2005 Archive

December 9, 2005 - Superintendent Eugene Sanders resigns...but it's not effective until August 31, 2006. A "lame duck" board (only two members out of five return) gives Mr. Sanders a sweat heart deal. The Coalition believes the new board should have made this call! After all, they will have to deal with a situation in which there is a "lame duck" superintendent that says he can't work with the new board. We guess Mr. Sanders wanted the best deal possible and decided to work with his "rubber stamp" board to get it. He got it and now the new board has to deal with it.

December 7, 2005 - Since the November elections, Mr. Sanders has publicly stated that the new TPS board members intend to fire him. He has stated that since two board members ran on a platform of change that usually means that these new board members would want to replace the superintendent.

Now the new board members have never stated they wanted to remove Mr. Sanders, just that he should concentrate on his job and work with them to implement the changes needed to improve the district - some of which would build on existing TPS improvements.

Why would Mr. Sanders go public about the new board members wanting to fire him just after the election?

Why would he jeopardize his relationship with new board members when they have not talked about future plans?

Why would Mr. Sanders continue to create the impression that he really does not want to be TPS superintendent any longer?

More questions could be asked and should be asked - but if he leaves it is time to move on!

One can only presume that Mr. Sanders really wants to leave the district. His actions at this time are detrimental to his ability to perform the job. He has jeopardized future relations with new board members. He has publicly accused new board members of wanting to fire him.

November 10, 2005 - The Urban Coalition would like to thank the voters of Toledo for their support. While we are disappointed that Christopher Myers did not get elected, we are very pleased with the election of Darlene Fisher and Robert Torres - the top two vote getters for Board of Education. Thanks Toledo for making education a priority and for your support.

October 26, 2005 - Current Board Member Peter Silverman recently sent a letter to the Toledo Area Chamber of Commerce challenging their endorsement of the 3 for Change Slate, touting the Board's record of accomplishment during his tenure, and accusing the Chamber of racial bias. The Coalition takes exception to most all of his letter! Actually we believe it is irresponsible of Mr. Silverman to sling accusations of racial bias when he has no evidence! Could it be that the Chamber's endorsement of the 3 for Change slate which includes a Hispanic is based upon merit? More...

October 26, 2005 - Looks like David McClellan, president of the Toledo Association of Administrative Personnel, agrees with the Coalition on Issue 37. In the October 21, 2005 TAAP he states, " TAAP's advice to the Administration and the Board is tell the community the unvarnished truth, stop spinning, and trust the judgment of the people." We could not agree more. This levy should have been a slam dunk. Read the TAAP statement.

October 24, 2005 - The Toledo Board of Education released their spending plan for Issue 37 levy proceeds on Friday, October 21, 2005. 79% of the funds go to projects needed by TPS. 21% will go to fund projects for athletic stadiums that were included in Issue 2, rebuilding Toledo schools bond issue, approved by voters in November 2002. It looks like Toledo taxpayers are being asked to fund these projects twice - but really the Board wants to free up funds from the 2002 Bond Issue to pay for sloped roofs and brick facades. Why do they want to continue to divert monies to the building program? We believe there are serious problems that require this program to be closely scrutinized. Why can't the Board simply "come clean" with Toledo taxpayers? Do they understand that every time they mislead the public they further erode public trust and support. More....

October 20, 2005 - The 3 for Change slate of candidates today discussed in a press conference held at the East Toledo Family Center their vision of community engagement and how a concerted effort at improving the process can improve support for public education in Toledo. Visit the web site 3forchange.com. To view the community engagement objective and ideas click here.

October 13, 2005 - This morning during a debate of Board of Education candidates, candidate Steven Steel who is endorsed by the TFT and has a wife who is a TPS teachers and a member of the Board of Directors of the TFT called this a personal attack after candidate Christopher Myers said he believed it was a conflict of interest. Ask this question: When the Toledo Federation of Teachers contract is renegotiated next year (contract expires 3/31/06) can Mr. Steel make an unbiased decision in the best interests of the taxpayers and children of Toledo when a major source of his family income and his health care benefits may be impacted? Would you trust Mr. Steel to make the best decision on this issue for you and other Toledoans? According to the Ohio Ethics Commission Information Sheet #1, Restrictions on Hiring Family Members, section VII A this is a conflict of interest and Mr. Steel would be prohibited from voting on a contract when a relative serves as a union officer, board member or on the union negotiating team. It is also documented in the commission's opinion 89-005. Either Mr. Steel has not done his homework or he is intentionally misleading this community. More...

October 11, 2005 - Board President Sykes challenged anyone to debate him regarding the progress of TPS during an interview on WSPD last Friday. He also called Coalition members anti-children and anti-school which is just a continuation of his habit of personal attacks on those who disagree with him. Coalition member Steven Flagg has accepted his challenge on behalf of the Coalition. Will Mr. Sykes agree to debate the Coalition on Thursday, 10/13 at Panera Bread on Glendale Avenue? If history repeats itself, Mr. Sykes will duck the Coalition again! Its official as of 10/13. Mr. Sykes declined the debate!

October 3, 2005 - Finally a candidate for a major public office takes a stand on education. Mayoral Candidate, Carty Finkbeiner, tells it pretty straight. The Coalition agrees in principal with his remarks on Toledo Public Schools! We agree entirely with candidate Finkbeiner's comment, "There is an election this November and for the first time in a long time we have some fresh faces, very qualified, who wish to take a seat on the TBS Board. I suggest that any and all incumbents be replaced by the newcomers! We need a breath of fresh air on the school board, and voters, you have a chance to provide just that." This is exactly why the Coalition supports the 3 for Change slate of Fisher, Myers and Torres - 3 for change.com.

September 30, 2005 - Should recruiters be allowed unlimited access to students in our schools? Peggy Daly-Masternak made her case before the Board of Education - read her comments. (Please note that these are the views of Ms. Daly-Masternak and do not necessarily represent the views of the Coalition or its members. The Coalition believes everyone should be heard.) Send us your comments. More...

August 22, 2005 - It is expected that the Toledo Board of Education will at the board meeting this evening place two levies on the ballot for November 8, 2005. One levy will relate to the expiring 2.5 mill capital improvement levy. The other is expected to be a new operating levy. A new operating levy will invoke the provisions of collective bargaining agreements with the Toledo Federation of Teachers and the Association of State, County and Municipal Employees. The potential liability is expected to exceed $5 million and result in an additional $2 million in on going salary expenses. More...

August 22, 2005 - On August 16th the Toledo Public School's local report card, both district and each building, were released to the public. We have scrutinized the data and believe that the district has earned a "D" for performance.

We believe the designations of academic ranking, in this case Continuous Improvement for TPS, are similar to the cover of a book. However, to understand the plot one must open the book and view its contents. We did just that.

We caution citizens to be wary of the "cherry picked" facts that the Toledo Board of Education and district officials would have you believe are indicative of progress. When you view it in balance, you certainly see progress in some areas. This year however showed a number of areas and facts that cause us to believe the district performed worse than last year when they first achieved the rating of Continuous Improvement. Read our full report....

August 11, 2005 - In a June 30, 2005 letter, Board President Larry Sykes banned Coalition Member Steven Flagg from speaking before the board. His actions were capricious and amount to censorship. Further, his actions violate TPS Board Policy which by oath of office he is required to uphold. To download Mr. Flagg's response and for more analysis click here....

“You can protect your liberties in this world only by protecting the other man’s freedom. You can be free only if I am free.” ...Clarence Darrow - If Mr. Flagg's liberties can be taken away by the action of just the Board President, who will be next?

July 19, 2005 - On Thursday, July 21st, at 10 a.m. the Urban Coalition will introduce to Toledo a slate of candidates that embody integrity, interest, independence and ability. The Coalition will begin its quest to elect 3 for change, the theme of the campaign. Read the press release....

June 28, 2005 - The Toledo Board of Education, the Superintendent and administration blames everyone but themselves for the declining enrollment and losing students to charter schools. They threaten parents of TPS students with school closing unless they can get students to come back to TPS. They even say that the Urban Coalition has told parents to send their children to charter schools. Sheila Austin, TPS Chief of Staff, made this statement to those attending a meeting at Lincoln school the evening of June 27, 2005. Wrong! The Urban Coalition nor any member has ever told parents to send their children to charter schools. Why do TPS employees make statements that are LIES? Well, you have to blame someone. Is this the kind of role model we want for our children? We think not! The real story is that TPS has 3 charter schools with almost a 1,000 students attending these three schools. They have even bragged in a recent article in Catalyst Cleveland, Districts embrace charter option, in the May 2005 edition about how they make money on the charters and have improved their state report card. We guess it's easier to blame your way out of accountability rather than provide leadership. PDF version of article. TPS obviously embraces charter schools so how can they whine about them?

We will be writing more on Charter Schools and the hypocrisy of the Toledo Board of Education, Superintendent and TPS administrators. We keep asking that they "just tell us the truth", but they seem incapable of the truth!

June 13, 2005 - Peter Silverman gets "Noed" by the Blade. Board member and former Board President Peter Silverman is accused of using Tom Noe's status on the UT Board of Regents to get preferential treatment for Hi-Genomics in their effort to acquire a license for a UT patent. Apparently both Mr. Noe and Mr. Silverman are stockholders in Hi-Genomics. Mr. Noe was told by the Ohio Ethics Commission in April that it was a conflict to be on the Board of Regents while a stockholder in a company using UT facilities and in attempting to get Hi-Genomics a patent license. Mr. Silverman acts as though he had no idea it was a conflict of interest. As an attorney and having been in elected office for a number of years he should know better. Actually, the Board of Education seems to revel in conflicts of interest. It would seem its not a conflict of interest if they benefit from the situation. We'll detail more on this subject as the summer goes on. Anybody but us think its time Peter Silverman stepped down and took his views as to what a conflict of interest is with him? Read the Blade Story. In the future, we will be detailing his record on the Board of Education the past 8 years since he has taken out his petition to run for a third term. His record is far from enviable and during his time as Board President spending at TPS went hog wild while the TPS treasurer was predicting record deficits just 2 years into the future. We think it is time he stepped aside. Don't you? Send us your thoughts!

June 6, 2005 - Parents for Pubic Schools, an Urban Coalition member, highlights in a letter to the Toledo Board of Education violations of the open meetings laws - Ohio Revised Code 121.22. One violation of the notification procedure for special meetings and two violations of the use of executive session are documented. More...

June 4, 2005 - The Blade reports that a dip in students may shut 13 city schools in decade. This comes as no surprise to the Coalition. In September 2004, the Coalition predicted that the last segment of the building program was in jeopardy due to falling enrollment and cost overruns. Why did it take TPS 9 months longer to tell the truth? Check out our analysis of September 2004.

May 23, 2005 - The Urban Coalition will be screening individuals to endorse for Toledo Board of Education. If you are interested in obtaining the endorsement and support of the Urban Coalition, please contact Steven Flagg at 419-473-0875 by Tuesday, May 31, 2005 to confirm your interest and schedule a time where you can meet with the Coalition screening committee to discuss your interest. More...

May 16, 2005 - TFT leadership is exhorting its members to "work to the rule". Apparently union leadership is upset because supplemental contracts for duties generally involving extracurricular activities have not been approved for the next school year. Instead the board of education wants to review all contracts in light of the large budget deficit. Sounds like a prudent move to us. So what does TFT leadership want? Supplemental pay for teacher who are still employed or keeping more of its members on the job? Apparently its more money for those who are protected by seniority instead of lower class sizes for our children.

Reading the list compiled by TFT leadership reminds us a bit of a child's temper tantrum. I'm going to hold my breath until I get my way! We wonder just how many teachers really did vote to support this action. We hear that teachers are quietly disobeying their leadership. We applaud those teachers who put our children first. We do want to ask teachers: how long are you going to support a leadership team that has lost touch with its members? More...

May 10, 2005 - Parents for Public Schools, a Coalition member, predicted the potential for a public relations nightmare as schools were renovated and rebuilt and the impact on displaced students and their families. Did they listen to our recommendation? No the board and administration arrogantly proceeded on with their "we know best attitude" and have now created a large creditability issue. From the oversight committee to community engagement, they ignored the community concerns and the recommendations. Read the report!

May 9, 2005 - The review of the controversial Toledo Plan is completed. The report is written. Here is the report and recommendations in pdf format. If you would like to view all the supporting documentation, please click on the menu item to the right - The Toledo Plan.

Now the questions: Was the review completed in a fair manner by an objective third party? Are the results accurate and conclusive? Are the recommendations worthy of implementation? We'd like to hear from you! Send us an email with your thoughts.

May 5, 2005 - Board President Larry Sykes has stuck his foot in his mouth again. In a Blade story today, "and unless voters change their minds about the tax in August or November, the school board president said the district could have to close some schools." The school board president needs to do his homework. The operational costs of schools comes out of the general fund and not the capital improvement levy that was rejected by voters.

May 4, 2005 - The Urban Coalition would like to thank Toledo voters for listening and supporting us. Thanks Toledo...

Issue 4 Information has been moved. Click on Taxes and Levies and then May 3, 2005 Special Election on the menu to the right.

City Paper takes Larry Sykes to the Wood Shed - is it deserved - You Bet! And if you have ever been to Toledo Board of Education meetings, you would have heard this kind of thing regularly. Some reflection on TPS and his employer Fifth Third! More...

Toledo Board of Education President, Larry Sykes, viciously attacked former Board Member Anita Lopez for her honest comments about board operations. Ms. Lopez made many comments which supported the Coalition's positions. Read the Coalition's letter to the Toledo Journal (pdf format - requires Adobe Acrobat Reader).