Village a no-show
By Dean Shipley
Staff Writer
The Madison-Plains School District’s superintendent was there.
So was its treasurer.
Also, three board of education members attended, as did members of the Madison-Plains Advisory committee and its public relations person.
But where were the residents of Mt. Sterling Wednesday evening?
Advisory board member Bob Butz may not have been literally scratching his head over the lack of attendance but he did wonder where people were.
Board member Ken Morlock wondered the same thing.
“I’m surprised,” he said. “I thought people would have been here to put in their two cents worth.”
Literally, nobody showed up.
The 13 people who were in the “cavernous” gym of the Mt. Sterling Community Center were all part of the program, from Bernie Hall, superintendent, Tim Dettwiller, treasurer, three BOE members, Morlock, Linda Baumgartner and Don Swonger, public relations specialist, Michelle Vroom and the advisory board.
The advisory board wants more than villagers two cents. It wants villagers to understand why the BOE is asking for yes votes on May 7 for the proposed 2.5 mill permanent improvement levy.
Instead, the committee spent the time plotting its next move and listening to Dettwiller’s explanation of how CAUV and residential property taxes have fluctuated, but still contribute the same number of dollars to schools.
The next meeting will be held April 8 in the Fairfield Township Building.
I believe it could not have been laid out any plainer than Heather Rice has put it.
To add my opinion too many have fallen under the spell of Boone Hall and the school board, for educated people they sure don’t come across that way. I have not seen TRUE cost saving or anyone thinking of solution other than throwing money at it.
What was the money collected from taxes for the upkeep of the schools that were closed used for? I never heard anyone state that these funds were being set aside, noooo that was added cash to pad the wallets of those that have no true understanding of what it means to earn that dollar.
Some people are clueless and if they did build a new school then what? They build these state of the art schools and expect levy after levy to be passed to maintain them, and the tax papers are fed up. They say there is asbestos in these old schools but still use them for other things and don’t tear them down. I went to the elementary as did my daughter and then my grandson. And looks like no one was notified of the school board meeting> and apparently that’s the way they wanted it and then make the village out to look like no-shows. My daughter didn’t even know about it>it’s just another stunt of the school board and Mr. Hall >and to say the teachers and Mr. Hall are doing such a great job. What about the bullying that goes on and no one does anything about it or doesn’t even return your phone calls. And apparently people that don’t have jobs or pay taxes are the ones complaining and doing the name calling.
And furthermore let me explain something>after 20 some years of living in Vinton County a levy passed to build new schools with the old high school that supposedly was full of asbestos and falling down, the voters voted to have all new schools built. But was the old high school tore down>No>it houses the school board, the superintendent , ISS classes, College coarse’s, and all other types of stuff. And so what happens every year or so>new levies wanting passed to maintain these state of the art schools and with no jobs and the economy the way it is , I can’t say I blame anyone out here for not voting for levies for school when people can’t afford anything else.
WOW, Rick what a way to classify yourself and your community,when I went to school most of us had a 20 to 25 mile drive to school and the one thing I can say a lot of us took away from it NOT TO classify people by income or housing, you sound like an ignorant BIGOT look at yourselg in the mirror in the morning and say JERK 3X and look in the mirror and guess what’s staring back at you you guessed it Einstein a pompous, self righteous BIGOT, money doesn’t make the person CLASS does, and buddy you lack it!!! MP Class of 94< I'm not afraid of standing up to "people" like you! jerk
Maybe no showed up because no one knew about it. Was there anything mailed out to the residents of Mount Sterling? I sure didn’t receive anything.
and to “Jimmy” no last name,…REALLY?
Didn’t even know there was a meeting about this. Did the school mail anything out to the residents?
Jimmy “really” ?
Whatever “Jimmy” hows about putting your real name and quit hiding behind that moniker. The village didnt show up that night but they certainly will when it comes time to vote. Truth is nobody supports 200k a year salary double dipping Boone’s nutso plans. You rip the school out of the village and are unwilling to negotiate even keeping an elementary there and expect people to roll out the red carpet? Long after Boone is gone and the district is broke at least you can auction off the trailer park he built to the trailer park trash that lives around midway.
Names dont Matter you Mt Sterling fool your kids are still bussed to the trailer park school and its all Mt stering faught because of your stupid ideas and wants the school was falling down and no one in Mt sterling seem to care they thought if we vote no we win well you didnt and the school won so if you dont like Madison plains or the folks running it move Bernie does a great job as all teachers and staff you are the Problem EVERYONE look at his name he is the Problem and those fools like him !! Vote Yes lets Over ride there votes
Really people are taking there kids out of Madison Plains school district for a reason and wonder why? What was wrong with the school in Mt. Sterling>nothing. As a grandparent it makes me sick, if you have any problems and call the elementary or even Mr. Boone him self >you don’t even get a call back>and I heard what good does it do to go to one of there board meetings anyway? The school board made there bed now let them lie in it>and I agree why roll out the red carpet and the voters are way smarter than what they are given credit for.
What does the School Expect these are the same fools that STOPPED the school from getting a levy passed for a NEW school and now MP looks like a Getto school when all of Mad Co has nice new buildings and our students go to class in trailers amazing the Board should let them send ther kids to Columbus and get an education LOSER Town
As a resident and tax payer from Mount Sterling, I would like to add my opinions to this story and comments posted on here.
Last I checked why are worried about the presentation of our schools? Shouldn’t we be more worried about the quality of education that Madison Plains teachers and administration can offer the children of the school district?
Madison Plains is not the only school in the state to utilize modular buildings for educational purposes. When you look at the school districts in Ohio who have recently built mega campuses they are having problems running them, because they cannot gain any more tax revenue. Without tax revenue a school district cannot grow. When you take a school that is essential to a town’s growth, how do you think the perception to the townspeople will be? Mount Sterling is always going to house the voter base, so what can Madison Plains do to win the village’s votes? I want to see a 10 year plan including in that plan operational expenses, current and forecasted tax revenues, cost reductions for the past 5 years, etc. A new school sounds fantastic, but who is going to fund that school? You cannot keep relying on the tax payers who are capped out in this economy to continue to pay for the big dreams that come from the Board of Education and Boone Hall. As a concerned tax payer, I am not sure the Board of Education even knows how much money they need to run the school system. After all they did not know at the start of school they had a driver shortage to transport the children to and from the school.
It is easy to spend others money when you are not out earning it. Madison Plains has dreams of a Lamborghini on Chevy Budget.