Added responses to the April 9 article

Upon completing the list of comments from the April 9th article titled "Northeastern offers revamped building plan", written by Megan Gildow, I noticed there were a few more that needed to be addressed.



"Isn't Northridge School only 15 years older than KR? Northridge is in terrible shape. Won't we need to replace the original part of KR before this bond issue is paid off?
just wondering
7:08 PM, 4/9/2010"


just wondering: thank you for your comment. Fact is Northridge was built the same time South Vienna was built and on the same building plan. It was built in 1961 (I know because I was in the first class at South Vienna). So I guess I just "dated" me. Kenton Ridge was built in 1975, 14 years later. Now to answer your question, yes. Schools built in the 50's, 60's and 70's were built to last about 30 years. Actually, with the rapid growth in technology I wonder about what will be needed within 10 years. Kenton Ridge will be 64 years old when this bond issue, if passed, expires.



"Not sure about variable interest rates. There wasn't mention of that at the meeting. I'm sure though Mr. Kadel could answer that question on his blog
http://nelsdschoolboardtruth.blogsp...

There was brief mention about possibly getting low interest loans through the federal stimulus package but no guarantee we could get it, but it seemed the school board was investigating those opportunities.
JC
8:36 PM, 4/9/2010
REPORT ABUSE
where did you get your information regarding variable rate? was it mentioned in a meeting? i don't see it in this article, wondering where the info originated?
variable rate?
7:49 PM, 4/9/2010
REPORT ABUSE
Interesting fact about variable rates. In today's market, the interest rates really only have 1 direction to go and that's up. This does mean that the cost only has one way to go also and that's up. Why hasn't anyone brought this up before? Does anyone have a true handle on the actual costs or isn't that a concern? I can't see how anyone can make a purchase and hope that somehow things will work themselves out. Can anyone answer this?
Actual Costs
7:36 PM, 4/9/2010"



to the "variable rate" issue comments: as stated in a previous post, I will be looking into this issue and have a separate post. It is one that I know very little about, however, between our District Treasurer and Bond Council, I can respond to you and learn something more myself.

There was a comment made about some opportunities for some interest free money from the state and federal government, however, there was no guarantee of this money and therefore should not be anticipated. Rest assured we are looking into the opportunity and will do whatever is needed to get it. We do know that Ohio is no longer in the running for the RACE TO THE TOP (RTTP) funding from the federal government. Our district was among those in the state that did participate. There were some districts which did not.



"Seriously? Ok, so first they told us it could not go back on the ballot(lie), then they told us that you had to tear down bldgs and re-build(lie)then to top it all off they paid a PR person $40K per year to get the levy passed(FAILURE) then after failing twice instead of letting the PR lady go...... they hire her on full time as the PR/Wellness Coord. Who promotes and hires failures? Now they want us to trust them with millions more dollars??? PSSSSHHH!
youcanttrusttheboard
9:43 PM, 4/9/2010"


youcanttrusttheboard: thank you for your comment. I wish you would have been at the March 18th meeting, the March 25th board meeting and last evening's meeting. You would have heard the facts to your question. First, we never said we could not go back on the ballot. We stated we had one year from August 24, 2009 to take advantage of the 41% free money from the OSFC by passing our share of the cost of new buildings which would be 59%. August 3, 2010 is our last chance for the "guaranteed" money. If the levy fails, we go into a different status with the OSFC that would not guarantee the money or the 41%. In my opinion, most likely the money will be confiscated by the State of Ohio to help fund their budget short fall.

Secondly, we developed our original plan around the OSFC guideline that any building falling within the 2/3 range of cost to renovate vs cost to rebuild range would have to rebuild if the cost to renovate was 2/3 the cost to rebuild. Per the OSFC's assessment, all of our buildings fell into that range. It was after the original plan to rebuld under their assessment, that they changed their ruling from a mandate to a guideline. This allowed us to re-instate the renovation or redesign of Kenton Ridge.

Finally, the "PR person" was brought on for more than passing a levy. There is a recent state mandate that we hire a "wellness coordinator". We took the opportunity to hire one person for both jobs. We would have been required to have on anyway. It is like hiring a football coach and getting a National Board Certified Math Teacher. We have one of those also.



"Leonard Kadel why dont you respond to the below comment? Is this true? Sounds like you have a problem here. Why dont you tell them how the state will eventually pay the entire cost if the levy never passes? Your dishonesty is disgraceful and typical of your district and board.
answersplease
9:55 PM, 4/9/2010"


answersplease: thank you for your comment. I just responded to "canttrusttheboard" as you requested and I promised. Personally, I don't know if you are being sarcastic or hateful. The state has never promised to pay the entire cost if the levy never passes. Where have I been dishonest or disgraceful? I'm really confused. Please contact me at 325-7615 through the board office. I would love to discuss this with you, especially if you are questioning my integrity and honesty.



"I'm a graduate of the NE school syst., a parent of children in SV schools, and a teacher in a neighboring school. I support every levy, believe in our school systems and understand the complexities of funding/resources, etc. That being said, I am disappointed in the sarcasm and tone Mr. Kadel is choosing to use in his responses. I hate to publicly state that; however, I DO NOT believe that is helpful to the NE cause. Frustration is understood, however, sarcasm isn't a way to gain supporters.
Former NE student/NE parent
10:58 PM, 4/9/2010"


Former NE student/NE parent: thank you for your comment. I appreciate you candor. No offense is being taken by your comment, in fact I can't argue against it. First, let me defend my responses by saying that I know some of those who are commenting and they know that I am not very "politically correct" in my responses. We therefore have a mutual agreement to be direct and sometimes mutually sarcastic. Frustration isn't something I choose to use as an excuse. I use the term disappointed by the uninformed who choose to make comments without getting the other side, people who choose to think of themselves before their children's education, and who choose to discuss the state of their schools without knowing the state of their schools. But, that being said, I do appreciate and respect your observation and ask that you understand my position.