Community Representative

By Colleen "Colleen Greissinger" Greissinger

I am a New Voice and Advocate for our children, families and taxpayers. Here are my positions and priorities as a Sycamore School Board member.

My name is Colleen Greissinger and I am a common sense seasoned professional who believes strongly in the value of an excellent education. However, our public school system needs reform that must include legislative changes at the Federal, State, and local levels. Being a free market, limited government, fiscal conservative, my role on the board will be one of a committed "Community Representative" for the Sycamore School District.

Being convinced that the era of a 'new normal' in this nation is upon us, the need to rein in spending to realistic and sustainable margins is long overdue. I intend to ensure that all fiscal, curriculum, and district philosophy become more transparent. The taxpayers will learn and fully understand how their hard earned tax dollars are being spent -- while they still have chance to voice their concerns. My mission will be to help the district and the taxpayers see the past and present lack of parity between our private sector and the public school district wage and benefit packages while we maintain the community priority of a distinctive and value-added education.

Specifically, I intend to make the following issues a high priority:

1) Conduct a State (or private) Performance Audit/cost analysis.

2) Educate the Sycamore taxpaying community as to how their dollars are being spent relative to our private sector wages and benefits. According to the Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, teacher salaries (along with those of other public sector employees) have increased nearly 25% over the last decade. Private sector incomes have increased barely 8%. So, teacher salaries have increased 17% more than the pay of the folks who pay the teachers. This imbalance cannot be fixed simply by freezing salaries, laying off a few teachers, or cutting busing, etc.

3) I intend to cut costs smartly with the end in mind. We need to transform our current fiscal woes into reform opportunities from the local level up. On my watch, currently available education dollars will be used in productive ways to better serve the interests of the students, not the adults. Public employees of the schools -- actually, employees of the taxpayers -- have the unions to look out for their best interests. I will serve as a deputy leader and advocate for our families and their children as I set the stage for the kinds of reforms needed. School spending has skyrocketed upwards by 33% (in inflation-adjusted dollars) just since 1995. K-12 education now consumes about 40% of state dollars. I will think big, creatively, and pro-actively as we restructure and innovate for the end goal.

4) Sycamore School District has enough permanent guaranteed revenue, approximately $4.5 million (up 11.6% over five years between 2005 and 2009), each year to cut spending by the millions without cutting programs for our children or taking money from the classrooms. There will be no need for another tax levy since it is a spending problem that we have -- in the form of wages, benefits, and pension contributions. If we would just align the taxpayer contribution rate for teachers with the national median, Ohio would save a projected $451million in annual retirement contribution costs. See Buckeye Institute.org "Taxpayers on the Hook" for how the costs of public worker retirement benefits is stifling the private sector in the growth and innovation that Ohio needs.

5) District leaders (Boards and Superintendents) want and need more autonomy, responsibility, and flexibility to make tough calls. Such an outcome requires 'guts' and coordination at multiple levels of leadership, including organized labor and the state legislature.

I am up to this challenge.

For more information, please visit website: http://www.wix.com/colleen4sycamore/fit2lead "Thank you" for your vote on November 8. Colleen Greissinger For questions or to contribute, see website to write or call.