I believe that instead of trusting our teachers and administrators to prepare our kids for the future, The Springboro School  Board will continue to try to inject extreme political ideology into our educational curriculum.

I believe that instead of following the wishes of parents and teachers and the recommendations of our police chief, The Springboro School  Board is going to try to make an unnecessary and unsafe political statement by arming our educators with guns under the guise of school safety.

I believe that instead of adding to the successful legacy of our schools and multiplying the educational opportunities available to our children, The Springboro School  Board is going to subtract from the quality of our schools, the education of our children, and the value of our homes and divide our community in any way possible, which equals a tragic failure of leadership.

I believe that instead of viewing the turnover of 4 of the 6 district principals, the business manager, numerous teachers, and other key employees as a giant red flag, The Springboro School  Board is going to feel emboldened by these departures believing that you will now have even more operational control over the direction of the district.

I believe that instead of listening to the concerns of parents and taxpayers about a potential teacher strike, The Springboro School  Board will continue to send belittling or bullying email messages – copying attorneys, demanding sources for public opinions, and distributing mythical propaganda to parents and taxpayers as they try to shirk their leadership responsibilities.

I believe that instead of negotiating in good faith with our teachers to produce a win-win outcome, The Springboro School  Board is going to willfully push them to strike, which will be a devastating loss for our entire community.

I believe that instead of viewing me as a taxpayer and more importantly, a caring parent with legitimate concerns about my children’s future, and then actually listening to what I and so many others have to say, The Springboro School  Board and their minions will attack, dismiss, ignore, and use their Machiavellian tactics to try to silence me and others who are standing up and speaking out in our community.

Here’s the thing.  These are only my beliefs. I am not omniscient or omnipotent.  I could be wrong about all of these things.  In fact, the irony of this entire situation is that with every single one of my assertions, it is The Springboro School  Board who has the power to prove me right or prove me wrong. They are our elected leaders. They’ve got the power.  So Springboro School Board, if what I’m saying is wrong, prove it.

Prove me wrong.

Related Posts: 

Betting Against Education

Why Support Our Teachers?

An Indecent Proposal

Panthers, Geese, and Golden Eggs

Example

Your First Priority? 

In Support of Excellence

Common Ground and Common Sense

Questionable

Springboro Schools: Dare to Compare

A Tale of Two Cities

Wright and Wrong

A Worthy Investment

Thank You to Springboro Teachers

The Springboro School board is making a very risky bet. It is a wager based on an insatiable need for unchecked power and complete control – one that only stands to pay out to them at the expense of our home prices, community spirit, and our schools’ and children’s future.

They have intentionally offered our teachers a shockingly unfair contract that lowers their take home pay, reduces their benefits, increases their hours, limits their input, impedes their ability to educate our children, and pushes them to leave our community. They have basically told our teachers, here is our offer, take it or go on strike. The bad news is they have the power to force our teachers to choose between a strike that will hurt them and the community or take a bad deal that will further destroy teacher morale, drive talent from our district, and punish them for a job well done.

The school board is betting that the people of Springboro will side with them – viewing them as noble, fiscally responsible public servants, and viewing the teachers as greedy union thugs who are unwilling to compromise, demand the world, and who can be easily replaced if need be. They are betting that the community will blame the teachers for the upcoming strike and that people will support the actions of the school board. They are telling the teachers that the community will fault the teachers, not the board, for the tremendous damage a strike will cause. They are betting that forcing a strike in the summer will cause pain to the teachers but not to the community so that by the time school starts again in the fall, the teachers will have been forced into submission. They are betting that pushing a strike will ultimately break the teachers union once and for all and then they can take their model to other communities.

The board is betting that winning this fight at all costs to the teachers and community will give them ultimate control over our schools, as teachers will be weakened by both the strike and the new contract, and the public will somehow have renewed trust in the board’s ability to govern.

They are betting that more control will allow them to equip teachers with guns. They are betting that more control will allow them to introduce religion into our science curriculum. They are betting that more control will allow them to reintroduce the idea of charter schools. They are betting that more control will allow them to teach our children about our country’s history solely from a narrow political perspective. They are betting that they can do what they want, how they want, without consequence because they have the votes. They are betting on the power of bullying. They are betting that their radical approach to governance will be viewed favorably by our community and that people ultimately view our teachers as greedy, replaceable, disposable, and irrelevant to the process of education. They are betting against an overwhelming amount of data that says our teachers have consistently delivered exceptional results at a value price to our community.

They are betting against what is best for our children.

They are betting against education.

This is a bad bet – bad for everyone involved.

What have our teachers done to deserve such treatment? They have gone for years without a pay increase, making them now among the lowest paid teachers in the county. They have consistently delivered excellent results, placing us among the top 3 school districts in the Dayton region according to data from the Ohio Department of Education, which was published in the Dayton Business Journal’s Book of Lists. We spend less on a student than any other district in the Dayton region and still excel academically. This is not an accident. This is the work of great teachers. Our teachers have accomplished great things and our school board is choosing to punish them to make a political point – at the expense of our children, our property values, and the spirit of our community. The teachers don’t want to strike, but they also don’t want to work in a district that clearly does not value them, nor is interested in creating a workplace where they can be successful in the future.

Who will pay when it comes time to cash in on this bet? Our children. Our families. Our schools. Our teachers. Our community.

Who stands to gain from this bet? No one. Not even the board, although they will view the teachers accepting a bad contract or a strike as a victory toward their goal of eliminating public education as we know it. If they push forward on the current course, they will have nothing left to govern but a district left in shambles. They will have a legacy of even more shame, politics, and destruction. They will be the leaders who failed us all. They will have a win on the scoreboard through the blatant disregard for the good of the community. They will be able to say they won, but it will be a hollow victory because it is our kids who will lose.

Is it only me who sees the sad irony of a group of elected officials who so vehemently and vocally protests the abuses of over-reaching, self-serving government power and then blatantly disregards the needs of our community so as to serve themselves. Sadly, it is no longer surprising to me or most in our town to witness this behavior. This hypocrisy is regularly on display for the people of Springboro to observe.

Is anyone else in this community tired of seeing our school in the news for everything but the great performance of our teachers and schools? Isn’t it time we stood up and said enough? Will you sit back and watch as this board abuses their power, ignores the needs of our children, and proceeds to destroy one of our community’s the strongest assets?

The school board has the power to stop this nonsense by simply acting in good faith, but thus far they are choosing to stick with their take it or leave it ideology, knowing full well that this will have a devastating impact on our community. They claim that they are merely looking out for the fiscal viability of the district. Well fiscal responsibility does not equate to a refusal to pay for the essential components in the educational system – the teachers. I could refuse to pay my mortgage in the name of saving money, which would accomplish that goal in the short term, but eventually render me homeless, destroy my credit, and crush my long term financial stability. Their approach is penny wise and pound foolish as this will cost us in legal fees, wasted time, diminished morale, a bad reputation, and a school system that will be a shell of its former self when all is said and done. All because our board believes it has a mandate and a mission to play politics.

This board is making is a bad bet in believing our community will turn against our teachers. We have the common sense to know that the teachers have very little power. They can’t be expected to willingly enter into a contract that punishes them severely. If nothing changes they will be forced to strike, find work in other districts, cross picket lines, or retire – none of these is good for our kids. No at the end of the day it is the board who has the power to stop this. Voltaire says it best, “With great power comes great responsibility. ” They can use it to punish our community for electing them or they can use it to stop this madness and get back to the business of education.

If they truly believe in putting Children First, they must change course, negotiate in good faith, and resolve this situation. No one wins if the board pushes our teachers into a bad contract. No one wins if our teachers are forced to strike. No one wins if our teachers leave for other districts. No one wins when our children lose.

If you agree with me, I encourage you to write letters, send email messages, make phone calls, and express your objection to our school board members. Urge them to act responsibly and in the best interest of our community. Ask them to put common sense and the common good before personal politics. and to support the people whose job it is to actually put our children first everyday – our teachers. Ask them not to bet against education. Ask them not to gamble with the future of our teachers or our children. The stakes are simply too high and the consequences too great.

Ella went through what seemed like hell and together we were all along for the ride.  As awful as it was, we were lucky.  We made it to the other side.  Ella won her fight.  Many children and families we encountered along the way were not so fortunate.  This whole process put life in perspective and taught us about the importance of being true to your heart, intentional with your time, and brave in your actions every second of every day.  Ella’s journey touched us all.  Her struggle has given me, my family, and many others hope and inspiration.  She is truly a hero.

Now that she is cancer free, she is working hard to help in the fight against cancer.  She has participated and organized many fundraising efforts that have raised money for cancer research and cancer support.  She understands how hard her journey was and is working to help others

Ella is a hero to me.  She is a beautiful girl.  She is a cancer survivor.   She is a fighter.  She was fortunate enough to win her fight and now she is working to help others win in the battle against cancer.  She has organized and participated in numerous fundraising and cancer awareness events over the past two years.  I am so proud of her bravery, empathy, and determined efforts to give back and make a difference in the world.  She is quite simply, amazing.

One very special organization that Ella supports is Cancer Free Kids – a Cincinnati based not for profit that raises money to fund pediatric cancer research.  The organization is truly amazing and their annual Butterfly Walk fundraiser event is this weekend in Mason, Ohio.  Ella will be leading her “Cancer Crushers” team in a 1 mile walk, along with other childhood cancer survivors and their friends and families.   The event raises money and awareness for cancer research and is an incredibly moving thing to experience.

If you would like to help Ella in her fight to crush cancer, you can donate to her team, Ella’s Cancer Crushers,  by going here.

On behalf of Ella and our family, I say thanks to all who have supported us in this journey.

Show me communities with strong schools, low crime, accessible recreation, and responsive emergency services and you’ll likely be showing me a great place to live.  A place where people are moving to, not from.   A place where a sense of community thrives.  A place where responsible, rational people who understand the importance of strong public services are willing to invest some of their hard earned dollars in the asset of the community in which they live.  A place where people are connected, protected, and focused on building for the future.

Now think for a second about places you know that lack quality basic services.  Communities where you would not be comfortable sending your kid to school. Communities where the parks are not clean or safe.  Communities where there are not ample fire and emergency services.  Communities where people want to move from and not to.

Communities are about choices.  We can choose to pay no taxes for fundamental public services.  We can choose to keep the money that we work so hard for and tell the schools, parks, police, and firefighters we don’t value them and don’t want to pay for them.  We can choose to keep our money all to ourselves and invest nothing in our community.   Yet, just because we can choose to keep our money, does not necessarily mean we should.  Remember, you get what you pay for.  If you invest nothing in your community, you will have an investment that is worth precisely that – nothing.  Houses worth nothing.  Schools worth nothing.  A sign by the roadside with the name of a town worth nothing.  In choosing against funding fundamental services at the local level, community dies.  Without fundamental public services, what once was a thriving community quickly changes into a sad place where people used to want to live.

On Tuesday May 7th, people in Springboro and Clearcreek township get to make a choice.  That choice is Issue 3, the levy that would help our fire and emergency services address the needs of a community whose population has has grown by over 40% since 2001.   You can choose to invest what approximately amounts to the difference between buying a tall or a venti cup Starbucks drink each day and ensure that people in our community are safe, or you can keep that money to yourself.  You can choose to invest less a fraction of what you likely spend on your cell phone or cable television per day to ensure that we have emergency services that are adequately staffed, possess necessary equipment and facilities, and can quickly respond to save lives and to protect our community or you can choose to keep your money to yourself.   You have every right to choose either option.  I am choosing to vote yes!

There are all sorts of economic and ethical arguments for funding community services, some of which I have tried to articulate in the paragraphs above.  To me there is another reason – it’s personal.  I will never forget the night when my son, a baby at the time, collapsed unconscious in my arms and stopped breathing.  I was terrified and the only thing I could think to do was call 911.  When we called emergency services, they answered, they responded, and they showed up in minutes to help.  Today, he is alive and well.  That moment, and others like it, have made me glad that I chose to live in this community.  A community with people who care and services that make it a great place to live.  Now when the firefighters and emergency professionals are calling for my help, I know that the right thing to do is answer, respond, and show up to help them.  I am choosing to vote yes on issue 3.  I am choosing to invest in my community.

Get the facts about Issue 3. Visit YesTo3.com

The school board claims that they published these documents out of a desire for greater transparency. Perhaps this is true. Having read their proposal to our teachers I can say that one thing appears to be very transparent and crystal clear – this board is not committed to the future of our schools. It shows that they have little concern for the success of our kids and no respect for the excellent teachers they employ. They clearly want complete and total control over the operations of the school district and are willing to go to great lengths to feed their unquenchable thirst for political power. Instead of rewarding the hard work and outstanding accomplishments of our teachers and recognizing the sacrifices these dedicated employees have made by offering a fair and equitable agreement, this board believes they have a mandate to punish our teachers, force them to strike, and beat them into complete submission – all in the name of politics.  District, kids, and community be damned, as long as they get what they want.  Not only do they appear to believe this, they seem to be incredibly proud of it.

Maybe they expected that people would not read the contract they proposed. Like the increasingly frequent board meetings we pay to endure, it is longwinded, boring, and one-sided, so I understand why they may have believed people would not have the desire to spend time reviewing it. Here’s the good news: I’ve taken the time to read the contract and pull out some of the highlights, or maybe lowlights, of the document they value so dearly to help make “transparency” a little clearer for you.

20 Things To Know About The Springboro School Board Contract Proposal: 

1. Playing Charades -  Reading through the contract it quickly becomes obvious that the board has no interest in negotiating in good faith, but instead would like to dictate the outcome to meet only their needs. Article 2 outlines the process for negotiations. It seems reasonable as you read through the initial paragraphs. Then comes the interesting part. Section 2.08. Following a paragraph that discusses how mediators will be used if the board and teachers can’t agree comes a new paragraph inserted by the board. This paragraph says that in the event the sides do not come to an agreement, the final proposal of the board is final. Take it or strike. This also means they can force the issue and have the strike take place in the summer, which quietly hurts the teachers without extending that pain to the public until the fall. All of this back and forth we are seeing now is nothing but a show. The board wants what the board wants, not what the teachers, kids, or community needs, and what the board wants is to destroy the teachers union. Do we have a powerful, bullying union that is making insane demands on the public? I don’t think so.  Judging by the simple fact that the teachers have had their pay frozen for years, it’s pretty easy to discern that unreasonable union demands are not a problem that needs to be addressed in our community. Nope, this is purely political. So the first major addition to the contract is language that is punitive to the teachers. Thanks teachers for all the hard work. Here’s a huge slap in the face as your reward for a job well done.

2. Deja Vu All Over Again? – Section 2.14 says that the board can come back and re-negotiate the contract in the event that the board can’t meet the financial obligations of the contract. This sounds reasonable until you consider that the teachers are later forbidden from renegotiating terms until the contract expires. Because the board controls the allocation of budget dollars, they can potentially force renegotiations by spending the budget on something other than teachers and then cry poverty to force additional cuts. This board has shown a propensity for the extreme, so while this might seem unlikely to occur in normal organizations, nothing is normal in Springboro these days. They have no trust with the teachers or the community and need to do a far better job of spelling out the details of this demand for it to make any sense.

3. Judge & Jury – If you were in a dispute with someone and could not reach an agreement, a logical next step might be arbitration. Would you enter into arbitration, knowing that it was not binding and that the other party had the final say anyway? How about if they also threatened to stick you with the bill in the event you were unsuccessful? Well, section 4.04, paragraph e, pertains to employee discipline and the arbitration process and does precisely that. The preceding paragraphs in section 4 outline the employee discipline arbitration process. Then paragraph e includes new language which says that while the teachers association has a right to arbitration, the findings will only be advisory. The board gets to make the final ruling, making this process pointless. Worse still, it goes on to say that the cost of arbitration will be paid for by the losing party. The previous contract stated that all parties shared the costs of arbitration, placing the incentive on reaching agreement by collaboration and negotiation not through intimidation. This new language gives the board complete control and unchecked power, making them judge and jury and giving them financial incentive to rule on their own behalf.

4. Sit Down and Shut Up – In section 5.04 – paragraph B the board has removed an entire paragraph of language that gave the teachers association the right to have time to speak about items of concern at school board meetings. This appears to be yet another attempt to restrict the teachers from having their concerns publicly voiced and properly addressed – although the board rarely acknowledges public concerns anyway. This change also makes it more difficult for the public to be informed about issues and events in the schools and marginalizes the teachers voice. If you are wondering if the board cares about the concerns and opinions of our teachers, this appears to be pretty clear evidence that they do not.

5. Seriously, Shut Up and Go Away! - The board is trying to prevent the teachers from having membership on district wide committees, which could effectively eliminate them from the decision making process of these groups altogether. In section 5.05 paragraph a, the board removed the language that gave the teachers association the right to appoint a teacher to represent them on district wide committees – for example like the one that is currently considering arming teachers with guns. They want to take a group of stakeholders that offers incredible insight and is directly impacted by almost any district wide committee and simply shut them out as they see fit. This also shuts out the community as the teachers can no longer inform the public about the issues facing the district. This seems vindictive, punitive, and foolish, but if the board wants to keep its intentions secret from the public, this is certainly one way to go about it. Once again the board wants more secrecy, more control, and more unchecked power.  The board can talk transparency all it wants, but actions like this offer far more clarity into their intentions than empty rhetoric and hollow promises.

6. Divided They Shall Fall – If the intent of the board is to break the union, forcing a strike is step one. Step 2 then appears to be eliminating the requirement to teachers to pay for membership in the union all together. Our local union has 100% membership, probably in part because of the fear of what this draconian school board intends to do to them. Thus, local union pressure or strong arming teachers to join is not a problem that is impacting teachers or our schools. In Section 5.11, the board basically creates a penalty for joining the teachers association by removing the Fair Share Fee. For teachers who may be forced to strike, this will put additional pressure on them to cross the lines when money gets tight. Fragmenting the teachers, ultimately weakens the teachers, putting the board closer to their goal with this contract by making a pointless and senseless political statement. The fee is paid by teachers and there is no reason for the board to remove this from the contract other than to weaken the teachers union so they can exert further control over the teachers.

7. Your Permanent Record – Taking a page from the Joseph McCarthy playbook, in Section 7.03  the board removed language that forced it to notify teachers if something was put in their personnel file. It also removes the process of having a teacher sign acknowledgement that the item was placed in the file. This is another example of the board not wanting to openly and honestly communicate with teachers.

8. Trust Us – Article 8 – Removes all district specific language relative to the employee evaluation process. The board is relying entirely on using broad state code to govern a local district and not documenting their interpretation of the code. Thus there is no consensus as to the actual process or how it will be implemented. This is problematic because it does not create clear expectations and leaves interpretation of this law entirely up to the board. Teachers could be given unfavorable reviews based on limited and possibly misleading limited data sets, which could negatively impact their careers. A process this important should be clearly defined and mutually agreed upon.

9. Thanks for Nothing – Section 9.01 paragraph e removes seniority as a consideration for filling vacant positions in the district. This means that teachers who have faithfully served the district for years could be bypassed for cheaper, less qualified teachers. Seniority should not be the only consideration, but experience is important to any job. Apparently the board sees educating our children as somehow different – a unique job where experience in the field, relationships with the community, and accumulated tribal knowledge are all meaningless.

10. I’m Sorry, I Know You How? Not to be outdone by paragraph e, Section 9.01 paragraph f removes language that seeks to keep our existing teachers employed within the district by seeking to fill open positions from within the district before hiring from the general public. Again this gives the board the power to cut positions and remove experienced teachers from the district as opposed to reassigning them within the district. This is consistent with the board’s desire to intimidate, punish, and weaken our teachers.

11. Written in Code - Section 11 deals with discipline and removal of teachers. The board again relies on Ohio revised code, but offers no interpretation in the form of policy, process, or procedure. Further, they go on to offer the disciplined or non-renewed teacher the option to go through arbitration, but as they have redefined the meaning of arbitration in this contract, they would have the ultimate decision. There would be financial incentive to rule in their own favor, as the board would be responsible for all costs of arbitration in the event that they ruled in favor of the teacher. This is in no way equitable, objective, or reasonable.

12. Decoder Ring Not Included- Section 12.03. The board states that it will rely on Ohio Revised code section 3319.19 but does not offer a specific interpretation of the code. Thus the board has the ability to interpret the law broadly and potentially in a way that is unfair or unknown to the teachers. This means that reduction in force decisions can be made without clear guidelines known by teachers or the community.

13. Family Matters? I have no idea how a federal labor law gets removed from the agreement, but in Section 14.17 the board wants to remove the Family Medical Leave Act from the contract. Perhaps the board does not want to include this in the contract in the event that federal law changes in the future. Removing this language may have no tangible impact, but the symbolic impact of it is clear.  The board does not value our teachers.

14. Plan Your Work and Work Your Plan – One of the most important parts of the day for a teacher is the planning period. This is a time to balance the demands of the lesson plan with the daily needs of the children. This is also a time when a teacher can spend one on one time with a student who may be struggling academically or socially. To borrow a phrase from the late Steven Covey, the planning period is when teachers can take time to sharpen the saw of effectiveness in a system increasingly focused on driving greater efficiency. With our district spending less per student than any other district in the Dayton area, it is safe to say our people are stretched very thin and our expectations for performance are extremely high. Our board has decided in Section 15 that it would be wise to reduce the planning time allotted to teachers. In K – 5 they cut 25% of their planning time and they eliminate the designated planning period entirely. In grades 6-12 the time is set at 150 minutes per week and the planning period is also eliminated. Remember that some teachers are responsible for multiple subjects, so the effect on them will be crushing. In a day that runs on a rigid schedule, this plan for planning makes no sense… unless you made the teachers work longer hours, which the board does, extending the workday by 45 minutes. Oh, and later when they propose compensation, there appears to be no related adjustment in compensation. Congratulations teachers. You’ll now work longer, do more, and have less time and pay to show for it.

15. High Five – Section 15.05 removes the language around additional compensation for teachers who are assigned to teach four different courses. It raises the threshold of additional compensation to five courses. This sets the stage for potential reduction in force measures that will force teachers to take on the instruction of more courses. They can push more teachers into teaching four courses without have to pay them for the additional workload. Teachers give and the board takes… again, and again, and again.

16. Children First? In section 15.06 the board has removed even the very mention of targets for class size. While this language was aspirational, it at least set goals for class size. The board did not even replace it with new target class sizes. This means that the board can increase class size without concern for teacher effectiveness or student performance. This is in stark contrast to the Children First rhetoric that this board has used so freely. Those words are being show as empty promises masking bad intentions and selfish political motives. When it comes to class size, the more the merrier is no way to run a district.

17. Call Me Maybe? Section 15.09 – The board is eliminating access to a telephone that teachers could use. This would force teachers to use a personal number to contact parents during the school day – at their own expense and also with the cost of their own personal privacy. This is another attempt by the board to create a chasm between the teachers and the community.

18. You’ll Get Nothing And Like It! No surprises from the board when it comes to their approach to paying our teachers. Section 17.01. continues the pay freeze for teachers, with base salary remaining at $34,653. The board includes language that states that they want to create a compensation committee to develop an incentive plan for additional compensation, but offers no timeline for implementation or alternative compensation plan in the interim period. Thus the board has no incentive to actually create this plan. This is a hollow offer. Our teachers will now have the promise of a longer, more stressful workday with no documented restrictions on class size, no planning period, less input, and no prospects of having a salary increase in the foreseeable future. This is not going to attract the best new teachers to our district nor will it do much to retain the quality teachers we have now. The board is shortchanging the most important part of our children’s educational process – the teachers. Our teachers are responsible for making our district one of the finest, most efficient school systems in the State and the board rewards them with… nothing.

19. Unhealthy – In section 18.02 he board eliminated language that stated they would pay 90% percent of the cost of insurance and replaced it with specific dollar amounts that they would pay. Unfortunately the language used by the board does not even state that the board will pay that amount, but rather that it will pay up to that amount, which could be interpreted as any amount up to the defined amount. Furthermore the board does not disclose how much the employee will pay, which is really what matters to the teachers. One would assume they used some sort of data to calculate their contribution, so why can’t they complete the section by solving the equation? As is, teachers will have no idea how much insurance will cost their families. Adding insult to injury is the next paragraph, which includes language that may force spouses off of the health plan in 2014.

20. The Big Finish – The document ends with something called the Complete Agreement Article. This new language added by the board states that both sides had the opportunity to negotiate and bargain fairly and that this contract is binding above all else. It says that collective bargaining is not available during the period covered by the contract and that the contract is set in place. The language here is baseless because the contract contains language that says the board has the final right to implement whatever it deems to be the final contract and that it can change the contract based on changes to the law – thus the terms proposed by the board violate their own contract. The board gets flexibility but the teachers get stuck. One last insult to close out a document that is a manifesto for educational mismanagement. Way to finish strong school board.

I value our teachers. I believe they deliver incredible value to our community in the form of world class educational instruction at an incredibly affordable price. They do not get enough respect from our community and we have consistently undervalued the importance they have to our community. Our board is fully aware of how exceptional our teachers are, but refuse to acknowledge it because of politics and power. The bottom line: Our teachers and our community deserve better than what is presented in this document. We as a community must demand it, because as is clearly outlined in the paragraphs above, the teachers are powerless to do it themselves. Wake up, stand up, and fight for those who fight for our kids. Show our teachers and our kids that you believe in Boro Pride.

This goose in the fable is reminiscent of the teachers of Springboro, Ohio who have been producing golden eggs in the form of incredible, statistically proven results in our schools year after year. In recent years they have made sacrifices in compensation, taught larger classes, been given additional responsibilities, and for all their efforts been shown little appreciation by most of our school board… and they still delivered for our kids.

Need proof of the golden eggs of which I speak? Check out our district report card from the state of Ohio. Check the information from the Ohio Department of Education that was published in the Dayton Business Journal’s 2012 Book of Lists, which had Springboro tied for third in academic performance in the entire region and also documented that our cost per pupil is the lowest in the region by a very wide margin. Pick a metric and the story it will tell you is one of a school system with world class teachers.

To those who say “we’re failing 20% of our kids” based on college readiness, I say “nonsense.” We have incredibly high graduation rates. Our students who go on to college take fewer remedial courses than do those from average or comparable districts, and according to organizations like SOCHE, whom I asked personally, it is impossible to conclude that our averages for students needing remedial college courses indicate a systemic failure of our district to prepare our students for college.

To those who say “everyone knows that proficient on a standardized test equals failure” I say “garbage.” Anyone who has taken a basic statistics course knows that standardized tests like those used for proficiency are designed to produce results on a bell curve, so that most students who take the test score in the middle of the curve. This type of testing enables you to compare schools to one another and to show how many students are one or two standard deviations out from the mean of the bell curve. This lets you know how well the system is performing comparatively and as a whole. The critics of our schools rely on intellectually bankrupt reasoning that begins with a political answer and then uses propaganda and bullying to distort truth. Saying “back in my day a 57 was an F” shows a total lack of understanding for the method or purpose of this testing. Now the good news is that thanks to our teachers in Springboro, our students are at least smart enough to see through the flawed logic and empty rhetoric of these politically motivated critics. Perhaps if these folks actually spent some time in our schools they would have a better grasp of such things.

It’s as simple as this. When you compare Springboro to districts in the region and districts across the state, we are exceptional. We get an incredibly high level of performance at a very low cost. If the definition of value is defined by the relationship between the cost and quality of a given product, we are unmatched in educational value. Our teachers have sacrificed for years and they have repeatedly and consistently delivered for our community. Oh and for those who love to throw the private sector out there for comparative value, these people would be entitled to huge bonuses or would have left long ago if they were in the private sector, even in this economy. Thankfully they are not financially motivated and clearly they are in it for our kids because they have stayed and excelled in their jobs.

This brings me back to the goose. Our teachers are in the process of negotiating a new contract. They have been operating on an expired agreement for years, and in doing so have made some pretty significant sacrifices. Our teachers are once again being bullied by our board, who does not value them and desperately wants to break them. Now more than ever our teachers need the support of our community.

When it comes to schools, the people of Springboro get far more and pay far less. We say our schools matter. We say we put children first. We say we need to be prepared to compete globally, and be ready for the third grade guarantee, and the common core. We say we want the best schools in the state and the world. We say we want more and more from our teachers and that we want results now. We say we want more and more golden eggs, but all the while we are doing less and less to take care of the goose. If you don’t care for the goose, it will die and the golden eggs will go with it.

It’s pretty simple really. If you want cheaper, underperforming public schools that will rapidly diminish in quality, support our our current board and their plans for our teachers. If you want to kill the goose to capitalize on the hypothetical windfall of golden eggs, our schools board plan is a great choice. In fact they actually believe they have a mandate to kill the goose, and while their campaign signs don’t say it, their actions, emails, conversations, and public presentations clearly show just how little they value our teachers.

On the contrary, if you believe that it is foolish to kill the goose, that it would be crazy not to help our educators, you need to support the efforts of our teachers to negotiate a new contract in good faith. If you believe that we need a responsible, fair, non-political, common sense approach to ensuring the future of our schools, please speak up for our teachers. If you want to keep great teachers in our district and ensure the future viability of our district the time is now to show your support.

Fortunately, the Springboro Board of Education was kind enough to potentially break the law and definitely break the trust of the teachers yet again by posting both sides’ preliminary proposals on the district website. The board once again violated the spirit of the private negotiations with the teachers by publishing information that was meant to be discussed and negotiated in private conversations. Like most of the “duh, we’re too dumb to be devious” board member explanations, they had the audacity to say this is being published to keep the public informed. Hey board members. If you care so much about transparency, how about stopping your borderline illegal private executive sessions? How about informing the public about your pending plans to arm our teachers with guns even though the police chief and community vehemently opposes the idea? How about actually presenting one of those magical levy alternatives you ran on last year or at least giving us something better than “let’s have a pizza party to buy books for our kids.” We are not stupid, and we see you working. You don’t respect our teachers and you don’t want to honor the responsibility of educating our kids. You say you want a world class school system, but you don’t show it and you’re sure not willing to demonstrate the leadership or courage of saying we should actually pay for such a thing.

We need common sense action and it is clear that we will not get it unless we demand it. The fact is that our teachers are making reasonable requests which would put them at average or slightly under average compensation and benefit levels based on comparative districts. The goose is simply asking to be fed in exchange for continuing to deliver golden eggs.

Will you speak up and defend our teachers or do you trust our board to properly care for them? If you choose the latter, rest assured that as a community our goose is pretty much cooked. (I’m told that goose tastes like chicken, but a little more gamey, and perhaps we can sell a few feather pillows to pay for books.)

Thank you to the teachers of Springboro, Ohio for all you do for our community and our children.

In recent months, people in Springboro, myself included, have been speaking out about the decisions, direction, and motivations of our school board. Some in the community view this behavior as shameful, asking “what kind of example does this type of behavior set for our children?” Let’s examine that question, shall we?

Here are some of the things I hope my children are learning from my example:

• Don’t be afraid to speak truth to power.
• Defend those who are powerless to defend themselves.
• Stand up and fight for things that matter.
• Education matters; fight for it.
• Investments of time, effort, and money show what you truly value.
• Math is important in the real world.
• Examine statistics carefully.
• Question authority.
• Actions speak louder than words or slogans.
• Critical thinking is a virtue.
• Communicate your ideas with passion.
• Fight hard, but fight fair.
• Ignore the critics who’ll try to shame you into silence.
• Use your voice to change the world.
• It’s better to try and lose than sit and watch.
• Be respectful, be honest, be humble, and be present for your life.
• Nothing is impossible.
• People working together can achieve great things.
• School should teach you how to think, not what to think.
• Be a bold leader, not a blind follower.

I am proud to show my children that I am willing to stand up for the teachers, children, and schools of Springboro. Far more impressive than anything I have done, is the example set by the teachers of Springboro, Ohio. Understanding the challenges posed by the economy in recent years, they willingly made sacrifices for the good of our children and our community. They acted selflessly for the greater good. Even more inspirational is that in spite of getting less, they have continued to deliver more. Our district spends the least per pupil of any in the region, and yet our schools were ranked #3 in the area by the Dayton Business Journal based on data from The Ohio Department of Education. Across the board our teachers have delivered without demanding, complaining, or doing anything other than being exceptional. My kids see that example and benefit from it each and every day.

To ignore the plight of our talented, hard-working educators; to fail to recognize their sacrifices and accomplishments; to fail to advocate for those whom I entrust with preparing my children for the future, would be to show my children one of the worst examples of all. It would show them that greed trumps responsibility. It would show them that fear can defeat truth. It would show them that selfishness is greater than community. It would show them that sacrifice is a sign of weakness instead of strength and wisdom. It would show them that other people don’t matter as long as you get yours. I am not willing to let my words or my deeds show my children I stand for such things. No, instead I will speak, act, and fight for the our teachers, schools, and children. I encourage you to join the fight.

As Goethe wisely said “Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.”

Last weekend, Colleen, the kids, and I went to the craft store, bought some small canvases and paints, and came home to paint some original masterpieces.

We spent the next hour creating.  It was great.  When I say that it was great, let me be clear that my painting was not great.  It pretty much sucked.  That was not the point.  The point of painting was not to create the next Matisse or Picasso, but rather to just enjoy the act of creating.

I am not at all skilled at painting, which forced me to be open to making something for the sake of making it.  To create unnecessarily, without worrying about the quality of the outcome.  Creating just for the joy of doing it.   Yes,  there were a few moments where my inner critic was telling me to throw in the paint brush and quit, but I just focused on being in the moment, doing my best, and not worrying about placing judgement on the act of creating.  Basically, I watched what my kids were doing, how happy they were to be creating, and tried to follow their lead.

I hope to paint more bad paintings soon.  I probably won’t blog about them, but wanted to share this one.  Heck, I might hang it in my office at work to remind me of the importance of cultivating the beginner’s mind.  It felt really good to really enjoy being really bad at painting.

In the end,  the best thing we created was a great memory.

This week in the Springboro Sun, one of our school board members wrote that “The educational needs of our children must be a board of education’s first priority.” I agree. Unfortunately your actions repeatedly fail to support your words.

For example:

The educational needs of our children do not appear to be your first priority when we see you traveling around the Dayton region, disparaging Springboro teachers, devaluing their service, and taking credit for the results of the hard work that they and our children have done.

The educational needs of our children do not appear to be your first priority when you have meetings with people to inform them that your primary goal is to crush the teachers union.

The educational needs of our children do not appear to be your first priority when you state that you hope to force the teachers to go on strike, betting that the public will side with the school board, so you can make further cuts to education – forgetting that it is our children who will suffer should this happen.

The educational needs of our children do not appear to be your first priority when you send out a community newsletter with a section entitled “Rumor Response” insinuating that valid public questions and concerns about the future of our schools are just baseless ramblings to be ignored, but instead that we should be relieved and filled with trust by the fact that you are not limiting ketchup consumption for our kids.

The educational needs of our children do not appear to be your first priority when you forbid our teachers, who work with the children and for the public, from speaking freely. You conveniently restrict their first amendment right so that you can bully them by repeatedly exercising yours.

The educational needs of our children do not appear to be your first priority when you knowingly abandon established guidelines for contract negotiations with our teachers to precondition the public, and then show a total lack of respect for our teachers by doing it again, and again, and again.

The educational needs of our children do not appear to be your first priority when you go in the local paper and talk about innovation, when most of what we see is you patting yourselves on the back for performing the most basic functions of a school board.

Does any of you honestly have the audacity to postulate that new buses or new text books will have a greater impact on our future ability to achieve educational excellence than our teachers? Find me a case study where transformative educational experiences happened in a school district because of busses or books alone. Yes they are needed, but without teachers they’re nothing.

Failure to place our great teachers as the most important variable in the formula for educational success is an equation that does not add up to a sustainable high performing school district. If we hope to prepare our children to excel in a globally competitive world, we simply can’t get there without great teachers.

If you really want to show the people of Springboro that the educational needs of our children are your first priority; if you truly want to be innovative, abandon the useless, dated, and divisive 20th century decision making paradigm of board versus teachers that you blindly espouse and replace it with the idea of everyone working together for the education of our children.

Stop trying to spin the public against the very people we trust our children with every single day. Stop making our education system about personal political ideology, and start making it about using common sense to achieve common goals for the common good. If, as you say, the educational needs of our children must be a board of education’s first priority, stop saying it and start showing it.