Beallsville High
Dear Editor,
Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. The injustice playing out in Switzerland needs to be brought to greater light. Many residents there now refer to their superintendent as King John. A better moniker may be the Jester of Toledo, as John Hall’s flying circus, better known as the Switzerland of Ohio Local School District needs to be grounded. Many ask: Where is the oversight? Under Hall’s watch, Switzerland has endured sex scandals, costly special education compliance issues, major open enrollment losses, administrators demoted back into the classroom, Sunshine Law violations, and insubordination suspensions of administrators. It makes you wonder if these issues may just be the beginning. Consent of the governed is required to govern and you cannot get consent if you ignore the citizens and the press, effectively refusing to answer basic questions. After three months, here are questions left unanswered:
1. How will closing half of a three year old building be a good thing for students and taxpayers?
2. Why was the enrollment of Beallsville High School ok when voters were asked to build new schools and not ok now?
3. How much money will be saved by closing BHS?
4. What curriculum improvements will be available now that could not have been offered at BHS?
5. How long will former BHS students be on the bus and how much will the yearly transportation cost increase?
6. Why is Hall and the BOE unconcerned with open enrollment losses and how will moving students further from their community impact these losses?
7. Why did Ron Winkler sign off on state facilities construction documents and then turn around and vote to close half of a three year old building?
8. How can Hall/BOE ignore the will of the voters and violate the trust of communities that voted to build community schools, voters who have consistently rejected consolidation?
9. What research or facts are the BOE/Hall using to close Beallsville?
10. What benefit does Hall/ BOE hope to achieve that they cannot achieve while keeping Beallsville open?
Citizens of one of Ohio’s largest geographic school districts have a right to know an honest answer. I hope that the Ohio Valley will demand that Switzerland be forthright and transparent. Simply saying, “you are doing what you think is best for students” is not an answer. The media must do more to get answers to hard questions. Public officials making backroom deals and stealing from children and taxpayers is unacceptable. Repeating press releases without questioning details is unacceptable. Board members who have committed criminal acts should be prosecuted and removed from office.
Christopher R. Pack
Barnesville
Beallsville High
Dear?Editor
I have had the pleasure to speak to both Barnesville’s school superintendent Mr. Lucas and Union Local’s superintendent Mr. Porter.
They have both been very helpful and supportive in regards to our fight to keep Beallsville High School open. In our discussions, they were able to answer any question that I had to the best of their knowledge. My concern was about open enrolling Beallsville students IF BHS were to close. They gave me some information and sent forms that I requested. Never once did they inquire about what students play sports.
Parents have been contacting them to open enroll their children, not the other way. So when I hear that the Switzerland of Ohio district superintendent is calling him/them with accusations that they are “recruiting Beallsville athletes,” I feel that I need to speak up. Barnesville, Union Local, Shadyside and other schools (beside Switzerland of Ohio) are only guilty of accepting our Beallsville “refugees”, not recruiting them. However, the Switzerland’s superintendent has been using our kids to further split the district.
Recently by telling Monroe Central staff that Beallsville students will all open enroll to River (which was his exact plan last year) and upsetting them. If he wants to place blame for recruiting our Beallsville athletes, then he need not go any farther then within this district. I had previously surveyed the parents of almost every child at the Beallsville Campus.
The result showed that at least 200 students were going to leave this unstable Switzerland district. This information was relayed to the administration and board members several times by proving the huge financial loss that will occur if Beallsville High no longer exists.
That number does not include the nearly 20 who plan to home school or the 100+ who were unsure. Did they think we were bluffing?
The difference between the administration and common sense parents is that we like to have a detailed plan and all options available before making a choice. We also listen to the facts. What we still have in Switzerland is inaccuracy, distrust, tyranny, instability and no plan was our school is closed! The Switzerland superintendent has tried to place blame on everyone but himself when it comes to his failure to honestly and properly supervise a school district. So in conclusion, the administration of both Barnesville and Union Local has been nothing more than honest and open when I and many other parents have spoken to them about our situation. They have no blame and no role in the closure of BHS. We have great students at Beallsville, both academically and athletically.
If our students are wanted in this current district, then I suggest the board and administration open their eyes and keep Beallsville High open. If not, then Switzerland’s loss is the neighboring districts gain.
Nikki Trigg
Beallsville