had taught in the high school for twenty years, I had watched as repairs were constantly being made, but the solutions were not lasting as long; I had seen technology enter the building but only in small steps because the building had great limitations; I had seen the leaking ceilings that were constantly being repaired, but the repairs only endured for short durations; I had seen the buckets in the rooms trying to catch the water drops; I had experienced the varying classroom temperatures depending upon whether the boilers were fully/partially/not-at-all working on any given day; I had endured the ever-increasing smells that crept through the lower parts of the building; I had seen kids in wheelchairs not be able to access their classrooms because of building limitations . . . I could continue with these observations, but I knew that the issue of a new school had finally arrived . . . and that is where we are once again.
Nearly fifteen years ago, our school board realized that accommodations must be made for the inevitable. Thus, after much study and input, the decision was made to completely renovate the oldest wing of the building, to construct a new wing that would be attached to the building, and to begin devising a strategy that would make much-needed improvements to the remainder of the building. From my perspective at that time, that was a reasonable request and, in truth, a realistic proposal. That 4.8 mill levy would have allowed renovation to occur and would have gone a long way to solving the school's issues. However, that levy request was defeated on two occasions--when those losses occurred, I clearly recall discussing with colleagues that we would one day regret that decision simply because replacing the building was inevitable. Many local residents expressed to me at that time that with the state giving money to schools for new buildings, it would be foolish to pay for the building ourselves. "Let's just wait for the state" was what I heard. So, four years ago, the state determined that they would provide $9.2 million of our money for construction of our new high school. Interestingly, what I then began hearing was "Why do we need the state to give us money--how much will it cost us to fix things without the state?" Ironically, this levy request was soundly trounced even though the Dover Board of Education had carefully listened to the messages from the previous requests. I must admit to being a bit perplexed following that thumping--what did we want?
Let me pause for a moment and reemphasize a point--we are in a serious predicament here in Dover. Most stakeholders know something has to be done with our high school building--I cannot write that comment off as verbal fluff because the argument "It was good enough for me, so it's good enough for them" is so outdated that it reeks with being labeled an uninformed fuddy-duddy remark. Yes, I understand that our country's economic situation continues to raise red flags . . . but the issue remains: What are we going to do?
Like many, I read 30 Seconds in the Times Reporter, I ask others' opinions, and I sometimes overhear opinions while I wait in checkout lines--I get it that paying for a school is a central issue, but I also get it that people search for reasons to be negative. Issues ranging from retire-rehire, snow days, bus routes, teacher discipline, perceived coaching slights, teacher/administrative contracts, chipped entryway steps, and a multitude of others can cloud our perspectives of what is best for our kids and our community. Face it: when we want to find something negative, we can easily do it--with each passing day, I am more convinced that our society is headed in a dire direction, one that makes it popular to be critical without knowledge of details, to be pessimistic because of others doing the same, and to be judgmental without even knowing what we are talking about other than what image is being presented by the media or what we heard "a buddy" say. However, when it comes to educating our kids and maintaining the integrity of our community, I embrace the challenge wholeheartedly.
The dilemma we are confronting is about much more that simply a building--it clearly is about the quality of our community. We all know that the current Ohio government has been implicitly saying this to all communities, townships, and schools: If you want a nice community, then create one--don't depend on us. All we have to do is follow current councils', commissioners', trustees', and boards' of education minutes as reported in the press to understand the problems we are all facing. The state has dropped the gauntlet: Fund your own communities . . . we will help somewhat (this levy attempt is the most money Ohio has ever offered to the Dover City Schools for this project!), but don't even think of depending on us to bail you out. Tough predicaments? Absolutely, yet ones that can be managed if priorities are established. What is important to us? I will let you, the readers, answer that question.
Earlier in this article, I stressed the value of a vision . . . and that is "the food for thought" that I would like to offer this Dover community. We have an opportunity to set up our soon-to-be high school students for the future. As parents, we know that our kids when they become parents will be facing a multitude of issues, a significant one being the educating of their children and our grandchildren. In this community, we have the chance to relieve them of one awesome task: providing modern facilities that meet the demands of this changing world. Again, I emphasize the vision. If we see our community as it stands today without recognizing where the future is, we will be doing our children and our community a disservice. I stress: This issue must be addressed--we cannot continue to ignore what is inevitable. The repeated claims of "What don't they understand? No means no!" is a frightening indictment of Dover--I sincerely hope that that repeated claim is simply the frustrated grumblings of a minority who fail to share my vision, not the overriding sentiment of a proud community.
Before I conclude this entry, I must stress a crucial point I would like to be heard: In the past, I had written that if the parents of pre-school, elementary, and middle school children did not get involved, our school issue would be in serious jeopardy. In truth, until this current levy campaign, I had been appalled at the lack of young parents who had stepped forward. Perhaps it was reflective of a changing culture, but I tend to think otherwise--they simply wanted others to do their work for them. In this campaign, however, I applaud those parents of elementary and middle school children--a large percentage are now seeing with their own eyes what many of us have been saying for years. Now, it is their kids who are going to be affected; in 2014, I wrote that "it would be a troublesome time if six or so years from now, those same parents begin complaining about how decrepit our high school is and how their kids are behind the neighboring progressive schools." Somewhere in that time gap, those parents have come to a similar revelation because now we are talking about their kids, and what a difference it has made!
As difficult as it may be for many to accept, the desire to build a new school is not being based on any personal agendas--please trust me on that. The school board members have been elected to do a job, one that opens them to personal and collective criticism--I commend them for having the courage to take a stand . . . not everybody can do that, believe me. This issue is about our future. We have a critical decision: Do we want to continue to patch our way into the future, or do we want to leap into the 21st century? I do realize that many will read this commentary and criticize any and all elements of it--I respect that, but I must stress that my interest in this issue is not self serving. I am not interested in leading a campaign or running for the school board. Like many in this community, I am retired; my contribution will be the same as the majority of Dover citizens: I will be paying additional taxes, but I will know that my decision to support this issue will have helped pave the way so that Dover High School will continue to be an integral part of our community and a launching pad for our youth.
Here is where we are:
The future begins with a vision.
Often, that vision may sound ridiculous, out of touch with reality, and even ludicrous.
The vision may startle, baffle, and frustrate many . . . but that vision is where the future begins.
Tuesday, November 1, 2016
Dover High School: One Man's Perspective
What follows is an updated version of a blog entry I wrote in February 2014; the issues today are practically the same as they were then with only minor alterations.
The future begins with a vision.
Often, that vision may sound ridiculous, out of touch with reality, and even ludicrous.
The vision may startle, baffle, and frustrate many . . . but that vision is where the future begins.
I look through my life, and certain changes that were criticized at the time have now become integral parts of our lives: I-77, morning newspapers, computers, internet, wireless phones, self-propelled mowers, online banking, e-books . . . who would have ever thought that we would see such changes? Today, living without these necessities is a rarity . . . they all began with a vision.
However, the problem with a vision is that a price always has to be paid to make it happen . . . and that is exactly the situation currently facing Dover's taxpayers as they consider yet again the value of constructing a new high school. Like all taxpayers, I cringe at the mere thought of increasing my taxes, and I despise the division inevitably caused within the community because of opposing beliefs. The approaching election, due to the issue's sensitivity, has the potential to be polarizing as taxpayers--loaded with fire on all sides--stake their claims. The bottom line is that decisions soon to be made are as critical to our "neck of the woods" as we have seen in many, many years . . . and our taxpayers need to be as informed as they ever have been.
A legitimate question must be asked: Why would Dover even consider building a new high school? When this question was being publicly discussed over five years ago, I must confess that I, too, had the same reaction, but, the truth is, I knew the question was coming. As a former teacher who taught in the high school for twenty years, I had watched as repairs were constantly being made, but the solutions were not lasting as long; I had seen technology enter the building but only in small steps because the building had great limitations; I had seen the leaking ceilings that were constantly being repaired, but the repairs only endured for short durations; I had seen the buckets in the rooms trying to catch the water drops; I had experienced the varying classroom temperatures depending upon whether the boilers were fully/partially/not-at-all working on any given day; I had endured the ever-increasing smells that crept through the lower parts of the building; I had seen kids in wheelchairs not be able to access their classrooms because of building limitations . . . I could continue with these observations, but I knew that the issue of a new school had finally arrived . . . and that is where we are once again.
Nearly fifteen years ago, our school board realized that accommodations must be made for the inevitable. Thus, after much study and input, the decision was made to completely renovate the oldest wing of the building, to construct a new wing that would be attached to the building, and to begin devising a strategy that would make much-needed improvements to the remainder of the building. From my perspective at that time, that was a reasonable request and, in truth, a realistic proposal. That 4.8 mill levy would have allowed renovation to occur and would have gone a long way to solving the school's issues. However, that levy request was defeated on two occasions--when those losses occurred, I clearly recall discussing with colleagues that we would one day regret that decision simply because replacing the building was inevitable. Many local residents expressed to me at that time that with the state giving money to schools for new buildings, it would be foolish to pay for the building ourselves. "Let's just wait for the state" was what I heard. So, four years ago, the state determined that they would provide $9.2 million of our money for construction of our new high school. Interestingly, what I then began hearing was "Why do we need the state to give us money--how much will it cost us to fix things without the state?" Ironically, this levy request was soundly trounced even though the Dover Board of Education had carefully listened to the messages from the previous requests. I must admit to being a bit perplexed following that thumping--what did we want?
Let me pause for a moment and reemphasize a point--we are in a serious predicament here in Dover. Most stakeholders know something has to be done with our high school building--I cannot write that comment off as verbal fluff because the argument "It was good enough for me, so it's good enough for them" is so outdated that it reeks with being labeled an uninformed fuddy-duddy remark. Yes, I understand that our country's economic situation continues to raise red flags . . . but the issue remains: What are we going to do?
Like many, I read 30 Seconds in the Times Reporter, I ask others' opinions, and I sometimes overhear opinions while I wait in checkout lines--I get it that paying for a school is a central issue, but I also get it that people search for reasons to be negative. Issues ranging from retire-rehire, snow days, bus routes, teacher discipline, perceived coaching slights, teacher/administrative contracts, chipped entryway steps, and a multitude of others can cloud our perspectives of what is best for our kids and our community. Face it: when we want to find something negative, we can easily do it--with each passing day, I am more convinced that our society is headed in a dire direction, one that makes it popular to be critical without knowledge of details, to be pessimistic because of others doing the same, and to be judgmental without even knowing what we are talking about other than what image is being presented by the media or what we heard "a buddy" say. However, when it comes to educating our kids and maintaining the integrity of our community, I embrace the challenge wholeheartedly.
The dilemma we are confronting is about much more that simply a building--it clearly is about the quality of our community. We all know that the current Ohio government has been implicitly saying this to all communities, townships, and schools: If you want a nice community, then create one--don't depend on us. All we have to do is follow current councils', commissioners', trustees', and boards' of education minutes as reported in the press to understand the problems we are all facing. The state has dropped the gauntlet: Fund your own communities . . . we will help somewhat (this levy attempt is the most money ever offered to the Dover City Schools for this project!), but don't even think of depending on us to bail you out. Tough predicaments? Absolutely, yet ones that can be managed if priorities are established. What is important to us? I will let you, the readers, answer that question.
Earlier in this article, I stressed the value of a vision . . . and that is "the food for thought" that I would like to offer this Dover community. We have an opportunity to set up our soon-to-be high school students for the future. As parents, we know that our kids when they become parents will be facing a multitude of issues, a significant one being the educating of their children and our grandchildren. In this community, we have the chance to relieve them of one awesome task: providing modern facilities that meet the demands of this changing world. Again, I emphasize the vision. If we see our community as it stands today without recognizing where the future is, we will be doing our children and our community a disservice. I stress: This issue must be addressed--we cannot continue to ignore what is inevitable. The repeated claims of "What don't they understand? No means no!" is a frightening indictment of Dover--I sincerely hope that that repeated claim is simply the frustrated grumblings of a minority who fail to share my vision, not the overriding sentiment of a proud community.
Before I conclude this entry, I must stress a crucial point I would like to be heard: In the past, I had written that if the parents of pre-school, elementary, and middle school children did not get involved, our school issue will be in serious jeopardy. In truth, until this current levy campaign, I had been appalled at the lack of young parents who had stepped forward. Perhaps it was reflective of a changing culture, but I tend to think otherwise--they simply wanted others to do their work for them. In this campaign, however, I applaud those parents of elementary and middle school children--a large percentage are now seeing with their own eyes what many of us have been saying for years. Now, it is their kids who are going to be affected; in 2014, I wrote that "it would be a troublesome time if six or so years from now, those same parents begin complaining about how decrepit our high school is and how their kids are behind the neighboring progressive schools." Somewhere in that time gap, those parents have come to a similar revelation now we are talking about their kids, and what a difference it makes!
As difficult as it may be for many to accept, the desire to build a new school is not being based on any personal agendas--please trust me on that. The school board members have been elected to do a job, one that opens them to personal and collective criticism--I commend them for having the courage to take a stand . . . not everybody can do that, believe me. This issue is about our future. We have a critical decision: Do we want to continue to patch our way into the future, or do we want to leap into the 21st century? I do realize that many will read this commentary and criticize any and all elements of it--I respect that, but I must stress that my interest in this issue is not self serving. I am not interested in leading a campaign or running for the school board. Like many in this community, I am retired; my contribution will be the same as the majority of Dover citizens: I will be paying taxes, but I will know that my decision to support this issue will have helped pave the way so that Dover High School will continue to be an integral part of our community and a launching pad for our youth.
Here is where we are:
The future begins with a vision.
Often, that vision may sound ridiculous, out of touch with reality, and even ludicrous.
The vision may startle, baffle, and frustrate many . . . but that vision is where the future begins.
The future begins with a vision.
Often, that vision may sound ridiculous, out of touch with reality, and even ludicrous.
The vision may startle, baffle, and frustrate many . . . but that vision is where the future begins.
I look through my life, and certain changes that were criticized at the time have now become integral parts of our lives: I-77, morning newspapers, computers, internet, wireless phones, self-propelled mowers, online banking, e-books . . . who would have ever thought that we would see such changes? Today, living without these necessities is a rarity . . . they all began with a vision.
However, the problem with a vision is that a price always has to be paid to make it happen . . . and that is exactly the situation currently facing Dover's taxpayers as they consider yet again the value of constructing a new high school. Like all taxpayers, I cringe at the mere thought of increasing my taxes, and I despise the division inevitably caused within the community because of opposing beliefs. The approaching election, due to the issue's sensitivity, has the potential to be polarizing as taxpayers--loaded with fire on all sides--stake their claims. The bottom line is that decisions soon to be made are as critical to our "neck of the woods" as we have seen in many, many years . . . and our taxpayers need to be as informed as they ever have been.
A legitimate question must be asked: Why would Dover even consider building a new high school? When this question was being publicly discussed over five years ago, I must confess that I, too, had the same reaction, but, the truth is, I knew the question was coming. As a former teacher who taught in the high school for twenty years, I had watched as repairs were constantly being made, but the solutions were not lasting as long; I had seen technology enter the building but only in small steps because the building had great limitations; I had seen the leaking ceilings that were constantly being repaired, but the repairs only endured for short durations; I had seen the buckets in the rooms trying to catch the water drops; I had experienced the varying classroom temperatures depending upon whether the boilers were fully/partially/not-at-all working on any given day; I had endured the ever-increasing smells that crept through the lower parts of the building; I had seen kids in wheelchairs not be able to access their classrooms because of building limitations . . . I could continue with these observations, but I knew that the issue of a new school had finally arrived . . . and that is where we are once again.
Nearly fifteen years ago, our school board realized that accommodations must be made for the inevitable. Thus, after much study and input, the decision was made to completely renovate the oldest wing of the building, to construct a new wing that would be attached to the building, and to begin devising a strategy that would make much-needed improvements to the remainder of the building. From my perspective at that time, that was a reasonable request and, in truth, a realistic proposal. That 4.8 mill levy would have allowed renovation to occur and would have gone a long way to solving the school's issues. However, that levy request was defeated on two occasions--when those losses occurred, I clearly recall discussing with colleagues that we would one day regret that decision simply because replacing the building was inevitable. Many local residents expressed to me at that time that with the state giving money to schools for new buildings, it would be foolish to pay for the building ourselves. "Let's just wait for the state" was what I heard. So, four years ago, the state determined that they would provide $9.2 million of our money for construction of our new high school. Interestingly, what I then began hearing was "Why do we need the state to give us money--how much will it cost us to fix things without the state?" Ironically, this levy request was soundly trounced even though the Dover Board of Education had carefully listened to the messages from the previous requests. I must admit to being a bit perplexed following that thumping--what did we want?
Let me pause for a moment and reemphasize a point--we are in a serious predicament here in Dover. Most stakeholders know something has to be done with our high school building--I cannot write that comment off as verbal fluff because the argument "It was good enough for me, so it's good enough for them" is so outdated that it reeks with being labeled an uninformed fuddy-duddy remark. Yes, I understand that our country's economic situation continues to raise red flags . . . but the issue remains: What are we going to do?
Like many, I read 30 Seconds in the Times Reporter, I ask others' opinions, and I sometimes overhear opinions while I wait in checkout lines--I get it that paying for a school is a central issue, but I also get it that people search for reasons to be negative. Issues ranging from retire-rehire, snow days, bus routes, teacher discipline, perceived coaching slights, teacher/administrative contracts, chipped entryway steps, and a multitude of others can cloud our perspectives of what is best for our kids and our community. Face it: when we want to find something negative, we can easily do it--with each passing day, I am more convinced that our society is headed in a dire direction, one that makes it popular to be critical without knowledge of details, to be pessimistic because of others doing the same, and to be judgmental without even knowing what we are talking about other than what image is being presented by the media or what we heard "a buddy" say. However, when it comes to educating our kids and maintaining the integrity of our community, I embrace the challenge wholeheartedly.
The dilemma we are confronting is about much more that simply a building--it clearly is about the quality of our community. We all know that the current Ohio government has been implicitly saying this to all communities, townships, and schools: If you want a nice community, then create one--don't depend on us. All we have to do is follow current councils', commissioners', trustees', and boards' of education minutes as reported in the press to understand the problems we are all facing. The state has dropped the gauntlet: Fund your own communities . . . we will help somewhat (this levy attempt is the most money ever offered to the Dover City Schools for this project!), but don't even think of depending on us to bail you out. Tough predicaments? Absolutely, yet ones that can be managed if priorities are established. What is important to us? I will let you, the readers, answer that question.
Earlier in this article, I stressed the value of a vision . . . and that is "the food for thought" that I would like to offer this Dover community. We have an opportunity to set up our soon-to-be high school students for the future. As parents, we know that our kids when they become parents will be facing a multitude of issues, a significant one being the educating of their children and our grandchildren. In this community, we have the chance to relieve them of one awesome task: providing modern facilities that meet the demands of this changing world. Again, I emphasize the vision. If we see our community as it stands today without recognizing where the future is, we will be doing our children and our community a disservice. I stress: This issue must be addressed--we cannot continue to ignore what is inevitable. The repeated claims of "What don't they understand? No means no!" is a frightening indictment of Dover--I sincerely hope that that repeated claim is simply the frustrated grumblings of a minority who fail to share my vision, not the overriding sentiment of a proud community.
Before I conclude this entry, I must stress a crucial point I would like to be heard: In the past, I had written that if the parents of pre-school, elementary, and middle school children did not get involved, our school issue will be in serious jeopardy. In truth, until this current levy campaign, I had been appalled at the lack of young parents who had stepped forward. Perhaps it was reflective of a changing culture, but I tend to think otherwise--they simply wanted others to do their work for them. In this campaign, however, I applaud those parents of elementary and middle school children--a large percentage are now seeing with their own eyes what many of us have been saying for years. Now, it is their kids who are going to be affected; in 2014, I wrote that "it would be a troublesome time if six or so years from now, those same parents begin complaining about how decrepit our high school is and how their kids are behind the neighboring progressive schools." Somewhere in that time gap, those parents have come to a similar revelation now we are talking about their kids, and what a difference it makes!
As difficult as it may be for many to accept, the desire to build a new school is not being based on any personal agendas--please trust me on that. The school board members have been elected to do a job, one that opens them to personal and collective criticism--I commend them for having the courage to take a stand . . . not everybody can do that, believe me. This issue is about our future. We have a critical decision: Do we want to continue to patch our way into the future, or do we want to leap into the 21st century? I do realize that many will read this commentary and criticize any and all elements of it--I respect that, but I must stress that my interest in this issue is not self serving. I am not interested in leading a campaign or running for the school board. Like many in this community, I am retired; my contribution will be the same as the majority of Dover citizens: I will be paying taxes, but I will know that my decision to support this issue will have helped pave the way so that Dover High School will continue to be an integral part of our community and a launching pad for our youth.
Here is where we are:
The future begins with a vision.
Often, that vision may sound ridiculous, out of touch with reality, and even ludicrous.
The vision may startle, baffle, and frustrate many . . . but that vision is where the future begins.
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