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The Oakwood School District has a 1.80 mill property tax Permanent Improvement Replacement levy on the ballot next Tuesday, May 8. This would be a replacement levy for the issue that was originally passed by Oakwood voters in June 1978 and renewed by large margins five times since its original passage. The Oakwood Schools have structured this request so it will not increase property taxes.
This replacement levy will not be an additional cost to taxpayers because the Oakwood Schools are able to lower the tax rate needed on the bonds sold after the bond levy in 2002, partially due to a refinancing of the bonds at a lower interest rate.
This replacement levy will generate additional funds needed for building maintenance, technology and upgrades in security. Examples of these uses are roof repairs, plumbing, electrical, sidewalks, parking lots, cabling, replacement of older computers, and installation of video surveillance systems in all buildings.
School Board members expressed confidence that Oakwood residents will continue to support the schools, especially this levy that can only be used for building maintenance. Board President Dr. Paul Vanderburgh stated, “We are confident that the community will support the schools with this levy request to maintain the investment in our historic buildings and augment technology resources in our classrooms.”
In addition, the Oakwood Schools’ Business Advisory Council (BAC) reviewed the levy plan and unanimously recommended the 1.8 replacement levy. The BAC is a group of more than twenty independent Oakwood Business professionals who meet monthly to monitor the district’s finances and business operations.
Bruce Reger who is the Past President of the Building Owners and Managers Association, a member of the Oakwood School’s Facility Committee and Senior Property manager with Turner Property Services Group stated, “ I know the importance of property and preventative maintenance. The passage of this levy will continue to provide physical upkeep of the buildings, which is necessary to preserve and protect the asset. I strongly recommend passage of this levy. Over the years we have studied all of the buildings in depth and find this levy necessary to safely maintain the investment of these historic buildings. The fact that this levy is being structured by the district not to raise taxes is remarkable.”
Dr. Mary Jo Scalzo, Superintendent of the Oakwood Schools said, “Strong property values and a strong public school system have been hallmarks of our community because Oakwood citizens have committed the resources, support, expertise and experiences needed for all students to achieve.”
This will not be the only levy that the school district anticipates having on the ballot this year. In November, the district will be asking the voters for approval of an operating levy, which would be used for salaries, insurances, utilities and instructional materials. The November levy millage has not yet been determined.
The Permanent Improvement Replacement levy on the ballot next Tuesday will help the district repair and maintain schools without an increase in property taxes.
Kevin Philo
Oakwood City Schools Treasurer
Over the last several months I have chosen to remain silent when faced with some rather offensive arguments against the Sugar Camp development proposal; statements which have been made by people who are quick to point out that they are “not anti-Semitic”. However, the most recent letter to the editor entitled “Concern over Mikveh Building” has simply pushed me to the limit. The letter, written by a person who describes him/ herself as a “second generation Oakwood resident”, was allowed to be printed “anonymously” because he/ she is “afraid of being accused of being anti-Semitic”. What then is the significance of stating the writer’s “second generation” Oakwood resident status? Is the writer trying to distinguish him/ herself from Oakwood residents of cultural, racial or religious groups who, until relatively recently, were prevented from living in Oakwood at all? Should this distinction make the writer’s arguments more valid? Why would anyone be afraid of being called anti-Semitic if they are simply making legitimate, rational arguments which have nothing to do with their feelings about the Jewish faith or the Jewish people?
In this particular letter, the writer expresses concern over the existence of a mikveh (or Jewish ritual bath) being housed in a building in Sugar Camp because it “may cause problems for the City of Oakwood in the future”. Unfortunately, the writer fails to specify how, if at all, the existence of a mikveh would cause problems for the city or its citizens. Furthermore, the writer falsely characterizes the mikveh as a place in which men and women must separately “skinny-dip in the pool water completely naked”. This characterization of the ritual bath is not only incorrect, it is downright offensive. Women and men regularly appear naked in separate and private locker rooms at the OCC; yet, I have never heard anyone claim that the OCC is a potential problem for the future of the city of Oakwood. Since fear which arises out of ignorance of a particular culture or religion is just as frightening and dangerous as anti-Semitism (or prejudice of any kind), I feel I must set the writer straight on some of his/ her “misconceptions”.
First, a mikveh is neither a “Baptismal pool” (since Jews are not baptized as infants or adults), nor is it a pool for “naked skinny-dipping”. A mikveh is a specially constructed pool of water used for total immersion in a Jewish purification ceremony. Although there are various reasons within the Jewish faith to use a mikveh, today it is primarily used by women to achieve ritual purity after a monthly cycle or childbirth. A mikveh may, however, also be used by men (separately from the women, of course) to achieve ritual purity. Since the existence of a mikveh is required under Jewish law, a mikveh is an important part of a Jewish community. However, the actual number of people in the greater Dayton area who use the mikveh on a monthly basis is relatively small.
Secondly, allow me to put to rest the writer’s fear of a group of women (or men) skinny-dipping together in a pool. The ritual immersion is a very quiet, private and peaceful ritual in which only one person is immersed in the water at a time. In fact, because modesty and privacy are of utmost importance in the mikveh, the immersion rituals are conducted by individual appointment only. The mikveh at Sugar Camp would be housed in a private building and therefore it would be impossible for anyone in the community to know if and when a purification ceremony was taking place.
Finally, the writer claims to have read articles in the Dayton Jewish Observer stating that the building of the mikveh is controversial in the Jewish community and that not all of the rabbis support it. Had the writer read the articles carefully, he/ she would understand that the controversy in the Jewish community is not over the need for a mikveh, but over the number of mikvot (plural of mikveh) needed in Dayton, and where the new mikveh should be located in order to best serve the entire Dayton Jewish community. I live less than a block from Sugar Camp. Although I do not personally participate in the ritual of the mikveh, I see no compelling reason to object to one being housed on the Sugar Camp site. If the anonymous writer has such a reason, he/ she certainly failed to express it.
I hope that my brief explanation has helped to allay some of the writer’s (or others’) fears. However, I must say that it is particularly disturbing and disheartening for me to accept that in this day and age, the establishment of a synagogue or a mikveh at Sugar Camp would cause such an uproar within the Oakwood community.
Angela Frydman
April 26, 2007
Dear Oakwood Neighbors,
“The dissemination of knowledge is one of the cornerstones of civilization.” John F. Budd.
Your vote in support of the Wright Library Levy will ensure that knowledge will continue to empower the citizens of Oakwood and our surrounding communities.
Many of us here in Oakwood take the existence of Wright Library for granted. After all, Oakwood has had a community library since 1916 and the present building has been sitting in the shade on Far Hills Ave. since 1939. We naively believe that its resources will always be there whether we support it or not. Unfortunately, that may not be the case. Wright Library needs our support now more than ever. Ohio’s funding of libraries is uncertain. In fact, the level of the state’s investment in our library for 2007 is still undetermined. The library needs your support for this levy to ensure that services will go unchanged.
Wright Library is more than just a place to borrow books, music, and movies. It is a place for learning, understanding, progress and one of the cornerstones of our community. It’s a source for intellectual growth, self-renewal, and inspiration. Wright Library is a treasure. Let’s guarantee its place in our community as an institution for lifelong learning.
Please join me in making the “Wright” choice. Vote yes for the Wright Library levy on May 8.
Sincerely,
Chris Anderson
Oakwood
It was refreshing to read an Oakwood Register article that managed to rise above the usual regurgitation of city council press releases and express an independent editorial voice. Too bad the result was a vicious and unprovoked page-1 torch job on a private citizen.
My advice to the Oakwood Register would be to stop acting as court stenographer and apply some of that deep analysis to city leaders instead.
Tom Castle
124 Dell Park Ave.
I am supporting the Wright Memorial Public Library levy for two important reasons.
First, it is an invaluable resource for me and my community.
Second, since this levy is merely a replacement levy, it will cost me only
58 cents more a month.
I can’t think of another public institution that provides such professional service at such a reasonable cost.
Yours truly,
Trudy Krisher
Oakwood
Wright Library will be on the ballot May 8, 2007 for a give year replacement of the existing levy that will end this year. The money will be used to maintain current services, to include books, utilities, salaries of staff and property maintenance. The May 2006 Community Survey showed a high level of satisfaction with Wright Library’s services. The replacement Levy is needed to keep the services Library patrons value.
For information about how Wright Library is funded and/or general information about Wright Library contact Ann Snively, Director, Wright Library at 294-8572 or Judy Thompson, President of the Wright Library Board of Trustees @ tomson@core.com
Beverly K. Jones-Arthur
Wright Library Board Trustee
On behalf of the local Oakwood cub scout packs and boy scout troops, we would like to thank the citizens of Oakwood for their generosity in our recent Scouting for Food drive. Dayton-area scouts collected over 92 tons of food, and all of this food goes to local charities.
Thank you again and we’ll see you next spring!Oakwood
Spring has sprung, the grass has riz, I wonder where...my helmet is? It appears that Spring has finally arrived in Oakwood, and I, like many others, am hitting the road with my bicycle. Many of the riders that I see are missing one essential ingredient though - a helmet.
Helmet wearing is a very personal issue for me. Last summer, my teenage son was riding down Schantz hill when he hit some gravel, then the curb, then went airborn. He stopped when his head hit a steel post. Fortunately, his head was safely enclosed in a helmet. The helmet died, and he did not. According to the Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute, 784 bicyclists died in 2005. In addition, 504,000 bicyclists visit emergency rooms each year, 67,000 of them with head injuries. Of those bicyclists who die, two-thirds die from traumatic brain injuries. At least half of those injuries would have been prevented by helmet wearing.
There are lots of excuses for not wearing a helmet. They’re hot, they’re a nuisance, they mess up your hair, and besides, we never wore them as kids. Truthfully, most of us will never be in an accident and will never need a helmet. But one day last August, all of those excuses became irrelevant for my family.
It is sad that most communities are not willing to pass mandatory helmet laws, at least for minors. All I can do is appeal to my fellow adult riders to set a good example, and for you parents to insist that your kids not get on their bikes without a helmet. And if a total stranger on a green bike (or blue tandem) chastises you for not wearing a helmet, that’s me.
David Taylor
Corona Ave.
The Oakwood math curriculum under-educates and under-prepares students. We moved from Oakwood to New York last fall and our high school daughters were well-prepared in all areas except one – math.
Oakwood Schools have had nine years to run this Integrated Math (IM) experiment. In 2003, hundreds of Oakwood parents petitioned for a traditional math option and were denied by the School Board. The Board then asked parents to trust them to fix the problems. It’s four years later and the parents’ trust has been abused.
Oakwood’s educators claim Oakwood’s Integrated Math (IM) is best. Thousands think they are wrong, including:
California, which rejected IM curricula state-wide, specifically Everyday Math (Harman/Smith).
Minnesota, which removed IM from the state requirements and substituted traditional math in its place.
New York, which is currently changing to a more traditional math curriculum. Our Honors/ AP Math daughters are dramatically behind in proficiency, speed and topics covered versus the New York students.
Oakwood graduates who rated Oakwood Math with the highest level of dissatisfaction of all disciplines in preparing them for college.
The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM represents 100,000 math teachers) who made huge news in September of 2006, by backing
off their original position supporting integrated curricula in favor of new Focal Points which dramatically move toward traditional methods. (NY Times and Wall Street Journal)
How does Oakwood Math match up against the new NCTM Focal Points? Poorly, according to Stanford University’s James Milgram, “None of the NSF (National Science Foundation) curricula including (Oakwood’s) CorePlus (and) Everyday Math match up well with the Focal Points.”
More bad news: Last spring the current senior class was given an Ohio college placement test (OEMPT) designed to determine how well a high school prepares students for college math. The results were not good, particularly for regular track students. The Board/Administration decided not to inform the community. Keeping bad news a secret does not engender trust.
As Oakwood educators and the Board minimized bad results, they simultaneously expanded the controversial IM into the elementary schools with Everyday Math.
This is the PERFECT TIME to fix Oakwood’s math deficiency. Dr. Scalzo told me that new high school math textbooks are to be purchased. Astonishingly, they may continue CorePlus.
Once textbooks are purchased, students currently in fourth grade and up could remain in the deficient IM through graduation. New textbooks may not be purchased again for 4-6 years. Once a student enters eight grade honors or ninth grade regular track, they will graduate with that curriculum.
Oakwood’s educators apparently consider protecting this inadequate curriculum a top priority regardless of facts. Sadly, board members who campaigned promising accountability have instead embraced secrecy. Therefore, the district’s children will continue to be under-prepared for college unless parents step forward, unify, and publicly persist until the district offers a traditional math option. Oakwood is a tremendous community and it would be wonderful to fix this broken piece. (More info: nychold.com)
Karin Brown
Founder of MOMS
Past Harman PTO President
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