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Lakota school members to be available before board meetings

If you are having trouble getting in touch with a school board member, Lakota Local Schools is taking a new approach to combat that problem.

Joan Powell, the school board president, announced this week that beginning with the next regularly scheduled school board meeting, on Feb. 28, all board members have committed to be available to the community for 15 minutes before the meeting starts.

“There are already two times during the meeting when people can come to the podium and address the board,” Powell said. “That won’t change. But I know sometimes people are uncomfortable doing that, or prefer a more informal exchange with the board members. This will provide them with that opportunity.”

Since September the district has been holding “Community Conversations” throughout West Chester and Liberty townships, meeting with residents in living rooms, coffee shops, churches and other locations. Typically, the Lakota Board of Education is represented at these “conversations.”

• Community has open conversation about Lakota’s present and future

The next school board meeting is at 7 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 28, at the district’s central office at 5572 Princeton Road, in Liberty Township.

For more information on how to host or where to attend a “conversation,” visit lakotaonline.com for details.

Posted in: Board of Education, Levy news, Schools |

Tags: Tags: Ben Dibble, Joan Powell, Julie Shaffer, Lakota East, Lakota Local Schools, Lakota school board, Lakota West, Lynda O'Connor, Ray Murray, Ron Spurlock, school board meeting, school levy

By Adam Kiefaber and Michael D. Clark

Newly appointed Lakota school board president Joan Powell announced on Monday night that she wouldn’t be running for her seat this fall. She is one of Greater Cincinnati’s longest tenured board members.

“This will be my last year on the board,” Powell said during the regularly scheduled school board meeting.

“16 years is enough. A friend of mine (Sandy Wheatley), who served on the board for 12 years, told me you will know when it is time … I just knew that it was time.”

The 16-year board veteran first took office in 1998 and her tenure on the board coincided with Lakota’s booming student population that has seen the Butler County district become the second largest in Southwest Ohio and the eighth largest in the state.

“She has been able to see the evolution of changes that have occurred in education,” said Karen Mantia, Lakota superintendent. “She also has a grasp of where it is going, so that past experience really guides her to see what the future will look like and we will miss that.”

Powell’s leadership has often been credited for some of Lakota’s many successes, but on occasion she has also been the center of controversy. Most recently, Powell in 2011 publicly criticized fellow board members for not working together and impeding the board’s effectiveness.

During Powell’s stint on the board, Lakota rose both in size and academic prominence, becoming the largest district in Ohio to consistently earn the state department of education’s highest academic rating.

“It has been incredible amount of time. Lakota has doubled in size since I first started on the board. There have been so many changes,” said Powell, 61, who is a realtor with Huff Realty in West Chester, also has two grandchildren and two children.

“I have worked with four different superintendents. I can’t think of how many governors. Lakota has seen a lot of change and I hope Lakota can remain so successful because I really do believe that it holds a valuable place in this community.”

The 17,300-student district has not seen voters pass a new operating levy since 2005 and saw three school tax issues rejected at the ballot in the last two years. The district has cut more than $36 million in personnel and programs in recent years and is anticipated to go back to the voters for a new school tax later this year.

Two other board members, whose terms are up after the year, Ray Murray and Ben Dibble said they were both planning to run for their seats.

Both Murray and Dibble began serving on the board in January of 2010.

The remaining board members Lynda O’Connor and Julie Shaffer were most recently elected in the fall of 2011 and began four-year terms in January of 2012.

Shaffer is currently serving her first term on the school board, while O’Connor is serving her second four-year term.

Posted in: Board of Education, Levy news, Schools |

Tags: Tags: Ben Dibble, Joan Powell, Julie Shaffer, Lakota East, Lakota Local Schools, Lakota school board, Lakota West, Lynda O'Connor, Ray Murray, Ron Spurlock, school board meeting, school levy

Michael D. Clark reports:

For some area school board members, getting an inside look at a school requires scheduling an appointment and first-time introductions with teachers.

But not for veteran school volunteer and newly elected Lakota school board member Julie Shaffer. She only needs to keep showing up to help at Lakota schools, where she is a familiar face.

Shaffer is also a first-time, public office holder – having garnered the top vote tally in November’s election among five candidates for Lakota’s governing board.

Her surprising and near immediate rise to power as the recently appointed vice president on the five-member board now provides her a macro perspective, in addition to her micro experience as a volunteer.

“I thought I could bring a different perspective” to the board, says the mother of three Lakota students. “I started to get involved volunteering because I didn’t like some of the things I was seeing in our schools. Instead of standing by, I chose to work toward making a positive difference.”

Voters in the Butler County district, which is the second largest in Southwest Ohio and the seventh largest in the state, have rejected three school tax hikes since 2010.

A corporate veteran and business consultant with experience in finance, auditing and employee benefits, Shaffer ran out of concern about Lakota’s on-going financial woes and the impact they may have on the academically top-rated district. Recent years have seen the district cut millions of dollars and now district officials are planning more budget cuts to offset a $9 million shortfall projected for next school year.

“I’m a data-driven decisionmaker who is going to look at the whole picture prior to making a decision on any individual component,” Shaffer says.

Periodic infighting among Lakota board members last year had created a split among some members over some issues. The surprise approval by fellow members last month of Shaffer to board vice president was – in part – a result of those conflicts.

(more…)

Posted in: Board of Education, Schools |

Tags: Tags: Ben Dibble, Julie Shaffer, Lakota school board, Lakota schools

Cincinnati Enquirer’s Michael D. Clark reports:

It’s a new year and the Lakota school board that has occasionally been mired in high-profile infighting is asking the public for a fresh start.

The five-member governing board of Southwest Ohio’s second largest school system may deserve some of the blame for three school tax levy defeats since 2010, according to Ben Dibble, the newly elected Lakota Board of Education president.

“Let’s acknowledge that the school board could be part of the reason for our levy failures, During the last couple of years, the school board has projected an image of divisiveness – that we weren’t always working toward the goal of providing the best possible education at the lowest cost,” according to a statement Dibble read during the board’s meeting earlier this week.

The past year saw a sharp divide among some board members over a variety of issues including the use of public monies to hire a private search firm to find a new Lakota treasurer and superintendent. The occasional highly public and at times personal clashes were cited in part by some district critics who organized successful opposition campaigns in defeating proposed school tax hikes.

“I ask my fellow board members to leave behind the ways we’ve done things in the past and take a new approach. Doing things the same old way will lead us down the same path that has resulted in three levy failures. Our credibility and communication with the community needs to improve,” Dibble stated.

Dibble was voted to the one-year term of presidency by fellow board members earlier this month, as was newly elected member Julie Shaffer. Shaffer won election to the board in November in her first try at public office and was chosen by members to serve as the board’s vice president.

Dibble replaced 2011 and 2010 board president and 15-year board veteran Joan Powell.

Dibble pledged his leadership will feature more openness to the community, greater feedback from all residents in the district – “not just the folks we think will agree with us.” (more…)

Posted in: Board of Education, Levy news, News, Schools |

Tags: Tags: Ben Dibble, Joan Powell, Julie Shaffer, Lakota, Lakota cuts, Lakota East, Lakota Local Schools, Lakota reductions, Lakota school board, Lakota school levy, Lakota West, Lynda O'Connor, Ray Murray, school board, school levy

The Lakota Board of Education appointed a new president and welcomed in its newest board member at its annual organizational meeting Thursday.

After serving two straight years as vice president, Ben Dibble was the only school board member nominated for president. Dibble replaces Joan Powell, who had served as the board’s president for the past two years.

“I have be able to watch Joan do a great job and learn under someone who was on the board for a long, long time,” Dibble said.

“This will be a challenging year for Lakota and the board will need to work together.”

Overall, the selection process of the school board’s president went much smoother than it did a year ago when board member Ray Murray demanded change and challenged Powell.

In his challenge, Murray and board member Lynda O’Connor voiced their displeasure with fellow board members who agreed to spend $50,000 in its search for a new superintendent.

Those board members, Powell, Dibble and Paul Lohr voted in favor and approved the hiring of the search firm. More than six months later, the school district finally hired Karen Mantia as its new superintendent with the annual salary of $165,000.

At this year’s organizational meeting, newly elected board member Julie Shaffer was sworn in and appointed vice president.

Shaffer, who has also worked in the employee benefits and finance field for 22 years, joins the board at a time when it must decide how to trim $9 million from its operating budget for the 2012-2013 school year.

“There are certainly going to be many challenges ahead,” said Shaffer, who has three children (ages 13, 10 and 5) in the district. “There are no easy answers out there. It is going to take a lot of hard work and a lot of people working together to come up with any solution.

“I hope that I can bring my financial perspective to those decisions.”

One decision Shaffer and her fellow board members will need to make in 2012 will be whether to place another tax levy on the ballot.

With the district facing a projected budget shortfall of $14.1 million by 2015, the freshly appointed vice president is in favor of placing a tax levy on the ballot this year.

“When I look at the financial situation, which is where I have spent the majority of the last five years on while working on Lakota issues, I do still believe that there is a revenue need,” said Shaffer, who volunteered on Lakota levy campaigns and has lobbied in Columbus for changes to public school funding.

“I believe that passing a levy in 2012 would be critical in order to not continue eliminating opportunities for our students.”

Joining Shaffer in starting a new four-year term on the school board Thursday was O’Connor, who begins her second term. Shaffer and O’Connor each received approximately 25 percent of the vote in November’s election, which was more than fellow candidates Mark Etterling, Jamie Green and Luke Hall.

Choosing not to seek re-election this November was Paul Lohr, who closed out his term Dec. 12. Fellow board members, Powell and Dibble, terms will end at the conclusion of 2013.

Posted in: Board of Education, Levy news, News, Schools |

Tags: Tags: Ben Dibble, Joan Powell, Julie Shaffer, Karen Mantia, Lakota, Lakota cuts, Lakota East, Lakota Local Schools, Lakota reductions, Lakota school board, Lakota school levy, Lakota Superintendent Dr. Karen Mantia, Lakota Superintendent Karen Mantia, Lakota West, Lynda O'Connor, Paul Lohr, school board, school levy, Superintendent Dr. Karen Mantia, superintendent Karen Mantia

Locally, West Chester Township residents voted down another school levy, re-elected its trustee, elected a fiscal officer and filled two seats on the school board.

Roughly a total of 46 percent of the public voted for the school levy, while roughly 54 percent voted it down.

>>>STORY: LAKOTA LEVY FAILS FOR THIRD TIME SINCE 2005<<<

“Certainly I am disappointed, but we have said all along during this campaign that this was the community’s choice,” said Sandy Wheatley leader of the Committee for Lakota’s Future.

“We looked to the community and asked, ‘do you want to move forward or do you not?’ And they made their choice.’”

West Chester Trustee George Lang was re-elected for the third straight time after being first elected in 2003. Lang received almost 52 percent of the vote. His closest opponent was Anthony Klimek, who finished with around 27 percent of the vote. Fellow opponent William Zerkle finished with around 21 percent of the vote.

“In this campaign, the people running against me got a little ugly and a little nasty,” said Lang after he voted on Election Day at the Ronald Reagan Lodge. “But in their defense, in this real conservative community – they couldn’t beat me on the issues, so their best chance was to attack my character.”

>>>ELECTION DAY PHOTOS IN WEST CHESTER<<<

“Cityhood” was a big issue in the trustee race. According to Lang, who wants West Chester to remain a township, Zerkle wants West Chester to become a city soon and candidate Klimek would like to see West Chester transition into a city.

In the race for fiscal officer, it was much tighter – with Bruce Jones taking the open seat with about 37 percent of the vote. Christy Miller (30 percent), Chris Xeil Lyons (26 percent) and Kerry Hendel (7 percent) finished behind Jones.

“I have been just focusing on my campaign … distinguishing myself from the other candidates as I have a proven track record as a fiscal conservative and a lengthy track record of involvement in the community,” said Jones, while greeting voters outside Endeavor Elementary on Election Day. “I think that I have earned peoples’ trust as a result from that commitment to the community.”

Meanwhile, there were two available seats in the school board race. The public re-elected Lynda O’Connor to one of those seats and Julie Shaffer to the other seat. Both candidates finished with approximately 25 percent of the vote. Mark Etterling (19.67 percent), Jamie Green (14.29 percent) and Luke Hall (15.51 percent) finished behind O’Connor and Shaffer.

“I certainly feel honored that the community placed its trust in me and I look forward to trying to serve the students to the best of my ability,” said Shaffer, who has three children in the school district. “It is also bittersweet, however, given that we have to make additional reductions to the levy failure.”

Issue 11, the Butler County mental health levy, did pass with more than 64 percent of the vote in favor of the levy. The 1-mill tax levy costs the owner of a $100,000 home about $47.60 annually for five years.

Posted in: Board of Education, Election, Events, Government, Levy news, News, Political events, Schools |

Tags: Tags: Anthony Klimek, Bruce Jones, Butler County Board of Elections, Butler County election 2011, Chris Xeil Lyons, Christy Miller, Cincinnati Tea Party, early voting, early voting 2011, early voting Butler County, early voting Ohio, early voting Ohio 2011, election, election 2011, election day, George Lang, Jamie Green, Joan Powell, Judy Schmidt, Julie Shaffer, Kathleen Boring, Kerry Hendel, Lakota Levy 2011, Lakota levy news, Lakota school board election, Lucas Hall, Lynda O'Conner, Mark Etterling, Mark Toney, NoLakota Levy, Ohio election 2011, Ohio Liberty Council, Pat Williams, Southwest Ohio Liberty Headquarters, West Chester election, William Zerkle

A steady stream of voters have turned out in West Chester Township at Union Elementary, Endeavor Elementary, the West Chester Township Administration Building, Lakota West High School and the Ronald Reagan Lodge at Voice of America Park.

In what has been referred to as an “off-year election” – voters appear to be coming out due to interest in Issue 2 and in the Lakota school levy.

For some voters, like Judy Schmidt of West Chester, Issue 2 was a confusing issue. Schmidt thought Issue 2 television ads didn’t clearly portray what the issue was really about.

>>>PHOTOS OF ELECTION DAY 2011 IN WEST CHESTER<<<

It wasn’t until Schmidt recently discussed Issue 2 with her husband that she how she wanted to vote.

Like many West Chester voters, Schmidt wasn’t comfortable in discussing if she voted for the issue or the school levy.

On the other hand, Kathleen Boring of West Chester did confirm that she was for the levy.

“I think parents are really feeling the crunch (after cuts were made to Lakota),” said Boring, who has two children in the Lakota school system.

“It is a fantastic school system. I just would like to see it maintained.”

Boring, who moved from Monroe, N.C. a few years ago, said that taxes are already high in West Chester compared to her former hometown and said that the levy “is a very difficult decision to make” for voters.

>>>ELECTION DAY 2011 WEST CHESTER VOTING GUIDE<<<

Besides Issue 2, voters have been confused on what to do about the fiscal officer race in West Chester Township – which included candidates Chris Xeil Lyons, Bruce Jones, Christy Miller, Kerry Hendel and Mark Toney.

“I think the biggest hurdle in this race was educating the voters about the job of the fiscal officer,” said Lyons, who greeted voters this morning at Union Elementary.

“It is hard to elect somebody when you don’t fully understand what their responsibilities and duties really are.”

Voters may also not be familiar with the candidates, considering current West Chester Township Fiscal Officer Patricia Williams is not seeking re-election after holding the position since 1976.

Williams, who is visiting all the polling locations in West Chester today, decided not to endorse any of the candidates.

>>>CUTS TO MADE IF LAKOTA LEVY PASSES OR FAILS<<<

Meanwhile, in October, Lakota Board of Education President Joan Powell endorsed two other candidates running for the school board rather than incumbent candidate Lynda O’Connor.

The endorsement, which came by way of a letter to Powell’s supporters, made headlines at the Cincinnati Enquirer and caused infighting among Lakota school board members.

Her endorsed candidates, Julie Shaffer and Jamie Green, are up against Mark Etterling, Lucas Hall and O’Connor. The NoLakota group, which is campaigning to defeat the school levy, has endorsed Etterling and O’Connor. Meanwhile, Hall is an 18-year-old Miami University student and 2010 graduate from Lakota East.

The race for township trustee has also been “a little ugly” according to incumbent George Lang.

“In this campaign, the people running against me got a little ugly and a little nasty,” said Lang after he voted this morning at the Ronald Reagan Lodge. “But in their defense, in this real conservative community – they couldn’t beat me on the issues, so their best chance was to attack my character.”

The incumbent claims his opponents have called him “unethical, immoral and untrustworthy.” He also claims that they are telling voters that Lang wants West Chester to be a city.

Lang denies those claims and acknowledges that “cityhood” is a big issue in this year’s trustee race. According to Lang, who wants West Chester to remain a township, fellow candidate William Zerkle wants West Chester to become a city soon and candidate Anthony Klimek wants to transition West Chester into a city.

While voters go to the polls and politicians greet them there, there is also a another side of Election Day that typically goes unseen.

Currently, volunteers at the Southwest Ohio Liberty Headquarters in West Chester, which was created by the Cincinnati Tea Party and the Ohio Liberty Council, will be calling potential voters until the polls close at 7:30 p.m. With lists from Columbus of registered voters, who have yet to vote, those volunteers are making a push for local voters to vote “yes” on Issue 2 and Issue 3.

For more information on the issues and races, visit WestChesterBuzz.com’s voter guide.

WestChesterBuzz.com will post live election results after the polls close at 7:30 p.m. from the Lakota levy viewing party tonight in West Chester.

Posted in: Board of Education, Election, Events, Government, Levy news, News, Political events, Schools |

Tags: Tags: Anthony Klimek, Bruce Jones, Butler County Board of Elections, Butler County election 2011, Chris Xeil Lyons, Christy Miller, Cincinnati Tea Party, early voting, early voting 2011, early voting Butler County, early voting Ohio, early voting Ohio 2011, election, election 2011, election day, George Lang, Jamie Green, Joan Powell, Judy Schmidt, Julie Shaffer, Kathleen Boring, Kerry Hendel, Lakota Levy 2011, Lakota levy news, Lakota school board election, Lucas Hall, Lynda O'Conner, Mark Etterling, Mark Toney, NoLakota Levy, Ohio election 2011, Ohio Liberty Council, Pat Williams, Southwest Ohio Liberty Headquarters, West Chester election, William Zerkle

Those campaigning to convince Lakota residents to hike their school taxes are confident voters will separate the recent infighting on the school board from the district’s financial needs for more tax money, according to a story from Cincinnati Enquirer education reporter Michael D. Clark.

Below is a portion of the article:

When asked about what impact the unusually public rift on the board might have on the tax levy campaign, Sandy Wheatley – a former Lakota school board member and now spokeswoman for the schools’ pro-levy group – says “none.”

“Boards of education have differences of opinion all the time,” Wheatley says.

“We have worked hard to elevate the discussion to a level that talks about the strength and reputation of both our community and school district and what would that mean to our community if we face a third levy defeat (in two years).”

The “infighting” began when a flier, written by Lakota Board of Education President Joan Powell, endorsed two other candidates running for school board rather than incumbent candidate Lynda O’Connor.

Also, in the flier, Powell wrote: “The past four years have been the toughest of my 14-year tenure on the Lakota board. You might presume that is due to the financial and other challenges before us, but it is not. Rather it is being a part of a board that does not work together and in doing so reduces its own effectiveness.”

She then continued to note that “we need a board that does not send mixed messages and that is willing to make the tough calls, regardless of their own personal consequences,” before she endorsed two candidates – former school board member Jamie Green and Julie Shaffer. (more…)

Posted in: Board of Education, Election, Levy news, News, Schools |

Tags: Tags: election 2011, Jamie Green, Joan Powell, Joan Powell flier, Julie Shaffer, Lakota school board, Lakota school board election, Lakota school board flier, Lucas Hall, Lynda O’Connor, Mark Etterling, NoLakota, Ohio election 2011, Ray Murray, Rich Hoffman, West Chester election

The infighting among Lakota school board members continued to boil Monday evening during its public meeting, according Cincinnati Enquirer education reporter Michael D. Clark.

The “infighting” began when a flier, written by Lakota Board of Education President Joan Powell, endorsed two other candidates running for school board rather than incumbent candidate Lynda O’Connor.

NoLakota spokesman Rich Hoffman posted the flier on his blog, Overmanwarrior’s Wisdom, last Monday, Oct. 17.

In the flier, Powell – who is not up for re-election to the governing board’s two open seats, wrote:

“The past four years have been the toughest of my 14-year tenure on the Lakota board. You might presume that is due to the financial and other challenges before us, but it is not. Rather it is being a part of a board that does not work together and in doing so reduces its own effectiveness.”

She then goes on to note that “we need a board that does not send mixed messages and that is willing to make the tough calls, regardless of their own personal consequences,” before she endorsed two candidates – former school board member Jamie Green and Julie Shaffer.

According to Clark, Powell singled out O’Connor in later comments to the Enquirer. When pressed to specify an example of O’Connor’s alleged actions as a board member, Powell said “I’d rather not comment on Lynda’s behavior … this is about inappropriate behavior that has gone on that makes the board ineffective.”

O’Connor fired back last week in an email to the Enquirer lashing out at both Powell and member Ray Murray, who also criticized O’Connor.

“Unfortunately, Joan has made it clear, even in her letter, that to her, open discussion and debate suggest that the board can’t work together. Only unanimous decisions are acceptable,” wrote O’Connor.

O’Connor used the board meeting’s comment portion to say “as a board member I will continue to speak up. Bullying doesn’t have any more place in the board room than it does on the school playground.”

Murray followed and declined to address O’Connor’s comments, saying “I’m not going to stoop low.”

Powell then spoke, saying “it’s not easy when you have words in put in your mouth that you never said and this has been a tough week all around.”

Among the audience of more than 60 was board candidate Mark Etterling, one of five people seeking a board seat along with candidate Luke Hall.

Etterling criticized Powell for mailing her flier and he said her words “indicates that she doesn’t like such dissension” on the board.

The flier will likely be discussed again Wednesday when the school board candidates will participate in a forum at the Lakota central office. The forum is scheduled to take place from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

For more on the story, visit Cincinnati.com’s posts “Rifts open on Lakota school board” and “Lakota board members spar.”

Posted in: Board of Education, Election, Events, News, School events, Schools |

Tags: Tags: election 2011, Jamie Green, Joan Powell, Joan Powell flier, Julie Shaffer, Lakota school board, Lakota school board election, Lakota school board flier, Lucas Hall, Lynda O’Connor, Mark Etterling, NoLakota, Ohio election 2011, Ray Murray, Rich Hoffman, West Chester election

Two “Meet the Candidates” nights sponsored by the West Chester/Liberty Chamber Alliance in October will introduce candidates running for office in West Chester and Liberty townships.

The first forum will be held from 7-9 p.m., Oct. 19 at Lakota’s central office, located at 5572 Princeton Road in Liberty Township. Candidates for township board of trustees and fiscal officers will participate. There is one, four-year term open in each race. Chris Worrell will serve as facilitator.

Those running in Liberty Township are incumbents David Kern, trustee; and Pamela Quinlisk, fiscal officer. They face no opposition.

In West Chester Township, incumbent George Lang (photo) faces opposition for his four-year trustee seat from William Zerkle and Anthony Klimek.

Fiscal officer Pat Williams is not seeking re-election to her four-year office. Those seeking her seat include Chris Xeil Lyons, Christy Miller, Bruce Jones, Kerry Hendel and Mark Toney.

The second forum, set for 7-9 p.m., Oct. 26, also at the Lakota Schools’ central office, features candidates for the Lakota Board of Education. There are two, four-year seats open. Debbie Brenneman will serve as facilitator.

Incumbent Lynda O’Connor is being challenged by Julie Shaffer, Mark Etterling, Lucas Hall and former board member Jamie Green.

The Oct. 26 forum was previously scheduled for Oct. 21.

Posted in: Election, Events, News, Political events |

Tags: Tags: Anthony Klimek, Bruce Jones, Chris Lyons, Chris Xeil Lyons, Christy Miller, election 2011, George Lang, Jamie Green, Julie Shaffer, Kerry Hendel, Lakota school board, Lakota school board election, Lucas Hall, Lynda O’Connor, Mark Etterling, Mark Toney, Ohio election 2011, West Chester election, West Chester Trustee election, William Zerkle