2013 Orrville Red Riders football

• Flash

  

  Who's going to be the Q-back next year since in all probability it won't be Short. Will Luke Smith be the most likely candidate? Are there any others in younger grades that might contend for the position?
  
  Is it easier to do your job with adequate funding or inadequate funding? If parents support their kids its easier to get a good education. Not voting for the levy has already cut teachers and programs. We lost and excellent music teacher and her students were crying after the concert last night. We lost French, a math tudor and an elementary teacher and list goes on of less service. The people have spoken and we'll make do, but we won't be a better school system for this and those that can least afford it will be hit the worst because there will be the less help for the ones that need it the most.
• rrfan

  

  Series62;1441237 wrote:The strength of the school system isn't going to weaken because costs have to be cut if management is doing their job.
  
  You have no clue!
  
  Yes the school as you say is recieving funds, but it has been less and less from the state. Do us all a favor and go talk to a teacher. They will tell you the extra crap that they have had to do the last three years because of the state cuts in funding and the stress of Standardized Testing (which is a joke and for another day).
  
  I want to make sure I understand you. "I grew up in a city and schools that were poorly funded and poorly equipped by the school board because we were black!" That was because you were black? So if you were white that would not have happend? How exactly does that work? I am very curious about this becasuse I don't remember this being a black or white issue.
  
  "Passage of the levy or not, the school is receiving funds, if some that have taught for many, many years have to retire or be cut, that is not the fault of those who voted no." YES IT IS!!!

• Series62

  rrfan;1441277 wrote:

  Series62;1441237 wrote:The strength of the school system isn't going to weaken because costs have to be cut if management is doing their job.
  
  You have no clue!
  
  Yes the school as you say is recieving funds, but it has been less and less from the state. Do us all a favor and go talk to a teacher. They will tell you the extra crap that they have had to do the last three years because of the state cuts in funding and the stress of Standardized Testing (which is a joke and for another day).
  
  I want to make sure I understand you. "I grew up in a city and schools that were poorly funded and poorly equipped by the school board because we were black!" That was because you were black? So if you were white that would not have happend? How exactly does that work? I am very curious about this becasuse I don't remember this being a black or white issue.
  
  "Passage of the levy or not, the school is receiving funds, if some that have taught for many, many years have to retire or be cut, that is not the fault of those who voted no." YES IT IS!!!

  I have spoken with a teacher and I realize the extra efforts they have incurred because of the state. How much "extra" have we all incurred and have to carry due to the state and the economy.
  
  To answer the "if I were white" question. No it would not have happened if I was white! How does that exactly work...it's called racism!
  
  The example of the comment was not to say that this is a black/white issue. The comment was given to say that despite the hurdles placed before us, we were made aware of the importance of education and therefore encouraged to study and learn.
  
  The good thing is...some have a nice retirement package, the remainder will have to find employment. Prayerfully, the economy improves and next governmental election, you'll get help to remove Gov. Kasich from office.

• rrfan

  

  Series62;1442240 wrote:

  rrfan;1441277 wrote:
  
  To answer the "if I were white" question. No it would not have happened if I was white! How does that exactly work...it's called racism!
  
  The example of the comment was not to say that this is a black/white issue. The comment was given to say that despite the hurdles placed before us, we were made aware of the importance of education and therefore encouraged to study and learn.
  

  I am not trying to be a smart butt right now, but I really don't understand what you are saying. Was the school board all white and they did that because they were racist? I understand that you overcame the situation and became educated and I am glad that you did. I just don't really understand how it was racism unless the board is all white.

• Series62

  rrfan;1442255 wrote:

  Series62;1442240 wrote: I am not trying to be a smart butt right now, but I really don't understand what you are saying. Was the school board all white and they did that because they were racist? I understand that you overcame the situation and became educated and I am glad that you did. I just don't really understand how it was racism unless the board is all white.

  Many cities are racially divided, by that I mean that there were and still are white neighborhoods, black neighborhoods, Hispanic, etc, etc. As our family economic situation improved, my parents sought to purchase a home and move from the "low income" area where we lived. They purchased a home in a white neighborhood. We were the second black family to move into that neighborhood. As "white flight" prevailed and the neighborhood became predominantly black. Taxpayer support for public properties didn't always get used where and as it should.
  
  In the 70's and before that, the school board was predominantly, if not all white, so too the city government, and a vast majority of those people, did not like black people, i.e., racist. Funding for the schools in those neighborhoods decreased significantly. That not only holds true for the schools, but includes general street maintenance and repair, trash collection, snow removal, etc, etc.

• Series62

  I'm not glad that the levy didn't pass, I'm not glad that people have to adjust their plans and schedules for life due to the fact that it didn't pass. I do however understand that inasmuch as people want good schools, there is a point where there is only so much of the additional burden the people can bear. It's not about "hating" on the school system or the teachers.
• RedRider1

  

  Series62;1442287 wrote:I'm not glad that the levy didn't pass, I'm not glad that people have to adjust their plans and schedules for life due to the fact that it didn't pass. I do however understand that inasmuch as people want good schools, there is a point where there is only so much of the additional burden the people can bear. It's not about "hating" on the school system or the teachers.

  This is pretty much it. I don't think people have it in for schools or teachers, there's just a general distrust of public officials and the economy still stinks...neither of these things are Orrville schools' fault...just how things are right now.
  
  My worry is what will change between now & August in voter's minds? Status quo means another defeat & the levy in August is already being collected...it's a renewal levy...those usually pass. A bad situation could be made much worse if funds the school currently has are taken away.
  
  Board/admin needs to do some serious selling of the levy. No more soft sells to rotary...gotta talk to the factory workers, retirees & folks without kids in the district anymore. No presentations either...need to listen to voters..know what they're thinking. We need to put a face on the cuts, attach real dollars to them & show how those cuts are impacting students & overall learning.
• rrfan

  

  I do believe that the school system got some bad advice on how to go about this levy. The secrete calling and no signs in hopes that only the positive voters would turn out was a huge mistake. I know that it came from outside of the school system, but that plan for this town was all wrong.
• Flash

  

  Well the first levy lost 60-40 with signs and meetings and publicity and the targeted voting thing lost 59 -41, so I don't think there was much difference in results, but this next time it will be more aggressive because at least it will feel like you did everything possible. The problem is we have a renewal in August that is no new money and then have to come back in November to avoid further cuts. At this point we don't know what the financing from the State will be for next year ( Will know in July)and we're hoping that we'll get more financing and keep the levy at what it was this time or may be slightly less. If we don't pass the renewal in August everything goes down the tube and it will get ugly. In past levies we've known we're preaching to the choir and that has been enough. Its hard to reach the factory workers because they either aren't involved in community things due to their work schedule or don't care. The board is open to any suggestions as to ways to reach people. Once we know our financing, there will be specifics on what will go if the levy doesn't pass. Just like this last one we listed what was going to happen and that's what we've done with exceptions of some teachers that kept jobs due to others retiring. No one likes taxes, but it comes down to: Do you value education and how much? As we dismantle our school system and lower our ability to educate there will be a point where people will feel the pain enough to step forward and fund our schools. Its just how low will we sink.
• rrfan

  

  Flash;1442692 wrote:Well the first levy lost 60-40 with signs and meetings and publicity and the targeted voting thing lost 59 -41, so I don't think there was much difference in results, but this next time it will be more aggressive because at least it will feel like you did everything possible. The problem is we have a renewal in August that is no new money and then have to come back in November to avoid further cuts. At this point we don't know what the financing from the State will be for next year ( Will know in July)and we're hoping that we'll get more financing and keep the levy at what it was this time or may be slightly less. If we don't pass the renewal in August everything goes down the tube and it will get ugly. In past levies we've known we're preaching to the choir and that has been enough. Its hard to reach the factory workers because they either aren't involved in community things due to their work schedule or don't care. The board is open to any suggestions as to ways to reach people. Once we know our financing, there will be specifics on what will go if the levy doesn't pass. Just like this last one we listed what was going to happen and that's what we've done with exceptions of some teachers that kept jobs due to others retiring. No one likes taxes, but it comes down to: Do you value education and how much? As we dismantle our school system and lower our ability to educate there will be a point where people will feel the pain enough to step forward and fund our schools. Its just how low will we sink.

  Great Points on last levy failure and this one. It really did not matter what approach was taken.
• 5knots

  

  Of course I supported the levy. 60-40 twice is a telling signal. all focus needs to be on the renewal. Doom and gloom need not prevail. Just like the rest of the businesses and workers we have to adjust our day to day operations at the schools to give the best possible education to our students. Just like it has been proven the throwing money at a district does not guarantee results ....making do with less does not have to mean doom and gloom. yes it may make the work day tougher but now is the time for our educators to send a message to our students that one can persevere and succeed in the face of adversity. The sad thing is this....our BOD is forced to reduce the work force based on NEA union rules which mean we don't get to keep our best teachers..we HAVE to keep the ones who have been here the longest even if they are not the best ones. That is the pill for me that is hard to swallow. It is at a time like this that a private business can cut out the dead weight but our school system has its hands tied. It is time to bring up the conversation with your friends and neighbors to try to get a feel for how we can move forward. Personally, I think we have been running a pretty lean operation.
• Series62

  rrfan;1442622 wrote:I do believe that the school system got some bad advice on how to go about this levy. The secrete calling and no signs in hopes that only the positive voters would turn out was a huge mistake. I know that it came from outside of the school system, but that plan for this town was all wrong.

  A friend sent my wife a text to remind us to vote. When my wife reminded me about voting, the first thing that came to mind was the fact that there weren't many signs out concerning voting period, nor were there any signs promoting the levy. When we arrived at our polling place, there wasn't an American flag or sign set up out front! I thought that very odd considering that every other election day these things were in effect. When you say "secret", it does sound deceptive. Don't you think? And sometimes, "wrong" comes right back to you!
• rrfan

  

  Series62;1442833 wrote:A friend sent my wife a text to remind us to vote. When my wife reminded me about voting, the first thing that came to mind was the fact that there weren't many signs out concerning voting period, nor were there any signs promoting the levy. When we arrived at our polling place, there wasn't an American flag or sign set up out front! I thought that very odd considering that every other election day these things were in effect. When you say "secret", it does sound deceptive. Don't you think? And sometimes, "wrong" comes right back to you!

  Mark it down...rrfan and series62 are in full agreement on a topic.
• RedRider1

  

  I voted at Heartland & there were American flags @ the entrances.
• RedRider1

  

  Flash,
  That's the troubling part...if people's vote are reflecting their own financial situation, what changes in 3 months?
  
  Sorry, but I consider cutting busing for all students living outside of city limits. Why that's off limits is baffling.
  
  As far as what can be done...downtown rallies, mailings, a website, get involved in social media. Have to tackle the myths and not let misconceptions become truth because nothing else is being said.
  
  Have a informational night at the new auditorium and advertise it...it was mentioned that meetings like this in the past weren't well attended..but we're they advertised outside of the school website?
  
  A special section in OrrViews showing the financial facts, and what failing a renewal levy would do.
  
  3 months is an awful short time to flip votes..and people tend to tune out in the summertime.
• Series62

  RedRider1;1442902 wrote:I voted at Heartland & there were American flags @ the entrances.

  They must have taken them down by the time I got there.
• Flash

  

  Cutting busing saved us only around $35,000 and would have been a huge inconvenience to families with little money savings. So we looked to find things that impacted kids the least. There were groups that told us we should stop sports and busing so it hurt and then the levy would pass. We decided on cuts so they impacted kids and education as little as possible. The reason for the targeted voting strategy was that we had the most votes for a levy ever and lost 60-40. So more voters came out to the last election than ever. Simple reasoning says that if we get the regular voters out that have supported us in the past when we won, we should be able to win. So we called people and gauged their support thru a telephone survey for the levy and called back those people just before the levy to encourage them to vote. In hindsight this strategy didn't work and lead to accusations of trying to have a secret election even though it was front page on The Daily Record. We knew the risks of this strategy but we lost 60-40 in the previous election and that's a huge margin, so we decided to try it. Again in hindsight, we won't do that again. Better to come out fighting and go down, so this time we're going to do things differently and are open to ideas.
• Series62

  Flash;1443172 wrote:Cutting busing saved us only around $35,000 and would have been a huge inconvenience to families with little money savings. So we looked to find things that impacted kids the least. There were groups that told us we should stop sports and busing so it hurt and then the levy would pass. We decided on cuts so they impacted kids and education as little as possible. The reason for the targeted voting strategy was that we had the most votes for a levy ever and lost 60-40. So more voters came out to the last election than ever. Simple reasoning says that if we get the regular voters out that have supported us in the past when we won, we should be able to win. So we called people and gauged their support thru a telephone survey for the levy and called back those people just before the levy to encourage them to vote. In hindsight this strategy didn't work and lead to accusations of trying to have a secret election even though it was front page on The Daily Record. We knew the risks of this strategy but we lost 60-40 in the previous election and that's a huge margin, so we decided to try it. Again in hindsight, we won't do that again. Better to come out fighting and go down, so this time we're going to do things differently and are open to ideas.

  wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
• rrfan

  

  Flash;1443172 wrote:Cutting busing saved us only around $35,000 and would have been a huge inconvenience to families with little money savings. So we looked to find things that impacted kids the least. There were groups that told us we should stop sports and busing so it hurt and then the levy would pass. We decided on cuts so they impacted kids and education as little as possible. The reason for the targeted voting strategy was that we had the most votes for a levy ever and lost 60-40. So more voters came out to the last election than ever. Simple reasoning says that if we get the regular voters out that have supported us in the past when we won, we should be able to win. So we called people and gauged their support thru a telephone survey for the levy and called back those people just before the levy to encourage them to vote. In hindsight this strategy didn't work and lead to accusations of trying to have a secret election even though it was front page on The Daily Record. We knew the risks of this strategy but we lost 60-40 in the previous election and that's a huge margin, so we decided to try it. Again in hindsight, we won't do that again. Better to come out fighting and go down, so this time we're going to do things differently and are open to ideas.

  If Orrville cuts sports you will see a mass exit to other districts. Rittman did this in the past ask them how that turned out. You want to pass a levy, start winning football games. History says that has been a winning levy formula in the past. It seems to easy to be true but look at it and you will see...
• Flash

  

  RRfan , that is true, winning cures everything. We will lose kids if we get rid of sports and kids are money. Around $5,400 / student and if you get 20-30 that leave, thats big bucks.
• rrfan

  

  Flash-I am a little curious how busing is only $35,000. That has to be wrong. Diesel alone would be way more than that...
• RIDER DAD

  

  I am surprised that there is no talk on here about the new OHSAAnew Multiplier rule for private schools, would have been nice to have that afew years back, when we played Youngstown Cardinal Mooney.
  On a side note team voted for captains yesterday
  
• RedRider1

  

  There is no multiplier rule because the measure failed by like 20 votes.
  
  So who are captains? Zook, Summers, Brown & Ritchie?
• rrfan

  

  RIDER DAD;1444363 wrote:I am surprised that there is no talk on here about the new OHSAAnew Multiplier rule for private schools, would have been nice to have that afew years back, when we played Youngstown Cardinal Mooney.
  On a side note team voted for captains yesterday

  What RedRider1 said...you beat me to that one..
• RIDER DAD

  

  RedRider1;1444460 wrote:There is no multiplier rule because the measure failed by like 20 votes.
  
  So who are captains? Zook, Summers, Brown & Ritchie?

  Just wondering what the rider faithful thought of it, good or bad, for it, or against it, what would some of the frequent posters want to see happen, or let things stand as they are.