Issues
CIVILITY AND RESPECT
Our community is a great place filled with good people with awesome families. Whenever I meet someone, I am always amazed by what brought them to the community and the sacrifices that families make to position their children for success.
Like any community we will disagree. I am committed to making sure that mutual respect drives our conversation. Our disagreements do not change our focus on doing the best we can for our families. Disagreements can also help us find a better solution for the challenges that we face.
I learned this emphasis of mutual respect from my Father and my Uncle. Richard Daberkow (left picture) is my Dad and is responsible for much of what I know about the political world. My Father, like myself (not surprisingly) is a Conservative Republican. William Assmus (right picture) is my Uncle and my Godfather. My Uncle Bill was a Democratic Councilman from Brookpark, Ohio in the 1970's. I have one of his campaign signs that is half-century old in my office. My Father and Uncle disagreed on probably most political issues. But they loved each other like brothers. My Father supported my Uncle politically by attending his fundraisers. I vividly remember attending spaghetti dinner fundraisers as a child! We can disagree on the issues without vilifying those with whom we disagree. This is a foundational commitment for me as I negotiate the campaign process.
FAIR FUNDING
School finance and economics is not an issue that can be approached from a "50,000 foot" perspective. The most pressing issue as an OLSD Board Member is the fact that we receive less funding from the state than 591 school districts in Ohio. Our district receives barely HALF of the per student allocation than does a private school. This is simply unconscionable. As one of the fastest growing districts in the state of Ohio, our district is capped by the Ohio state funding formula which costs our district over $40,000,000 per year. This cap is untenable. In just a few short years our district will be larger than Pittsburgh Public Schools! We cannot continue with current student growth while simultaneously having our state aid for growth capped arbitrarily. The trajectory of student growth and lack of state funding continues the disastrous trend that forces OLSD families to make up the gap. This is unacceptable. We cannot fund the disparity by encouraging commercial development. It is just not enough. We must be committed to pressing fair funding with our state legislature. Some have said that we cannot, as one district, do anything to address school funding. I passionately disagree. If one student can make a difference in 1991 (see DeRolph v. Ohio history), then I believe one district can make a difference as well.
How do we press for change?
(1) Olentangy Schools needs a full-time legislative liaison working each day to make sure that our interests are at the forefront of the fair funding debate.
(2) Legislators from our district needs to be held accountable for catalyzing school funding change that improves the position of OLSD in the Ohio state funding formula.
(3) Build a coalition of similarly-situated school districts that are willing to pursue legal action against the state if legislative efforts are unsuccessful.
Pursuing fair funding for Olentangy schools will not be an easy battle. The fight cannot be lead by people that believe that we cannot win. I am the only candidate with educational leadership experience and a background in school finance and economics that is committed to recapturing fair funding for Olentangy Schools families.
RELATIONSHIPS
Parents drive the academic success that students in OLSD enjoy! It is not by coincidence that our county is the most educated county in Ohio and that the students' academic achievement is at levels not enjoyed in most districts in the state. Combined with our districts' lower cost per pupil than any other high-achieving district in the state, OLSD is the premier school district in our state.
Even with our academic success, we can, as a district, do better to respect families and be responsive to their concerns and needs. Throughout this campaign, I have made myself available to families from a variety of perspectives on issues. As an educational leader for the past two decades, I am the only candidate that has a proven track record of listening to parents and crafting each student's educational experience to be aligned with family concerns.
Our district policies need to be aligned with the goals of parent respect and responsiveness.
Let's talk about the issues...
You can call my personal cell phone at (614) 570-2478.
My campaign email is kevin.daberkow.4.olsd.boe@gmail.com.