To the editor: Unfinished projects are dangerous

6/11/2018
Construction work in Toledo, Ohio.
Construction work in Toledo, Ohio.

Why are road projects started and left unfinished? One project should be finished before the other one is started, especially on a main thoroughfare. Some projects have been unfinished for months, inhibiting traffic.

On Violet Road near Willis Boulevard, there is a big hole — large enough to fit two people — on the sidewalk. There are orange barrels and orange plastic fence. It has been there is for two years.

What’s going on? Doesn’t the city have someone responsible enough to know that hole is a hazard? I can see kids coming along and daring each other to jump over it. What is the city waiting for, a lawsuit?

There are still many potholes on major roads. Where are our tax dollars going?

JOANNE STOLL
West Toledo

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Special Olympics start soon

Lucas County Special Olympic athletes will compete at The Ohio State University to compete in sporting events to represent their county in sports such as bocce, power lifting, volleyball, track and field, swimming, tennis, gymastics, and bowling.

The State Summer Games will be held June 22 to 24 in Columbus, starting with the opening ceremonies at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.

This event is very important for all competitors. Each athlete will receive an medal or ribbon to show their county how they did in their event in Columbus, which proves to the athletes how well they did and how they represented their county in a respectable way.

BJ AXE
South Toledo

An answer to solvency concerns

An easy answer to the Social Security and ​Medicare solvency concern would be to raise the amount of income taxable for Social Security and ​Medicare.

Currently, the $500,000 bracket is charged only on $128,400 of that portion of income. An increase should keep the funds solvent for many years to come.

Insuring stability of these funds is extremely important, as fewer people are covered by employer-funded pensions.

JAMES C. BARLEY
Waterville

OHVA protects students, families

A May 15 article in The Blade inaccurately led readers to believe that a proposed amendment that was under consideration by the Ohio legislature would “ignore” academic performance of students who transferred to other schools after being displaced from the Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow (May 15, “Charter asks for help with ECOT fallout”).

The sudden, midyear closure of ECOT created an emergency situation for more than 12,000 students who were left without a school. Ohio Virtual Academy was one of the few schools that took in large numbers of these students. The nonprofit OHVA governing board voted to extend the midyear enrollment period to help provide these students and families a school option. It was not without risk or cost.

The more than 4,000 former ECOT students who transferred to OHVA created a significant financial, academic, and operational challenge to our school — but it was the right thing to do for these kids. Many were at-risk students. They were not fully-engaged learners and arrived at our school significantly behind. Our educators are working hard to help these students adjust to new learning programs, new engagement and attendance policies, and a different school culture, but this takes time and can’t be done immediately.

The legislative proposal would not have avoided accountability, prevented disclosure, or “excluded” performance of former ECOT students from a school’s overall report card. The goal was to protect schools that took in very high numbers of ECOT transfer students — who came in more than halfway through the school year — from facing unfair sanctions, including school closure. These students, like all students, would continue to participate in state tests and comply with attendance policies. Their scores would be factored into schools’ overall performance outcomes.

The position of the OHVA governing board is that any legislative solution should protect all public schools, both charter and district, that took in high numbers of ECOT transfer students. No school should be unfairly punished for helping families and kids during an emergency.

MATT NORTON
Maumee

Editor’s note: Matt Norton is the board chairman of Ohio Virtual Academy.