Middletown Fall 2013 Voter Guide

It not just the students leaving Middletown, there are a lot of people that are leaving Middletown. Everywhere I look in the Ayrshire neighborhood I am seeing For Sale signs in yards of people who have nice and well maintained yards.  These are people who have lived in Middletown for years, who have had enough with the city.  And the people who are now moving into these houses, tend to be people who were able to get the houses dirt cheap and don't care about how their house looks like in the neighborhood. Just drive up Vancouver St., and you will see what I mean.

I can't blame the long time residents for leaving due to the once great school system that is now struggling to keep up with state standards. With the city government neglecting the streets and curbs of the neighborhoods where these people live in.  And add to that the rise of Section 8 people, crime, and drug addicts moving in these neighborhoods, they act like a cancer that slowly drives away the good people of a neighborhood, as replicates itself until the neighborhoods are dead and are no longer desirable to live in, except for other Section 8 residents.

I like to think I am optimistic about the future of Middletown. I do believe that efforts of the School Teachers and Staff are trying very hard to achieve a good raiting for the school dristrict. But they have a up hill battle thanks to the City allowing the Crime to increase thanks to Section 8 housing, and parents that would rather abuse and lock there kids in a basement, then be active and encourage their children to learn and be successful.

I strongly believe that we will start to see an increase in student scores and performance, once the City of Middletown begins to fix the crime problem, drives out the section 8 residents, and improve the infrastructure of the city, and change it's image on the evening news from being a town of shootings and animal / people abuse, to a city that is safe to live in and raise a family. Once that happens, Middletown will become desirable to live in again for the Middle and Upper income people. Once there is a healthy Community then the test score will rise on there own.

Yes a New school would help the environment that the students learn in, but it is only a small solution to a bigger problem. The main problem is the type of citizens we now have living in Middletown. You can have the best teachers, staff and all the tax money in the world for the school system, but if these kids go home to a house that has a parent that is a drug user, or abusive, or neglectful,  that child will act out in school and will lack the motivation to succeed in classes and in life. They will then fall into the trap of Crime, drug use, and Government dependency as they cycle keeps going generation after generation.

And that is why so many people on this forum believes that a new Middle School will not solve the bigger issues that are going on with Student Performance.

My parents suggested that I should vote for the new school, because it will help make the community more desirable to people not from the area, and it will raise property values. That would be true in Mason, and Springboro, but I am not sure if it will work in Middletown.

Ms. Andrew......

"A new middle school may not magically a) improve schools [I guess you mean test scores; clearly a new school building will improve the school buildings], b) improve property values and c) increase enrollment, ALL BY ITSELF. BUT, it is a necessary piece of what must be done to achieve those three things".


NO!!!!!!! WRONG MS. ANDREW!!!!! WRONG!

YOUR STATEMENT..."IT IS A NECESSARY PIECE OF WHAT MUST BE DONE TO ACHIEVE THOSE THREE THINGS" IE- TEST SCORES, IMPROVE BUILDINGS, AND IMPROVE PROPERTY VALUES.

THE "NEW" ELEMENTARIES HAVE BEEN IN PLACE SINCE 2003.(IS THAT YEAR CORRECT?) THAT GIVES US 10 YEARS TO EVALUATE WHAT THE "NEW" SCHOOL BUILDING THEME HAS DONE FOR US. HAVE THEY INCREASED TEST PERFORMANCE? NOT REALLY. NOT ENOUGH TO MAKE AN IMPACT TO ADVANCE THE SCHOOL'S RATING. YES, THEY HAVE UPGRADED THE SCHOOL BUILDING FACILITIES.....SO WHAT? THE ELEMENTARIES LOOK LIKE SMALL COLLEGE CAMPUSES BUT NOTHING EARTH-SHATTERING HAS COME FROM THESE NEW FACILITES. BEEN ABOUT THE SAME AS WHAT THE OLD ELEMENTARIES WERE PRODUCING HASN'T IT? IS THERE AN ADVANTAGE IN THE NEW BUILDINGS? DOESN'T LOOK LIKE IT. AND, THOSE PROPERTY VALUES.......THE BUTLER COUNTY AUDITOR HAS ACTUALLY DE-VALUED MIDDLETOWN PROPERTIES IF YOU LOOK AT THE AUDITOR'S SITE. LIKE ALOT OF TOWNS OVER THE LAST 5 YEARS, PROPERTY VALUE HAS GONE DOWN ALONG WITH PROPERTY TAXES. THE NEW ELEMENTARIES DIDN'T MAKE ONE BIT OF IMPACT IN HOLDING PROPERTY VALUES IN CHECK. IN A BAD ECONOMY, PEOPLE AREN'T NOTICING HOW NICE THE SCHOOLS ARE. THEY'RE JUST WORRIED IF THEY'LL HAVE A JOB TOMORROW OR NOT AND HOW THEY'LL PAY THE BILLS COMING UP. YOUR ARGUMENTS FOR BUILDING NEW SCHOOLS IS CHECKMATED BY WHAT THE ELEMENTARIES HAVE PRODUCED. THEY ARE A CLASSIC COMPARISON BETWEEN THE RESULTS OF PERFORMANCE IN AN OLD SCHOOL VERSUS PERFORMANCE IN A NEWLY BUILT SCHOOL......NO REAL DIFFERENCE IN END RESULTS. IF SO, WHY DO YOU STILL WANT TO BUILD YOUR MIDDLE SCHOOL MS. ANDREW? BECAUSE YOUR BOARD AND THE SCHOOL PEOPLE JUST WANT A NEW BUILDING TO WORK IN, THAT'S IT. MIS-FOCUSED REASON TO MENTION THAT "IF WE GET THE VOTERS, ONCE AGAIN, TO LET GO OF SOME MORE BOND MONEY, THE STATE WILL PONY UP 26% OF THE COST (OR WHATEVER PERCENTAGE THEY WILL PAY). DON'T UNDERSTAND----THE DEAL IS IN THE BARGAIN BIN SO LET'S BUY IT, EVEN THOUGH THE LAST BOND LEVY WE ASKED PEOPLE TO ACCEPT DIDN'T PRODUCE ANY REAL ROI ON OUR INVESTMENT? THE SECOND GO-AROUND IN YOUR BOND LEVY PLAN FOR A NEW MIDDLE SCHOOL IS NOT WORTH APPROVING BASED ON YOUR FIRST ROUND OF BOND LEVY MONEY END RESULTS. THIS THINKING REMINDS ME OF THE STAY AT HOME MOM WHO WATCHES THE SHOPPING NETWORKS ON SAT TV AND BUYS ITEMS JUST BECAUSE THEY ARE ON SALE, NOT BECAUSE IT IS REALLY NEEDED.

YOU NEED TO PROVE TO US TAXPAYERS THAT THE MONEY SPENT ON THE ELEMENTARIES WAS A GOOD DEAL BEFORE YOU COME AT US AGAIN WITH ROUND TWO FOR A MIDDLE SCHOOL. YOU HAVE NOT DONE THAT AS YET. TO DATE, WE THE PEOPLE, HAVE GOTTEN NOTHING FOR APPROVING YOUR 45 MIL BOND LEVY. WHY ARE YOU ASKING FOR MORE? NEW SCHOOLS OR NOT, WE'RE STILL AT THE BOTTOM ON INDICATORS, PROFICIENCY TESTING AND STUCK IN CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT. WHAT IS THE ADVANTAGE OF SPENDING MORE MONEY IF THE PERFORMANCE REMAINS THE SAME? DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY LEVY APPROVERS DON'T SEE THAT.

Acclaro, I have not admitted any of those things.  A new middle school may not magically a) improve schools [I guess you mean test scores; clearly a new school building will improve the school buildings], b) improve property values and c) increase enrollment, ALL BY ITSELF. BUT, it is a necessary piece of what must be done to achieve those three things.  Also, I think that a new middle school, even if no other improvement occurs, will increase enrollment, because currently a decent number of families, who have been happy enough with the (new) elementaries, leave the district rather than send their kids to Vail.

Acclaro,

Change takes a village and organization, and of course, leadership.

Vet--The state forecasts student enrollment over 10 years, looking at population trends and other data.  The estimate a slight drop followed by a slight increase, with the end result after 10 years being basically the same numbers as now.

Well said Spider.  I disagree with your point about the elimination of the ward system but other than think you're right on.  7 people were just too many for council.

Hate to butt in----but

Acclaro,

Acclaro,

Sorry for the Grammar error, I didn't catch it until after the 5 min. edit timer was up ><

Marcia Andrew wrote: Acclaro, the reason we are seeking funds for a new middle school and renovated high school is NOT to expand capacity; it is to improve safety and efficiency and to modernize classrooms to meet the needs of the 21st Century.  The state has done studies to forecast enrollment and predicts basically flat enrollment for Middletown.  The plans for the new/renovated buildings would keep student capacity about the same as now.

Ms. Andrew, realizing your response was to acclaro, I would like to offer some thoughts in relation to the subject matter......

To address the enrollment in the Middletown schools- the article in the Journal yesterday informed us that the Middletown district, along with others, has been seeing a decline in enrollment for years. It does not suggest a "flat enrollment" but rather a decline. If declining enrollment, why are the schools being designed for student capacity as it is now? Do you expect enrollment to increase at some point in time and why do you think it will?

For informational purposes, could you elaborate on your comments concerning the safety, efficiency and the modernization of the classrooms? Specifics on your reasons as to why this needs to be done? What would be some needs for the 21st century? Thank you in advance.

My paycheck keeps buying less and less now they want more tax money for a house that I'm 25% upside down in? I'm about a chicken hair away from tossing in the towel on this land of illusion of a city. Why do 95% of all elected officials make no sense these days? Does getting elected to an office cause ones brain to permanently fly off into lala land ?