Unsolicited Advice to the Board Grading To prevent any potential disputes about the grading of a student's ability to read, the school board should create a policy which would require teachers to first ask a student to read before the teacher reports that a student cannot read. (04/24/06) Advertising Advertising serves no educational purpose and serves only corporate interests.  Our students should not be subjected to the powerful influences of advertising while they are at school or a school sponsored event.  If the board thinks that allowing corporations to advertise to our students is so inconsequential,  it should also consider one or more of these alternatives: Sell advertising space in the School Reporter, a publication that is mailed to adults in the community. Change the format of the School Reporter to allow for a center insert for commercial advertisments and coupons. Sell advertising space on the district's web-site. Sell advertising space in the school newsletters provided to the parents. Sell advertising space on official school stationery. If the board thinks the above suggestions are absurd, then it should adopt a policy of NO ADVERTISING on school property. (04/24/06) Defining “inappropriate” advertisements It really isn’t as complicated as the School Board might think.   ALL COMMERCIAL ADVERTISEMENTS are inappropriate on taxpayer-financed school property.  (04/24/06) Naming Rights The Board will be considering the selling of “Naming Rights” (of our football field and gymnasium) to the highest bidding corporation. My advice to the Board is, if they want to find the most “appropriate” sign above the football field, it should read “TAXPAYER’S FIELD.” (04/24/06) Community Outreach (12/28/07) In February, 2006, then Superintendent, Mr. Farnsworth called on the School Board to find ways to engage the public in an effort to find out what issues are important to the public.  But, while Mr. Farnsworth was our Superintendent, the matter of trying to resolve what Mr. Farnsworth called a "public disconnect" was never again brought up during a public board meeting. However, under Superintendent Diringer's leadership, there have been improvements made to the District's website, and to the Key Notes communications that are sent out to those members of the Key Communicators' Network.  Also, the Board agreed to purchase, each month, an advertising page in our local magazines (Brecksville Magazine and Broadview Journal) to provide the public with information about District finances.  In case the Board ever wants to actively find out what school issues are important to our community, the Board can refer to the following list of ways to "reach out" to the community, which has been posted since the launching of this website, April 24, 2006. Write and send letters to the public. Send memos home with the students. E-mail everyone the district has e-mail access to. Host informal "Town Hall" meetings to give the public the opportunity to discuss with you in an open forum the issues that are important to them. Set up a new page on your web-site, where the public can post their comments about issues that are important to them. Set up a new page on your web-site where the public can obtain information about current issues. Add a link to schoolboardwatchdog.com on your website.  (04/24/06) Speak! (only after Registering) more on Free Speech... The School Board is considering adopting a policy that would require a citizen who wishes to address the Board at a public meeting to first register an "intent to speak" prior to the commencement of the public meeting.  The Board said that the reason for this change in policy is to avoid the problems with deciphering the name and address of the speakers because of the poor quality of audio recordings.   I understand your concerns about the clarity of the audio recordings.   I find the poor quality of the recordings of your public meetings unacceptable.   But let's face it: as far as your need to decipher the names and addresses of the speakers who make public comments at your meetings is concerned, requiring the two of us to first register is overkill.  You all know the names and addresses of the two people who make public comments at your Board meetings.  (Note to the reader:  I have attended nearly every Board meeting since January of 2005 and there are typically only the same two people who offer public comments. )   My advice to the Board would be to purchase a modest, but adequate, recording device for the purpose of recording public school board meetings.  The Board could probably pick one up at Best Buy for about $50.  Perhaps the Board could consider this allocation request sometime between its discussions of installing a million-dollars' worth of artificial turf on the High School football field.  (04/24/06) Sept. 27, 2006:  Now that Board has purchased an adequate recording device,  the voices of people who speak at the meetings are clear.  The Board should not require citizens to first register before addressing the Board during a public meeting.  Solicited Advice to the Board The School Board arranged a "Town Hall" meeting on June 1, 2006 for our community members to offer their input into what they expect from our next Superintendent.  The School Board members did not attend this meeting.  Here are my expectations of our next Superintendent.  go... ***************