Today's Board Issues
Today the Orange School District is operating under the direction of our Superintendent, Dr. Lynn Campbell and our Financial Director, Mr. Gary Platko. Despite our great leadership team, issues continually present themselves that must be discussed and resolved, as in any school district. Below I have attempted to identify some of these current issues and the potential solutions I will work toward if re-elected to the Board.
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ISSUE #1 A RIGOROUS CURRICULUM. As stated many times, I believe a rigorous curriculum in Academics, the Arts and Athletics is essential for the development of our students and prepare them for life after high school. A strong curriculum in these three areas is essential to formulate the foundation to the learning process and afford opportunities after high school, whether that be college, the work force or the military. Curriculums must push students to go beyond the limits of what they feel they are capable in order to show them that "sky" is the limit to what they can achieve in life.
Our Academic, Arts and Athletic programs must also allow our kids to face adversity, success and failure in order to nurture the development of character skills that lead to well rounded individuals and community leaders. Academic, the Arts and Athletic programing should also assist our students in developing relationships with each other and to promote friendships for life that have no barriers due to race, religion or country of origin.
If re-elected in November I will continue to push for a rigorous curriculum. I will continue to work with the administration and staff in conjunction with our strategic plan initiated 2 years ago as well as the academic framework adopted through the Marzano Standards just last year.
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ISSUE #2 SCHOOL FINANCING. The financing of public schools through our tax dollars is currently being threatened by the Ohio State Legislature. Threatened caps, cuts in funding and alterations to property tax liabilities is the most significant threat to Orange Schools since I came on the Board 11-12 years ago. Funds are being diverted to private school education. I, as a Board member, will continue to keep the voters of our district, community members and parents alike, informed of the issues as they appear so we can work together to contact our legislators and to make a difference.
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ISSUE #3 THE SCHOOL'S INFRASTRUCTURE AND FACILITIES. The Board has just completed updates and remodeling of the Pepper Pike Learning Center, Brady Middle School, and Orange High School. Nearly 30 million dollars were spent on these projects over the past 7-8 years that were essential in order to provide our students and staff with a safe and dry environment to promote the learning process. Moreland Elementary School is next on the Board's list.
While our infrastructure is old, the bones of these buildings are solid. Nonetheless, finances are needed to keep up with the ongoing maintenance of our campus and sports facilities. Roof repairs, boiler and air conditioning repairs, paving our parking lots and so many other projects are high cost items. I as a Board member have been advocating that the Board must get creative with our fund raising, outside the property tax structure, and look for new ways to finance these projects. I will continue these efforts if re-elected in November.
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ISSUE# 4 SIDEWALKS. There have been a number of inquiries on social media about whether Orange School Board Members would be in favor of sidewalks leading up to the school's campus. This issue has never been discussed in my tenure at a public or open meeting of the Board. My position is that this is really a municipal issue as the sidewalks would be on the public right of way leading up to the schools.
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IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO DISCUSS THESE ISSUES OR MORE, PLEASE CONTACT ME AT:
(216) 870-7159
OR
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