(Thanks to one of our Kirtland lobbyists for this article on Willoughby-Eastlake School District.  It will be interesting to see what kind of spin the News-Herald will put on the series of articles on the Lake County school superintendents.)

https://www.news-herald.com/news/lake-county/superintendent-declares-willoughby-eastlake-schools-in-a-state-of-emergency-as-levy-vote-looms/article_7802b5c2-485b-11ea-b379-831967e4da3f.html?fbclid=IwAR1vYUs2Fs6olrVguC4e_iNWzaIyaG6rntfd3jspieF143L4kkati1GBgC4

Excerpts from the article:

There will be an informational meeting about the  Willoughby-Eastlake school district property levy at 1 p.m., March 3, at the Willoughby Senior Center, 36939 Ridge Road.

Steven L. Thompson was named the superintendent of Willoughby-Eastlake School District almost 10 years ago, and since his tenure, the district has seen both good and bad times.

Back in 2015, Thompson made a big push for a 3.99-mill bond issue that passed with 51 percent of the vote. This bond generated around $115,750,000 to build two new high schools and an elementary school and repair existing buildings.

Since then, the district has fallen on hard times.

In November 2019, Willoughby-Eastlake Schools sought a continuous tax levy to cover operational costs that ultimately was defeated by voters. The 4.99-mill tax levy was to help with ongoing operational expenses and replace a loss of funding.

Since the November loss, Thompson has been on a campaign to engage community members for their help since 75 percent of homeowners in the district don’t have school-age children.

“We are in a state of emergency,” Thompson said.

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(LFC Opinion: If Steve Thompson thinks they are in a state of emergency, he should walk in the shoes of the seniors on fixed incomes that he is pricing out of their homes that they have worked all their lives to achieve.  Oh wait, yes we remember now….Super. Steve said that the seniors should have planned better for their retirement. Here is a link to a prior article we wrote about Super. Steve.

https://lobbyistsforcitizens.com/2019/11/18/steve-thompson-please-cover-up-your-insensitivity-is-showing/

Quotes from Steve Thompson:

• “We all have to properly save and budget for retirement.” 
• “When current senior citizens where students, seniors paid for them.”

In our opinion, the first quote shows Mr. Thompson has lost touch with the taxpayers, and the challenges that are facing senior citizens.  The second quote is known as a “red herring”.  It is extremely misleading.  When the current senior citizens were in high school, the overwhelming majority did not attend schools where the Superintendent, and a complicit School Board, spent money needlessly by creating a school complex that far exceeds the community’s ability to pay for the extravagances.

To all readers:  Please read the article by the News-Herald and ask yourself this question:  “Is the News-Herald giving their readers what they need to make a decision on the property tax levy, or are they just parroting what Superintendent Steve Thompson said to them in the interview?”

LFC is more interested in exactly what the Lake County Superintendents’ vision is for the education in light of declining enrollments; how they can maintain costs, and how will they attain better grades on the State testing?  In addition, what challenges are being placed on the local schools by the Federal and State governments that are driving up the costs for the local residents?  Forget about spewing the resumes of each Superintendent – it is boring and irrelevant.)

Categories: Lake, Uncategorized

Tags: Education, FT