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Friday, August 31, 2007

Ghiz will fight CPS levy

From city councilwoman Leslis Ghiz:

GHIZ TO STAND UP FOR CITY TAXPAYERS BY OPPOSING ‘MASSIVE’ CPS TAX LEVY
Cites Unanswered Questions for Opposition to $65 Million/Year Tax Increase


City Councilmember Leslie Ghiz today announced her opposition to the $65 million public school tax levy that will appear on this November’s ballot. Ghiz said she will be working in the coming months to ensure that City taxpayers are aware of the reasons for her opposition. She even said she is considering introducing a resolution at City Council after the summer recess urging citizens to reject the levy proposal.

“Taxpayers in our City have seen three school levies proposed in the past five years,” Ghiz said. “At the same time, they are faced with the news that the schools will be hiring a brand new Superintendent while the School Board could turn over completely.”

“The School Board ought to be focusing on the pressing issue at hand: finding a credible replacement for its Superintendent instead of trying to pass massive tax increases,” Ghiz said. “Show me a long-term, strategic plan for our schools and I will be strong advocate for increasing funding for our school system. As it stands now, this is a completely irresponsible request of our homeowners.”

Ghiz noted that voters in 2004 approved a $65 million renewal levy that is set to expire in 2010 and costs the owner of a $100,000 around $300 per year. Under the proposed levy, the same owner of a $100,000 would pay an additional $300 per year. Ghiz said it is crucial for voters to send a message prior to any future renewal levy that the school system needs to undertake substantial reforms before coming to them for additional tax dollars.


37 Comments:

at 11:10 AM, August 31, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

More Ghiz!

 
at 11:13 AM, August 31, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Ghiz illegally utilizing the same copywrited song !

Bird-lings of feather flocking together !

They are all on the same page !

PATHETIC !

HAD ENOUGH, VOTE, for a real DEMOCRAT 2007 !

 
at 11:16 AM, August 31, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Leslie is right in her stance. In the latest state report card for CPS released earlier this month, CPS has only met eight out of 30 performance indicators.

Cincinnati’s elementary schools did not meet a single state standard, in many cases falling far shot of the required 75-percent passage rates on the Ohio Achievement Test.

CPS's Performance Index score, an aggregate measure of overall student achievement, decreased by less than a point, down to 80.7 on a 120-point scale. A score below 80 would have knocked CPS down a grade into “academic watch,” the second-lowest of five Report Card grades.

If CPS thinks it deserves a tax increase based on its lackluster performance, then they are more arrogant than I realized.

VOTE NO!

 
at 11:22 AM, August 31, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

I agree with Ghiz and hope this also takes Melanie Bates out of the running as a Council Candidate. As Finance Chair for Cincinnati Public School Board, she created this mess. How in the world can she claim to have not known about a $79 MILLION deficit?! The CPS treasurer reports to her and the board! What incompetence!

 
at 11:29 AM, August 31, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

It must kill Ghizzy to have to oppose a government's attempt to solve its problems by reaching into the voters' pockets.

Guess she has polling that shows her to be vulnerable.

 
at 11:34 AM, August 31, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

That sounds like Ghiz! Support a tax to build a jail and lock up our kids but god forbid you teach them anyhting!

 
at 11:35 AM, August 31, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

OHHH look Ghiz is doing somthing,complaining - again, too bad it has nothing to do with City Council! Maybe when she loses her election she can run for school board and do nothing there too!

 
at 11:35 AM, August 31, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

I like Ms. Ghiz's thinking on the proposed school levy. I am a senior citizen and have just filed my Homestead Act application form. I could save approximately $300 dollars on my property tax bill. The proposed levy would negate that.

 
at 11:38 AM, August 31, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

thats right tax people so you can lock them up for having a dime bag of oreganeo, but don't support a tax to pay our teachers!

 
at 12:26 PM, August 31, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Ghizzy better worry about fighting for her own spot on council.

 
at 1:08 PM, August 31, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Wasn't Ghiz' critical of Crowley's resolution against the war because it didn't have anything to do with Council?

hypocrisy, thy name is Ghiz.

 
at 1:22 PM, August 31, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Anon 11:22 said, "I agree with Ghiz and hope this also takes Melanie Bates out of the running as a Council Candidate."

Why would it take Melanie Bates out? She's just another COAST lackey--same as Ghiz. In 2004, Melanie Bates, along with fellow school board member and anti-tax right-winger Rick Williams, opposed a school levy renewal that did not raise taxes. She abandoned the children of CPS and is unfit to serve either on the school board or the city council.

Vote no on Bates.
Vote no on Ghiz.
Vote no on Rick Williams.
Vote YES for our kids.

 
at 1:50 PM, August 31, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Great point by Ghiz here. CPS keeps coming for more and more money and they are totally running a terrible school system. You have to be kidding me, they want more money and they can't even think of getting their act together. Now be honest with your comments. If you are picked up the first time with a little dope you are not going to jail. But if we need jail space to put the real criminals away then no problem. She does not want to lock up young kids(your comments ijust plain stupid), but she does want the criminals locked up. Are you saying don't put people in jail who break the law?? Please give me a break!!!
We all want the kids to learn but the CPS has proven that they do a terrible job and throwing money down the sink-hole that is the CPS has not solved anything.

Thanks for taking a stand and holding the CPS accountable. Some on this blog don't want to hole anyone accountable including those that break the law.

Oh Yea BOLD PRINT PERSON. Once agian only insults and no real discussion on the issue. Once again BLAH, BLAH, BLAH !!!!

 
at 3:19 PM, August 31, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

If Pepper was in favor of the CPS levy Ghiz would be all for it. She doesn't seem to mind the MASSIVE jail tax!

 
at 3:32 PM, August 31, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

I think that everyone who responds to these blog posts should make next Thursday "Bold Print Guy" day. Everyone type in his style!

 
at 4:19 PM, August 31, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Ghiz is right on target! CPS is not just asking for a renewal, but more money. The educational standard in Cincinnati has been declining for years, while we can't keep a superintendant that is committed to the development of our young people into intelligent citizens of the future.

When will the school board realize that when they take money from the people, we expect them to spend it wisely and be accountable to us?

Thank you Leslie Ghiz for standing up for we citizens who are tired of an irresponsible school board!

 
at 5:34 PM, August 31, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

I am sick and tired of this constant defense of Rosa Blackwell. She was just as, if not more incompetent than Melanie Bates during her tenure as CPS superintendent. More appalling, however, was that CPS was the only school system not to categorically oppose Ken Blackwell's TEL/TABR. TEL/TABR would have stripped millions of funding dollars from CPS and school systems across the state. Rosa put her husband's political career before the schools. She should have been fired for not opposing TEL/TABR.

Just like Melanie Bates, Rosa has worked against the schools. Goodbye and good riddance.

 
at 5:44 PM, August 31, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

MASSIVE? The safety sales tax will lead to an annual temporary increase of $33 for the average spender. After 8 years, it will be $16.

The school levy is ten times that.

 
at 5:45 PM, August 31, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Ghiz wants to make sure the new jail is sufficiently filled. What better way than to make sure the public schools fail, thereby providing a new generation of criminal drop outs for the jail. Way to go Leslie!

 
at 6:00 PM, August 31, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Someone please explain how throwing $65 million a year (not even enough to make up their deficit!!) to an incompetent school board will help anything?

I don't always agree with Ghiz, but she is 100% right on with this issue. VOTE NO!

 
at 9:47 PM, August 31, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

we don't have to vote "no" on this school levy to make sure the schools fail - THEY ARE ALREADY DOING SO! "New" buildings aren't helping - we've got a new elementary building and the scores are lower than ever. The high school here gets kids that have been through that elementary that are reading at 3rd grade level - but somehow have been passed to 9th grade.

Leslie - as always, you have our support!

 
at 10:30 PM, August 31, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

When Ghiz ran the first time she ran substantially on supporting the school system. She lost that time, so I guess the message she took away from that is that if you run AGAINST the schools you'll get elected.

CPS isn't doing as well as it should, but it is doing better. How will REMOVING $79 million over the next 4 years make the system better?

And as for not keeping a superintendent, Adamowski was superintendent here for many years before he chose to return to teaching. Frailey was an unfortunate joke. Blackwell's been superintendent for 3 years, but assistant superintendent for several years before that. The average length of tenure for an urban school superintendent is three years. Her leaving is practically on schedule. And with the absolute lack of transparency with which she ran the district, I'm surprised she lasted this long. The arrogance and disdain she showed to the board, and to the public, absolutely refusing to inform them of things they should know about (like a $40 million deficit), made it impossible for them to exercise the oversight that is their responsibility.

 
at 12:49 AM, September 01, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'll have to agree with Ghizzy on this one. CPS has not proven they are good stewards of tax dollars and they haven't done anything to justify this massive levy. This levy should be voted down.

While Ghiz happens to be right on the issue, it's not lost on us that she's doing this to shore up her sagging support among conservatives. Leslie seems to think endorsing The White Democratic Sales Tax Hike will win her votes on the left while opposing the CPS levy will win her votes on the right. I'm not sure they're fooled that easily.

 
at 2:21 PM, September 01, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Why is everyone for the levy to support a failing CPS bureaucracy and yet against a tax levied upon all of us in Hamilton County, visitors, and residents alike, to lock up the filth and scum criminal element? "Just a Dime Bag?" Here is a thought, why don't you put the joint down, Darnell, or Malik, or whoever else, and teach your children to be good upstanding citizens instead of thuglet criminals!!! Rather, it seems much easier to have subsidized daycare for your thuglet offspring while you are out on the street selling your drugs, doing your drugs, or selling your body. Get a job, and pay the sales tax for the jail like the rest of us with earned (not hand out) dollars.

I will be voting no for CPS - the answer lies in a dissolution of CPS and a return to neighborhood school systems. Let the residential marketplace work itself out, and we will see which communities rise to the top. Further, the answer lies in an earned income tax rather than a property tax - this way, the 60% of all children whose parents do not own property pay their FAIR SHARE. It is the people who support the horrible, failing CPS and vote down community safety issues that make this high income single person homeowner want to leave the City of Cincinnati.

We should be trying to keep good honest taxpayers here - not run them off with anti-jail rhetoric, pro Mary Jane BS and pro - public handout (AKA CPS levy) rhetoric.

 
at 6:06 PM, September 01, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

The councilwoman needs to get her facts straight, and the Enquirer needs to do a little research before giving her a venue to lie to the people of Cincinnati. Voters have not seen "three levies proposaled in the past five years," as Ghiz's release stated.

Let's take a little trip down memory lane, since Leslie's is so faulty. In May, 2003, voters were asked to approve a construction bond that would is helping to repair or replace outdated facilities with help from the state. One would think Leslie, as an advocate of building new jails for Si Leis to play with, would have been okay with building schools. I suppose not, now.

In November of 2004, the renewal Leslie referenced was approved. This was the same year Melanie Bates and Rick Williams decided to work against the schools, and for Tom Brinkman instead. Fortunately, anti-tax COASTers were put in their place that year, as they will this year.

Now, in 2007, Cincinnati voters are being asked to approve the first new operating levy in over five years. Leslie apparently doesn't know the difference between a bond and a levy, and implied that the 2004 levy was a new proposal (why she was dumb enough to reference it properly as a renewal later in her ridiculous press release is known only to her and whichever flunky in her office wrote this release).

The fact that Leslie doesn't know the difference between a levy and a bond, and a new proposal versus a renewal is troubling. I can't believe people have trusted this woman with our city.

Vote NO on Ghiz.
Vote NO on Bates.
Vote NO on Williams.
Vote YES for our children.

 
at 7:32 PM, September 01, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Does Ghiz honestly think this is a winning campaign issue?

Have a position on it, sure. But talk about it instead of our poverty rate? I don't think so.

 
at 5:58 PM, September 02, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Way to not really make fair points. Her stand on this tax increase has nothing to do with past levys and bonds. Her stance against this huge amount of new and additional money has nothing to do with the money from 2003 for construction of new buildings.
The real story is that we still have 3 years left on the levy passed 3 years ago. Now they want more money on top of that. 65 million more!!!! 300 more for an average home. The new jail will cost the normal person 10% of that that. They asked for more money 3 years ago and now they want to keep that money and have even more on top of it. The CPS are doing a terrible job. When will people learn that throwing more money at the problem will not slove it. The CPS needs to get their act in gear before we throw more money down that sink-hole.

 
at 8:03 AM, September 03, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

the best news is rosa blackwell is out, and tomorrow isn't soon enough.

cronyism, financial ignorance and arrogance are not the tendencies/qualities cincy needs in a superintendent.

the reconstruction plan/taxing has been a joke and enormous waste of tax-payer money.

of course, there's been no mention of the tax revenues relating to the reconstruction and how that money was reallocated after the plan was pared back. another ripoff!

it's time for CPS's to look within to solve its problems.

thanks leslie for your stand. vote no on nov. 6.

donny shacks

 
at 10:31 AM, September 03, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Anon 5:58 said "Way to not really make fair points. Her stand on this tax increase has nothing to do with past levys and bonds."

That is ridiculous. Her entire press release had everything to do with the number of levies. How is pointing out an error in the basic number and premise the least bit unfair? Leslie's first quote in the press release was “Taxpayers in our City have seen three school levies proposed in the past five years." Tell me again. How is it unfair? Leslie the Liar brought this on herself. She's an enemy of the schools, just like Bates, Williams, and Brinkman.

Vote NO on Bates.
Vote NO on Ghiz.
Vote No on Williams.
Vote YES for our schools.

 
at 7:13 PM, September 03, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

She (and you) are the one's saying that the renewal levy 3 years ago = the bond issue = the new money levy this year. They are totally different things!

The bond issue can only be used for construction. And costs are going up for everyone who is building new. Fewer schools cost the same amount of money due to higher costs. Nothing they can do about higher costs for steel.

The renewal of the levy was no additional monies - it just kept the same amount of money coming in. The last time we voted for NEW money was seven years ago. They have stretched out a 3-4 year levy for 7 years - and now CPS is getting it in the neck for fiscal imprudence? Perhaps if they had gone for a levy a year ago, before they had to make such hefty cuts, the public would have appreciated their thriftiness. Now they're just getting blamed for greediness.

Blackwell is finally leaving. Good. We'll get some more transparency in the administration, hopefully. Frailey never talked to anyone but he never did anything either. Blackwell never talked to anyone but she did a whole heck of a lot behind the scenes, without informing the board or the public.

But this levy is crucial. Nothing that has been cut will be put back - we're down to cutting to the bone and beyond if this levy doesn't pass. It has to pass.

And if Ghiz doesn't realize the difference between bond, levy, and new money, she should realize that even poorer schools will negatively affect our city. But perhaps she's really looking beyond the city for her future anyway, and if she has to step on children to get there so be it.

 
at 9:14 PM, September 03, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Jeff Capell doesn't even live in Cincinnati, so his opion doesn't matter. Stick to Blue Ash issues Jeffy boy.

 
at 7:22 AM, September 04, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Ghiz is sticking to her promise to promote fiscal responsibility. Why more taxes when we don't see accountability? They found the money to tear down buildings and rebuild yet can't account for a 79 million defecit. Keep Ghiz on Council. God knows we'll need at least one voice of reason with the slate of clowns on the ballot. I dread the Election. I feel like the circus is coming to town and not in a good way!

 
at 8:12 AM, September 04, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

I love Enquirer editorials. They complain for years about the failures at CPS and who has been there the longest: Rosa Blackwell. Now they complain she is leaving.

 
at 1:39 PM, September 04, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

John,
Again ...
The construction money is in a completely different pool than operating funds. Construction money can NOT be used for operating expenses. Operating funds can NOT be used for construction.

The bold two-faced nature of the Enquirer's editorials is astounding. You know that if she had gotten a raise they would be hollering about the financial difficulties of the district making two raises within 8 months a waste of money. She didn't, so they can complain that she didn't get the money she deserves.

There is no way for the district to get a fair hearing - it's too easy to bleat about the district failing and too hard to give the district what it needs.

Believe it or not, there are a fair number of middle class city residents who have their kids in CPS. If this levy doesn't pass (November or March) the city will see these people leave because they can't afford private schools and can't get into or don't want charter or parochial. Easy enough to move out into the suburbs where the public schools don't encounter so much hatred.

 
at 2:13 AM, September 05, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

you're right blogger 1:39pm..operating and construction costs are most certainly different..but what of the operating costs..once these brand new spanking buildings are built? I went to the CPS schools and saw first hand how the operating costs were misspent by the beauroucratic fat cats and they were unchecked!!! I can't think of a better way to drive away what little of the middle class that we have left than to constantly drive up taxes while the schools continue to fail!! We need to hire a Superintendent who will at least stay for a minute and who also has some good business sense and start trimming the fat and start demanding more accountability instead of tolerating all of this B.S. I stand by what I said!! It also wouldn't hurt us if the city clowncil would let the cops do their damn job!! i stand by everything I said!

 
at 11:54 PM, September 05, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Here's something ironic. Ghiz went to the candidates information program at Walnut Hills High School, where she proudly proclaimed her opposition to the levy.

Sort of like when she went to stump for herself at a bar she subsequently voted to close.

 
at 9:16 AM, September 19, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Listen people. It takes money to run schools and it takes money to build jails. Both are essential for city/community to be successful. I'm a firm believer in improving CPS schools. By doing so, our property values improve, our kids get a better education, etc. But it's very hard for me to understand how a school system can ask for such a large amount of money when they don't have a superintendant or a strategic plan of how to improve the quality of education. Consider how it would be interpreted if a large company told its' investors that it was going to spend 65 million on new construction when the quality of their current products was declining, which is causing their sales to also decline. And, oh yeah, one more thing, we're also looking for a new CEO to lead us. It wouldn't happen. You first need to get someone to lead CPS. Someone who can set a strategic diretion. Someon who can create a plan to improve the quality of education. How is a new building going to improve the quality of education. I went to school in a building that was far from perfect...no a/c, poor heat, smelly bathrooms, undersized gym, etc...yet the quality of my education was top notch. That's because the teachers were caring and motivated, which is a result of good leadership (at all levels). New buildings don't motivate teachers...leaders do.

If CPS can show a good plan on how they can improve the quality of education for our kids, then i'll gladly vote YES. I don't think they can do that without new leadership.

As it stands now, I'm voting NO on this levy.

 
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