An Historic Demonstration of Mutual Support

Over the past several months, the Vandalia City Council, Butler Township Trustees and Vandalia-Butler City Schools Board of Education have been in frank and open discussions about the growing erosion of their ability to govern themselves through local control.  Last night, in an historic demonstration of mutual support, the City of Vandalia passed a resolution “to call upon the state of Ohio to cease and desist from enacting laws and policies that further erode local control for municipalities, townships, and school districts.” The news coverage from last night’s meeting provides a clear picture of how this collaboration among community leaders in the Vandalia-Butler City School District is taking shape.  “This was an historic moment for our community and, most certainly, for the efforts of all of us to send a wake-up call to our state legislators.  For too long, we have focused individually on small battles rather than looking collectively to the greater war that we are all a part of:  a war to fight for the right to govern ourselves,” stated Brad Neavin, superintendent of the Vandalia-Butler City Schools.  Brad is one of the educational leaders who is helping to build the Ohio Public School Advocacy Network which is a grassroots effort to restore local control of the public schools in the Buckeye state.