READERS' FORUM
February 21, 2003
Nothing against TPS board member ...
I'm not castigating Larry Sykes of the metroparks board for losing the Camp Miakonda acreage to a private developer.
I'm not rebuking him for having to retract statements regarding circumstances surrounding that property loss.
I'm not reproaching Larry Sykes of the Toledo Public Schools board for the academic emergency that exists in our schools.
I'm not reproving him for the misstatements made during the course of passing the building levy.
I'm not blaming him for the dissension that has existed between school board members.
I'm not charging Larry Sykes, an elected public official, with not filing state-required financial statements in a timely manner even though he has been involved in politics for several years and should be familiar with the rules by now.
I'm not accusing Larry Sykes, a pillar of our community, of playing the race card in Port Clinton for personal gain.
I am, however, very disappointed with his employer for paying Larry Sykes to get involved in my community affairs. (name omitted by me)
READERS FORUM
May 22, 2003
Uniforms not lessons for real world
Uniforms for school children? One of the cardinal principles of education admonishes that children should be prepared to take their place effectively in our participatory democracy. Educators use "real-world" examples to accomplish this imperative.How, then, can we teach real world values by creating an inverted environment in the school?
Some Americans wear expensive clothing; some don't. Some drive "better" cars; some don't. Some live in large, expensive homes; some don't. One learns in the real world that the playing field is not uniform - not in free America.
Would you agree that something in our schools is wrong with the set of values when the quality of clothing seems to be as credible as the content of achievement or the importance of character? We need to work on that.
While doing social studies at my desk in East Toledo years ago, I cannot recall passing judgment on the wearing apparel of my neighbor. Nor was my ego ruined because I was not wearing Gucci shoes.
Yet some students say it is "easier" when they do not have to choose their clothing each day. Many will argue that making choices - especially good choices - is a very important part of the education process.
Having the freedom to choose is a vital part of America's real world. Choice rules our lives. Bad choices can ruin our lives.
There are those who contend that grades go up in the uniformed atmosphere. The jury is still out on that.
If performance truly does improve with uniform-wearing, why not have uniforms for teachers, superintendents, candlestick makers, and - really - for all of us? It's worth thinking about.
We should not trivialize taking from Americans yet another freedom. (name omitted by me)
Dress code readies young for job world
I think it is a good idea to put the students back in uniforms. Teachers have to dress according to codes set by the schools and so do others. I have been an employee of a school system for 20 some years and have had to conform to my own set of dress-code rules.
We should be preparing these students to get ready to go out into the working world. Many jobs have dress codes to follow where uniforms are the required attire.
The function and responsibility of the school system should be to educate and prepare young people for the road ahead and not to provide a seven-hour social and fashion seminar.
A previous Forum contributor feels that we need to "start treating students with dignity, respect, and maturity."
Dignity, respect, and maturity are things that are earned and taught and not the right of those whose actions merit them unworthy.
Let's return to the basics. We have seven hours a day, five days a week to educate our young.
The kids have 17 hours remaining in the day to express their individuality and socialize. If putting students in uniforms will accomplish this goal then so be it.
(name omitted by me)
Other lessons take priority over dress
I have a real problem with your editorial and columnist Rose Russell's views on student uniforms.
Before you dismiss me as just another high-school hooligan, I would like to clarify that I happen to be a college graduate and a moral, productive member of society.
I don't understand how, with all the suffering going on in the world, someone could place so much importance on what a student chooses to wear to go to school.
I feel that in school the lessons taught - math, history, literature, etc. - are all important.
But another important aspect of schooling is learning how to behave in society. This includes learning to accept other people based on who they are as a person and not by how they look.
How can we teach future generations to accept differences in other people when we expect them all to look and dress the same?
Not too many of the working people out there in the "real world" are expected to wear matching uniforms, yet they carry on with their jobs and live normal lives. How can we train our children to become worthwhile adults when we inflict such stifling and oppressive rules on them?
I guess you are too busy scoffing at today's teen fashions to actually think about such important things. (name omitted by me)
Uniforms still stir student competition
Twelve years of wearing uniforms firmly convinces me that mandatory uniforms will not be the answer to better control and less competitiveness among students.
While I agree there should be an enforceable dress code, requiring students to dress alike is a step in the wrong direction. Your thinking is somewhat askew if it is perceived that uniforms will eliminate competition.
Classmates at my parochial school were often made objects of ridicule because of hand-me-downs, quality of materials, homemade uniforms, and accessories, not to mention the teasing that went on towards the "charity cases" who could not afford a uniform. The list was endless.
However, the worst mistake in requiring uniforms comes under the heading of independent thinking. Right at the time a student begins to form his/her own ideas, separate from what he/she's learned from parents and elders, you want to quash that spirit and put them back in a box.
These young people are the leaders and citizens of tomorrow, who will follow in your footsteps and continue to form an even better America. Thought process is developed in very small steps.
Do you really believe today's teenagers are going to sit in class and formulate opinions on how this country would be better run, without incorporating some individuality among their peers, in one or two areas of their life?
People who seek simple solutions to complicated problems get what they deserve. No solutions and potentially different problems. (name omitted by me)
Uniform dress code, not TPS uniforms
When was the last time Larry Sykes has been in a school building when students are in attendance? He commented on seeing kids in belly shirts, short skirts, and sagging pants. These are not permitted at the three Toledo Public schools my children attend. It may be just a matter of enforcing the dress codes that are in place.
Let's not take all the freedom of expression away from our kids.
Maybe what the district needs is a uniform dress code, not a uniform. This would give standardization districtwide and would be helpful to students who transfer to schools out of the (neighborhoods) district.
With TPS "Public High Schools Open Doors" policy any eighth grader would know what to expect at the school he or she chooses to attend the next year.
This idea of a districtwide dress code was suggested by parents at a January, 2003, Board Policy Committee meeting. Let's come up with a dress code that is acceptable to parents and students. Do you think that TPS is already taking bids from uniform companies?
Enough of this smoke and mirrors with the uniform issue. Let's get back to the real issues: quality education in all neighborhoods and using our taxpayer dollars effectively for that purpose. (name omitted by me)
MORE THAN 200 TEACHERS FACE JOB LOSS
July 17, 2003
About 200 Toledo Public Schools teachers hired a year ago won't return to their classrooms this fall, while nearly 100 hired the year before don't know for sure yet, district officials confirmed yesterday.
The nonrenewals are part of the district's cost-cutting plan approved last month in the 2003-2004 budget to offset a projected $15 million deficit.Because 66 elementary teachers hired in 2001 had the same date of beginning employment, they first received letters notifying them of possible layoffs, said Clinton Faulkner, the district's executive assistant to the superintendent for human resources. Then at a meeting last week, they drew numbers in a lottery to determine seniority, Mr. Faulkner said.
"We had to send out letters to everyone in order to be compliant with the collective bargaining agreement," he said. "We only really need about 15 of the 66. Not knowing which of the 66 it was, we had to send out letters to everyone."
But Toledo Federation of Teachers President Francine Lawrence said the district notified many more teachers than it needed to about the layoffs.
"They've never computerized relevant information, so their record base is not sophisticated. They've overidentified and they've also misidentified in some categories," she said. "A district of this size should be much more organized and computer-based in their personnel office."
As part of the cost cutting, the board of education last month eliminated 230 teaching positions for fall. District officials asked Toledo Federation of Teachers union leaders to accept a $10 health insurance co-payment for office visits and prescriptions to save millions of dollars and dozens of teaching jobs.
The union refused.
"It's a damn shame," school board member Larry Sykes said. "Their decision not to support the co-payment is costing these people their jobs. It could have been resolved. There's nothing more painful than being in an administrative position where you have to eliminate positions."
Mrs. Lawrence said the district earlier neglected to negotiate changes to the teachers' health plan.
"When they had a chance to reach agreement on health care on a couple of different occasions, they either reneged on their agreement or we had no one to talk to so we were on hold," she said. "We've had some discussions since then and intend to have additional discussions prior to the school year."
One of the teachers who drew "a high number" at the lottery said she was confident that she would have a job with Toledo Public Schools for the next year. She asked that her name not be used.
But she said she hoped all spring the union would agree to the co-payment.
"I was all for that, believe me," she said. "With the monstrosity of the whole thing, they're trying to do the best they can, but I don't see how this is all going to work out."
Mr. Faulkner said the district would continue to project its staffing needs and determine how many teachers from the 2001 hiring group would not be needed.
"As we speak, that's in the process of even changing because as people retire, take new positions, quit, whatever reason, those numbers also could be reduced," he said. "The numbers do fluctuate."
A BLUNDER FOR THE SCHOOLS
August 7, 2003
SCHOOL board members and administrators at Toledo Public Schools can't sugarcoat it - their renewal levy got hammered at a low-turnout election they felt sure they could win.
TPS officials may say that they took the 6.5-mill renewal to the voters in August to give themselves two shots, if necessary, to win voter approval, but the fact is that all they accomplished was to galvanize a coalition that was better organized than levy supporters.And an emphatic defeat it was: roughly 55 percent to 45 percent. Yet fewer than 25,000 people in the district actually voted, just 16.9 percent of the 147,000 who were registered. Obviously, if TPS felt its $100,000 or so investment in a summertime special election would pay off, it made a huge mistake.
Although state law permits public school districts to hold such special elections, either the law should be changed or TPS should voluntarily declare that this was the last time it will try it. Passage of the renewal is essential, as we have made abundantly clear, though now it will come tainted with a loss when voters see it again in November.
With sharply contested city council races on the ballot, voter turnout should be higher next time. But having already lost once with what should have been a routine renewal, TPS faces a true emergency on Nov. 4. If it fails a second time, the subsequent cutbacks will have a catastrophic effect on a district that has finally begun to show some improvement.
Tuesday's defeat should stand as a sobering dose of reality for board president Peter Silverman, board member Larry Sykes, and superintendent Eugene Sanders, all of whom at one time or another have been perceived by their constituents as a bit arrogant, even if it is unintentional on their part.
Here's something else for them to ponder. The renewal levy was defeated by about 2,500 votes. Though we believe TPS teachers should have the freedom to live wherever they want, the fact that 60 percent of them, or about 1,700 of 2,800 teachers, live outside the school district, was a contributing factor in the loss. Assuming most of those 1,700 have a spouse or significant other who has a vested interest in their welfare, their collective votes would have at least made the outcome a lot closer.
We have no trouble acknowledging that the Toledo Public Schools continue to have problems. For one thing, the district remains in academic emergency. But its test scores have been improving. Denying renewal funds to a troubled district can hardly be expected to make things better.
TPS needs to cut into and turn around the 10-point deficit suffered Tuesday - because the levy simply must pass next time. School officials need to figure out why a renewal would lose in the first place, and use the next 12 weeks wisely to make sure it doesn't happen again.
TPS BOARD, LEVY OPPONENTS TO MEET
September 9, 2003
Hoping to stave off organized opposition to its levy in November, the Toledo Board of Education last night agreed to meet next week with the Urban Coalition, the district watchdog group that opposed the tax in the election last month.
Board president Peter Silverman said the group asked to meet with the board and that restrictions apply to the meeting. "They said they wanted to meet with us and have laid down a host of conditions," he said. "I think we will meet in good faith. It's unfortunate that they put all these demands on us."The group asked that Superintendent Eugene Sanders not attend the meeting, that it be held at a neutral location, and that members of the public not be allowed to speak, Mr. Silverman said.
Initially, board member Dave Welch objected to a meeting with the coalition.
"I think you are making a huge mistake by legitimizing this group," he said last night. "They have five people with five different agendas."
Mr. Welch and board members Anita Lopez and Larry Sykes, said they would attend the meeting only if the public could take part.
After debating the issue, the board members agreed to meet with the group on Sept. 16 if the public would be permitted to speak. A location hasn't been chosen.
Flute Rice, the group's president, and Steve Flagg, a spokesman for the coalition, did not return repeated phone calls seeking comment last night.
Board member Terry Glazer said the district should talk with the opponents in an attempt to understand their concerns in hopes of changing their minds before the next vote.
Voters rejected the Toledo Public School District's request for renewal of a 6.5-mill levy for current expenses in August. The levy lost with 13,471 voting against it and 11,054 in favor. The board has started to create a list of district budget cuts that would need to total about $7 million if the operating levy renewal doesn't pass in November.
The board plans on waiting for the results of the Nov. 4 levy before deciding or implementing any cuts. The 6.5-mill levy raises about $16 million annually.
The board's three-hour meeting last night, which was called a retreat, was held at the Brooks Insurance office on Madison Avenue. It holds such meetings to tackle strategic issues.
BOARD SAYS IT CANNOT MEET COALITION'S NEEDS
September 23, 2003
After several Toledo Public School District critics yesterday ripped the board of education for not meeting with them, board members responded they've tried but can't meet the "ridiculous" demands of the group.
"Do they speak for themselves or do they speak for hundreds of people?" board President Peter Silverman asked of the Urban Coalition. "We want to do the right thing, but we're not going to say to them, 'You speak for the public. We're going to bar anyone else from discussing things with us.' That far we won't go."The coalition, headed by Flute Rice, a retired Toledo Public Schools principal who lives in Springfield Township, is comprised of several organizations that have been critical of the district. They campaigned against the 6.5-mill levy renewal that failed in August, and that is on the ballot again in November.
After the defeat, both coalition leaders and board members publicly expressed interest in meeting and talking about the coalition's three main concerns: student discipline, the evaluation of new teachers, and the plan for building and upgrading school facilities.
But after 26 pages of e-mail communication and numerous conversations between board members and coalition members, terms of a public meeting could not be agreed upon, both sides have said.
"They don't intend to meet with us on those issues at all," Mr. Rice said.
Steve Flagg, co-president of Parents for Public Schools and a member of the coalition, said coalition leaders have said they would campaign against the levy unless its issues were addressed.
During discussions with Mr. Silverman about setting up a meeting, Mr. Flagg asked that coalition members be allowed to question anyone who comments at the meeting and to comment about their comments.
"We didn't think it would end up in any meaningful discussion," Mr. Flagg said of the board's proposal for a meeting where any member of the public could speak.
Mr. Silverman said the board would not agree to the terms insisted on by the coalition.
"We've said if they want to meet with all five board members we'd be glad to do it, but it's a public meeting and that we have to invite the public and the public has a right to speak," he said. "If they meet with five of us, they want the public not to be able to say anything until our discussion is done."
District leaders yesterday also questioned the legitimacy of the coalition to speak for the Toledo community.
"I want to know who their supporters are. They claim they represent 100 some people. I see the same five people," said board member Larry Sykes.
Mr. Flagg said his group has 35 members at its meetings. A review of the campaign finance report of the Committee to Take Back Our Schools, the political action committee founded by Urban Coalition representatives, showed contributions from six individuals before the August levy vote.
"If these individuals are truly for the kids, if they were truly interested in children, they would come to the table without the demands and say, 'we'll help with the levy but we want these changes,'" Mr. Sykes said.
During a 20-minute news conference yesterday, coalition leaders did not mention students or children.
2 BANK EXECUTIVES, PROFESSOR VIE FOR 2 SEATS
October 21, 2003
Two bank executives and a university genetics professor are vying for two open seats on the Toledo Board of Education in the Nov. 4 general election.
At least one newcomer will join the five-member board. Incumbent Terry Glazer, a two-term board member, has decided not to seek re-election.The other incumbent whose term is expiring, Larry Sykes, an endorsed Democrat, is seeking re-election to a second full term. Challenging for seats are Deborah Barnett, also an endorsed Democrat and vice president of community relations at Huntington Bank, and Stephen Goldman, director of the Environmental and Plant Science Research Centers at the University of Toledo. He is an independent endorsed by the Lucas County GOP.
All three candidates said they support Issue 5, the 6.5-mill operating levy renewal that also will be on the Nov. 4 ballot.
Mr. Sykes, 54, vice president for community affairs for Fifth Third Bank, said he wants to return to the board because he wants to complete the mission he set for himself.
"That is to raise the academic standards for our children and our district as a whole, to ensure that the district is financially sound, that parents are involved in their children's education, and that each child receives a quality education," he said.
Mr. Sykes was first appointed to the board to fill a vacancy in 1997 and ran successfully four years ago. He lives in West Toledo. Of his two adult children, one attended Toledo Public Schools' Robinson Junior High.
A member of boards including the Lucas Metropolitan Housing Authority, Toledo Area Metroparks, and Greater Toledo Urban League, Mr. Sykes said his strength is a lengthy record of community involvement.
"I think what I bring to the table is my time, my talent, and the commitment," he said. "I'm not using this as a stepping stone for another political life."
Mr. Sykes played a key role in the hiring of Superintendent Eugene Sanders, who left an administrative job at Bowling Green State University to join the district three years ago. Mr. Sykes serves on the board's finance and Ohio School Facilities Commission committees.
He favors reviewing the Toledo Plan, the program to evaluate first-year teachers, and the discipline policy.
Mrs. Barnett, 53, began with Huntington Bank 29 years ago as a teller and worked up to her present position. Along the way, she's raised two sons, one of whom graduated from Rogers High School. She has volunteered with numerous community, civic, cultural, religious, and educational groups.
A resident of South Toledo, Mrs. Barnett is the past chairwoman of the city's board of community relations, vice chairman of the Toledo Area Chamber of Commerce's minority advisory board, and a board member at the Toledo Zoo, the Toledo Museum of Art, the James A. Jackson Foundation, and Friendship Baptist Church.
Working with those groups has made her familiar with public education, she said.
"There's not an organization that I'm involved in that doesn't have a component that deals with kids on some level," said the grandmother of one. "I didn't just wake up in January and say, 'I think I'd like to run for the school board.'"
Mrs. Barnett, a Cleveland native, was on the school district's oversight committee for the building project until she resigned to run for the board. "I don't think I would have a problem fitting in and working with the board and school administrators," she said.
Mrs. Barnett favors reviewing the district's program that evaluates first-year teachers and revisiting the discipline code. In addition, she said her presence on the board would provide more financial oversight for the district's $320 million budget, in part, to better serve the public.
"I think we need to do a much better job telling the TPS story. There are many, many positive things that occur in the schools that we're not talking about."
The other newcomer, Dr. Goldman, is a nationally recognized plant geneticist. Two of his experiments were chosen for inclusion on space shuttle missions, and he holds several patents.
A resident of West Toledo, Dr. Goldman has been a faculty member at the University of Toledo since 1971, being appointed a full professor of biology in 1980. He is single and has no children.
He decided to run for the board of education after seeing the high number of students at the university who were not prepared for college work. Academic achievement is a top priority for him.
"I'm here to take the system out of educational emergency," he said.
His three main campaign themes are research, reflection, and responsibility, which he said he settled on after months of research about the district. He would like the administration to be more forthcoming with the public.
"We have a school district in crisis. It's the obligation of TPS to provide a budget to the community that addresses academic issues," he said.
If elected, Dr. Goldman, 61, would pursue more teacher enrichment programs for professional development, programs to identify "talented, dedicated, content competent" teachers for hiring, and better parent engagement, he said. "I know how to teach," he said. "It's my duty, if elected to the board, to educate the children."
LIBBEY, LMHA TO PARTNER ON MIDDLE SCHOOL - BOARD TO PAY $1.1 MILLION FOR PILKINGTON PROPERTY
October 29, 2003
The new middle school for the Libbey High School area will have an attached annex for the Lucas Metropolitan Housing Authority and its child care, health care, and education services, officials said yesterday.
The board of education at its regular meeting last night authorized the district to formally negotiate with the authority for terms of a land lease, operating agreement, and building design.In addition, the board accepted a settlement for the district's eminent domain suit with Pilkington North America and will pay $1.1 million to purchase 43 acres and the former office and research space at East Broadway and Oakdale Avenue.
The parcel, the former property of Libbey-Owens-Ford Co., eventually will become a new middle school for East Toledo and have athletic fields and a drop-off site for buses, said Dan Burns, chief business manager. It will be used as swing space for Oakdale Elementary School as soon as next fall as the current structure is torn down and a new one is built at the same site.
The new LMHA facility would replace the old Gunckel School at Nebraska Avenue and Collingwood Boulevard. The district closed the structure as a school in 1982, but the housing authority has renovated it and leased space.
When the preliminary plans of the district's $821 million building project called for demolition of Gunckel, housing authority officials were concerned about where they would house their services, including the Maurine Simmons Family Investment Center, which is at that site.
Lawrence Gaster, LMHA's executive director, said the housing authority would pay for new facility. Details of its size and cost are not set.
The deal authorized last night creates a school-community partnership between the district and the housing authority, board members said.
"We'll continue to be in partnership with them," said board member Larry Sykes, a former nine-year member of the housing authority board. "They've had that facility, and it's been well-received and used by the community. We certainly don't want to cause them any hardship for the services that have been there for the last almost eight years."
Mr. Gaster said the housing authority would vacate the Gunckel building a few months before its planned March, 2004, demolition, then move back in when the new school opens, likely in September, 2005.
In the interim, the authority's service providers could relocate to other sites.
"It won't be ideal, but it will be a place where they can continue operations," he said.
In other business, the board:
* Voted to accept a five-year financial forecast that shows the district will face a $14 million deficit next year even with approval of next week's 6.5-mill, five-year operating levy.
* Approved new administrative plans for employee group prescription drug and vision insurance.
Members of the Toledo Association of Administrative Personnel and the cabinet have co-payments of $1 for generic drugs, $20 for preferred, and $40 for brand names.
For American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the co-payment for prescription drugs is 20 percent up to $20, while members of the Toledo Federation of Teachers pay $1 for generic brands and 20 percent up to $12 for preferred drugs, said Clinton Faulkner, the district executive assistant to the superintendent for human resources.
The amount of co-payments for the vision plan was not available last night.
Mr. Faulkner said the annual savings for the new plans total about $286,000.
SYKES, GOLDMAN FOR TPS
October 29, 2003
OUR endorsement of the Toledo Public Schools' renewal levy last week was based in part on several indicators of clear improvement.
Accordingly, our recommendations regarding two seats on the TPS board of education go to the candidates who in our view offer the best chance for that improvement to continue.Those candidates, we believe, are incumbent Larry Sykes, a former president of the board, and newcomer Stephen Goldman, a genetic engineer at the University of Toledo.
Mr. Sykes is a six-year veteran of the school board who has seen this school district at its lowest ebb. He also has been part of the turnaround in test scores, attendance, and graduation rates that Toledoans are beginning to witness.
Professor Goldman is one of two candidates for a vacant seat, a spot that opened up when board member Terry Glazer announced he would not seek another term.
Mr. Sykes and his board colleagues are midway through their five-year educational improvement plan and have already made great strides. They are hiring an ombudsman and, along with the superintendent, have signed a "contract with Toledo" that covers long and short-term results in finances, academic progress, the building program and community and parental involvement.
They've established five magnet academies, open to students throughout the city, and improved students' performance. They've gone after and won two huge grants destined to revolutionize teaching and learning at Libbey and Rogers high schools. They've established a Reading Academy to catch early students having difficulties and, in effect, a grade 41/2 for students who failed to pass proficiency tests after remediation.
And, no mean achievement, they persuaded voters to approve a capital levy that commands three times more in state dollars to upgrade school buildings - a once in a lifetime opportunity. By law that money can't be used for operations.
These have been tough times, and citizen pressure has rightly led the board to commit itself to more self-evaluation and systematic assessments of TPS programs.
Dr. Goldman, a University of Toledo professor, displays an impressive knowledge of TPS finances and operations.
As director of Environmental and Plant Science Research Centers at the University of Toledo, he also is aware that not all TPS graduates are ready for the academic rigors of college. He remembers when TPS graduates at UT "had the basics to start life off. They could read and write, and had some exposure to critical thinking." Today, he said, some 40 percent of incoming freshmen are in remedial courses, especially in math.
He's a successful teacher and says he knows how to put a quality academic program together. Skilled in pursuing and securing grants, inadequate funds would not dissuade him. He says he'd go out and find money.
Dr. Goldman is a good choice for another reason. While the board's newest member need not be a Terry Glazer clone, we are impressed that Mr. Goldman seems to have that same determination to hold the district - and his board colleagues - accountable and challenge them when appropriate. We like that.
The third person in this race, banking executive Deborah Barnett, acknowledges that she would have a hard time filling that confrontational role.
The community must demand that TPS' progress continue. The best way to help that happen is to re-elect Mr. Sykes and add Mr. Goldman to the board.
BOARD CANDIDATES SHARE IDEAS FOR BOOSTING TPS
November 2, 2003
The three candidates for two seats on the Toledo Board of Education promoted different themes in a debate yesterday at the University of Toledo but also found areas of agreement in confronting problems facing Lucas County's largest school district.
The winners in Tuesday's general election will serve four-year terms on the board.Incumbent Democrat Larry Sykes, 54, an executive at Fifth Third Bank who has served on the board for six years, acknowledged the district remains in "academic emergency" but said progress is being made under the leadership of Superintendent Eugene Sanders.
"We have attempted to get out of it," Mr. Sykes said. "I have not wavered in my commitment to public education."
Democrat Deborah Barnett, 54, an executive with Huntington Bank, agreed and pledged more "collaboration" with parents and citizens to help improve schools.
"My community involvement has always had a common theme - helping children," she said.
Republican Stephen Goldman, 61, a professor at UT, said the district needs substantial change, starting with "a budget that identifies academics as its first priority" and a "teacher enrichment program" that lures quality talent into classrooms and keeps it there.
Mr. Goldman has been critical of the district's budgeting practices, calling for reforms. But he has remained a strong supporter of Issue 5 on Tuesday's ballot, a 6.5-mill levy renewal to pay for the district's operations for the next five years.
Mr. Sykes and Ms. Barnett said they also support passage of the levy.
The renewal request was rejected by voters in September. District leaders have said dire budgetary consequences will follow if Issue 5 fails.
The candidates agreed on the need to work together with teachers and others in the district to solve problems. They pointed to a recent agreement with the Toledo Federation of Teachers to consider adding a co-pay feature to the teachers' health insurance plan as evidence the union will sacrifice for the good of the district.
"You have not seen fighting. You have not seen strikes. You have seen progress," Mr. Sykes said.
"You have to work at it," Ms. Barnett said. "The Toledo Federation of Teachers has now demonstrated their willingness to collaborate for the betterment of our children."
Critics of the district, including leaders of a group opposing the levy - known as the Urban Coalition - have cited the lack of a teacher co-pay as a reason the levy request went down to defeat two months ago.
The co-pay feature could save the district $1 million a year in health insurance costs, district officials have estimated.
Mr. Goldman said that the co-pay agreement helps but that the district lacks a sound fiscal plan.
Asked what valuable "quality" the candidates would bring to the board, Ms. Barnett said her "community ties" would be an important factor.
"We need community investment, where we bring partners to the table," she said.
Mr. Sykes said he would bring "my time, my talent, and my commitment."
Mr. Goldman said he would bring a forthright personality.
"I am candid, and I tell the truth," he said. "We have complex problems, and we have to address them. The truth will help."
The debate was sponsored by The Blade, WTVG-TV Channel 13, and the UT College of Education Alumni Affiliate. It was hosted by WTVG news anchor Lee Conklin. Panelists were Blade staff writers Clyde Hughes and Tom Troy and WTVG reporter Kristian Brown.
TPS LEVY WINS HANDILY - SYKES, BARNETT ELECTED TO SCHOOL BOARD SEATS
November 5, 2003
Voters gave Toledo Public Schools what the district wanted this time - a 6.5-mill levy renewal that provides about $16 million annually.
"We are obviously very excited and we are grateful to the citizens of the community for investing in their children," Superintendent Eugene Sanders said. "We are going to continue to work hard to earn their trust, and we're going to be even more accountable and responsible to our citizens."Toledo voters also returned board of education member Larry Sykes to the five-member panel for his second full term.
Newcomer Deborah Barnett, a Huntington Bank executive and an endorsed Democrat, bested Stephen Goldman, a University of Toledo genetics professor and an independent who was endorsed by the Lucas County GOP, for the second available seat. Incumbent Terry Glazer chose not to seek re-election.
On the ballot as Issue 5, the renewal levy provides about $16 million annually for operating costs for the roughly 35,000-student district. First passed in 2000, it was to expire at the end of next month. The renewal will last five years.
Peter Silverman, president of the Toledo Board of Education, said he believes recent programs that increase the district's public accountability, including an independent budget review committee, helped with last night's results.
"It's very rewarding. We had promised the voters that we would become accountable. They gave us our trust and we're going to try to live up to our promises," he said.
But even with the levy funds, the district has projected an $18 million deficit for the 2004-05 academic year. "Tonight was the first step in addressing our very large fiscal matter," Dr. Sanders said as the final votes were being tallied last night. "We'll be working together with the board and our labor unions as we balance our budget for next year."
The district first asked voters to approve the levy's renewal in August, but it was defeated 55 percent to 45 percent with just 17 percent voter turnout.
A recent agreement from Toledo Federation of Teachers' leadership to accept co-payments for office visits, urgent care, and emergency room visits and save the district more than $1 million annually was believed to have swayed some voters toward levy approval.
According to district records, health insurance is projected to go up 13 percent each year of the next five. The district spent about $35.6 million last year on health care and prescription drugs - a $15.6 million increase from the 2000-01 fiscal year.
"There are a number of issues that still surround health care," Dr. Sanders said. "We will try to save as many dollars as possible to impact our potential budget deficit."
District officials also credited yesterday's higher voter turnout - buoyed by a beautiful day with a record 80-degree high - with the levy's passage.
The Urban Coalition, a network of district watchdog groups, had campaigned vigorously against the August levy but was not as visible during the late days of this campaign.
Last month, coalition leaders publicly announced they would oppose the November request as well, arguing that voting it down would be the best way to make the school board manage money more effectively and listen to community concerns.
Flute Rice, the coalition president, and Steve Flagg, another outspoken member of the group, did not return telephone calls for comment last night.
"The public started to question the honesty of that organization and the credibility of that organization," Mr. Sykes said. "I think they found out the organization doesn't have any credibility. All their issues were personal."
A PASS FOR IMPROVEMENT
November 7, 2003
AFTER Toledo Public Schools' policy-makers announced an array of measures to provide financial accountability and a commitment to more openness in their decision-making, voters wisely supported Issue 5, and by a surprisingly large margin.
TPS' new, independent budget review process helped a lot. So did a promised re-evaluation of a mentoring program for new teachers, under which a single peevish person, by luck of the draw, could make or break a professional future.Significant, too, was the board's plan to hire an ombudsman, and, along with Superintendent Eugene Sanders, to sign a "contract with Toledo." The contract wisely expanded the board's accountability and communication commitment beyond long- and short-term finances to cover academic progress, the building program, and community involvement.
It was also helpful that most parents could see positive movement in TPS' initiation of new programs, such as the same-sex academies, and in upgrading the solid performance and scores on proficiency exams.
TPS is still viewed by some as academically challenged, and much still needs to be done. The district was hurt by the fact that test scores of special education youngsters were added to those of students without disabilities, thanks to the federal "No Child Left behind" law.
Significantly, and with the help of public pressure and other labor organizations, TPS secured a pledge from the Toledo Federation of Teachers leadership that it would accept the same sort of co-pays on medical coverage common to nearly everyone else these days.
The TPS board has tended to get cranky under criticism, rather than exploring complaints with an eye not only to resolving them but also to using them as a tool for its own growth and renewal. The re-elected Larry Sykes and new board member Deborah Barnett must strive to help it permanently shake its former dismissiveness in this regard.
Thanks to its new flexibility, brought on in large part by the defeat of its August levy proposal and issues raised by the handful of people constituting the Urban Coalition, the board is in a good position to deal with ongoing challenges, and self-examination. Many in the coalition seemed uncompromising. Many had personal axes to grind, but some of those axes, in a general sense, needed to be considered.
TPS officials must keep their many commitments alive, for the sake of finding a resolution to their anticipated shortfall next year and for helping Mr. Sanders meet his five-year goal of turning Toledo's school system around.
STATE PANEL MAY PROBE ANTI-LEVY CAMPAIGN - TOLEDO SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER FILES PROTEST
November 27, 2003
The Ohio Elections Commission will consider a complaint filed by a Toledo Board of Education member about the Urban Coalition's anti-levy campaign tactics, officials said yesterday.
The complaint alleged that the group violated state election laws that require a political action committee to fund campaign materials and be identified on them.In addition, board member Larry Sykes said the coalition violated the laws when it printed and distributed false or misleading statements about district finances.
"I think it was necessary [to file the complaint] because, although this is America and people have the freedom of speech, they cannot say things that aren't valid, that aren't warranted against people," Mr. Sykes said.
"The point is that we have potential levies that will come up in the future. If you want to go against those, you have to do it right," Mr. Sykes said. "You cannot lie about what the district is doing."
Joe Kidd, director of the Lucas County Board of Elections where political action committees register, said no one registered a PAC called the Urban Coalition.
Betty Springer, spokesman for the elections commission, said a panel will decide after a Dec. 11 probable-cause hearing in Columbus whether to set the matter for formal hearing or to dismiss it. "They will not make a final finding," she said.
Flute Rice, a former Toledo principal who headed the group, did not return a phone call yesterday.
The Urban Coalition, a network of district watchdog groups, announced during the summer it opposed the August 6.5-mill levy renewal because of three main issues: the district's plan to review, evaluate, and hire first-year teachers; the student discipline policy; and the master plan for the Ohio School Facilities Commission building project.
The coalition also had campaigned against the November measure that ultimately passed.
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