Times are changing in Canfield

Times are changing in Canfield

As a member of the Canfield High School Class of 1966 I was first amused to read the article in The Vindicator about an individual who was attempting to change the mascot of my alma mater. I could not for the life of me reason why anyone, let alone a teacher from Canfield, would even entertain such an asinine idea. It wasn’t until I did some research on the motive and the reasoning behind Mr. Madison’s push that it became obvious. It was to punish the voters of the Canfield School District for daring to vote down a school levy, plain and simple.

Upon checking the website Buckeye Institute.org one will find the entire state of Ohio’s school districts listed, and along with this, is listed each employee and their salaries. I then scrolled down and found Mr. Madison’s salary. I found that in 2004 his salary was listed at $58,647 and in 2010 his was listed at $71,642. If my Canfield High School math is correct, that is a nice raise of $12,995 over that period of time, for approximately 186 days of work, and all holidays off, and also off the summer months. I can see why he was so unsettled about the voters turning down his levy and any future raises he might have been planning on.

I have a suggestion for the members of the “Black Squirrel Society.” While you are off this summer, enroll in a class of “Economics 101” to learn how the system works. If the economy is in the toilet, you must cut back on your spending, and that means every one.

You will also see that there are people who live in the Canfield School District who have lost their jobs, their homes, along with individuals living on fixed incomes who can no longer afford to fund your raises, nor your self-serving ways. No longer will the tactics of putting a levy back on the ballot and trying to wear down the voters be tolerated.

In my day, the teachers drove old Chevies and Fords that were rusted and wore the same suit two days a week and stuck to teaching class and educating the students, and not sitting around drinking “lattes” and thinking of a way to get back at the community for having the nerve to go against what a few selfish individuals might want.

Dale Rhinehart, Canfield