LFC comments by Brian Massie, Executive Director
On 9/29/21, we attended a meeting sponsored by the GFWC Ohio Eastlake Women’s Club. It was a chance for citizens to meet the candidates for Eastlake’s Council-at-Large positions and the Willoughby-Eastlake School Board.
Who is the GFWC? https://www.facebook.com/groups/79143651395/
We previously posted an article with the candidates for Council-at-Large:
We realize that there were a lot of candidates on their list for school board and time was short; but we must admit that we were not impressed with the questions asked of the candidates.
Here are the results of our questionnaire that we sent out to all school board candidates. You will be able to see the candidates that avoided answering questions that impact the education of your children. Look under the section for Willoughby-Eastlake.
We have been a strong proponent of making wearing of masks optional in schools. In our opinion, the decision should be left to the parents to decide what is in the best interest of their children. Wear any number of masks, if you think it protects your child, but do not try to make others live in your world of fear and intimidation.
Here are the videos of the candidates in the order that they spoke. Not all candidates attended the event. Chuck Ellis and Brian R. Jones were no shows.
Willoughby – Eastlake School District parents were concerned, and asked us to make people aware of the tax liens listed with the State of Ohio for Krista Bair. We do not know what they represent other than a curious annual event with the State of Ohio looking for money from Ms. Bair. Click on “<” or “>” to see the three items posted.
It is important that all taxpayers in the Willoughby – Eastlake school system, especially seniors, understand the mind-set of the School Superintendent, Steve Thompson, on the subject of property taxes and seniors. It is truly appalling, and unforgiveable!!!
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“When current senior citizens where [sic] students, seniors paid for them.” This is a common refrain I hear, even heard it from a Riverside school board member. This is known as a “red herring” meant to distract the audience into feeling guilty that they are being selfish, and not concerned about the plight of the current school children.
When the current seniors were attending schools there were tremendous differences in the cost of education:
- Unfunded mandates by the Federal Department of Education, and State school boards have driven up the cost of educating a child.
- The failed initiatives, such as Common Core, and No Child Left Behind increase education costs while dumbing down the students.
- Many schools now look like college campuses with amenities not available to the current seniors when they attended school.
- There were fewer school administrators, less services offered back then.
- A larger student to teacher ratio was the reality for seniors.
- Teacher and administrators’ pensions were not 4 – 5 times higher than what an average senior citizen receives from social security.
- We used blackboards and books and pencils rather that chromebooks, whiteboards, with all of the expensive computerization.
- Security was done by the janitor and not paid security forces.
- We walked to school.
- We ate breakfast at home and brought lunch in a brown bag.
- Schools are now being structured to take the place of the family, by being indoctrination camps for the far left by pushing a collective “group think” rather than promoting individual liberty.
- Inflation was not the factor that it is today, eating away at the monthly meager pensions of seniors that worked in the private sector.
I do not believe I have heard more insensitive words from a school official than Steve Thompson saying seniors should have properly saved and budgeted for retirement!
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Categories: Eastlake, Lake County Cities & Townships, Uncategorized, Willoughby, Willoughby Hills