"LAND OF HOPES & DREAMS" bruce springsteen

I attended the second principal’s community meeting at Harvey this past Thursday at 5:00 PM. The meeting was attended by 12 residents plus Dr. Hanlon also attended. We were informed at the last meeting that one of the problems seems to be that students were bringing troubles from home to school. Ms. Martin invited Melanie Hale from Lake County Jobs & Services to tell us what these students faced and mentioned many ways her department gets involved. She mentioned that at times family members do not want to discuss events in the home and have a right not to talk to them.

Ms. Martin also brought up the subject of teen birth rates by school district.
We, sorry to say, are number 1 within an eight county area. Our birth rate for females 15 to 17 is the highest of any school system in the eight county region.

Yes, Painesville’s rate is higher than Cleveland, East Cleveland, Akron, Lorain, Ashtabula, Euclid, Elyria, or Ravenna. These statistics are not by births, but by birth rates. Painesville has 315 girls of this age group with 22 having a baby.

Now, do I believe Harvey students are more sexually active than students at any of the above-mentioned schools are? No, but they are having more unprotected sex and using less birth control.

First, let me state that I do not believe this is a school problem but a family problem. One person in attendance mentioned "we are our brothers’ keepers" but this pregnancy rate is disturbing to say the least.

People talked about programs for these young mothers, I personally would rather see more programs dealing with preventing pregnancies. Babies having babies rarely works out for everyone involved.

When I asked Ms. Martin what she believed was the cause of this, she mentioned that many girls just wanted someone to love and to love them back.

We have to enlist everyone in this community to help find a workable solution to this problem. Yes, I know it is getting into the morals of the community but we have to let these young adults know we care about them and we only want success in their lives.

Yes, we will face a possible backlash and challenge some cultural norms but all of us have a stake in resolving this. Continuing to turn a blind eye to this situation just is not acceptable any more.

Ms. Martin mentioned a fact that I found very disturbing. That a survey of 7th grade girls at Heritage revealed that only 17% would always say NO to sexual intercourse.

Only 14% of all students believe the community values them.

What fosters these ideas and how do we change them?

I believe a good start would be more people showing up at these events and the school inviting input from the students.

Please remember that Tuesday October 4,2011 is
"Meet The Candidate Night" for candidates running for Painesville School Board. At Harvey High School.

LIVIN" ON A PRAYER bon jovi

Just in case you are looking for anyone important at the sooty "Golden Dome" Wednesday morning chances are they will not be there.
Where will the Queen, Sharks, a few rabbits, maybe even the Bear be? They all might appear in front of the wise Owl at a big Feudal Courtroom in the Kingdom of the Cleve. Why, one of the Rabbits legal issues seems to be front and center and that is kind of muddying the waters (so to speak). The Fairy Godmother named FEMA has decided the Queen must reapply for the jars of honey after October 1, 2011 or ask for an extension to keep it within the Queen’s grasp.
I will inform you tomorrow what, if anything, the wise Owl decides. It appears that Fairy Godmother FEMA cannot figure out why it has taken over five years to distribute the honey.
Just a thought… what will all the rabbits and the Bear do if the Fairy Godmother decides the honey is needed more in another part of the Kingdom along the big water… New Jersey for instance.
We’ve all been hearing this fairy tale for a long time and waiting for the ‘happily ever after’, I guess we are not there yet.

"SIGNS,SIGNS EVERYWHERE..." five man electric band

Signs, signs, everywhere signs. Do signs win elections? Do the people with those signs in their yards even know who the candidate is and where he stands on city issues? Do some issues such as levies or ballot items even deserve a sign? Where are the signs in town over the two state issues?

This happened to me yesterday evening. A neighbor of my mother's came up to me and told me his house insurance was cancelled (because of all his recent flood damage claims). He found another agent in Willoughby Hills that would cover his house, at a cost of over 600 dollars more a year.

I felt bad for him and then asked him "Well, why is that sign in your front yard?"
He mentioned that a long time [over 30 year] council member asked permission to put that sign in his front yard. I asked him if he ever met the person whose name was on the sign. “No” he answered. So I asked, “What makes you believe this man will help you with your flooding problem?” He said he didn't know. What has that long time council member done about your flooding problem? “Well, the city is doing a study” he answered. I mentioned that the study should have been done BEFORE the new development came along with two new schools built in the area… not after.

How’s that foundation holding up… how is the market value of your house holding up. Even an "underachiever" like me knows that first you check the present infrastructure before building… not after. Was there any larger sewers put in on Chestnut or Liberty Streets before construction was approved? I guess someone must have been absent that day in college.

The only way to be elected in Painesville is to go door to door… day after day; sunny days… cold days… introduce yourself to the voters, explain why you are running and ask them what you can do for them. Never lie if they ask you to repave their street… tell them you need three other votes even to get that done. If they do not like the city manager and want someone new… answer them honestly…”Yes, I believe we should go in a different direction” or “Under the circumstances, I believe that person is doing a good job”.

Knocking on doors, not 500 signs, not slick emails or asking me a question on the Internet. I asked one candidate two questions over six weeks ago and still have not received an answer.

Yes, it was two kind of tricky questions, but at least e-mail me and tell me you won't answer.

Signs do not vote for failed electric contracts that cost Painesville over 2 million dollars.

Signs do not vote to replace a 90-year-old water line.

Signs do not vote to keep water from flooding your property.

Signs definitely do not have control of all the waste in this town.

Remember that when you go to vote, did the person behind the sign say what they were going to do. And for those up for re-election… did they do what they said?

Back to my mother's neighbor, four years ago the same long-time council member asked to put a Fountain sign in his yard. Well, how did that work out for you people in Ward III?

On a recent levy, the one for a 3.9 mill Charter change, there were more signs in front yards then the number of votes that voted YES on the levy. What does that tell you?

I wish people who run for office spent as much time performing as a city official as they did trying to become one.

"CUZ I CAN" pink

Am I the only person that can't figure out how someone can live in a place for 16 years and still not be able to speak a word of English? Doing the math she was 23 years old when she "arrived" here... older people have a harder time picking up on a language but people in their teens or 20s generally pick it up easier. There seems to be a lot wrong with the picture that was painted. Seems to be a little out of wack.

How has she supported her 4 daughters and herself for all this time? Where was she employed, is she collecting child support? Where are those childrens' father?

You ask 'where's all your money going?'. Sorry, it's going to fund operations like this one. Veronica Dahlberg, front and center, along with Leopold... what a combination. Call me hard, but how do we teach people laws if they're not enforced the same for everyone?

In a year, all will be forgotten and she will be able to live here as long as she wants. They probably will give her Social Security too.

I brought up the subject of Ward III not being represented, whether at council meetings or in votes on the city's agenda. Robert Fountain ran for office four years ago, and I believe he has been in ill-health for the past three years. He has missed numerous council meetings as well as water issue meetings and special work sessions. Is it wrong for the people of Ward III to have a councilman who will answer their phone when a the resident needs to speak to their councilman? I was told to 'call your council people-at-large'... well, why even have ward councilmen? Apparently we may not really need them.

How bad is it in Painesville? When the person that has been the head of the local Little League deems it important enough to criticize a department head and speak of what his employees are doing during working hours? Let's blast into this guy for coming before council to make them aware of an issue? His sin is that he only donated countless hours to this program at no cost to residents.

Many new faces attending council meetings, one I noticed was a local stringer for a local political party... seemed to have been there evaluating something or somebody.

On another note... people have been telling me about a reverse 911 call by the Painesville Police. Seems that lately there have been a rash of home break-ins and robberies. In these economic times we must all be more vigilant. May even have something to do with the arrests made yesterday involving Meth labs?

After reading Thursday's News-Herald about an armed robbery at Walgreen's, I guess there must be a good reason why our Safety Director took SIX days for it to make the papers. Sorry, Ms. McMahon, we have crimes committed in Painesville. Remember this ain't Chardon.

"THE PLEASURE PRINCIPLE" janet jackson

Some people have questioned why I don't believe Ms. Martin is the right person to head Harvey High School. I believe she is an accomplished educator with all the proper credentials and Harvey as everyone seems to agree is not the average high school.
What am I looking for maybe a little less friend and a lot more authoritarian. I cannot reincarnate a Jack Britt or even if I could would he be deemed
'good enough" by some in the community?
That brings me to this guy.

I am your new principal, and honored to be so. There is no greater calling than to teach young people.

I would like to apprise you of some important changes coming to our school. I am making these changes because I am convinced that most of the ideas that have dominated public education in America have worked against you, against your teachers and against our country.

First this school will no longer honor race or ethnicity. I could not care less if your racial makeup is black, brown, red, yellow or white. I could not care less if your origins are African, Latin American, Asian or European, or if your ancestors arrived on the Mayflower or on slave ships. The only identity I care about, the only one this school will recognize, is your individual identity--your character, your scholarship, your humanity. And the only national identity this school will care about is American.

This is an American public school, and American public schools were created to make better Americans. If you wish to affirm an ethnic,racial or religious identity through school, you will have to go elsewhere. We will end all ethnicity, race and non-American nationality-based celebrations. They undermine the motto of America, one of its three central values--e pluribus Unum, "from many, one." And this school will be guided by America's values. This includes all after-school clubs. I will not authorize clubs that divide students.
society divided by political correctness.

I am uninterested in whether English is your native language. My only interest in terms of language is that you leave this school speaking and writing English as fluently as possible. The English language has united American citizens for over 200 years, and it will unite us at this school. It is an indispensable reason this country of immigrants has always come to be one country. And if you leave this school without excellent English language skills, I would be remiss in my duty to ensure that you will be prepared to successfully compete in the American job market. We will learn other languages here-- it is deplorable that most Americans only speak English--but if you want classes taught in your native language rather than in English,this is not your school.

Because I regard learning as a sacred endeavor, everything in this school will reflect learning's elevated status. This means, among other things, that you and your teachers will dress accordingly.
Therefore, there will be a formal dress code at this school.

No obscene language will be tolerated anywhere on this school's property-- whether in class, in the hallways or at athletic events. If you can't speak without using the f-word, you can't speak. By obscene language I mean words banned by the Federal Communications Commission, plus epithets such as "N#*&@R" even when used by a one black student to address another black, or "b%$#*h" even when addressed by a girl to a girlfriend. It is my intent that by the time you leave school, you will be among the few your age to instinctively distinguish between the elevated and the degraded, the holy and the obscene.

We will end all self-esteem programs. In this school, self-esteem will be attained in only one way--the way people attained it until decided otherwise a generation ago-- by earning it. One immediate consequence is that there will be one valedictorian, not eight.

Dennis Prager

Tell me what YOU think.

"MEET THE CANDIDATES NIGHTS"

Meet Your Candidate
This event is for all residents of Painesville.

Here is your chance to meet "One on One" candidates who are running for either School Board or Ward Councilman.

{October 4,2011} Meet the candidates running for the three open seats for Painesville City Board of Education.

This meeting 10/04/11 will take place at Harvey High School 200 West Walnut St. from 7:00PM to 9:00PM.

{October 11,2011} Meet the candidates who are running for the four ward seats in Painesville City. This will also be held at Harvey High School 200 West Walnut St.
from 7:00PM to 9:00PM.

Both meetings are Sponsored by Unity in the Community and President of this group Derrick Abney will serve as moderator for both events. He has done an outstanding job in the past and we all expect him to do the same this year.
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Council Meeting this Monday night at 7:30PM September 19,2011 at City Hall a full agenda along with a presentation by The East End Fire Chiefs will present Lake County Cooperative Government.

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Another meeting of interest to take place on October 11.2011?
Seems the Queen, the Bear, some Rabbits along with some Knights, and all the Sharks will try to figure out a solution to the Burrow problem down by the Riverside.. Not a Sheriff Sale? but a Petition Sale? What about all the rabbits that have all ready filed bankruptcy? How will all the jars of honey be distributed?
Waiting for the Beavers to show up.

"RUNNING ON EMPTY" jackson browne

Well, this coming Saturday at Veterans Park the Tea Party Patriots will have an event.

I will be honest with you from the start... I believe the only reason there even is a Tea Party is because somehow we elected an African-American to the Presidency. Nowhere in the past eight years, with the wars and out of control spending, did anyone seem to have a need for this group. Seems to me Bush drove the truck into a ditch and for almost the next three years Obama has tried to push it out and received little help from the opposition. All this bad stuff has started since he was elected? Right.

Now as far as the Tea Party's standard bearers: Palin, Bachman and this month's flavor of the month, Rick Perry, all seem to want to take us so far to the right that we will soon be next to the kooks on the left. How, after the last ten years, how anyone can still be a loyal Republican or Democrat is beyond me.

The "normal" GOP must now be thinking 'I know how the Dems felt when the Lefties seemed to be running the show.' What did our current Congressman call the new tea party Congressmen; "Knuckle draggers"? This bunch would call Reagan a poor choice for a conservative... too weak and compromising.

Now Perry tells me Social Security is a "Ponzi" scheme. Along with it being unconstitutional and a drag on American freedom. Sorry Ricky. I've been playing the game for over 45 years and you're not going to change the rules now.

Then again,does he have a point? Even a clock is right twice a day. Recently in the September 7,2011 News-Herald there was a tragic story about a 32 year old Mexican national... legally in this country on a passport. Eduardo Sencion who went into an IHOP in Carson City Nevada and shot 12 people, killing three, two of whom were National Guardsmen in uniform. It is unclear if they were the motive or the prime targets..... Now for the rest of the story: Mr.Sencion (who ended by committing suicide) was reported to have mental issues by his family. The attorney who represented him in a bankruptcy hearing listed more then $42,000 in outstanding debt for a car, several credit cards, and some medical expenses. It was reported he had a net worth of $200.00 and $923.00 in disability income, mostly SOCIAL SECURITY.
Forget for a minute the bankruptcy. How in God's name does a non-citizen here on a passport, 32 years old receive Social Security, along with working in his brother's grocery store?

How and why did some bureaucrat give this man a disability check? Hell, I know deserving American citizens who can't get disability, maybe they should get a passport.

Want to know why we're going broke? Screwball ideas such as this. Bureaucrats giving your money away. Medicare fraud, tax loopholes, tax cheats, this might be where the Tea Party should look first.

The tragedy of this story is the dead and wounded people. To a lesser extent giving people with mental issues a government check to stay here ranks somewhere on the "Rick Perry ain't as crazy as I first thought list."

Bankruptcy? Wonder if those credit cards puchased the AK-47 he used on his killing spree?

Then again, we import almost everything else... why not wackos too?

"DENIAL OZZMOSIS " ozzy osbourne

As I left last night’s school board meeting, someone mentioned that I didn’t even take notes. I responded, “You’re right, but didn’t you hear… everything’s fine!”

Nearly 50 residents attended last night’s meeting. Most were concerned with the situation (or non-situation) at Harvey. One big question is ‘whose facts are right and whose facts are wrong?’

At the very beginning, the first guest speaker was reminded not to use people's names…. well she slipped in the first minute so we all knew she was talking about former teacher Ross Grippi. I have made it a point to leave many comments off this blog if for no other reason than I can't prove them or they have nothing to do with the subject.

As always, in Painesville fashion, the problem is never attacked first, but the person who brings this to the public is the villain. Destroy the messenger, who cares about his facts, whether real or unreal.

Then another person gets up with his graphs and charts. For such an accomplished person he failed to pass them around or even tell us where these facts can be found. One chart I wish I could have seen is how many Harvey graduates go on to college and get an Associate, Bachelor’s, or Master’s degree. Let us compare PCLS to other districts. I am tired of hearing about Ashtabula schools, could we aim a little higher please!

Even being the underachiever that I am, I will at least tell you where my facts come from.

An elderly person in the audience mentioned ‘if this was a corporation you all would have been fired by now.’ I guess he is wondering how many years can you be in continuous improvement before you have to show real improvement? I would like an answer to that myself.

I made the mistake of mentioning Ms. Martin’s next monthly meeting to be held September 29th. Mr. Dillard said NO NAMES or he would end this now. O.K., so I guess some unnamed person will have a meeting on that day.

Next came the administration and board’s answer to last month’s comment section.
The first comment I remember by the administration was regarding the teacher who had managed to get 87% of her tenth graders to past the math portion of the equivalency test. They added that ‘yes, that was true, but her scores for her 11th and 12th graders dragged down her total scores.’ You have to wonder why. Due to confidentiality laws, they would not discuss why she was not re-hired….and as a side-note: in the first three years of any teacher’s contract, they do not have to give any reason for dismissal…so we still really do not know why.

Board member Reverend Gerald Kalb, who I view as one of the most honest people I know, read the Painesville City manager and police chief’s analysis of the situation at Harvey. Yes, there were 86 fights, 18 assaults and 68 minor disturbances that I guess must happen in every high school. Ninety-nine percent of all discipline problems at Harvey are caused by approximately twenty-two percent of the students.

Here is what I came away with: Dr Hanlon has invited anybody to meet him at 7 AM at the high school, he’ll buy the coffee. There is only one way I can honestly tell you if there is a problem or not… personally, I don’t want to take the guided tour, I would like to take a few days off from work and spend that time shadowing the SRO officer at the High School…not for a selected hour or two but for a full two or three days. I will even be willing to do this after the November election and I will promise everyone that reads this blog that I will print exactly what I see….good or bad. My guess is the school administration will stall this for some reason or another (insurance, confidentiality etc.) but I can think of no other way for me to find out the truth. I have heard from too many people that I trust and respect that there are very real problems. I would give them an unbiased view of what is really going on at the high school. I will make this offer in a letter to the Board of Education and the school administration. The ball is in their court.

If there was a positive out of last night’s meeting, it is good to see that many residents are looking for answers.

"9/11 REMEMBRANCE"

10 years ago and yet it seems like yesterday in many ways. As I watched in disbelief what was going on right in front of my eyes I didn't want to believe it.
When I was young I asked my father why we should "Remember Pearl Harbor". He told me "as Americans we must never let our guard down and keep a vigil over enemies who want to attack us."
As I got older and read history from that time period, it seemed that the only thing standing in the way of the Japanese Empire's expansion into Southeast Asia and the Philippines was the American fleet at Pearl Harbor. If Japan could cripple the Navy its dominance in Asia would be easy. Did we not heed the warnings at that time?
That brings up 9/11; did we again not heed the warnings? The U.S.S. Cole, the bombing of the American embassies in Africa, The Lockerbie Pan Am 103 flight bombing, and of course the first attack with a truck bomb on the World Trade Center.
How many lives this attack on 9/11 has changed is incalculable. Whether it's the Baker family who lost Lance Corporal David Baker in Afghanistan, or the Parhamovich family that lost their daughter Andi, a civilian in Iraq.... their lives have been changed like so many other families on 9/11.
One thing we should all remember: the terrorists were not looking to kill people with a "D" or an "R" after their name, the goal was to kill Americans.

Take some time tomorrow to say a prayer for those that are no longer with us because of 9/11.
To the victims: Go in Peace with your God, Go in Peace with the Saints, and the Angels and remember you are now free.

"PAINESVILLE CITY HALL UNDER FIRE"

No really it caught fire! Looks like the golden dome took most of the fire damage. No reported injuries and there must be heavy water damage to the second floor. Listening to those on the street it is believed to be caused by an electrical fire.
Many fire department responded, Willoughy, Mentor, Mentor-on the-Lake, Chardon, Eastlake Perry, plus more.Channel 3 News reported Painesville City Fire Department was first on the scene. Really they reported that when you can see the fire department is connected to city hall?

BUILD ME UP BUTTERCUP" foundation

No one will be let down.

At the Wednesday POC meeting, we invited Carol and Arthur Shamakian as guest speakers.

These two are the proud owners of the Steele Mansion.

They gave a very nice presentation about all the progress made under their ownership.
First, I must remind everyone that this reconstruction was mentioned in the paper as a "hobby" and something to keep them and their family busy. What an understatement!

This family has single handedly saved one of Painesville's historical treasures.
Many times in the past, as I drove by, I looked to see what the most recent missing piece was. Now I see a real future, starting with the roof. Not only a roof but also a weather tight structure... and the floors are all back in the building. Soon the spiral staircase and the rest of the 18,000 square foot structure will be transformed. The goal is not to rebuild an antique but to take the best of the past and upgrade it with items and accommodations from the present.

Carol has poured herself into this project (as I believe she has done with everything in her life. These two have resurrected a building just months away from demolition.

I cannot even begin to tell you how impressed those in attendance were. The family mentioned that they have received 100% co-operation from the city manager and administration, as well as the previous owner. How anyone might not want to get on board with these two positive people is beyond me.

They are looking for old pictures of the mansion (pre-1930) along with any historical information.

Painesville is very lucky they found us and we are very lucky what their 'hobby' is.
18,000 square feet? Could there be another Inn in Painesville future?

Steelemansion@aol.com

'FUNERAL FOR A FRIEND" elton john

The news of Dick Beeler's passing struck the Cimaglio family hard. Yet it brought up great memories of Dad and Dick. Aluminum cans anyone? Oh... the stories.
At my father's passing last year Dick, who was already very ill, called my Mom and asked if it would be possible to go to the funeral home outside of visiting hours. This was due to his low immunity system.
Even in ill health himself he made time for my mother and father, that's the kind of man he was.
Whether as coach, athletic director, teacher, or school administrator Painesville schools had an outstanding person looking out for them.
Dick was instrumental in the building construction and oversaw the development of all five of the buildings.
I can only hope the school board takes it upon itself to honor him with at least a plaque to commemorate all his hard work that went into these buildings.

God speed Mr. Beeler.

"NOBODY KNOWS" tony rich project

It was a very interesting council meeting last night. Again, more questions than answers. First, Mrs. DiNallo was asking about commercial vehicles in peoples' driveways. The city just passed an ordinance this year and already we are looking for variances. Maybe we should have left it alone. In addition, Councilman Flock doesn't seem to be able to get council to agree on a resolution to protect property owners in nonconforming zoning areas. Let's hope people don't have a fire or a tornado so that on top of your stuff scattered between Painesville and Tim-Buck-Too, you also have to worry if the city will let you rebuild on property that sometime in the past the city let you or someone else build on it.

Mr. Ware was given an apology and his $100 back from the city manager. I thought it was a class act to do it in a public meeting. She also mentioned that city employees would handle situations such as these differently in the future.

Now the topic of police calls and officers at Harvey was mentioned, but the incident reports were never discussed. What was discussed was who's responsibility was it to pay the police resource officer that spends his days at Harvey. Presently his pay comes out of the city’s general fund. I, as well as Councilman Flock, can't understand with the city general fund being cut we take on the added expense of this officer. I believe this officer should be paid out of the school budget not the city budget. Everyone agrees the officer is needed but the arguments I heard for the city to pay for him didn't quite cut it. I'm sure private businesses wouldn't agree either; McDonald's must wonder why they have to pay.

So now we have a new item to ask candidates running for a council seat. Would you vote for the city to pay for this officer? Funny, seems we never let council vote on this issue in the past, but then again you have at least four council people with close ties to the school system. If a vote was held last night you can bet it would have been a 'Yes' for the city to pay him out of the general fund. I'm so glad this city is so flush with cash that we can screw-up $2 million dollars for someone's mistake in Meigs County, and we can pay for a police officer the school board should be paying for. I bet people in Liberty Greens, Heisley Park, and Cobblestone are overjoyed considering they have nothing to do with Painesville City Schools, other than pay for a policeman out of their property taxes. Are you paying attention Mike? I hope you have an answer for your neighbors. I bet Cobblestone residents believe this is "fiscally irresponsible."

On a final note.... there seems to be too much collaboration in the wrong way between the two administrations. It's that way for a reason, which I will explain in a future post. All I can see they have in common is their names and both have failed administrations. One has failed to educate Painesville children, and the other can't repair streets, water lines and sewer lines.

" WHO ARE YOU" the who

Celebrate Labor Day, Summers doing an encore.
Council Meeting will be Tuesday evening Ten items on the agenda. Check city page.
I have been told another city storm water meeting will take place at Elm St. Elementary School Tuesday September 13,2011 at 6:00pm. This is for all North end residents and is open to all residents of Painesville. Want to bet we will hear about another study?
On this Labor Day I pose this question Who's statement is this and do you agree or disagree?

In our faith tradition, defending the human dignity of every person,born and unborn, includes promoting economic justice. This justice places the good of the person at the center of all economic activities. It stresses that the economy exists for the person,not the person for the economy. It challenges society to measure the moral effectiveness of our economic practices by how well they strengthen families and provide for the poor and vulnerable.

This social doctrine has long recognized that all people have the right to economic initiative, to productive work,to just wages and benefits, to decent working conditions, to organize and join unions or other associations, and to engage in collective bargaining.

At the same time , this doctrine promotes mutual partnerships where both needs of labor and the needs of management are freely and openly acknowledged and addressed. It challenges both unions and management to work for the common good, to make sacrifices when required,and to adjust to new economic realities.

Any guesses?

"SHE WORKS HARD FOR THE MONEY"d summers

Went back to school Wednesday morning and found out some interesting facts. Some good, some not so good. It left me with more questions to ask.

Ms. Martin addressed the group of about a dozen of us. It was a mixed bag of parents, former parents and people looking for answers.

Before I "pass judgment" on Ms. Martin's figures, I would like to see the numbers the police department will present to city council.

On a positive note, 22% of all students contribute to 99% of expulsions and discipline problems. Therefore, 78% of the students do not show up on the discipline radar. I will testify that while at the presentation all students I viewed acted well mannered. I have asked some students if the presentation by Ms. Martin reflected their own view of high school life. Most disagreed. I was told that the student body as a whole has very little respect for the principal. I’m also told she plays favorites and constantly changes her mind on policy. One issue that I heard about from both white and black students were the Hispanic students, for some reason, do not have to play by the same rules. I don't know; I bet if I asked an Hispanic student, I would receive another story.

One problem I guess I was aware of on some level but didn't realize the magnitude of is Harvey has the highest student pregnancy rate in the area, even higher than most inter-city schools. Well, they’re proficient in one area…. babies having babies.

Most agreed perception is everything and that Painesville City schools (Harvey in particular) gets a bad rap that is not always deserved. A few shared several success stories and I learned about some of the corporate community involvement and programs in place that are definitely positive things. But when there are three or four police cars sitting in front of the school at the end of the day, there is a reason.

Discipline was the main subject. The old standby 50% policy reared its head. I got the impression that residents and most parents weren't buying it.

No one disputed Mr. Grippi's numbers or statement. When asked about the teacher that had 83% of her junior class pass the state math exam and then later let go, I got an insufficient answer from Ms. Martin citing that she could not discuss personnel decisions. All and all I looked forward to the next meeting armed with some questions and some solutions from a number of of you.

As I walked out the door after the meeting, I felt a lot better... until I got to the parking lot with three police cruisers, a K9 officer and three other officers. I just did not ask, I was feeling too "Positively Painesville" at the time. Maybe they were there to share donuts and keep the officer company who was stationed there.