 |
|
|
| Friday September 03, 2010 | Sidney Daily News Online - 937-498-5939 |
| 12/10/2009 8:04:00 AM | Email this article • Print this article | | Bus service to resume for eligible students | Residents in the Sidney City School district who are now eligible for bus service will soon be contacted to arrange for their children to ride the bus to school.
Anyone newly eligible for bus service should expect an automated call from the One Call Now system (OCN) beginning Thursday. This will provide parents with information on this change in service.
As previously promised, the district will reinstate bussing service for all K-12 students residing 1.3 miles or further from their home school. This also applies to students attending Lehman Catholic School, Holy Angels Elementary and Sidney Christian Academy.
Parents are encouraged to contact the district's Transportation Department by calling 494-2006 to leave a message indicating each child's name and address if they will be riding the school bus. Parents may also send an email to bussing@sidney.k12.oh.us with the same information. If a child will not be riding the bus, no communication is necessary.
Eligible students living in the 1.3 mile or further radius will be eligible for bus service beginning on Jan. 4, 2010.
|
|
Levy passes
Missing vote from recount found; Sidney Schools levy approved by 1 vote
By Darrin Michael
Staff writer
After first being tied and then failing in a recount, the Sidney City Schools 9.9-mill emergency levy has now passed by a single vote.
A misplaced ballot was reportedly discovered following a recent recount of the November vote. The vote was re-certified Wednesday at 4,452 in favor and 4,451 opposed.
During a special meeting Wednesday morning, Shelby County Board of Election officials approved a motion to amend official certification of the Nov. 3 election in regards to the Sidney City School District Tax Levy issue.
Prior to Tuesday, representatives from the Sidney School District had reportedly questioned what appeared to be a one vote discrepancy between the number of ballots cast in the original vote and the recount total. In attempting to reconcile paperwork from the Nov. 30/Dec. 1 automatic recount, the staff discovered the missing ballot for a voter in the Salem West Precinct.
Officials said an absentee ballot had been inadvertently sorted and placed in a folder for a non-Sidney precinct (Van Buren South) prior to the recount.
Since the particular folder was not pertinent to the Sidney Schools recount, it initially went undiscovered.
Now that the levy has passed, school officials indicate busing will return (including for Sidney Christian Academy and Lehman Catholic High School), pay-to-play fees will be significantly reduced (closer to the original $35) and approximately five aides will be brought back. To date, the district has trimmed nearly $6.5 million from its budget.
Student and faculty members of the school district were alerted about the change in the levy Wednesday morning when Superintendent Pat O'Donnell made an announcement over the PA system at both Sidney Middle and High schools. The announcement was followed by applause and shouts of excitement.
"We are thrilled with this news and are very appreciative of the hard work and thoroughness of the Board of Elections throughout this process. As educators, we strive to teach children the importance of the voting process and that every vote counts. This truly is a situation where just one vote determined the future of Sidney City Schools," O'Donnell said in a statement sent out to levy supporters Wednesday.
The recount began Nov. 30 and wrapped up Dec. 1. Officials at the Board of Elections office said after selecting and counting three precincts in two separate hand-counts, a difference from the Nov. 24 certification was noted. Each hand-count was different by one vote from the earlier certification. The current recount procedure, as prescribed by the Secretary of State, allowed for a difference by as much as two votes per hand-count.
Preparations for both the school levy issue recount and a Jackson Center Council seat race recount began Nov. 24 and continued until Nov. 30.
According to procedure outlined by the Secretary of State's Office for recounts, ballots for each recount were required to be sorted into their respective precincts from which they were either voted on Nov. 3, or into precinct groups identified by either absentee or provisional ballots.
Because some polling places throughout the county offer multiple precincts, election officials said ballots from the Nov. 3 election at such polling locations are commonly mixed within the automated optical scan voting machines. Because of this, the required sorting in preparation for the recounts had to be completed exclusively by hand.
Election officials added that the chain of custody for ballots was maintained throughout the hand sorting process according to existing procedures, with two employees or board members of different major political parties present at all times.
Between Dec. 1 and Tuesday afternoon, the process of reconciling each precinct's originally certified votes to the votes counted in the recount process continued. The reconciliation was required to be made available to the public, including authorized election observers from the school district.
Upon discovering the misfiled ballot, officials at the Board of Elections said they immediately contacted Shelby County Prosecutor Ralph Bauer, who then contacted Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner's Office.
To ensure that no other irregularities exist in any other races throughout the county, Board of Election officials also approved a motion to proceed with an audit in accordance with a Secretary of State's directive. The purpose of the audit is to assist in verifying computer tabulated election results, in detecting any ballot counting errors and in increasing confidence in the reliability of voting machines for precinct-based and central tabulations, or accumulation, of votes from ballots.
"The audit is meant to ensure the integrity of the voting process," said Board of Elections member Chris Gibbs.
The whole county audit will begin Dec. 14.
Before adjourning Wednesday's meeting, Bauer commended the Board of Elections staff for locating the error throughout what has been a long and drawn-out process.
"The board has worked very hard to ensure both the integrity of the voting process and that each vote was counted," he said.
Sidney City School Assistant Superintendent Norm Burkhardt, who was present for the recount as well as Wednesday's meeting, addressed the board, also commending them for their all their efforts throughout the entire election process.
"I left the recount very proud to have witnessed the inner workings of the voting process," said Burkhardt. "The Board of Election's staff has worked long hours trying to resolve this issue and it is very clear they did everything to ensure each vote was counted."
The latest levy attempt had divided the community significantly, with dozens of letters to the editor, meetings and open discussion taking place. Opponents generally felt the school district had not tightened its belt enough and that times were economically too tough, while proponents argued for the future of the city's children.
The district's first attempt at passing a money issue was a 1.5 percent income tax levy in 2007, followed by unsuccessful attempts to pass a 9.9-mill property tax levy in November 2008 and May and August 2009.
O'Donnell added he wanted to thank the hundreds of dedicated volunteers who worked tirelessly on the levy committees.
"We thank them for their dedication and hard work throughout this process. The students were always the main focus and this truly is a victory for them."
|
|
|
|
|
|
