Lakeview levy renewal urged

Lakeview levy renewal urged

EDITOR:

A 2.1 mill renewal levy comes at a critical time for Lakeview schools. Our financial forecast indicates our balance will be only $330,000 as of June 30, 2008. Our state foundation revenues will be identical to last year’s total. Our August settlement of real estate taxes is also equal to last year’s settlement. While our revenue remains constant, there are inflationary pressures in most of our expenditure areas.

The Lakeview School District was again rated “excellent” by the Ohio Department of Education on the 2006-2007 State Report Card. Lakeview schools earned the additional distinction of meeting all areas of Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). Only 10 percent of school districts statewide accomplished both.

Lakeview High School ranked second among all high schools in the tri-county area in another state report card measure — performance index score. Our district performance index of 102 percent was the highest in Trumbull County. These consistently excellent scores district-wide verify our accountability to the national No Child Left Behind Mandate.

We are very proud of the fact that we demonstrate high student performance while per pupil expenditure is very low relative to other county and state school districts. Lakeview spends $7,474 per pupil, while the state average per pupil expenditure is $9,343. Lakeview has the 7th lowest per pupil expenditure in the county. Our taxpayers continue to earn a superior return on their investment as Lakeview ranks 18th out of 20 in Trumbull County in total school millage.

Lakeview’s performing arts programs continue to be ranked among the very finest in the state. Our athletic and extracurricular programs involve hundreds of students and we are highly competitive in all arenas.

ROBERT A. WILSON, superintendent

Lakeview Local School District

Cortland

Youngstown schools and students need support

EDITOR:

I hope the city residents support the Youngstown public school’s 9.5 mill levy. The message they will be sending to the world as residents of this city is that they too have confidence in the public school system. They expect captains of commerce to consider Youngstown as a place to bring business/jobs.

Youngstown schools are moving in the right direction; the facts are indisputable. The graduation rate is at 71.9 per cent for 2005-06 and has steadily increased during the past five years. The performance index based on 2005-06 indicators is at 81.7 per cent.

The reported reasons some give for not supporting the levy seem uninformed. The city of Youngstown is the north side, west side, east side and south side.

There is a direct connection to property values and public schools success. In other words, as the schools improve the city becomes more attractive to companies looking for reasonably priced land, housing, and a skilled labor force. When companies realize that Youngstown has all of those things and locate here, housing and real estate values improve. Even home owners without children will benefit from increased value of their property.

Also, with the deep financial cuts and layoffs to further reduce expenses Dr. Webb has demonstrated fiscal leadership at a time when the district is suffering deep financial losses due to the proliferation of vouchers and charter schools.

Supporting the 9.5 mill 5 year levy is a small investment. For example if your house is valued at $30,000, the levy will cost you approximately 23 cents per day.

And finally, it’s really about the children of Youngstown, our children, they need and deserve our support.

AL CURRY

Youngstown

Youngstown residents can’t afford to pay higher taxes

EDITOR:

I live in Youngstown and I am speaking for all the people who can’t afford these new taxes they want to put on homeowners.

Why do wee need all those new schools when our population is down more than half and a lot of children go to charter schools? They tore down Volney Rogers school, when they could have updated it for a few million. Now these kids go to West and it was to have been torn down years ago.

I’m sure there is a better way to spend the money, like get more teachers and more police to watch over them.

We cannot afford any more taxes in this depressed area.

Why not help the citizens for a change instead of helping the rich get richer?

I hope the levy does not pass, for all our sakes.

JOAN P. KELLEY

Youngstown

A Chevy tax? puhleeze

EDITOR:

Bertram de Souza is sounding like a politician with his proposal to enact a countywide tax to save the failing Chevy Centre. He must think that when employers are cutting wages by 50 percent and home foreclosures are increasing that tax increases will solve all problems. The ironic thing is that from his column, one would think he doesn’t think much of most area politicians.

If he is serious, he should back the idea of countywide government, schools and police and fire departments.

Given de Souza’s usual satire, maybe his latest column was written with tongue firmly planted in cheek.

RONALD TAMBURINO

Boardman

Bored of the ring

EDITOR:

Enough with Pavlik, already. While his ability to pummel an opponent in the boxing ring may be viewed as a skill by some, I find it to be barbaric at best.

Boxing is an archaic, useless activity that I cannot in any way call a sport. If I decide to engage in this “sport” while in a bar I will be arrested for assault and battery. If I do it in a boxing ring then I am heralded as some sort of hero. If I kill a man in a bar fight I am charged with manslaughter. If a man is killed by my hand in a boxing ring, as happened to another Youngstown boxing “hero,” then it is considered a tragedy.

If my only skill in life was the ability to beat another man senseless with my fists, then I’d feel quite the useless member of society.

TOM HALL

Lisbon