The Northwest School Board needs to operate the district within existing income levels

By Bruce Gehring

The Northwest Local School Board remains out of touch with our community. They are asking for additional funding support at a time when the community is in financial difficulty. I say we need School Board members who will make adjustments for the district to live with what it has, just like the rest of us, and be thankful for the blessings bestowed on it.

From January, 2004 through November, 2008 Colerain Township residents lost 844 homes to foreclosure. That's three a week, every week, for almost five years! And the foreclosure rate has increased since that time. Our residents are forced to give up their homes at an unprecedented rate, but the Northwest Local School Board wants more money to fund the rebuilding of schools.

Unemployment in Colerain Township is at 9.4%. We continue to lose jobs faster than we can create them. And a recent PEW report indicates we can expect 30% of the unemployed to remain in that condition for more than a year. But the Northwest School Board wants to re-build our schools and thinks now would be a good time to start.

A look at the district's numbers tells an interesting story. Total income per student from all sources actually increased from $9,227 in 2005 to $10,530 in 2010. Yet the Board says the district needs more. I say we need School Board members who will make adjustments for the district to live with what it has, just like the rest of us, and be thankful for the blessings bestowed on it.

I have recently served four years on the Northwest Local School Board. You can look at my record to see how I administer. The year I served as President of the School Board we merged with Butler Tech, saving the District more than $2,500,000 in annual operating costs while significantly enhancing our technical programs. We merged a school building saving more than $300,000 the following year and instituted uniforms in Northwest High that year. And we cut another $500,000 from the budget as well. A year later our district advanced to an Excellent rating from the State of Ohio.

If you believe a retired corporate CEO with and MBA Degree from Xavier University and certificates of completion from the graduate schools at YALE, UCLA, and George Washington can work in your interest on the Northwest Local School Board, cast your vote for Bruce Gehring.