Please vote YES on Issue 10...March 6h, 2012!
I have to tell you.....great communities are great because they are full of good and caring neighbors. People that help others on their street from shoveling snow and raking leaves to helping them get groceries in. People are what makes a strong community and when we all stand together that is when we win. In Westerville, our kiddos need us. The State of Ohio is well aware, from four court rulings in DeRolph vs. The State of Ohio, that our funding system is broken and needs to be revised. The schools don't want to spend time and money begging for levies from the voters. As a realtor, I'll remind you to keep in mind for your home's value, the most important room to your home is the classroom....Please vote Yes on Issue 10!
And here is some wonderful insight from a passionate and caring neighbor on why she moved to Westerville and some facts to help you make your decision for voting on the March 6th levy.....
GOOD MORNING NEIGHBORS!
By now most of you know that I am pretty passionate about passing the schools levy on March 6. I have held back in putting up a huge “I Y Westerville Schools” banner with a spotlight in my yard though J I wanted to reach out to you today to tell you why I am voting yes.
We moved to Ohio 2 ½ years ago from Seattle so that Jason could take a job at Chase. We were looking for a place to live that allowed our kids to have a great childhood filled with friends and a safe neighborhood to play in. We also wanted to make sure our girls would get a great education. We feel like we hit the jackpot when we moved onto this street. We have the most incredible neighbors we’ve ever had, and our house is constantly filled with little girls (and the occasional boy) giggling and playing. Lilli is in 2nd grade at Fouse Elementary, and Claire will join her there for Kindergarten next year. The school is such a wonderful place, filled with some of the most caring, amazing teachers we’ve ever seen. Our life here has been a blessing we couldn’t have imagined.
And this is why we are voting yes on March 6. The quality of the schools in Westerville, and therefore the educational opportunities offered, are everything a child should have growing up. Art, music, PE, libraries, reading intervention and gifted programs. What would high school be like without football games on Friday nights, band concerts, school plays and basketball games? Children who graduate from Westerville schools go on to be successful members of the community. I feel like all of our children deserve that opportunity. They deserve to have the same things that we all had growing up, not less.
Any business leader or real estate professional will tell you that the economic foundation of any community is their schools. Without strong schools, communities begin to fail. The funny thing about Westerville is that people stay here. I have never lived anywhere where I met so many people who grew up in the same town they live in as adults. I think that says a lot about this community, and therefore a lot about what a gem this school district is.
Below are some facts about Westerville schools. The district runs pretty lean as it is, and without additional funding from a levy the district will have services and programs slashed in a devastating way. This is not a threat, it is a reality.
The cost to you will be $211 per $100,000 tax assessed value of your home. That is only $17.58 per month per $100k value of your home. In my opinion this is a small price to pay to maintain our excellent schools.
I am not trying to challenge anyone’s opinions here, and if you don’t support the levy then I respect your opinion. But if you aren’t sure which way to vote please consider the reasons above. If you would like some more information, please do not hesitate to give me a call, email me or just drop on by! You can also find a lot of information here. Remember: you can vote in person on March 6, or you can request an absentee ballot (no later than March 1).
Thanks,
Thanks,
Efficiency
· Westerville’s cost per pupil is $10,890, 11th out of 16 districts in Franklin County and nearly $2,000 lower than the county average of $12,616. The state average is $10,571.
General Austerity Measures Already Implemented in FY 2012
· Westerville Education Association concessions $1,400,000
· Administrative salary freeze and staff reductions $344,683
· Staff salaries frozen $115,000
· Elimination of 10 new projected FTE* $750,000
· Reduction of 8 existing FTE $672,000
· Hiring early career professionals for vacancies $1,678,000
· Reducing projected contracted service costs $346,000
*Indicates reduction of planned new staff positions
TOTAL ADJUSTMENTS/SAVINGS FOR FY 2012 $5,305,683
Administrators
· Administrative salary cost has decreased by $276,000 since FY 2010.
· Average administrative salary ranks 13th out of 16 districts in Franklin County and is $7,166 less than the county average.
· Average administrative salary ranks fifth out of the five districts in Franklin County with an enrollment of more than 10,000 students.
· Average administrative salary ranks 13 out of 21 similar districts as determined by ODE and is $2,797 less than the average for this group.
· Average administrative salary is $1,704 less than the average of similar districts with an enrollment of more than 10,000 students.
· 233 students per administrator compared to state average of 158. (ODE CUPP Report FY2010)
Teachers
· Teachers gave back $1.4 million in salaries last summer.
· Westerville’s median teacher income has risen only 9% over the past ten years while neighboring districts have increased teacher pay by as much as 62% (Hilliard), 56% (New Albany), 50% (Dublin), 49% (Worthington) and 47% (Hamilton Local).
· Step increases are dictated by state law – see Section 3317.13 of the Ohio Revised Code for details on how these work. The District and Board of Education have limited flexibility in how these steps are implemented.
· The WEA president is an employee of Westerville City Schools, a teacher elected by his/her peers to serve as their representative and to build their partnership with the district. Although the WEA president must give up his classroom time in order to fulfill these obligations, the WEA compensates the district for the cost of hiring a replacement teacher to fulfill his former duties.
Program Cuts
· No programs slated for elimination or reduction will be restored if the levy fails unless outside funding is found to support it or it is recast in a manner that eliminates its cost to the district.
· The International Baccalaureate program has been preserved because of the commitment of outside funding from sponsors and participants that will cover the entire cost of the program. This has only been possible due to the relatively low cost of the program ($123,000).
· The Magnet program will survive the current budget crisis by being completely re-envisioned. The district will obtain nearly all of the projected savings of eliminating the program by temporarily consolidating them for the 2012-13 school year. Beyond that the program will be reborn in an entirely new fashion. It is unknown whether the new structure will achieve the same degree of success as the current program.
IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT SHORT SALES OR JUST ABOUT SELLING YOUR HOME OR BUYING A NEW ONE, DON'T HESITATE TO CALL, TEXT OR EMAIL ME. 614-657-2005
My promise to my clients: I try to always remember what it is like to walk into this incredibly complex world of buying and selling with little or no knowledge of how the process works. I know that behind the door of your home and in your life there is much more going on than just your real estate transaction. I work with each person, not the house, and with the whole person, not just the issues surrounding the transaction. When I attempt to put myself in your shoes and contemplate what you are dealing with I am most effective.
The Benadum Team
Amy Bumpus
Straight Talk—Always
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