A worthwhile investment
To the editor: I am asking all Lake Township voters to please vote for our school levy.

We have a wonderful school system, with employees who truly care about our children. Without a fully-rounded school experience, our kids will not become the leaders needed for this country’s future success.

I am a lifelong Millbury resident, a Lake graduate, a mother of three daughters who also went to Lake, and a 33-year Lake bus driver. I am also a single parent and absolutely understand the expenses we all have. When you consider the cost of the levy for a $100,000 home is only about 39 cents a day, I feel this is quite a wonderful investment for our kids.

I am urging all Lake Township resident to please come out and vote for our kids.
Judy (Miller) Hollabaugh
Millbury

Maintaining excellence
To the editor: As many of you may know, the Lake School District has been rated Excellent or above for the past two years, including an Excellent with Distinction rating in 2010.

This rating would not be possible without the support of parents, students, staff and community members. What you may not know is that of 81 school districts statewide that received the Excellent with Distinction rating, Lake was the 11th lowest in per-pupil spending.

The district is looking to begin moving forward with an operating levy in November. This is the first operating levy since 2006 and the funds will all go toward daily operations such as personnel, utilities and classroom materials for the students.

This operating levy will allow the Lake School District to optimize the educational opportunities for our community’s students and continue to support the drive to maintain an excellent rating.

As a community member and proud parent of a new student and soon-to-be student of Lake Local Schools, I ask you to please support the operating levy in November.
Joe St. John
Manager, Global Safety- Corporate EMS, First Solar, Inc.

War on middle class
To the editor: Jeff Berding claims to be a Democrat from Cincinnati. It is to be remembered Cincinnati is our most conservative section of Ohio.

Issue 2 is yet another attempt to destroy the middle class by conservatives. Republicans keep playing one group of people against another, destroying them one at a time.

Now Republican Gov. John Kasich says if we just finish destroying unions and people’s living standards we will have jobs. He’s right – eventually when Republicans cut us down to Chinese peasant living standards, the companies will come back. Until then, it is warfare against the middle class –or what’s left of it. If not next year or the year after, it’s more cuts to your wages and benefits, just so the rich don’t have to pay any taxes.

Vote no on Issue 2 if you want to preserve America.
Al Kapustar
Oregon

Great schools
To the editor: We are reaching out to the members of our community to express the importance of the November 2011 Operating Levy passing in the Lake Local School District.

We faced this situation in 2006 and our community came together and voted yes in support of our schools. We need to pull together and have another successful passing of the levy.

Larry and I will be voting yes on the Operating Levy. We are completely in support of the top level of education currently offered at Lake Local Schools. We cannot allow this levy to fail because it would not only decrease the level of education, but also the level of quality in our community. If good teachers leave and are replaced with less adequate staff, who would want to move their family into such a school system? Also, good families currently living in the Lake district may be more likely to relocate to a better school district. We need to preserve all the good things of our community.

A community is only as good as the people supporting it. If we, the voters, do not support this levy, what does that say about us as a community? The school district has stretched its budget to the point that it is about to break and it is up to us, the voters, to relieve the tension and vote yes for the Operating Levy in November.
Larry and Kerri Ellison

Kaptur’s help appreciated
To the editor: I was one of many who were privileged to be on that Honor Flight to Washington, D.C. I want to thank all who made it possible.

A thank you to three students from Toth Elementary in Perrysburg –Nick, Bridget and Gabby, for their kind letters of thanks, and also to their teachers, who encourage them to remember the sacrifices of so many of our veterans. A special thanks to my escort, Shane Baumgartner.

For me, who did little compared to so many that gave so much and yet, I was honored. My great-grandfather was in the Civil War in 1861. My dad was in World War II in 1917. My four brothers and I were in World War II ( the oldest also served during the Korean affair).

Some years later, our son served in the Air Corps and recently, our grandson (who married into our family) served several tours in Iraq. Each and every one of us “raised our hand.”

My second oldest brother was killed in action in Germany with Patton’s army. We never knew the circumstances of his death. I decided, before my time ran out, to search for some answers. I and our son, of Houston, Tex., contacted our respective agencies. They came up with nothing. Several years of dead ends.

By chance, I saw Marcy Kaptur at the honor breakfast and I asked her for help. I sent her the only information I had – a letter to my mom confirming his death in April 1945. Five weeks later, I received a package containing all of my brother’s medals and some papers. I cannot describe the sensation I had when I held his Purple Heart in my hand after 60 years. I am so grateful to Marcy Kaptur and Dan Foote.

Everyone should remember that the right to complain, criticize and protest – like a remark that was made about Marcy Kaptur several weeks ago – has been preserved by our family and thousands and thousands like us.

I suggest that if we ever again enter into another conflict, these people would raise their hand and say, “I’ll go.”
Noel Donnell
Oregon

Effective?
To the editor: When Oregon School Superintendent Michael Zalar began, there were several teachers and staff members “double-dipping.” His response to my call was, “Sorry, I can’t do anything. I’m new.” That was some time after he came to Oregon.

The end of high school busing is an atrocity. I live on Seaman Road between Wynn and Stadium. The traffic starts a little before 7 a.m. and is a steady stream until 7:30 a.m. Our politicians tell us not to drive so much and buy fuel-saving cars.

So much is being wasted by transporting one or two students to school. Then there are the students who have to walk. There are no sidewalks anywhere to Clay from any direction. The heat of August and beginning of September was terrible. And then the rain…

I wish our superintendent had to walk to his job and the board members to their meetings. Maybe they should try it for a month.

The there is the remodeling of Wynn School, which will be on our taxes for years to come. I believe the treasurer quoted $5 million remaining due. Talk about a dead horse.

If 10 administrators were reduced in the last few years, I guess they weren’t necessary. Maybe we could do without a few more personnel in the offices and administration.

The Toledo Blade on Aug. 25 listed school district performances. Your schools, Mr. Zalar, were effective. I guess you have the Excellent banner that had been on the front of the high school in storage. Even then, our junior high and grade schools were only rated Effective.

Maybe all of the out-of-district students we are encouraging to come to Oregon are not the quality of the Oregon students. Last I heard, there were over 100 and we as taxpayers are paying the bill.

And now a pay raise. You need to all be fired and replaced with someone who is looking out for our students and residents.

Bring back high school busing, better teachers and less politics.
Ruth Price
Oregon

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