tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80055670732130370782024-03-13T11:32:15.014-04:00GREENVILLE SCHOOLS - NEED TO KNOW STUFFThis blog features information about Greenville City School issues you may not find in other places.Bob Rhoadeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09376093275707492230noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005567073213037078.post-73422960054589133432011-11-06T14:52:00.000-05:002011-11-06T14:52:42.026-05:00What's next?The next big thing is to Vote Yes for Greenville Schools on November 8!Bob Rhoadeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09376093275707492230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005567073213037078.post-72010126483359070592011-09-05T16:20:00.000-04:002011-09-05T16:20:08.791-04:00Upcoming EventThe next upcoming event for the Citizens for Quality Greenville Schools will occur on Saturday September 10, 2011 at 10:00 AM at Memorial Hall. Invitations have been sent out to all elected officials in the 8 townships, 2 villages and the City of Greenville that compose the Greenville School System. At this gathering all of the information concerning the proposed new school will be presented to these community leaders. It is the hope of the committee that this will form a nucleus of people where good information on the school project can come from..Bob Rhoadeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09376093275707492230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005567073213037078.post-33702250658143618782011-08-22T15:10:00.008-04:002011-08-25T18:15:21.941-04:00THE STRAIGHT SCOOP ON THE NEW SCHOOL<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Pk2kaoRRHXo/TlKoojJjBCI/AAAAAAAAA5I/FyL4cj7S0Io/s1600/New+school+w-o+athletics.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="312" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Pk2kaoRRHXo/TlKoojJjBCI/AAAAAAAAA5I/FyL4cj7S0Io/s320/New+school+w-o+athletics.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the building the committee chose.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><strong>The Project </strong><br />
- A new, fully furnished facility for grades k-8 and renovations to the existing High School. .<br />
- An environmentally friendly and efficient building utilizing the benefits of "green"technology<br />
- A building in which security features provide a safe environment for students and staff.<br />
- New classrooms providing up-to-date technology, science labs, and flexible learning spaces to enhance the instructional environment.<br />
- A building providing the space and accessibility to meet the needs of our physically challenged population.<br />
- Renovations to the exisiting high school to create efficiencies of operation and enhanced educational opportunities.<br />
</span><br />
<ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><strong>The Rationale: </strong>- </span></li>
<ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">.The Ohio Schools Facilities Commission (OSFC) advised the district that aging buildings would cost more to renovate than to replace and OSFC would provide co-funding accordingly.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">The consolidation of Woodland, East, South, and the Junior High would allow operational cost reductions contrasting the current building configuration.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">The State's financial commitment to GCS's for the project is $18,192,750.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">Interest rates are at an all time low. </span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">It is much more cost efficient to run one new building than four old buildings.</span></li>
</ul></ul><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"> </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<ul><li style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><strong>The Cost For Taxpayer:</strong></span></li>
<ul><li style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;">6.43 Mills for 28 years and 1/4% School District Income Tax</span></li>
<ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><b style="background-color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">With the elimination of a 2 mil permanent improvement levy enacted in 1989</span></b></span></span></li>
</ul><li style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;">$ 100,000 home = $173 annually (taxpayer 64 years old and less living in home)</span></li>
<li style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;">$ 100,000 home = $144 annually (taxpayer 65 years or older living in home)</span></li>
<li style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;">$ 25,000 income = $63.00 annually ($50 Senior Credit)</span></li>
</ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">For information on figuring your tax burden go here: <a href="http://www.darkecountyrealestate.org/TaxEstimator/">www.darkecountyrealestate.org/TaxEstimator/</a></span></span></li>
</ul><ul><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><ul style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"></ul></span></ul><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><i>The last new school built in the Greenville School District is the current High School. It will be 50 years old in 2013. There is money in the Ohio School Facilities Commission grant to refurbish the high school. It seemed that this was the most prudent course of action to take at this time. The current cost for operation of our current buildings is around $1.70 per square foot. New schools similar to ours are operating for less than half of that. So we go from four inefficient schools to one very efficient school and our operating levy lasts that much longer.</i></span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><br />
</span></span>Bob Rhoadeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09376093275707492230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005567073213037078.post-75323756830352387992011-08-18T23:43:00.000-04:002011-08-18T23:43:20.769-04:00Publications Group<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Citizens<span> </span>for Quality Greenville Schools has met for an organizational meeting and many sub groups are busy working on different parts of the campaign to get the money to build a new school. The Publications Group will handle everything that has to do with promoting the levy. <br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">That committee met tonight and subgroups went to work on various parts of that groups areas. People are working news releases, adds for the fair as well as information for hand outs and presentations. Meetings are being scheduled for local voters so that there are no questions unanswered. Look for more information right here very soon. </span>Bob Rhoadeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09376093275707492230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005567073213037078.post-62439250838100749462011-08-11T11:50:00.000-04:002011-08-11T11:50:54.063-04:00August 11, a Big Day for GSDThis evening there will be a meeting to introduce the school levy campaign to people who are interested in helping with the campaign. The information given out tonight will only pertain to what the campaign will consist of, how the campaign will be run and what it will consist of. Anyone who is interested in the campaign and wants to help should be at Memorial hall at 7. <i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"> Hope to see your there.</span></b></i>Bob Rhoadeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09376093275707492230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005567073213037078.post-82780699783404153352011-07-27T23:20:00.000-04:002011-07-27T23:20:25.223-04:00We're on Our WayAn organizational meeting was held in the Anna Bier Room of Memorial Hall today for the committee that will guide the district through the election process to acquire the money necessary for a new school. The meeting was well attended and people volunteered for assignments in areas that they felt comfortable in. This will all lead to an eventual development of informational presentations that will be presented throughout the district. Watch here for more info as the process continues.Bob Rhoadeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09376093275707492230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005567073213037078.post-201324038413233902011-07-20T13:46:00.002-04:002011-07-23T22:12:42.757-04:00Was anyone really mad at the BOE/The firing of the coaches by the City School Board caused an eruption of sentiment that ranged from support, to get rid of all of them. I wrote on <a href="http://www.countynewsonline.org/opinion/2011/jul/anyone-really-mad.html" target="_blank">Countynewsonline.org</a> after it happened and offered a couple of solutions for the problem of dealing with this board. There was a recall petition of all of the board. That is a simple matter; all it takes is identifying the act that would warrant the recall, (which might be a problem) getting the petition signed by the correct number of people and then having it placed on the ballot. I haven’t heard of THAT happening yet.. <br />
Then I mentioned taking out a petition and gathering the correct amount of signatures to get your name placed on the ballot to actually run against these people that no one seems to like. I don’t think that’s happened yet. I also made mention that if we the people got rid of them, their names wouldn’t be on the brass plaque in the hall way of the new school. That would fix them! (OUCH!) <br />
One of the board members questioned me on my motives for offering these suggestions, especially the first one and the last one. Well you see, I’ve watched things here for a long time. Previously some people would write letters to the editor where they had to sign their name. Now with chat boxes on two local web pages, there exists the ability to publish in print ones likes and dislikes without ever identifying one’s self. My suggestions were met exactly how I figured they’d be met. Absolutely nothing happened and they are still talking today. <br />
If anything, some of the biggest complainers stopped complaining. That’s probably a good thing. What it says is that a lot of people complain for an opportunity to vent. They have no intention of actually doing anything about the problem, if in fact one actually exists. There was obviously some sort of problem with the coaches in question and perhaps we just don’t need to drag them through the mud any more than has already been done. Perhaps we don’t really need to know why they were fired. By the same token, the board making decisions with an empty gallery at most board meetings doesn’t say a whole lot about the rest of the people living in the district. That’s probably the place to do your complaining, before the fact, not after. <br />
So since the board isn’t getting impeached and no one is running against them, that part is over with. Now to the task at hand. <br />
We need to do something about our antique school buildings. We have five of them. They range in age from 100 years old to 50 years old. The 50 year old one is still acceptable mostly because of construction practices that were used in the 1960’s when it was built. The rest of the buildings are falling apart. That isn’t because they’ve not been taken care of, it’s because you can only fix things so many times, and these buildings are at their limit. <br />
The energy inefficiency is only a part of the problem of the high cost to run these buildings. The roofs leak, the pipes leak, the pipes are buried in the floors, the electrical panels are obsolete and on and on. in May we had the good foresight to pass an operating levy to keep the district going. That was a good thing. A new building that will operate at half the cost of the old ones will guarantee that the operating levy will serve us well for a long time. Now we have an opportunity to have the State of Ohio share in the cost of a new energy efficient building and even pay for the dismantling of the old buildings. If we keep the situation the way it is, we are just throwing good operating money after bad situations. <br />
Joe Payne was correct in his recent article, just because one thinks that the board made a mistake on the coaches doesn’t give the rest of us the right to make a mistake on funding a new school. The last generation of people to have had to worry about a new school is almost extinct. Let’s don’t try to compare apples and oranges anymore. The new school is a separate issue and needs the attention of all of us to get all of the facts and make an intelligent decision on voting day.<br />
Traditionally about 30% of the 15,374 registered voters in the Greenville City School District vote on issues. In May when the operating levy was on the ballot 20% of the 15,000 people voted. So much for complaining where it really counts.Bob Rhoadeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09376093275707492230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005567073213037078.post-32000305182118843772011-07-04T17:37:00.000-04:002011-07-04T17:37:39.123-04:00Next Step Coming SoonThe next step in getting a new school is to educate everyone in the district. You all need to know what is happening, how the new building will be paid for and everything about it. This will be done by a series of presentations throughout the district. In these presentations local people will talk to their neighbors about the process, what the school will look like and why the design was chosen. The presentations will be developed soon and we are looking for volunteers to help with all parts of the project. If you are interested in helping on any part of the project, send an email to greenvilleschoolcommitte@live.com and someone will contact you.Bob Rhoadeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09376093275707492230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005567073213037078.post-23118784533949874852011-06-08T07:51:00.000-04:002011-06-08T07:51:23.210-04:00What's nextWe have gotten through the development phase of deciding what new school building should be built and the committee chose a K-8 building. Now comes the hard part. Funding this building. Funding will come from a new school levy for 60% of the money. Forty percent will come from the State of Ohio funding. This "campaign" will be starting soon and will include informational sessions with any group who wants to know what is going on. Information will be posted on this blog as well as the Advocate, Darke Journal, County News Online, Wave 96 and hopefully the Early Bird. This will be good, correct information and hopefully will only have to be done one time. More soon.Bob Rhoadeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09376093275707492230noreply@blogger.com0Greenville, OH 45331, USA40.1028264 -84.63301150000000940.070164899999995 -84.665889 40.1354879 -84.600134000000011tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005567073213037078.post-29732774840534041702011-05-19T15:23:00.002-04:002011-05-19T15:28:03.484-04:00Good Info on the Schools Project<div align="center">As we move through the process of selecting a building to build and ways to promote it and pay for it, there will always be different opinions, different interpretations and in general, different ways of looking at the issue. This blog will always try to provide current information about the meetings and new issues that pop up. Darke Journal has an excellent page right now <a href="http://www.blogger.com/(http://www.darkejournal.com/2011/05/additional-information-and-thoughts.html#comment-form)">(Link to DJ)</a> which address the issue as well as the Daily Advocate. Wave 96 has committed to keeping everyone abreast on the situation. Best of all people have started reading the information and asking good, intelligent, constructive questions. Hopefully this will continue. As time goes on, the committee will get information a little more coordinated, but make sure to check all the sources all the time.</div>Bob Rhoadeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09376093275707492230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005567073213037078.post-46457786577591739602011-05-18T13:46:00.002-04:002011-05-18T13:51:42.693-04:00Greenville Schools Facility Meeting 5/17/2011The Greenville Schools Facility Meeting was held on Tuesday evening in the Anna Bier room of Memorial Hall with 31 people present from all over the district. There was an enormous amount of discussion on all issues but only two things to vote on:<br />
<ol><li> Which building plan to go with ?</li>
<li>Should we put a bond levy on the ballot in November?</li>
</ol>The first question was pretty easy. Almost everyone voted for Plan B. this is the K-8 building that we looked at last week and can be seen here. <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_EK3TPMN9LMI/TdQF3_lWlPI/AAAAAAAAA4I/_yuS0gqRGGI/s1600-h/New%20K-8%20new%20site%5B4%5D.png"><img align="left" alt="New K-8 new site" border="0" height="405" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_EK3TPMN9LMI/TdQF7jQUhMI/AAAAAAAAA4M/hCosT9B0X1w/New%20K-8%20new%20site_thumb%5B2%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; float: left; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="New K-8 new site" width="313" /></a> There will be further information forthcoming on this plan.<br />
This plan allows the district to build one building for K-8 as well as begin the refurbishing process on the existing high school. The existing high school is the only building in the district that complies with current Ohio School Standards. As shown here the building consists basically of two wings one for the lower grades and one for the upper grades housed on two floors. The athletic fields are not in the plan now but are on the drawing to show how things will fit and these can be developed later. Busses will be able to pick up and drop off students in two areas thus eliminating the comingling of older with younger students.<br />
The number 2 question was so easy. Should the Board of Education put this to a vote in the November election. There were some outside factors. First there is a bill in the legislature that may eliminate special elections, limiting then number of times the issue could be put on the ballot. The other point of contention is that the Greenville Library is also asking for money on that election. Unfortunately, it will be listed as “”Greenville Schools Library” which could put a damper on the actual school issue. At any rate, the number 2 question passed so it will be on the November ballot if the board chooses to put it there.<br />
All of this will be presented to the Board of Education at the May 24th meeting. It will then be up to them to move forward. This has all been a very positive experience for everyone involved. It has allowed a lot of people from all over the district to have input, understand what is going on and take things back to their neighbors. Feedback has been mostly positive. Now comes the job of educating everyone in the district on the project. <br />
To keep things in perspective, this year marks the 100th birthday of the South School. No one is around who built it to celebrate. Let’s hope that is true of the new building in 100 years.<br />
More later on funding, the campaign and other issues of building a new building.Bob Rhoadeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09376093275707492230noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005567073213037078.post-86845236190773486232011-05-15T19:06:00.000-04:002011-05-15T19:06:21.482-04:00NOTE:Numbers on each rendition of a building for the state participation and the GCSD won't add up to the total. This is because of Locally Funded Initiatives (LFi's). LFI's are additions to the project that we have felt were needed and the state won't help fund. This isn't to say that they will always be on the budget per say but were needed in the proposal to keep the funding sources straight. As things go on, they may be removed or be allowed or simply kept in place. Some will also be phased in. Coming soon, a list of LFI's for you to consider.Bob Rhoadeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09376093275707492230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005567073213037078.post-76802309442997318222011-04-23T14:00:00.004-04:002011-05-03T22:59:43.650-04:00Greenville School Facilities Meeting<div align="left">After the Greenville City School Board Meeting this past week, the School Facilities Committee met in the Anna Bier Room of Memorial Hall. As always it is good to see the excellent turnout of citizens representing the whole district. Members of the committee were invited from every precinct in the district and it is well represented.</div><div align="left">As always the Architectural –Engineer Firm of Garmann and Miller of Minster gave this month’s presentation for the committee to consider. This month we were able to see the architect's rendering of three different ways a new school could be configured.</div><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size: large;">Option A</span></strong></div><div align="left">The first option to be considered would be to build a new Elementary and a new Middle School on the N. Ohio Street Property. The estimated cost to Greenville City School District would be $26,503,000 with the state of Ohio picking up $17,668,000. This is a 60/40 split and comes from the Ohio Schools Facilities Commission (OSFC). Total cost for this project is $48,434,000. In all cases, once we decide on the direction to go we have one year to guarantee the money with a 1 time school facility levy. The OSFC money includes money for demolition of existing facilities. This building proposal would house Grades K-4 in one building and 5-8 in the second. The Architects rendering looks like this.</div><div align="center"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_EK3TPMN9LMI/TbMTSORa_TI/AAAAAAAAA24/kSMBvpg799s/s1600-h/ES%20and%20MS%20on%20new%20site%5B14%5D.png"><img alt="ES and MS on new site" border="0" height="575" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_EK3TPMN9LMI/TbMTYHEkQHI/AAAAAAAAA28/GX2r8ZT7174/ES%20and%20MS%20on%20new%20site_thumb%5B12%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px currentColor; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="ES and MS on new site" width="465" /></a></div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div align="center">(Click on Pictures for a larger view)</div>These buildings would sit on he N. Ohio St. Property. The athletic complex would not be built when the school is done but perhaps down the road as conditions warrant.<br />
<div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size: large;">Option B</span></strong></div><div align="center">The second choice would be a single building on the N. Ohio St. property to house all primary grades, K-8 in one facilities. This type of building has been built in numerous cities and villages in our area and has worked well. It looks like this.</div><div align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_EK3TPMN9LMI/TbMTgMg5LdI/AAAAAAAAA3A/ATjgSHOxfmY/s1600-h/New%20K-8%20new%20site%5B5%5D.png"><img alt="New K-8 new site" border="0" height="605" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_EK3TPMN9LMI/TbMTmfvkvLI/AAAAAAAAA3E/z8m_IhccDAc/New%20K-8%20new%20site_thumb%5B3%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px currentColor; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="New K-8 new site" width="467" /></a></div><div align="left">This option seemed to be the one that made the most sense to the committee with the District’s share being $27,779,000 and the State share at $18,519,000 but a total cost of $44,379,000.</div><div align="center"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Option C</strong></span></div><div align="left">This Option would give us a new high school on the N. Ohio St. Property and renovate the existing High School for Elementary use. It would look like this.</div><div align="left"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_EK3TPMN9LMI/TbMTuozHPpI/AAAAAAAAA3I/Q4N1zOdx_vI/s1600-h/Greenville%20HS%20on%20a%20new%20site%5B9%5D.png"><img alt="Greenville HS on a new site" border="0" height="590" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_EK3TPMN9LMI/TbMT0mXnXgI/AAAAAAAAA3M/D1QMase0XDQ/Greenville%20HS%20on%20a%20new%20site_thumb%5B5%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px currentColor; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Greenville HS on a new site" width="477" /></a></div><div align="left">In all cases the athletic fields would not be built when the school was constructed. The committee looked at all of the issues and felt that Option B was the best route to go because it was less facility, put all elementary students in the same place, needed fewer administrators and provided a very workable situation if in the future it ever needed to be added onto. Cost for this facility would be $52,729,000, with our cost being $31,593,000 and the state $21,060,000.</div><div align="left">The OSFC’s study of the Greenville School System shows only one building, the present Senior High School, as having qualities that would allow it to be renovated for future use. The other buildings, South, East and Woodland have problems with heating (old boilers and piping), lots of asbestos, lack of insulation, old wiring and distribution panels, leaking piping as well as some lead piping. The current high school opened in the fall of 1962 with the first class graduating in 1963. Although it has some problems, because of the era in which it was built it is more conducive to renovation.</div><div align="left">The total price on all of the facilities includes money for demolition and some locally funded initiatives (LFI’s). These are things that the state won’t fund but are needed to enhance the education of the students. The OSFC will be adjusting all costs in May of this year so at the next meeting we should have definitive answers for total costs. Garmann and Miller have an excellent track record dealing with the OSFC and dealing with the numerous ways this money can be spent.</div><div align="left">The major consideration on all of these proposals is the operation of the buildings. At the present time the operation of our existing buildings ranges from $1.50 to $1.90 square foot. Records show that buildings recently built by Garmann and Miller are operating between 60 and 90 cents a foot. This is a significant savings for operations and will pretty much guarantee that our operating levies now in place will stay as they are in the foreseeable future. This is happening because of new technologies in heating, lighting, building components, insulation and construction standards.</div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left"><strong><span style="font-size: large;"></span></strong></div>Bob Rhoadeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09376093275707492230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005567073213037078.post-71247473089545283362011-03-23T21:22:00.002-04:002011-05-06T17:55:41.819-04:00Classrooms Facilities Assistance Program<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The second meeting of the Greenville City School’s Classrooms Facilities Assistance Program committee met at Woodland Heights school Tuesday evening. The meeting was very well attended and began immediately after the regular School Board Meeting. Hopefully the good attendance means that we are headed in the right direction.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Garman/Miller Architects -Engineers of Minster facilitated the meeting. They have vast experience in the field of building schools and a complete working knowledge of the Ohio Schools Facilities Commission’s Classroom Facilities Assistance Program (CFAP). This program will provide much of the funding for building new classroom space in the Greenville City School District. There are a number of options on the table and these were brought about by an assessment of all of our schools. This assessment revealed that only the High School was a candidate for rehabilitation. This was brought out at the first meeting and committee members have spent much time in the interim taking tours of schools in our district as well as new schools in other districts. On average, it costs $1.70 per sq. ft. to operate a school building. The new buildings that were toured can be operated for 70 cents per sq. ft because of energy saving design and new technology in heating and cooling, electrical and appliances.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The school board has a number of building configurations to choose from. One of the products of the committee’s deliberations is to assist the BOE in making this decision. By May of 2011, a decision must be made on which Master Plan will be used to guarantee the State’s offer of funding. If the decision is YES then there will be a one year window to secure a bond issue to fund the school. The first opportunity for the bond levy will be the November 2011 election.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The next meeting will be held after the April 19th board meeting where we will look at options and decide which option to go with.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Garaman/Miller used a voting program where all participants at the meeting were able to vote on the various options. Since most people attending had also taken tours of the districts buildings, the first vote on whether we needed new buildings showed that 95% strongly agreed and 5% somewhat agreed that there was a significant problem. The Ohio Schools Facility Commission will provide a maximum of $26,312,000 to complete this project. Greenville’s portion will be $67,237,000.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The next question that needed an answer was did the committee feel that we should move ahead by taking the OSFC offer of $26,000,000 and build to an approved Master Plan. Meeting attendees voted 100% to take the offer. This means that at some point the bond levy will be placed on the ballot for all voters in the district to approve.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There are a number of Master Plan options to be considered and these consist of how the voters want the buildings configured such as to build a new K-8 and renovate the high school or renovate the high school for K-8 and build a new high school. In all there were 8 different options and a lot of discussion.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The next question was probably the hardest and that was whether the committee felt that a bond levy can be passed. This was the vote of the evening with the widest areas of disagreement. In all most people felt that it would be good to do the project as a segmented project. This means that state money would be guaranteed and that we would be able to start the project and complete the whole thing as we can. It allows us the most flexibility. As a segmented project we needed to decide which buildings need the most help the soonest. Unfortunately this is a hard question and the vote on this was widely separated. The options were K-5, 6-8 or 9-12 with a career technology center. All of the elementary buildings are in dire need as was evidenced in the tours that we took. All have significant boiler problems. Woodland has major leaks in the steam piping which have been patched over and over. It also has asbestos laden ceiling in all rooms and hallways except the gym. Additionally it is on well water which must be treated and has it’s own sewage plant.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">None of the buildings have fire protection and only a couple are tied into a central station alarm. South, East and the Jr. High have electrical panels which are no longer in production meaning that if a breaker goes bad, it cannot be replaced. The list is endless.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What will happen now is that Garmann/Miller will take the information that we gave them and come up with more refinement on the options that we gave them. This will give more detailed costs and be available for the next meeting.</span>Bob Rhoadeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09376093275707492230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005567073213037078.post-58258437201342094052011-02-15T09:30:00.000-05:002011-02-15T09:30:05.444-05:00Good News From Greenville SchoolsTonight, the Greenville City Schools will convene the first meeting a group to help guide further input on the school building situation. The BOE has published their intention to participate in the Ohio Schools Facilities Commission's Classroom Facilities Assistance Program. To gather input, they are requesting input from a cross section of the district representing all of the precincts which vote on GCS issues. This is a definite step in the right direction. This meeting will be held at the South School. There will be three other meetings in the following months.Bob Rhoadeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09376093275707492230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005567073213037078.post-3697888808080746102010-11-02T13:51:00.002-04:002010-11-02T14:08:54.211-04:002009-2010 School Report CardEvery October the Ohio Graduation Test is given and soon we will see the results of that test. In the meantime, here is the 2009-2010 report card for the entire district. While we have an Effective District, we are still below the average in most areas. To see the results of the entire district's report card, go <a href="http://www.ode.state.oh.us/reportcardfiles/2009-2010/DIST/044099.pdf">HERE</a> Here is a quick look at the results. Keep in mind that the state requirement is <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><b>75%. Cells in RED are below the state requirements. Numbers in the right column in red are below similiar district average.</b></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_EK3TPMN9LMI/TNBTRqMW6HI/AAAAAAAAAX8/cV4iznYcp_U/s1600/test+scores.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_EK3TPMN9LMI/TNBTRqMW6HI/AAAAAAAAAX8/cV4iznYcp_U/s1600/test+scores.png" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><b><br />
</b></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Bob Rhoadeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09376093275707492230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005567073213037078.post-49059504113053134862010-10-20T09:18:00.002-04:002010-10-20T09:26:28.340-04:00Taming the elephantThe installation of Joe Payne as the new GSD board member brings some interesting questions. First will he be able to tame the pink elephant that is still in the middle of the room. Second, the board, which is aware of the elephant in the middle of the room, once again shot themselves in the foot by not appointing an applicant from the Gettysburg area who applied for the position. The board seems to be hesitant to involve themselves with anyone who doesn't fit a particular mold that they have unofficially established.<br />
In the meantime, the Ohio Graduation Test scores loom large over our heads with this years results soon to be published. Will we once again finish last against all schools in a 25 mile radius? And what about passing a bond levy? Maybe a board member from the Gettysburg area would have done just a little to bring those folks on board. Guess we'll never know about that, will we.<br />
Bottom line is something has to happen. Hopefully Joe Payne is a sleeper. Hopefully Joe Payne will be able to ask the hard questions and not let up until he gets an answer. Hopefully Joe Payne has a little hell's fire and brimstone he can throw out during a meeting to get us off of dead center.<br />
Congratulations Joe Payne, you certainly have your work cut out for you. Let's hope that the Big Pink Elephant in the middle of the room doesn't get any bigger.Bob Rhoadeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09376093275707492230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005567073213037078.post-40502596883746262792010-09-28T17:10:00.001-04:002010-09-28T17:14:43.812-04:00The Big Pink ElephantIt appears that there is a big pink elephant in the middle of the room and no one wants to talk about it. Before the last election a lot of people did a lot of campaigning for and against a levy for a new school. I don't know if any of them looked at the real facts. This blog has unearthed a lot of cold, hard facts. Numbers usually don't lie, especially when they can be backed up with facts. In this case the research that I did came from the Board of<br />
Elections and the Ohio Department of Education. <br />
These facts show very plainly that people within the city limits of Greenville pretty much support the schools and with only a couple of exceptions, everyone else whom we've invited into the system in years past doesn't support the schools at all. It's right there in black and white. No one has said a word about it.<br />
A comparison of Greenville Schools Sophomore classes taking the Ohio Graduation Test with schools within 25 miles of Greenville shows that we consistently come in behind everyone else. Those figures weren't made up, they're the State of Ohio figures, not just last year but for the last 4 years.<br />
Well as this elephant gets bigger, you got to wonder if all those people outside Greenville knew this and not voting was there way of complaining about low test scores and the people in the city just didn't care or what. More than likely nobody ever looked at the stats before. The counter on this blog was reset at 500 hits and it now has over 700 so it's pretty obvious that at least 700 people know what the statistics are now and yet the elephant still stands there. No one has said a word<br />
It's sort of embarrassing that the levy went down as many times as it has. It's even more embarrassing that our kids are graduating and the figures show that they only comprehend about 75% of what they were taught. Why is that? In 20 years those same kids will be wondering where all the elephants came from!Bob Rhoadeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09376093275707492230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005567073213037078.post-36568714341448806052010-09-19T16:17:00.002-04:002010-09-28T16:51:11.800-04:00Four year comparison of the State Proficiency test<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">This chart is a comparison of four years of Proficiency test results. Please note in each area of study what the state average is.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_EK3TPMN9LMI/TJZk-c-9A_I/AAAAAAAAASw/WPxKOjt6J7I/s1600/4+year+comparison+of+proficiency.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_EK3TPMN9LMI/TJZk-c-9A_I/AAAAAAAAASw/WPxKOjt6J7I/s640/4+year+comparison+of+proficiency.jpg" width="491" /></a></div><br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;">In Math the state average is 81%, in Greenville it is 77%, 16 points below average.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;">In Writing the state average is 90%, in Greenville it is 83%, 7% below average.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;">In Science the state average is 76%, in Greenville it is 68%, 8% below average.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;">In Social Studies the state average is 82%, in Greenville it is 74%, 8% below average.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;">In Reading the state average is 85%, in Greenville it is 72%,13% below average.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;">These figures tell us that our kids can't read, although they can write which is sort of odd%. While 76% of the kids statewide understand science and what makes the world go around, our kids haven't a clue at 68% and so on. Wonder if a new school would fix this?</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_EK3TPMN9LMI/TJZo45onnbI/AAAAAAAAAS4/8wFs-Qysw3I/s1600/Ansonia+comparison..jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_EK3TPMN9LMI/TJZo45onnbI/AAAAAAAAAS4/8wFs-Qysw3I/s1600/Ansonia+comparison..jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_EK3TPMN9LMI/TJZo45onnbI/AAAAAAAAAS4/8wFs-Qysw3I/s1600/Ansonia+comparison..jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_EK3TPMN9LMI/TJZo45onnbI/AAAAAAAAAS4/8wFs-Qysw3I/s1600/Ansonia+comparison..jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_EK3TPMN9LMI/TJZo45onnbI/AAAAAAAAAS4/8wFs-Qysw3I/s1600/Ansonia+comparison..jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_EK3TPMN9LMI/TJZo45onnbI/AAAAAAAAAS4/8wFs-Qysw3I/s1600/Ansonia+comparison..jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_EK3TPMN9LMI/TJZo45onnbI/AAAAAAAAAS4/8wFs-Qysw3I/s1600/Ansonia+comparison..jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div>Bob Rhoadeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09376093275707492230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005567073213037078.post-62973170390576389242010-09-17T15:44:00.000-04:002010-09-17T15:44:49.102-04:00The Carnegie Library and Henry St. Clair Memorial HallRecently someone asked the question " who actually owns Memorial Hall"? A little searching yielded a lot of information. The best information was found on Wikipedia. I've edited it here and added a couple of bits of information. Hope this answers the question.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="border-bottom: solid #AAAAAA 1.0pt; border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid #AAAAAA .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0in 0in 2.0pt 0in;"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin-bottom: .1in; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid #AAAAAA .75pt; mso-line-height-alt: 14.25pt; mso-outline-level: 2; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 2.0pt 0in; padding: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Here is the straight scoop on Memorial Hall and the Library<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin-bottom: .1in; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid #AAAAAA .75pt; mso-line-height-alt: 14.25pt; mso-outline-level: 2; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 2.0pt 0in; padding: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 24px;">Soon after F. Gillum Cromer became the superintendent of the <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc2200;">Greenville City Schools</span> in 1888, he began to plan for the creation of a library for the city's students. Financing for the library was largely dependent on the children of the city, who performed entertainments on <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0645ad;">Washington's Birthday</span>; the monies earned were used to pay for the books and for the upkeep of the library system. As the library increased in size, it was decided to expand it and to open it to members of the public. From 1892 to 1901, the library was housed in the basement of a store on Fifth Street.<sup><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnegie_Library_and_Henry_St._Clair_Memorial_Hall#cite_note-wilson-1"><span style="color: #0645ad;">[2]</span></a>:373, 374</sup></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin-bottom: .1in; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid #AAAAAA .75pt; mso-line-height-alt: 14.25pt; mso-outline-level: 2; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 2.0pt 0in; padding: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 24px;"><sup></sup></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">Construction </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 24px;">In the spring of 1901, the city's board of education petitioned <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0645ad;">Andrew Carnegie</span> to donate money for the expansion of the library. In response, Carnegie offered $15,000 on the condition that the city pledge $1,500 annually for its support. After examining the library system in<u> </u><span style="color: #0645ad;">Pittsburgh</span><u> </u>and consulting its head librarian, the board requested $25,000 and pledged $2,500 annually; Carnegie accepted this offer<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;"> </span></span> After the board accepted bids on plans, the members discovered that the desired structure would cost nearly $30,000 and ordered a revision of the plans; however, when this news reached prominent local businessman Henry St. Clair, he requested that the revision be cancelled and pledged sufficient funds for the building as originally planned.<sup><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnegie_Library_and_Henry_St._Clair_Memorial_Hall#cite_note-wilson-1"><span style="color: #0645ad;">[2]</span></a>:375</sup> St. Clair's wish having been granted, the library's <span style="color: #0645ad;">cornerstone</span> was laid on October 30, 1901, and construction was completed on March 19, 1903;<sup><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnegie_Library_and_Henry_St._Clair_Memorial_Hall#cite_note-wilson-1"><span style="color: #0645ad;">[</span></a></sup>the structure had cost $31,177.50.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin-bottom: .1in; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid #AAAAAA .75pt; mso-line-height-alt: 14.25pt; mso-outline-level: 2; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 2.0pt 0in; padding: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">Memorial Hall </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 24px;">Following Henry's St. Clair's death on October 7, 1908, the city benefited greatly from his <span style="color: #0645ad;">will</span> — <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">$100,000 was to be given to the city's board of education for the erection and maintenance of an assembly hall for the use of the city schools</span></b>. Board members soon voted to build this hall adjacent to the Carnegie library; as the 1868 <span style="color: #0645ad;">high school</span> already occupied this location, the entire building was <span style="color: #0645ad;">moved</span> a short distance to the south in the summer of 1909. Excavation for the new assembly hall commenced in the spring of 1910, and the cornerstone was laid on June 30. Large crowds attended the laying ceremony; and members of the leading families of <span style="color: #0645ad;">Darke County</span> provided patriotic music.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 24px;">After a long period of construction, the building was dedicated on May 3, 1912 and given the name of "Henry St. Clair Memorial Hall." While the construction of the hall and the removal of the high school had cost $135,000, the board of education was not left impoverished; St. Clair's widow compensated the board for the extra expenses. The finished structure, built of brick and stone in a manner similar to the library, featured a large <span style="color: #0645ad;">auditorium</span> and a range of classrooms for the city's students</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin-bottom: .1in; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid #AAAAAA .75pt; mso-line-height-alt: 14.25pt; mso-outline-level: 2; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 2.0pt 0in; padding: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 24px;">Thanks to Wikipedia for the information.</span></div></div>Bob Rhoadeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09376093275707492230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005567073213037078.post-71697672617416880192010-09-17T11:39:00.000-04:002010-09-17T11:39:30.641-04:00From the Columbus Dispatch...........<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Ohio Education Association (OEA) which represents about 80% of Ohio's teachers has a labor problem of it's own. The negotiators who work for the association are on strike. The 110 striking workers are members of the </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">OEA's <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Professional Staff Union. Their average salary was </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; line-height: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">average salary of $111,350 in 2009</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 17px;">. This is about $10,000 more than the average school superintendent in Ohio. You can read the whole story by going <a href="http://www.dispatchpolitics.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/09/02/copy/teachers-union-has-labor-trouble.html?adsec=politics&sid=101">HERE</a></span>Bob Rhoadeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09376093275707492230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005567073213037078.post-54735149174150165062010-09-14T15:22:00.003-04:002011-05-06T10:37:19.660-04:00A comparison of schools within 25 miles of Greenville - The Ohio Graduation Test<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Ohio Graduation Test (OGT) is a test mandated by the state of Ohio and given to all sophomores each school year. The chart below shows all schools within a 25 mile radius of Greenville. It does not include private or parochial schools as they are not mandated to report. This particular version was sorted by the Science Scores. Click on the chart to enlarge for better reading.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_EK3TPMN9LMI/TI_JvFyf6CI/AAAAAAAAARE/vacbgy-oJQY/s1600/OGT+TEST+SCORES+W-I+25+MI..jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="465" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_EK3TPMN9LMI/TI_JvFyf6CI/AAAAAAAAARE/vacbgy-oJQY/s640/OGT+TEST+SCORES+W-I+25+MI..jpg" width="640" /></a></div>Bob Rhoadeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09376093275707492230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005567073213037078.post-35921769711056847272010-09-14T09:58:00.010-04:002011-05-06T10:38:41.847-04:00Some Statistics About GCSD<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here are some different statistics about the Greenville City School District and the people living here. Click on the link for more </span><a href="http://www.greatschools.org/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">HERE</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">. Click on any chart to enlarge for better reading.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is a comparison of high schools in Darke County in the Great Schools Ratings</span>. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;">I</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">n calculating these ratings, GreatSchools analyzed the 2008-2009 Ohio Achievement Test (OAT) and the Ohio Graduation Test (OGT) reading, writing, math, science and social studies results for the school and compared them to the test results for all Ohio schools with the same grade levels.</span></span></div><div style="color: #666666; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If there are no GreatSchools Ratings for a school, the school's test results were either not reported or incomplete. The different student groups are identified by the Ohio Department of Education; if there are fewer than 10 students in a particular group in a school, data is not reported for that group.</span></div><div style="color: #666666; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Keep in mind that when comparing schools using GreatSchools Ratings, it's important to factor in other information, including the quality of each school's teachers, the school culture, special programs, etc.</span></div><div style="color: #666666; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">GreatSchools Ratings cannot be compared across states, because of differences in the states' standardized testing programs.</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_EK3TPMN9LMI/TI_QWaCI5BI/AAAAAAAAARM/Lc-5pyFiTwM/s1600/darke+schools+great+school+rating..jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="316" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_EK3TPMN9LMI/TI_QWaCI5BI/AAAAAAAAARM/Lc-5pyFiTwM/s640/darke+schools+great+school+rating..jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The chart above shows the standings of all county schools in the Great Schools.org standings.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_EK3TPMN9LMI/TI_RWpWoo_I/AAAAAAAAARU/ekVJTDhQpgk/s1600/Our+schools+sorted+by+reading.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="318" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_EK3TPMN9LMI/TI_RWpWoo_I/AAAAAAAAARU/ekVJTDhQpgk/s640/Our+schools+sorted+by+reading.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Above is a sort of all county schools sorted by OGT reading scores.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_EK3TPMN9LMI/TI_SP61Uo9I/AAAAAAAAARc/7yQTUjuBLIE/s1600/ogt+math.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="318" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_EK3TPMN9LMI/TI_SP61Uo9I/AAAAAAAAARc/7yQTUjuBLIE/s640/ogt+math.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Above is a sort of the OGT by the Math Scores.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_EK3TPMN9LMI/TI_S-0mGD_I/AAAAAAAAARk/_Iwc2lruKrU/s1600/ogt+reading.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="314" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_EK3TPMN9LMI/TI_S-0mGD_I/AAAAAAAAARk/_Iwc2lruKrU/s640/ogt+reading.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Above compares the OGT Reading Scores.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_EK3TPMN9LMI/TI_TfbHY9wI/AAAAAAAAARs/gqjt2-mIl0k/s1600/ogt+science.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="316" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_EK3TPMN9LMI/TI_TfbHY9wI/AAAAAAAAARs/gqjt2-mIl0k/s640/ogt+science.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The chart above shows the OGT stats for Science</span>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_EK3TPMN9LMI/TI-HMtsV-gI/AAAAAAAAAQE/vZoy0PcgGMA/s1600/about+Test+scores.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_EK3TPMN9LMI/TI-HMtsV-gI/AAAAAAAAAQE/vZoy0PcgGMA/s400/about+Test+scores.jpg" width="353" /></a></div><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_EK3TPMN9LMI/TI-qUXmbFPI/AAAAAAAAAQ8/79ulAkeqDlo/s1600/graduation+rates.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="216" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_EK3TPMN9LMI/TI-qUXmbFPI/AAAAAAAAAQ8/79ulAkeqDlo/s400/graduation+rates.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the graduation rates for the area schools listed above.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If you want to learn more about the <a href="http://www.greatschools.org/students/local-facts-resources/testing-in-OH.gs?content=416">Ohio Graduation Test Scores, Click Here.</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> SOURCE: www.greatscools.org</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is a comparison of teachers in all Darke County Schools.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_EK3TPMN9LMI/TI_XDYccX_I/AAAAAAAAAR0/0w0g0aC7m40/s1600/Teacher+info.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="312" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_EK3TPMN9LMI/TI_XDYccX_I/AAAAAAAAAR0/0w0g0aC7m40/s640/Teacher+info.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>Bob Rhoadeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09376093275707492230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005567073213037078.post-65078694423018776512010-08-29T19:22:00.000-04:002010-08-29T19:22:10.338-04:00Are you thinking about buying your student a smart phone?<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Better read this article first. Some "buy's" aren't always as good as they look. Check it out right </span><a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38495612"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">HERE</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">.</span></span>Bob Rhoadeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09376093275707492230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005567073213037078.post-61631803706029945832010-08-24T22:05:00.000-04:002010-08-24T22:05:40.492-04:00Other PagesIf you have visited here before and return to find something, make sure that you check the other pages buttons at the top of the page. I'll be moving some things over to a new page soon to make room for other things.Bob Rhoadeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09376093275707492230noreply@blogger.com0