I attended Oberlin City Schools and so did my children. I do not remember a time that the community said “no” to higher school taxes.

We had approximately 250 students that parents chose to send to non-OCS schools last year. One reason was bullying, and it is my understanding that we have a teacher who remains in the school system that many parents have said bullied their child.

Do you really think we will draw people into the district because of a new building? No, families look at outcomes — are students ready for college and are they receiving a quality education? If your report card is an “F” now, it will not change just because of a new building.
I was a part of the committee that proposed alternatives to a new building, but the board did not want to hear that. Fifty-one percent of Oberlin students are on free or reduced lunch. Does that sound like a rich community?

We have less than 1,000 students and we pay $1 million in administrative salaries and benefits. We pay per school to remain in the International Baccalaureate, but last year only three students received an IB diploma. We all remember the bus incident when we were paying way more for repairs than any other school system. How much have we paid lawyers just last year to fight parents we don’t agree with?

Houses are for sale all around me because the taxes are already ridiculous. Please, Oberlin community and students, do not put us Oberlin residents out of our homes. Please vote no on Issue 11.

Sandra Redd
Oberlin Resident