[ back ]
Teacher resents school board member's statement
(by Joseph Koziol Jr. - January 20, 2011)
Teacher resents school board member's statement
By JOSEPH KOZIOL JR.
A Chardon teacher and parent took Chardon Board of Education member Paul Stefanko to task last week, saying he perpetuates a negative image of teachers that hurts the district's chances of passing a levy.
"Teachers have been identified as lazy, greedy and selfish by some members of the community," Dwight W. Goss wrote to Mr. Stefanko. "Let me say it more directly. I have been identified as lazy, greedy and selfish, he said. "By stating publicly that you 'could not support any additional levy requests until teachers made concessions' you have made yourself a cheerleader for this orthodoxy."
Mr. Stefanko responded to Mr. Goss' letter at the school board's Jan. 10 meeting by reading a statement, but he declined to provide a copy of it following the meeting.
"As an elected official, I will continue to represent the voters and will not succumb to the pressures of school employees, such as Mr. Goss, that I feel I should vote for school levies without regard to the amount or the public's ability to afford them," he said. "However, Mr. Goss is entitled to his opinion."
Mr. Goss said that, rather than support teaching professionals or a school system that already has made cuts in programs, Mr. Stefanko has given reasons not to support levies.
"I am very disappointed that, rather than supporting the schools and me in the work we do, you have given ammunition to those that attack by saying I must make concessions," Mr. Goss said.
He said he often has worked beyond the hours required for the job, spent $4,000 of his money to maintain his license and spent "countless hours" and "tens of thousands of dollars" to receive a master's degree to continue with the work he loves.
"By saying that you cannot support asking for more money until teachers agree to concessions, you are directing the blame for the economic woes of our school system at me," Mr. Goss said. "This is illegitimate and intolerable. I take it personally. It must not continue. While you did not directly come out and say that I am lazy, greedy and selfish, your comment puts you squarely in the corner of those that do."
Mr. Stefanko said he was disappointed by "so many inaccuracies, relatively false accusations and unsubstantiated claims by its author, who is Mr. Goss." To the best of his knowledge, he said, no one on the board ever has accused teachers of being lazy, selfish or greedy.
"Because schools are funded by taxpayers, school employees likely will feel the impact that layoffs, furloughs, salary reductions, increased health-care costs and shortened work schedules have had on those taxpayers and their ability to afford an added expense," Mr. Stefanko said. "This fact is simply inevitable.
"Agreeing with and voting for a school levy that I know to be more than the public can afford is not worth causing the district harm. Although I would probably become more popular with district employees, the levy would likely be soundly defeated over and over, which would only cause our children's education to suffer, and I will not be part of that."
Mr. Stefanko then posed a question to the board, asking whether it should reduce the levy amount to improve chances for passage or "continue to request the same or larger and virtually guarantee another levy failure."
The district sought a 4.25-mill levy last November.
"Can our district afford to lose another levy, and what will that loss mean for the education of our children?" Mr. Stefanko asked.
[ back ]
