John Lehman - Marietta City School Board

Thank you for your support, Randy!

Marietta City Schools needs John Lehman on its Board of Education. The MCS system is in trouble. It is by all measures a failing system. The current Board says that there is more to the story than MCS’s failing grades. Yet, every day, our school system tests and grades our students to hold them to a standard. Grades are the measure by which we measure success or failure. MCS tax payers, and more importantly, our students, are not getting what they deserve: a good education. There is plenty of blame to go around. School funding, lack of levy support, Covid, technology, declining enrollment and on and on. Year after year. The same old excuses yielding little if any result. All the while, our students and our community are paying the price for the lack of a solid public education system in Marietta.

MCS system needs meaningful change. MCS system needs John Lehman who I know to be creative and visionary. John Lehman is a successful businessperson who is invested in Marietta. He very recently had three children in the MCS system, and he knows MCS strengths and weaknesses making John Lehman uniquely qualified to effect the changes that MCS system needs. MCS needs more than a fancy new building. MCS’s current approach to education is not working. We need significant changes and new ideas in the delivery of education in our school system. And when these changes yield better results, I feel confident that the community will better support MCS and new facilities. Please join me in supporting John Lehman for MCS Board of Education to give our children the education they deserve.

- Randy Barengo

Thank you, Wally Kandel, for your support!

Lehman and Vessels: The right leadership for MCS Board

During my 30+ years in Marietta I had actively tried to market the Marietta area as a great place to live and a great place for companies to open or expand businesses that offer good paying jobs.

This was true as Plant Manager for Chevron, Sr VP and Site Manger for Solvay and continues as a co-founder and Director of Shale Crescent USA.

Marietta has many things going for it: abundant natural resources such as natural gas and the river system, it is in the heart of the largest market in the world and it has great hardworking people.

The one thing that always comes up early when talking with companies looking for a place to locate or expand a business is the condition of the local education system.

Unfortunately Marietta does not measure up well here. It is time to elect leaders to the Marietta School Board that have a proven track record of excellence, in business and community involvement.

This excellence is exactly what we need on the school board. I encourage you to vote for John Lehman and Ethan Vessels. I have worked with these guys on several community projects and they have the needed leadership and community dedication to return the school system to excellence.

- Wally Kandel

Kim Depue, thank you from the bottom of my heart for your kind words re my family and me. We appreciate it more than you will ever know!

I have gone back and forth on whether I was going to voice my opinion on the current BOE candidates. I keep thinking I need to quietly go away. Why do I need this stress and anxiety any longer. But as a retired teacher I realize I am now FREE without repercussion to voice some truths and some opinions that I could not in the past. I am not a bitter ex-Marietta employee. I retired still loving my job and the students I was privileged to work with everyday. I was incredibly blessed to work with some incredible colleagues who loved and cared for each child that walked through our doors---bus doors included. So if you think this is sour grapes you are entitled to your opinion, but those who know me will I hope, give some consideration to my thoughts on this election.
It is time to shake up the status quo! Unless we have BOE members who are not afraid to make systematic change at the very top NOTHING will change. Garrison is wrong when he talks about the learning curve of a BOE member. I feel it is not rocket science to be able to hit the door running if you have done your homework.
Just a couple of things I would like you to consider from my personal experience/opinion.
Apparently our current superintendent NEEDS a personal PR person to improve the school image. ( I have absolutely no issue with who was hired---that is not the point) However, it is the superintendent's job to represent the school district and to be a leader who can help a district reach it's goals. A good leader does not need a PR person to do this. A BOE approved Communication and Media Director hired at the cost of an actual teacher working with our students is a definite message of where we are at. (Multiple teachers and support staff laid off last spring, but yet we can hire a fulltime PR person?) A NEW PR position fully supported by a BOE president who lives in FL (while his kids also all reside in other states), but remains on the BOE to ensure we maintain the current status quo is incredibly sad. So our BOE President and superintendent are not able to communicate and do the district PR??? Our current BOE president indicates he is doing it out of a community service obligation, but I call BULL! We have 5 candidates for 3 positions right now---There are folks here who want to do the job. LET THEM! I absolutely question the motives for staying on the BOE at this point.
Our district is stagnant, it has digressed significantly in the past 15 years and there are common denominators for this. One BOE member who has absolutely stood for nothing good or bad---good guy, but has absolutely made no changes-- (Hutchinson) for a decade. After a decade of service there should be some sort of mark on the District, right? And a current BOE president who has only promoted status quo and supported the financial growth and contract of a superintendent with no performance goals. A BOE president who is all flash and no substance...he can make some great PowerPoints, uses big words, and has a knack for coming across as condescending! I have personally met with him more than once and had phone conversations as well, so I am saying nothing publicly I have not addressed personally. Transparency is definitely NOT a priority.
Employee morale is the lowest it has ever been in the past 31 years. Employee retention is not taken into consideration when renewing the superintendent's contract as confirmed in a recent meeting. Beyond the lay offs, let's look at the number of employees who quit and went somewhere else. Morale is not a consideration. And a demand for mutual respect and compassion is not even addressed. Our union begged for a BOE member to attend negotiations for months and not one would step forward and do it until the end meeting!!!!! I cannot tell you in the past 8 years when I ever saw a BOE member walk through the middle or high school during a school day. Absolutely NO ENGAGEMENT. Unless it was for their own child or grandchild. Believe it or not it used to happen. Jack Moberg, for one, was a very involved BOE member who always tried to get the pulse of the district through personal involvement. You would catch him frequently in one of the buildings just stopping in to say 'hi' and ask how things were going.
I love this school district and I love the Marietta Community. My family has a vested interest in the success of our town. My husband needs to be able to attract skilled employees to this area for specialized positions. Both of my adult children and their spouses live here. I served as the Marietta Professional Association President several terms over my teaching tenure. I worked with several superintendents, Bumgarner, Fleming, Young, Hampton, (there were a couple other short term ones in there as well) and I always advocated for teachers and students first. With the majority of the superintendents the union had little work to do because the relationship was professional and mutually respectful. Transparency was evident and we always knew in the end we were on the same team.
This community deserves so much better than the current leadership (BOE/Superintendent).
With that said John is the only candidate who has stated it is time for serious change and like him or not, he absolutely has a clear understanding of what goes on behind the scenes. I have thought long and hard on this and as a teacher who served 31 of my 33 years at Marietta City Schools I am not supporting this candidate without a great deal of consideration. I believe he truly wants to improve our schools and community. He has a plan! He does not require a learning curve and will NOT simply 'fall into line.' He has ran several times and keeps proving he is sincere by putting his name back on the ballot. His motive is absolutely clear---Good school systems make it much easier to recruit employees and new businesses as well as, keep our young people here to maintain sustainability. I am putting political beliefs aside (Any one who truly knows me, knows I am a die hard liberal). But I have discussed John's plans and ideas with him and I believe in them. I believe they will benefit the colleagues I was lucky enough to work with all these years. I believe they will make our school system better and meet the current needs of our children in this community.
I also know from having all three of John and Loris' kids as students and having had him as a parent of a student, he has always supported teachers. All three kids exhibited a great work ethic and were incredibly respectful in the classroom. If there were issues I always knew one quick text to John or Lori would fix the problem quickly. I never was asked 'what did I as the teacher do to create the problem', but rather we will take care of this immediately. I know John and Lori made many anonymous donations over the years to teachers and schools. I have heard rumors, "Oh, he only did that so this or that would happen for his child..." Often people assume there is a hidden agenda with these types of things, but I can remember prior to having any of the kids asking Putnam teachers about the donations. My colleagues always were quick to say he did not even want us to know it was their donation! Or, John or Lori actually called and asked if I had a wish list for my class.
I can also say I know of several examples of how John has went out of his way to silently help past students of mine in the community through offering them jobs, transportation, health care, and even rehabilitation. John has called me more than once over the years to ask about a student/family in need he had heard about through his kids or a community member and asked me how he could best help. So many quiet behind the scenes random acts of kindness through my years of knowing the Lehman's. So please make sure you keep that in mind when you are weighing the pros and cons for this vote.
I think we have a great opportunity. I see five viable candidates for BOE! That is absolutely exciting to see there is interest and people who care about our community. I ONLY ask that you consider who can and will instigate the needed systematic change without hesitancy.

Thank you for listening/reading and your consideration.

- Kim Depue

Thank you, Tonya, for your support!

No doubt about it, Marietta City Schools is suffering a string of losing academic seasons– Ds and Fs on Ohio’s public report card. Of course, an institutional “system”can’t actually “suffer.” But people can suffer: struggling students who just need a little more hands-on instruction, many teachers whose teaching hours are reduced by serving breakfast and other distractions, scores of job seekers in the community who continue to search because a prospective employer looked at our schools and decided to locate elsewhere, and hundreds of voters who yearn to proudly boast about the excellent education offered to Marietta students. To meet this trend of academic failure, what has our “let’s stand united– no member should publicly disagree” school board done? Have they set challenging academic goals? Have they called for a shake-up in priorities? No, they’ve hired a “communications specialist.” Will better communications solve the real problem? No, cosmetics alone won’t alleviate the educational suffering in Marietta.

On Nov. 2, Marietta School District voters will select three of five school board seats. Will those elected members form a new majority dedicated to academic excellence? Or will they obediently take their places, settle in, and wait for instructions? If elected, John Lehman will take his place as an equal member of the new five-member board. But anyone who has heard him speak about schools knows John won’t just settle in. He is already calling for an academic turn-around. At August’s school board meeting, he passionately exhorted the board to reset their attitudes, show some urgency, shoot for excellence. Given the failing trend of academic performances, demands for board action were long overdue. There are other candidates running who have demonstrated the maturity, versatility, and experience to lead an academic recovery in Marietta. But none of the other candidates can match John’s past service to Marietta Schools as shown by years of coaching, volunteering, donating, and repeatedly stepping forward to lead — a powerful record of sustained commitment to the schools and the community. When you cast your vote for a new school board majority, be sure to include John Lehman, a passionate and experienced advocate for academic excellence.

- Tonya Booth

Thank you, Jack Moberg, for your letter of support!

I voted for John Lehman and Ethan Vessels. Here’s why.

“Seriously, Mom. How bad ARE the schools?” Son Eric posed that question last year while considering moving his family from Alameda, California to another location. Marietta made the list. Marietta was quickly removed from the list. Not just for schools, though that was the top consideration.

When I moved to Marietta in 1973 the pride in schools and community was in the air. The Wall of Sound was 110+ strong and competing nationally. Athletics were successful and had an abundance of parent supporters. The list of National Merit Scholars was a badge of honor. The “new” high school was still a topic of conversation and interest for its bold design. You get the point. Marietta was a warm and fuzzy place to raise a family. A community with a sense of pride and accomplishment. A community with a bright future.

I was younger then but smart enough to seek the wisdom and experience of those with demonstrated accomplishments to point the way. My 14 years at the chamber of commerce and 5 years on the Marietta City School Board were blessed with the company of strong, accomplished board members who brought expertise and leadership to their board roles.

Our state grading of schools speaks to a system no longer at or near the top performers academically. In fact we are headed in the wrong direction. The condition of our facilities indicates we have lost much of the pride we once had. The warm and fuzzy in the air is all but gone. Our professional educators and staff keep it alive. On life support.

The current election for board candidates could not be more important. The future of our communities is at stake. We must make wise choices. It is not a popularity contest.

A drive through our community enables us to see many refurbished and preserved properties thanks to Mr. John Lehman. Not to mention the many enterprises that employ local workers and create jobs. His skill set extends to education, having served both the board at Washington State

Community College and Chairing the McDonough Leadership board at Marietta College.

His years of coaching are relatively below the surface as are his many significant contributions of equipment and other needs of our schools over a long period of years. Warm and fuzzy? No. Accomplished? Yes!

Much of what a local school board does is to set both legal and operational policy for its administration. What better asset to serve on our board than a practicing attorney? Mr. Ethan Vessels is more than that. He’s a leader and a person of action. Graduating from West Point gives him the needed skills to help lead this district to higher performance. His support of public education is evidenced by having funded a scholarship at WSCC for veterans looking to further their education. Warm and fuzzy? Perhaps not. Accomplished? Yes!

We are fortunate to have such people of demonstrated accomplishment and leadership step forward to serve our community and our schools. I am proud to have cast my votes for John Lehman and Ethan Vessels.

We can return to our days of pride, accomplishment and progress. And regain warm and fuzzy. Our bright future!

- Jack Moberg

Thank you, David Tenney!

TWO FOR TOMORROW

The time, money, and dedication so many people give to our schools today are an investment in tomorrow: a successful tomorrow for the students, and a prosperous tomorrow for Marietta.

When it comes to building a successful education outcome here, no one is without responsibility: the students must study; the teachers must skillfully guide; the staff must create a supportive environment; the administration must facilitate and oversee; the school board must hire, fire, and set policy; and voters must wisely choose school board members and decide funding levels.

By Nov. 2, it is up to the voters to elect a new school board team that will meet the challenge of creating that “successful tomorrow.”

John Lehman has led many teams of employees to successful startups of new businesses.

He served on the board of Washington State Community College and on the Marietta College Leadership Council.

John’s goal is to help Marietta City Schools achieve demonstrable excellence– both in academics and in other areas.

Ethan Vessels, a West Point grad and Army officer, now practices law in Marietta. Ethan’s goal is to focus the board of education’s activities tightly on the goal of measurably improving the school system’s academic performance, especially in Language Arts and Math.

Our schools need wise, experienced, and energetic leadership. For Marietta City Schools Board of Education, vote for John Lehman and Ethan Vessels.

- David Tenney

Our education system has been failing for far too long. I’ll bring back excellence in education by creating Committees for Excellence in every discipline. Vote John Lehman, Marietta City School Board. https://electjohnlehman.com/

Hope is not a strategy. I have a strategy to bring back excellence in education, including creating Committees for Excellence in every academic discipline. Vote John Lehman, Marietta City School Board. https://electjohnlehman.com/

As a board member, I will establish performance goals, create transparency on progress and hold the administration accountable to YOU! Vote John Lehman, Marietta City School Board. https://electjohnlehman.com/

Mediocrity is contagious, but so is excellence. I have a plan to bring back a winning spirit to Marietta in the classroom and on our fields of play. Vote John Lehman, Marietta City School Board.
https://electjohnlehman.com/

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