Teachers have a political bullseye on their backs

NOTE: The following commentary appears in this week's Bargain Hunter publications.

Everywhere you turn these days, teachers are getting bashed. You can’t open a newspaper or visit an online news site that doesn’t offer some sort of evidence of that.


Gov. John Kasich is chief teacher basher in Ohio. He wants to eliminate their collective bargaining and pay them based on how well their students do on tests.

He’s also invited Teach for America to operate in Ohio. Teach for America allows regular people, such as you and me, to become “certified” teachers. How about that? Now, anyone can become a teacher. It’s so easy. And Kasich is a strong proponent of charter schools, which he thinks do a better job than public schools even though there are statistics that seem to belie that premise.

Adding to educator angst is the fact that today’s young teachers will not have the same lucrative pension deal that their predecessors have because of a needed overhaul and retooling of the State Teachers Retirement System brought on by, among other things, lousy investments.

So, if you happen to know a teacher or educator (Disclosure: I’m married to one.) and are wondering why they look so down in the dumps, well, I’m sure some of this news has something to do with it.

I’ll go out on a limb here. Most of our teachers in Tuscarawas and Holmes counties are doing a great job. I mean a really great job. Our graduates are doing phenomenal things in their careers and the news columns tell that story every week.

Are there bad teachers in our schools? Yep. And there are less than adequate employees across all lines of work. Education is no exception.

The problem with connecting teacher pay to test scores is that it doesn’t take into account the socio-economic situation of the test takers, which in my mind is a lot more important than any other factor.

Amy Hanauer of the liberal think tank Policy Matters Ohio reported earlier this month that 40 percent of the more than two million students in Ohio are eligible for subsidized lunches. That means four out of 10 students are more or less living in poverty.

If you study figures provided by each of the 613 school districts in Ohio, you will find that test scores have a direct correlation to the wealth of a particular district because in Ohio all districts are not created equal.

Dublin, Beachwood, Rocky River, Westlake, Shaker Heights – the haves – don’t necessarily have better teachers than Dover, New Philadelphia or East Holmes or West Holmes, but they do have more children per capita being raised in wealthy home environments.

Make a difference? You bet.

Those are children whose parents place a premium on education and who have the financial resources available for a vast array of educational experiences. And, yes, maybe there are even a few books inside the house.

Trust me, the wealthy kids are going to do better on the tests and I guess under Kasich’s plan their teachers will be wealthier, too.

Kasich also has advocated district consolidation, although not until after the election when he said, “Does Hancock County need six school districts?”

I would counter that if better schools were actually the goal here, then perhaps we’d all be better off breaking Cleveland’s 75,000-student district into three distinct school districts. I don’t buy that bigger is always better. It may be cheaper in the short run – we can get better deals on administrators and pencils – but not in the long run as those annoying socio-economic costs multiply. You know, when bad students produce even more bad students.

Anyway, Kasich apparently has never considered that idea, nor for that matter has any other politician. Politicians just hone in on what they think they’re hearing from the public.

And right now I don’t think the public, nor Kasich, has a clue about what it really takes to educate their little angels.

* * *

You can follow me on Facebook and Twitter (dfarrell_dover) and leave comments here, on the Bargain Hunter's website or on Facebook.

* * *
Anyone can receive a Bargain Hunter by mail, but you have to tell the publication you want it. So,

-- Fill out a form on the Graphic Publications' website.

-- Or call the Dover office at (330) 343-4377.

-- Or e-mail Graphic Publications' Managing Editor Ann Swinderman at aswinderman@gpubs.com.

A blessing, the fracking debate and the experts among us

I’m not sure you could officially classify it as a miracle, but the fact that Franciscan Services Corp. emerged as the owner of Twin City Hospital at Dennison is at least a blessing for the folks in and around the communities of Dennison and Uhrichsville.

They get to keep their hospital.

In these difficult times and with less-than-desirable health care demographics, Twin City Hospital defied the odds. In many people’s minds – especially those connected with our larger regional health care facilities -- it was destined to die.

Back in October, I wrote on my blog, “The only thing that surprises me about the Twin City Hospital Chapter 11 bankruptcy is that it didn't come much sooner than this.

“It was apparent for a long time that the hospital could not pay its bills. In late spring, it owed $1 million to the physician group that staffed the emergency room.

“The biggest problem TCH faces is that it operates in an impoverished area with a large percentage of Medicaid patients. My bet is that the hospital emerges from bankruptcy eventually but not without a controlling partner.”

Well, God must have been smiling at the Twin Cities because Franciscan Services, an arm of the Sisters of St. Francis, aims to serve those in need. Providing health care is a “ministry,” according to its mission statement, and presumably not a profit center.

In other words, maybe the good sisters can afford to lose a little money.

* * *

Quietly, it seems, landowners in and around Tuscarawas County are making lucrative deals with energy companies that want to explore the deeper formations for oil and natural gas by hydraulic fracturing, a process more commonly called “fracking.”

As it is with most drilling and mining endeavors, there are supporters, who applaud the economic benefits, and detractors, who worry about the environment, including whether the process will contaminate drinking water.

Some area landowners, I’m told, are seeing immediate windfalls of money after signing away the fracking rights to their properties.

“It’s more money than some of these people have ever seen,” a friend told me.

USA Today reported a few weeks ago that fracking has become so controversial that it has turned neighbors against neighbors in towns across the country.

One man returned home from church on Sunday and found plastic money affixed to his fence, an obvious message of disapproval by neighbors concerned about – or perhaps jealous of -- his fracking deal.

In our area, landowners are getting hundreds of dollars per acre from Chesapeake Energy or its agents for five- or 10-year leases. Many of them are using the Internet -- gomarcellusshale.com -- to discuss potential deals and compare notes.

Local reporting on the issue seems to be lacking. Maybe one reason is because reporters no longer stop into county recorders’ offices, where such leases are recorded, and instead are putting together pieces such as “Today’s Meaningless List” or “Today’s Number to Know.” I think they call that “content.”

* * *

When it comes to local schools, there is no absence of experts. In fact, everyone is an expert. That’s because everyone has experienced the process except for those who were home-schooled right into college. (And that’s a whole different issue.)

Has anyone ever told you that a certain school has too many administrators? Sure, they have. They know. Because they went to that school 50 years ago they have an uncanny ability to analyze staffing, budget and facility upkeep.

Many of Dover’s “experts” have told me what the Board of Education can do with its plan to replace the aging and decrepit Dover High. You can imagine. It’s not pretty.

I plead for folks to keep an open mind about this and wait for a citizens’ panel’s report, because a community is only as good as its schools. And if you don’t believe me, ask a real estate agent.

* * *
You can also access this column on the Bargain Hunter's website. Follow me on Facebook and Twitter (dfarrell_dover). Leave comments in any number of different places. If you leave one at the Bargain Hunter they will understand better how valuable I am.

Blog lives on despite return to beloved ink, paper

If you don't know by now, my blog has gone viral and is now a part of the ... Huffington Post.

No, just kidding.

I am, however, offering a regular commentary for the Tuscarawas and Holmes Bargain Hunter publications. The first one, an introductory piece, was published today -- Friday -- in the Tuscarawas County edition. The Holmes County edition is published on Mondays.

The strategy of Graphic Publications Inc. is to put a copy of one of their publications into the hands of people who want it. So, sometime ago, it requested readers to return cards that indicated their preferences. If you didn't do that, you can still get on the mailing list by doing one of three things:

-- Fill out a form on Graphic Publications' website.

-- Call the Dover office at (330) 343-4377.

-- E-mail Graphic Publications' Managing Editor Ann Swinderman at aswinderman@gpubs.com.

In fact, Ann tells me that even someone who lives out of the area can receive a copy if they request to be put on the mailing list. I think this is a terrific idea because it's free to the reader, who can still get ink on his/her hands and line the birdcage afterward. Such a deal.

This blog lives on. There may be times that offerings here are identical to what is published in the Bargain Hunter, but I don't expect that to happen very often. Whatever is published will appear here after the Friday publication date and, of course, on the Graphic Publications' website.

Thanks to all of you who have posted on Facebook or sent me an e-mail. I really do appreciate your support.

And, by the way, I hate the overuse of the word "viral." It is now a cliche and writers should stay away from it. Mea culpa.

So, here's that introductory piece:

* * *

You’re probably thinking right now you’re seeing things.


Nope. You’re not. It’s me. I’m in the Bargain Hunter and I want to thank the good folks at Graphic Publications Inc. for reaching out. Darn, it feels good to be back in an ink-on-paper environment.

For those of you who don’t know me, I served as a reporter and editor for The Times-Reporter for 36 years and for 20 or so of those years I offered a weekly commentary on events in our community, state and world.

Much to the chagrin of the guys in the corporate offices, sometimes I said some things that were deemed too controversial. I make no apologies for that. I figured that if I didn’t say it – write it – no one else would. Only the truth was at stake and sometimes the truth hurt.

I’ve been called too Democratic, too Republican, too liberal and too conservative. I take the same view as the New York Times’ Maureen Dowd.

“I tweak power,” she said.

So do I. No one is safe.

In all the years that I wrote my weekly T-R commentary, I never encountered one reader who gave me a 100 percent score.

“I like 90 percent of your columns,” an elderly woman told me as she passed by with her shopping cart at Buehler’s. I figured that’s not bad. Ninety percent. Better than I did in high school.

I’m also buoyed that some of my commentaries live on. I did a piece on youth league baseball and softball that was published almost annually. After all, there’s always a new group of parents who don’t seem to understand the games belong to the kids.

Just a few days ago, John Jewell, an English professor at Kent-Tuscarawas, said he had students recently read a column I wrote a few years ago about the controversy surrounding “The Catcher in the Rye.” At the time, I defended the book as great American literature.

In the aftermath of the commentary’s publication, a robust online discussion ensued with terrific arguments on both sides. Love it.

Here’s the deal. If everybody nodded their heads in agreement after reading my columns, it wouldn’t take long for boredom to set in. Then they wouldn’t read at all. The trade-off is that I have to endure angry telephone calls, e-mails and letters. Oh, and occasionally, someone will try to get me fired by writing to the big guy in the corporate office.

So, why the Bargain Hunter?

Of all the current ink-on-paper publications still in existence, I believe the Bargain Hunter probably has the closest to a sustainable business model. Its editor, Ann Swinderman, gets it. She is engaging the community on Facebook and Twitter while publishing quality products on paper.

(I learned of the fire at Uncle Primo’s restaurant in New Philadelphia from an Ann Swinderman post on Facebook. She scooped everyone.)

In short, she has helped transform the Bargain Hunter from a community ad wrap to a weekly newspaper. She and her staff are accessible and the quality of their writing and presentation of content is laudable.

The Bargain Hunter’s website completes the package.

That said I don’t know how much longer print publications will be around. There is serious contraction occurring in the publishing business as advertisers seek out alternative avenues for their messages. People now head first to online sources for automobiles, real estate and jobs rather than the trusty old newspaper.

Still, I have to believe a weekly publication is a viable product today, providing better value to advertisers who want to put that picture in front of a potential customer. And the Bargain Hunter is doing a great job covering stories that otherwise wouldn’t get covered.

That’s why I’m here. Next time we’ll take a look at some issues.

* * *
As always, you can find me on Facebook or follow me on Twitter (dfarrell_dover). And now you can find me at the Bargain Hunter.

Savor the date: Today's a 'keeper'

I posted on Facebook Sunday night that I missed having a newspaper in times like this. In the old days, the staff would have been notified and called in, the old front page scrapped, and the production and delivery people notified -- we're going to be a little late.

A handful of former colleagues, now scattered from coast to coast, added on FB that they, too, would have been ready and willing. And an old friend, Rosie Kovacs, who retired as a managing editor for The Plain Dealer, replied that she missed having the newspaper connection, too.

I can't say for sure what our headline would have said. Probably something simple such as "Dead" or "Killed" but there would have been a consensus on it and, of course, it would have to fit.

I thought The Plain Dealer's front page was terrific and Rosie reports that the paper made it this morning to her new hometown of Vermilion, about 40 miles west of Cleveland.

I don't know how long newspapers will continue to be printed on paper but this is one of those "keeper" days. Somewhere in this house, in a box deep in a corner of the storage room, is the Times-Reporter's Sept. 12, 2001, edition. I suddenly have the urge to revisit it.

Times being what they are, The T-R will have to wait until tomorrow to acknowledge bin Laden's death.

* * *
You can check front pages from around the world by visiting newseum.org. But as of Monday morning, the site appeared to be having connection problems. So, here's an alternative location where you can examine newspapers' front pages, including The Plain Dealer's, reporting the death of Osama bin Laden.

* * *
Within a few minutes of President Barrack Obama's address to the country, some folks on Facebook were putting their political spin on things, arguing that he was taking too much credit, that he didn't do anything and blah, blah, blah.

I'd like to think all of us could savor the moment and leave the spin out of it. I don't want to hear it right now. We got the bastard. Justice was served to him by a crack team of Navy Seals, who then buried him at sea -- no shrine for the crackpots to visit.

I am extremely happy for the families and friends of all of those people whose lives were taken on Sept. 11 and during the military endeavors that followed.

Feels good to be an American today, doesn't it?

End of an era? NCAA poised to sack Tressel, Buckeyes

I need to qualify my position as it pertains to the Ohio State Buckeyes, specifically football.

Nearly everyone in Ohio is a Buckeyes fan, including me. It doesn't matter that we attended Kent State, or Ohio University, or Mount Union. At the end of the day, we all root for the Bucks because, well, because we live in Ohio and have so few other opportunities to cheer on a winner.

But deep down, I must confess, that in the case of a Mid-America Conference team playing the Bucks in the Horseshoe, I will always root for the underdog -- the Golden Flashes, the Bobcats or even (gulp) the Falcons.

Last year, I got a real kick out of the Bobcats' mascot -- Rufus -- tackling his Buckeyes' counterpart -- Brutus -- prior to the start of the Ohio-Ohio State game. Please don't tell anyone I feel this way.

If the Golden Flashes would ever beat the football Buckeyes, well, that would be cause for celebration.

Tear down the goal posts.

This will not sit well with most Buckeye fans, who seem to be loyal to a fault. It's why Kirk Herbstreit, former Ohio State quarterback and top college football analyst for ESPN, is moving his family to Nashville. He can't say anything negative about the Buckeyes without taking extreme heat from the O-H-I-O folks.

So, at the risk of Buckeye Nation hating me and forcing me to become Herbstreit's neighbor, here it goes: football coach Jim Tressel should step down.

Now.

I certainly don't want to vilify Tressel. I like his style. I've admired his ability to attract top-notch recruits. And he beats the snot out of Michigan every year. There are a lot of good things to say about Tressel.

But in the wake of the NCAA's letter to Ohio State this week, it is apparent that Tressel is destined to become a huge distraction for the program. He lied to the NCAA when he signed off on a document that wanted affirmation that Ohio State's program was clean. Tressel knew darn well when he signed the document that the Buckeyes were in violation of NCAA rules.

The NCAA has scheduled a hearing in August, which means that Ohio State fans will be talking about sanctions and recruiting problems rather than what they should be talking about -- football. The fact that the Bucks enter the season without their self-suspended coach and five veteran players seems like nothing more than a sidebar now.

Tressel had a good run. And he'll be remembered fondly in Ohio State circles for years to come. But he's not as squeaky clean as we thought. None of us are. It makes no matter. It's time to go.

* * *
I'm convinced that Gov. John Kasich does not want a second term. A Plain Dealer story reports that the school districts whose voters supported Kasich are taking big hits in the Kasich budget.

Though it's too early to predict, it's probable that a lot of Republican-leaning school districts will have to place school levies on upcoming ballots just to sustain the levels of education its citizens have come to expect. So, while Ohio balances budgets on the backs of local government, including school districts, Kasich's mantra of no new taxes is really just a process of shifting those taxes.

* * *
We took our annual Easter trip to Chicago to visit with our son, Chris, on his turf. While my wife, Suzanne, battled the rain on Michigan Ave., I settled into a comfortable seat at the Marriott's hotel bar. A couple of young lads -- Kevin and Mike -- sat down next to me and ordered a couple Chi-Town beers.

As it turned out, Kevin and Mike own the brand, Chi-Town, and were excited to visit a customer who had it on tap. It's kind of like a would-be rock star who hears his song on the radio for the first time.

Anyway, the executive chef, Myk Banas, who determines what kind of beer is served at the bar, stopped by to visit with Kevin and Mike and wish them well. Yours truly, who determines whether a beer is good or bad by determining whether it has an aftertaste, ordered up a Chi-Town and was pleasantly surprised -- no aftertaste.

So, we toasted the young entrepreneurs and wished them luck. Who knows? Perhaps they'll be the next Great Lakes or Goose Island.

I ran into Chef Myk a little later and chatted more. He asked for my room number and promised to send up some Chicago "goodies." Sure enough, Chef Myk delivered on his promise. The "goodies" basket included a bottle of wine. Nice gesture.

Oh, and Chef Myk is quite the entrepreneur himself. He maintains a bee colony on the hotel's ninth floor roof and uses the honey the bees produce in many of his recipes. A local TV station's report on his initiative is here.

Got some of that honey, too, in the "goodies" basket.

OK, so this is a plug. If you're in Chicago, consider staying at the Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile, which now ranks No. 1 on my Chicago hotel scorecard. In addition, try the Chi-Town beer if you're near a tap system that offers it.

* * *
You can follow me on Facebook and Twitter (dfarrell_dover). And you might find it easier to leave a comment on the Facebook link to this piece.

Guns plus alcohol equals stupidity

OK, let me go on record that I don't have a problem with Ohio's 2007 law that allows its citizens to pack heat. To my knowledge, there have been few, if any, unfortunate incidents since the law was enacted by the Ohio Legislature.

But now the Republican-controlled state Senate, in its infinite wisdom, wants to allow permit holders to carry their guns into places that serve alcohol, including sporting events. (Joining the Republicans are our own Democratic Sens. Joe Schiavoni of Canfield and Jason Wilson of Columbiana.)

Dumb. Just plain dumb.

Proponents point out that if a permit holder carries a gun into an establishment, he/she won't be allowed to drink an alcoholic beverage and, therefore, all will be well.

Suffice it to say that cops and the owners of restaurants and taverns think the Senate bill is a really bad idea for obvious reasons, including the fact that alcohol makes people do crazy things.

Let's hope the Ohio House shows a little more common sense than the Senate and votes it down. I looked online to see if Rep. Al Landis, R-Dover, had taken a position on the bill, but didn't find anything. Perhaps one of our media outlets could put him on the record.

* * *
It will be a different summer at Atwood Lake, maybe a little eerie. The lodge, golf course and cabins are shuttered and there is no immediate savior for the property.

Apparently, a consultant brought in to review the property's prospects was unable to secure financing to get anything going and is no longer involved.

One thing is certain: Leaving the golf course to the whims of nature should take a big toll rather rapidly. At least the deer will be happy.

* * *
One of my last reporter hires as editor of The Times-Reporter was a kid by the name of Kyle Kondik, who had just graduated from the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University.

I lost Kondik after a year or so when he landed a job as editorial page editor of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram. From there he moved to the Ohio attorney general's office as a policy wonk, only to lose that job when Republicans swept into office last November.

But Kondik landed on his feet and is now a staffer at the University of Virginia's Center for Politics, which is pretty much a dream job for a political junkie like Kondik. Anyway, he has an interesting piece on the upcoming presidential election, noting that President Barack Obama could win re-election without taking Ohio and other Midwestern states.

I would add that the Republicans might help Obama's re-election bid by not reaching a consensus on an acceptable candidate. And at this point I don't see any acceptable candidates. Do you?

* * *
Have a nice Easter. Of course, you can follow me on Facebook and Twitter (dfarrell_dover).

Surprise: A curmudgeon finds fodder in a pol's letter to the editor

Sometimes politicians would be better off if they didn't try to put a spin on a partisan issue.

Case in point is State Rep. Al Landis' recent letter to the editor in The Times-Reporter in which he defends his vote for Senate Bill 5 with a declaration that he is committed to Ohio taxpayers and the bill "is a necessary measure for maintaining the services that local governments provide for communities. Raising taxes on the unemployed and underemployed who struggle to pay bills was not an option."

He then goes on to say that the bill, now a law, does not eliminate collective bargaining for Ohio's 360,000 unionized public sector workers, including cops, firefighters and school teachers.

"It does not mandate cuts in pay or benefits, or eliminate pensions," he said.

Well, in my mind, it does, at least in some cases. Forcing all public union members to contribute at least 15 percent of their salaries toward the cost of their benefit packages is, in fact, a pay cut if they were paying less than 15 percent beforehand.

In addition, eliminating the leverage of strikes by public union members and allowing the legislative authority of a political entity to be the final decider in a wage dispute strips bare the ability of a union to collectively bargain.

Landis might call what's left in the wake of Senate Bill 5 "collective bargaining," but I don't.

That's not to say there weren't issues with Ohio's collective bargaining law. There were. Binding arbitration, which gave authority to an unrelated third party over taxpayers' money, was wrong. And the provision should have been corrected long ago.

Other issues that could have been addressed include sick leave payouts and accumulated vacation pay.

Instead, Gov. John Kasich declared war on public employees, beginning with his rant against a police officer who pulled him over on Rt. 315 in Columbus. And the Republican Party, with Landis in tow, followed right along.

The result of Kasich's hardball politics is further polarization of the masses within Ohio. I don't know whether it's a war on the middle class, but you'd be hard-pressed to find a public union employee who doesn't think so.

And then there are the unintended consequences. What are we telling Ohio's best and brightest kids who might have wanted to grow up to be a cop, a firefighter or even a teacher? Will we as parents push them in other directions? Out of the state perhaps?

A friend asked me if I thought a referendum on the new anti-collective bargaining law would be successful. I don't have an answer to that yet. I know there are a lot of people out there who think public employees have it too easy, especially now because private sector employers aren't sharing the wealth with their employees like they once did. Call it the jealousy factor.

* * *
Some further reading on the subject:

-- Plain Dealer and Columbus Dispatch columnist Thomas Suddes isn't making any predictions on whether a referendum would be successful. You can read his column here.

-- Most big city mayors in Ohio don't like the state's new anti-collective bargaining law. A Plain Dealer story explains most of those mayors are Democrats.

* * *
One of the dumber things being proposed in this state is the requirement that voters produce photo identification cards before they cast their ballots in primary or general elections.

In all my years of covering elections in this state, I don't remember an election being thrown because of significant voter fraud. Indeed, if there is one documented case of that occurring in Tuscarawas County in the last 40 years, I'd be surprised.

The law now requires voters to show a driver's license, or utility bill, or some other document that confirms the voter is whom he/she claims to be.

It works. So, now some our legislators in all their wisdom want to fix a system that appears not to be broken.

The local paper pointed to a case in Indiana as reason to approve such a law in Ohio. Apparently Indiana's top elections official was indicted for intentionally voting in the wrong precinct.

For the life of me, I can't figure out why that case underscores the need for a voter photo ID law in Ohio. But maybe I missed something.

* * *
For those who think the newspaper business is dead, just look at the price of a share of stock in the Washington Post Co. It closed Monday at $440.68.

Pretty good, huh?

Last week, an analyst was discussing the company on CNBC. The questioner asked him what the value of the newspaper was to the company, which, according to Google, is a diversified education and media company.

"It's worthless," he said.

* * *
I hate to be pessimistic but there seem to be forces at work that will pin us down economically, at least in Ohio, for some time to come.

The collective bargaining law, while it may have no immediate obvious impact, might keep those 360,000 public employees from being too free with their money. That means the uncertainty that now envelops them will keep them from purchasing big ticket items, including homes and cars. (There's that middle class thing...)

Add to that the skyrocketing gasoline prices, which will order a shifting of priorities in many other people's lives, forcing them to cut back on purchasing across the board.

And, of course, as government budgets tighten, people whose employment is connected to entitlement programs (easy targets for the Tea Party) might be out of work sooner rather than later. They, too, will be subtracted from the ranks of healthy consumers.

Then there's the Medicaid and Medicare funding crisis that is putting a crimp on hospitals and health care facilities and ultimately on their employees.

I'm told by people who ought to know that there is virtually no housing construction under way in Tuscarawas County. There were about a dozen real estate transfers in Saturday's paper and about half appear to be connected to foreclosure actions.

That's horrible.

Perhaps new Chamber Director Scott Robinson can bring together our best and brightest for a little roundtable discussion about what needs to be done to move Tuscarawas County out of the economic doldrums.

Only our future is at stake.

***
Facebook and Twitter (dfarrell_dover),