Audit shows Struthers schools deserve support

Audit shows Struthers schools deserve support
EDITOR:
The performance audit for the Struthers City School District, conducted by the auditor of state, was released Oct. 11. It supports the cuts that have been made in the Struthers City School District. Some of these cuts were made prior to the audit being released. The fact is the numbers are what the numbers are. Many have felt that the district is "top heavy." The performance audit makes it very clear that the district is not top heavy with administrators. In fact, it states that not only are there fewer than the peer averages but administrators in the district make far less than the peer districts. In addition to the performance audit, the Ohio Department of Education conducted two staffing analyses. The Ohio Department of Education staffing analyses were done independent of the performance audit but the results are the same.
As the November election draws near, it is very important for the community to be aware of all the facts regarding the school district and the need for the 6.9- mill levy that is on the ballot. The performance audit now substantiates much of the information that has been disseminated by the district. If you would like to see a complete copy of the audit you can go to www.auditor.state.oh.us. When you get to the main page, click on the circle that says "Audit Search." On the Audit Search page, scroll toward the bottom. Click on "Audits released October 11, 2005." Scroll down to Struthers City School District Performance Audit and click on it and the download. The audit is 122 pages long.
The levy is not about personalities and who you like or do not like. The levy is about the children of the community and the community itself. The community is only as strong as the school district. Regardless of who the board of education members, the superintendent, treasurer, or administrators are, a levy would still be necessary.
In the past six years the school district has brought pride and revenue to the community. The district is the second largest employer of the city of Struthers, generating over $!50,000 in income to the city. The $32 million construction project brought revenue to the city in the form of income tax. The community can now boast about the brand new, state of the art buildings that surrounding districts flock to see, not only the structures that are in place but the academic programs that have enabled this district to continually improve moving from Continuous Improvement to Effective. Struthers High School has been rated a School of Promise four consecutive years. It is the only traditional public high school in the state to have reached this accomplishment,
The community can demonstrate its pride and commitment to the children of the community by voting YES on Nov. 8.
Dr. SANDRA J. DiBACCO
Struthers Superintendent of Schools
Success rate questioned
EDITOR:
It has recently come to my attention that Boardman Police Chief Jeff Patterson is posting crime clearance statistics indicating that his department solves 50 percent of the crimes in the township. Clearance is the FBI's terminology for solving crimes. Someone interested in the numbers can find them on the FBI Website in the uniform crime reporting (UCR).
According to the FBI, the national average for property crimes is almost 17 percent, while the Midwest average is 16 percent. Most of the crimes that occur in Boardman are property crimes. For Chief Patterson to claim a clearance rate of 50 percent begs for an investigation into how he calculates those numbers. To claim that the township solves property crimes at over three times the national average raises some questions. Does the township have supercops who are far superior to the rest of the country or is Chief Patterson "altering" the numbers for personal gain? I think the citizens of Boardman deserve to know the truth.
BILL JOHNSON
Boardman