All articles are reprinted in their entirety. Our comments are in bold, red, italics.
Citizens for Decency answers assertions about Amendment 2 by David Norris from Coalition for an Inclusive Daviess County
Proponents of Amendment 2 will tell you the measure is only to open the discussion around school choice. That is a lie.
It’s a lie because charter schools have been legal in Kentucky since the passage of HB 520 back in 2017. Since then, the legislative stumbling block has been creating a lawful mechanism to fund private schools with state dollars. Amendment 2 aims to create legal exceptions to seven sections of the Kentucky Constitution, including section 171 requiring taxes can only be collected for public purposes, section 184 prohibiting taxation for the funding of non-public schools, and section 189 which prohibits public education funding being used for religious schools. Don’t be misled – this amendment’s sole purpose is to create a pathway for funding private schools with public money.
Franklin County Circuit Judge Phillip Shepherd said the 2022 law creating the funding stream for charter schools violated Kentucky’s constitution. This portion of our constitution written in 1891 stands as the only prohibition against state funding of private schools written into ANY state constitution.
Doubly alarming is that our existing charter school law contains language allowing funds from public schools to be diverted into schools governed by separate boards that can be unelected or even outsourced to private, for-profit companies. But the “taxation without representation” crowd doesn’t want you to know that.
Public schools are required to take all students regardless of race, religion, family income, physical or learning disability, and academic or athletic ability. Private schools aren’t. In the last two state budgets, funding for public schools has decreased about 6%, and the state’s SEEK formula is now funding schools 26% below the funding levels of 2008 when adjusted for inflation. Defunding public schools and shifting taxpayer dollars to exclusionary academies with little to no oversight will only serve to increase educational disparity within both poverty-stricken and rural communities in our state. As of 2022, Kentucky’s private school students had a household income 54.4% higher than the state average. School vouchers or “Educational Opportunity Accounts” like those previously struck down by the state’s Supreme Court would disproportionately benefit wealthier families.
To see the impact of “school choice,” one must look no further than our northern neighbor Ohio. On September 25, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost filed an emergency motion compelling Columbus City Schools to provide bus transportation for all non-public and parochial school students. The district already has to comply with a “30-minute rule” requiring it to bus any non-public school student to schools within a 30-minute drive of their normal assigned public school. In Daviess County, that would be like requiring OPS to bus students in the Estes district to Sorgho or East View Elementary.
Actually, it would be more like DCPS bussing Catholic system students, which has been happening for decades due to a negotiated agreement between the two systems.
Ohio also has a voucher program, EdChoice, that provides up to $6,166 in assistance for grades K-8, and $8,408 in assistance for grades 9-12. For the fiscal year ending June 2024, this voucher program cost Ohio taxpayers $966.2 million. As of 2023, Kentucky had an estimated 58,388 private school students and 39,534 homeschooled students. Splitting the difference of Ohio’s program and providing a $7k voucher to just these students would cost Kentucky taxpayers $685.4 million, equivalent to the yearly salary, benefit, and pension package for over 5,600 public school teachers and employees.
In response to a lawsuit filed by opponents of school choice in Ohio citing the above assertions, the Thomas B. Fordham Institute in Washington DC conducted an analysis of Ohio K-12 education titled “The Ohio EdChoice Program’s impact on school district enrollments, finances, and academics”, Authored by Ohio State University professor Dr. Stéphane Lavertu, this report explores the impacts of Ohio’s EdChoice program on school district enrollments, finances, and educational outcomes. The study includes detailed analyses of the state’s “performance-based” EdChoice program that, as of 2021–22 provides vouchers to approximately 35,000 students as well as its “income-based” EdChoice program which serves approximately 20,000 low-income students. Their unbiased analysis reached the following conclusions:
“Overall, the analysis provides solid evidence that the performance-based EdChoice program led to racial integration, had no adverse effects on revenues per pupil, and increased student achievement in public school districts. It also reveals no credible evidence that the income-based EdChoice expansion harmed districts in terms of segregation, revenues, or student achievement. Thus, although EdChoice-eligible schools have indeed experienced increases in racial segregation and declines in achievement, these trends began well before 2006 and should not be attributed to private school vouchers. Instead, the analysis indicates that these long-term trends in district segregation and achievement would have been worse in the absence of the performance-based EdChoice program.”
In July, the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy released a brief on the potential financial impact of a voucher program in Kentucky. It highlighted the ballooning costs of school choice/voucher programs in several states, including Florida where spending on these initiatives is expected to eat 30% of the state education budget this year. If similar levels of redirection were applied to Kentucky, Owensboro Public Schools would lose nearly $10 million in state funding and Daviess County Public Schools would lose nearly $20 million.
These figures come from a report by the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy, an outfit deeply backed by teachers’ unions, that includes preposterous assumptions inconsistent with the way school choice programs work in other states.
The hard truth is those shortfalls will have to be accounted for with additional money. It will lead to tax increases, and possibly additional taxing districts in the event new private or charter schools are constructed. It will further widen the gap between educational haves and have-nots, and line the pockets of the politically connected. On November 5, please vote “No” on Amendment 2.
Kentucky economist John Garen has issued a paper exposing the KCEP report for its bogus claims. Garen’s report shows, school choice programs like those in Ohio, Arizona and other states has a positive effect on the state’s finances. Students who participate in school choice programs are educated for far less money per pupil than those in the traditional public schools, saving the state’s education budget millions of dollars that offset the cost of school choice.
In “The Fiscal Effects of School Choice: Doomsday Speculation Versus Reality,” Garen debunks all the central arguments made by KCEP and parroted by Mr. Norris, starting with the assumption that Amendment 2 would lead to a voucher program. That entire report can be found at the site linked in the title.
It’s important to note the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy is led by Eddie Campbell, who is also President of the Kentucky Education Association (KEA). KCEP, not so coincidentally was created by and is funded by the KEA. Mr. Campbell is also treasurer of “Protect Our Schools KY” who receives 97% of its funding from the NEA, KEA and Jefferson County Teachers.
Additionally, the Coalition for an Inclusive Daviess County stands as a proponent of pornography in the children’s section of our public library. They also stood against the removal of that same pornography from our high school libraries. I believe it’s fair to say, It appears all parties involved in Mr. Norris’s letter are willing to say or do just about anything to maintain a captive audience.
Vote YES on Amendment 2.
Protect public education from Amendment 2
By Rhondalyn Randolph Sep 6, 2024
Before I begin, some history is necessary to provide context. The very first school choice programs were created in Milwaukee, WI to free inner-city youth from a failing education system and give them the tools to escape the shackles of poverty. The second was in inner city Cleveland, OH. School choice programs have enjoyed bi-partisan support until recently, the programs in Milwaukee and Cleveland exist, and thrive still today and hundreds of thousands of inner-city kids have benefited immensely. That’s not rhetoric, it’s a quantifiable fact. So, when I read this editorial, I was dumbfounded.
The NAACP has been a long supporter of public education nationally and locally.
We advocate for education innovation through equitable education standards, equitable allocation of resources, and set priorities for education and workforce systems.
The Owensboro NAACP position is to vote NO on Amendment 2 to the Kentucky Constitution. The proposed Amendment would read as follows, “The General Assembly may provide financial support for the education of students outside the system of common (public) schools. The General Assembly may exercise this authority by law, Sections 59, 60, 171, 183, 186, and 189 of the Constitution 13 notwithstanding.”
A yes vote would mean that a voter thinks the constitution should be changed to include the above language, which would pave the way for the legislature to send public dollars to unaccountable private schools. A no vote would mean you don’t want to change the constitution to include the language, which would protect public education.
Vouchers divert critical resources away from public schools that would go unaccountable to private schools. Vouchers will reduce the general fund appropriations to public schools, which means less money for the state portion of SEEK funding which is critical to all students regardless of zip code.
For whatever reason, opponents persist in calling Amendment 2 a “voucher scheme”. Rev. Randolph just gave you the language of the amendment. Nowhere in there does it say “vouchers”. Not that there is anything wrong with vouchers, but that is a false flag argument. Aside from that ‘Support Education Excellence in Kentucky’ (SEEK) funding is designed to follow the student ONLY IF THEY MOVE TO ANOTHER PUBLIC SCHOOL. It is allocated on a per student basis. Beyond that, the legislature would have to appropriate additional funds outside the SEEK pool to fund a school choice program. Dollars for a voucher (if that’s what we adopt) would have to come from another source.
Public dollars are for public schools. Giving our public tax dollars to private schools with no oversight on curriculum, student assessment, or student and educator anti-discrimination practices is bad policy.
A lot to address here. “Public money” is code for Tax Dollars. The Commonwealth is committed to every citizen. Taking a citizen’s money allegedly for the education of their children then telling them they intend to ignore their needs is wrong. The framers of our state constitution had no way of knowing just how badly their “common schools” would fail.
It is the lack of state “oversight” of curriculum that makes private schools so appealing. The Kentucky Dept. of Education, like so many others, has become increasingly woke and derailed. If that and competency scores of 29% appeal to you, public schools are for you. But no school can be all things to all students, and true accountability begins and ends with parents, and is long overdue.
This provides an unfair advantage for private schools to choose who they want to attend and leave poor students, students with disabilities and minority students with no choice.
This statement leads me to believe Reverend Randolph doesn’t understand the purpose, intent and documented results of School Choice programs. They were conceived, implemented and continue to exist to level the playing field. Every parent deserves an opportunity to provide their children with the best education available. No one knows what that looks like better than parents.
Implementing any scheme that encourages enrollment in private schools at taxpayer expense by reducing available revenue will benefit private schools, and those who already attend while rural schools and their students pay the real cost of that decision.
This is more of us versus them, fear mongering we continue to see from opposition to school choice. No school choice program is intended to push children to any school. It is intended to provide parents an opportunity to choose the school that best serves their child. It creates competition and as anyone with business experience, or sports knowledge understands, competition breeds excellence. The perfect example is the state of Florida. They offer every imaginable version of school choice. And for the second year in a row, they are the highest ranked state in the union for education. All schools, INCLUDING PUBLIC SCHOOLS, excelled.
Vouchers will negatively impact our rural public schools the most because private schools cannot accommodate the needs of the community. Vouchers will go to private schools at the expense of rural public schools.
Again, the interjection of “vouchers”, but that aside, experience stands as contradiction to Rev. Randolph’s fear. Few American education reforms have been studied as much as choice. Researchers from across the country have published almost 175 empirical studies on the effectiveness of these programs. If there is a benefit to being so late to the game, it’s that we have the luxury of seeing what works and what doesn’t. For more information and evidence of School choice success, see edChoice.org’s site for all of these studies.
Simply put, there are fewer private schools in our community and a change to the Kentucky Constitution would benefit students who already attend private schools.
This statement serves as evidence that Reverend Randolph may not fully understand this issue. There are six private school systems in Daviess County. All six are faith based. How does a reverend not know that. And I must call her out for asserting this is an advantage. Removing an inequitable, discriminatory obstacle cannot be considered an advantage. Was the civil Rights Act an “advantage”? Was recognizing a woman’s right to vote an “advantage? For as long as there’s been a school tax, those who chose differently for their children have been forced to pay anyway. It’s only right that the state acknowledges the inequity and rectify it.
This amendment is just another attack on public education and meant to undermine the backbone of our communities-our public schools. Our schools provide after school childcare, meals, athletics, arts, family resource counselors and even access to healthcare which are important safety nets for families in need.
Taking money out of the system drains resources away from schools and weakens our communities!
Our Kentucky Constitution is the only thing protecting Kentucky families from these voucher schemes.
Sheesh! Not a voucher.
In the words of Fredrick Douglass, “It is easier to build strong children, than repair broken men.”
EXACTLY.
We must do everything we can to safeguard our public schools, and that means voting NO on Amendment 2.
This editorial stands as a contradiction like I’ve never seen before. REVEREND Randolph apparently believes Christian schools do minority and low-income children a disservice. Of the 50 states, 48 offer some kind of school choice. Kentucky and North Dakota stand alone as the only two that offer no choice. Not so coincidentally, Kentucky ranks near the bottom in education. School choice fosters competition among systems. It’s that competition that creates accountability – not to the state, but to parents. Isn’t that where accountability belongs?
In closing, we must ask why Reverend Randolph has taken this position. Why is she arguing counter to Black leaders across the commonwealth? Does she believe Kentucky is the only state with rural areas? Does she want minority children to be dependent upon failing schools? Or perhaps she’s allowed her allegiance to the democrat party to cloud her judgement. Whatever the reason, she’s done those she’s pledged to serve a significant disservice.
County commissioners want more time vetting next library board nominee
· By Scott Hagerman Messenger-Inquirer Aug 30, 2024
With Chris Gendek’s resignation last week from the Daviess County Public Library board, this Daviess Fiscal Court will be making its third appointment to that five-person panel.
For that reason, many county residents are viewing the opening as a swing seat in the cultural direction of the library, which has been heavily criticized by the Daviess County Citizens for Decency — a community activist group — for more than a year for what it deems to be inappropriate material in the “Young Adult” section, in addition to having voiced concerns about PRIDE month displays at the facility.
“A Community Activist group”? I don’t mind that frankly, but I get the impression he thinks he’s painting us in a negative light.
On the other side of the debate, the Coalition for an Inclusive Daviess County has stated its belief that Daviess County Judge-Executive Charlie Castlen is being influenced in his selections by the DCC4D.
It’s no secret that Charlie and I have known each other since we were kids, but if they think anyone other than God and his wife, influence Judge Castlen’s decisions, they are sorely mistaken.
Castlen rejected four nominees for the previous appointment before making his own selection, which was Kathi Mattas, who Fiscal Court unanimously approved after the coalition group expressed great concern about her ties to the DCC4D. Many believe those concerns have been proven out by public statements Mattas has made in regard to the placement of the books.
First things first, I don’t know Mrs. Mattas, and I’ve never known her. To my knowledge she’s never been a member of our organization. Given some of the things I’ve heard about her, I’d like to. She sounds like a great person. Kathi, if you read this, reach out. I’ll buy you lunch.
As far as the number of people approached, some knowledge is necessary here. First, right or wrong, these nominations have always been the judge executives. It is part of the responsibility and a perk of the position. For as long as I can remember, unless there was a pressing reason for a no vote, Fiscal Court has rubber stamped the Judge Executives nominees. Again, right or wrong, that’s how it’s been.
Daviess County Commissioner Chris Castlen also sees it as a pivotal moment for the library, agreeing the opening is a swing seat.
“This is the (position) that whoever the person is, they could have an opinion that goes one way or the other,” he said. “They could always be a decision maker or a deciding vote.”
While Daviess County Commissioner Larry Conder doesn’t believe the selection has the potential to change the “entire direction” of the library, he doesn’t discount the impact the appointee could have.
“Whenever you have the third seat potentially being a far-right-conservative type scenario, the business of the library, I think, will still be done, but will there be other changes that they will request?,” Conder said. “That’s possible; similar to demanding that this be done at the library, or that.
I’ve got news for Commissioner Conder. We are not “far” right. He’s just moved so far left that we’re much further from him than we once were. According to Hagerman we’re a community activist group. Conder calls us far right. How long before we’re “extremists” or “domestic terrorists” and Southern Poverty Law comes calling? We represent the Christians in this community, and I refuse to believe this community has moved so far from God that we would allow our children’s innocence to be robbed of them.
“Of course, what every board member has to remember is, if you do those type of things and they are viewed as a violation of the Constitution of the United States, then you’re also opening yourself up to a lawsuit. Every board member will have to remember that, regardless of whether they’re left or right leaning. You do those things that are outside the business of the library, you will open yourself up to litigation, not only as part of the board, but personally.”
Uber Liberal Board Chair, Susan Montalvo Gesser has carried a message to the board and apparently to Larry that the ALA has threatened to sue any library who dares remove the porn they’ve been instrumental in placing in the children’s section of the library. Larry is apparently carrying SMG’s water now.
The ALA and SMG persist in standing behind the First Amendment. So, it’s important that everyone understands a critical point. First Amendment protections are not extended to obscenity. Then you throw in the fact that they’re exposing children to it.
Daviess County Commissioner Janie Marksberry believes calling it a swing seat is overstating the situation.
“No, not necessarily,” she said about whether or not she views the seat as being a potential game-changer in the direction of the library. “I just see it as a board that people come and go. People there left on their own accord. Something is flawed because people are stepping off.”
I don’t know this, but I’d like to believe their consciences were bothering them and that’s why they left. I’ve also heard that Gesser can be arrogant and domineering, so that might be a part of it too. Beyond Harry Pedigo’s resignation, now Chris Gendek’s resignation, Board member Rodney Ellis missed board meetings in May, June and July. I’ve yet to see August’s minutes but if he missed August, he’s effectively resigned. Apparently, no one wants to be there.
What all of the commissioners agree on is they were not pleased with how the last nominating process transpired.
Charlie Castlen didn’t inform the commissioners of his nominee until less than 48 hours before a special meeting was held to vote on the appointment. None of them say that provided enough time to properly vet Mattas.
As I mentioned earlier, right or wrong, that’s the way it’s always been.
“Make no mistake about what I’m about to say; I don’t believe Judge Castlen is going to change the (method of operation) that he used last time, as far as bringing the other commissioners in, vetting individuals, talking about individuals,” Conder said. “No, I don’t believe that’s going to change. I would be shocked if he brought any one of us three in on that discussion or vetting process of the library board appointment. I’d be shocked, because the law allows him to do so.
What Larry is describing is not going to happen and it shouldn’t because it never has. Appointments have never been afforded to commissioners. They have always been the responsibility of the Judge Executive.
“I also believe the judge needs to have very good legal advice about what the process is, and it is to be followed expeditiously. With that being the case, it is my vote. He needs to give us time, he will have had potentially 30 to 60 days of vetting individuals. I will not accept 48 hours to vet an individual.”
The tone in which Larry, with help from Hagerman, delivers this edict is notable. It’s no secret that Commissioner Conder has been making noise about running against Judge Castlen. Sounds like he’s made a decision.
Chris Castlen said, “I feel like we were limited on time to find out the information we needed.”
While Marksberry doesn’t believe Charlie Castlen needs to make the commissioners more involved in the vetting process, she very much wants to see far more time available to make a decision about the nominee.
“I think we should have a week’s notice for anything we’re going to vote on, that’s on the agenda,” she said. “I understand there are times they can’t do that, something comes in late. But things we are voting on that are social or economic issues, we need more time.
“I’m a researcher, so I want to feel confident I have time to do my own research on things. That’s the only thing that kind of bothers me, but that’s for everything, not just this board appointment.”
The inclusive coalition has called for Susan Montalvo-Gesser, DCPL board chairwoman, or Erin Waller, DCPL’s director, to have a role in the vetting process.
Conder, however, doesn’t believe both should have a role.
Neither should have a roll.
“Erin, that’s a tough question, because she’s the director of the library, so that’s like Erin saying she wants a role in hiring her boss,” he said. “I don’t know if that is necessarily warranted. Employees don’t really have a role in hiring their boss, they just don’t, and in this case, that’s what you’re asking, and I don’t believe that role is appropriate.
“Now as far as the board chair, whether that is Susan Montalvo-Gesser or anyone else, then yes, I believe they should.”
For a commissioner to suggest they should is as inappropriate as either party playing a roll. Again, it sounds like Larry is playing politics.
Marksberry doesn’t believe it should just be the chairwoman from the board. She said if one board member is involved in the process, “you should give it to all of the board members. So no, not Susan by herself. She’s just a board member like the rest of the board members. I don’t see any difference in Susan versus the rest of them.”
Conder said regardless of how Charlie Castlen arrives at the nominee, it’s a flawed process.
“I think the process itself had very good intentions at the beginning, but what happens is when the process makes way for politicizing the role?,” he said. “That’s when you get into problems and issues of individuals wanting to serve or not. What it boils down to is, five years ago, if you asked someone if they would like to serve on the library board, it was, ‘Sure, that’s fine.’ Today, with the last board appointment, it’s my understanding Kathi Mattas was the fifth one Charlie vetted to accept.
“There were eight people prior to her that were eligible but were declined before he ever got to her. The first four he declined himself. The other four said no to him. Then they got to Kathi Mattas. So it’s going to be the same process. Does it matter if you apply? I’m not sure if anyone has applied regardless, because of the history. I would be shocked if somebody has actually applied for this position that is not from the far left or the far right. I’d be shocked.”
This is all information, regardless of whether it’s true or not, that shouldn’t be aired. Larry has really stooped low here. Which again, leads me to believe Larry has made his mind up about running against Charlie.
The Kentucky Department of Libraries & Archives are handling the application process, and it will submit two nominees to Castlen that he can accept or reject. If he rejects them, the application process starts again. If he rejects the next two nominees he can bring his own nominee to Fiscal Court for approval.
Chris Castlen believes the nominees from KDLA deserve more consideration.
The KDLA is highly political and very left leaning. I’d be very surprised if Commissioner Castlen didn’t know that.
“I would like to see us choose someone that is selected through the application process and not just somebody we have selected because we know them otherwise,” he said. “I would like to see us choose the best candidate of whom is recommended to us by the KDLA.”
While the vote last time was unanimous for Mattas, with Marksberry saying, “I think she’s doing great, fantastic” as a board member, that sentiment isn’t shared by Chris Castlen and Conder.
“Based on the information I had at the time, I feel like my agreement with her appointment was the best at the time,” Chris Castlen said. “Now, I would have rather us had more time to make a selection, and it might not be the same one I made last time.”
Conder said he made the best decision he could with the time constraints the commissioners were put under.
Commissioner Conder and Castlen have both clearly exposed themselves as RINO’s. Mrs. Mattis is espousing the same views any Christian would hold. But, her giving voice to her Christian views have led them to believe she was a poor selection for this board? That’s an interesting take for two commissioners who are registered Republicans.
“Charlie had the amount of time he had, but we had that very short period of time, and I was getting bombarded by individuals from the left and from the right,” Conder said. “You’ve got to have time to let that all be pushed away in order to really get to the truth. Yes, I did talk to her. But in that short period of time, it is very difficult to really come to a good conclusion whenever you’re under a time clock of less than 24 hours. It’s the same as interviewing anybody for a position. You don’t really want to snap hire anybody without having due process, and we did not have our due process to be able to appoint her.
“With that being the case, should we have more time? Yes. Should I have vetted maybe a little more? Yes. Should I have done it in a little bit better way if I had had more time? I probably would have — and I know that will be the case this coming time. Do I have regrets (about last time)? Yes, I do. I have regrets in the process. I have regrets that it has become so divisive, and I have regrets that people that work at the library are being shunned, shamed and it doesn’t need to be that way, and it shouldn’t be that way.”
Let’s bring this back to the whole reason for the consternation over these board appointments. The current Library Director is putting pornography in the children’s section of the library. Now if you think I’m just some prude and I don’t know what I’m talking about, I’m a 63 year old male. I’ve been around the block a time or two. I know pornography when I see it. More importantly, I understand the United States Supreme Court’s “Miller test” for obscenity. The books we’ve pointed out are unmistakably pornographic. I’ve met with Commissioner Castlen and Commissioner Conder. They know what’s in that library. So, if they’re willing to play politics with this appointment the way they are… Go to our Porn in the Library page and draw your own conclusions.
Amendment 2 would have negative impact in Daviess County and beyond
No it wouldn’t
In November, Kentuckians will vote on a constitutional amendment that has been called a school choice measure or a voucher scheme. No matter the label, it’s clear that our votes on this proposal will have significant impact on K-12 education in the Bluegrass State.
If you read the actual amendment, you see immediately what the fear mongers are doing. There is no voucher program or any funding component in Amendment 2. Amendment 2 simply frees us up to discuss the steps necessary to get our kids caught up with the rest of the country. As you read this keep in mind Kentucky currently ranks 44th in the nation and behind every state we share a border with. Not coincidentally, our neighboring states ALL offer school choice.
With two children in public schools, plus one recent graduate, I’m a parent stakeholder in the education funding discussion. However, I also understand other positions in this conversation. A few years ago, I was paying tuition at two area private schools. Before that, I was a homeschooling parent. And prior to that, I was a National Board Certified Teacher in a public elementary school.
Whether you are a parent, teacher, or community member, it’s essential that we all understand what is at stake when we vote on Amendment 2. The language being proposed says:
“The General Assembly may provide financial support for the education of students outside the system of common (public) schools. The General Assembly may exercise this authority by law, Sections 59, 60, 171, 183, 184, 186, and 189 of this Constitution notwithstanding.”
When I taught kindergarten, I loved story time because I could choose books with advanced vocabulary or complicated sentence structure, which helped my emerging readers grow. Unfortunately, state legislators don’t write for instructional purposes.
Instead, this wording might be deliberately confusing. Let’s break it down like we’re in Circle Time together.
A yes vote would mean that a voter thinks the constitution should be changed to include these new sentences, which would allow the legislature to send public dollars to private schools.
Public dollars do not fund schools or school districts. That has never been their intent. Public dollars, our tax dollars, have always been dedicated to the education of the Commonwealth’s children.
A no vote would mean you don’t want to change the constitution to include this new language, which would serve to protect public schools.
I’ll play. Owensboro Schools are at 29% competency in both Math and English. Daviess County schools are just a little higher. Both are abysmal. This is what Ms. Nebel suggests needs your protection. Where’s the accountability if you vote no? If they continue to fail our children, where will you turn? You might have options if you have money but those on a fixed or limited income have no choice. They’ll have to stay right where they are. Then what?
Why do they need protection?
Before you read this bit understand the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy is a left leaning organization that would produce a study insisting the gras is orange if conservatives said it was green. Dr. Gary Houtchens, the preeminent authority on school choice says he has no idea where KCEP got these numbers, but they aren’t factual. After the dirty politics we’ve seen from the KEA in recent years, is anyone surprised?
The Kentucky Center for Economic Policy did an extensive impact study on the outcome of this amendment’s passage. They found that Daviess County’s education budget would likely face a 13% reduction. To be specific, the Center estimates that $19,290,888 of funding would be lost here.
Our state already underfunds education (see www.fundsouthernschools.org). The last thing we need to do is remove even more funding — but this isn’t only about budgets.
We underfund our schools? We’ve increased funding to public schools year after year for as long as I can remember. Our legislature consistently gives them what they ask for. If they’re underfunded, why are they spending millions on a new administrative building, and football stadiums? Owensboro Schools are spending millions to renovate their softball and baseball facilities. Apollo just spent millions on their athletic facilities. DCPS is moving their offices into the old US Bank Building that they paid millions for and will pay millions more to renovate.
The Kentucky Center reports that roughly 168 educator jobs could be cut if this amendment passes. With over 2,200 employees, DCPS is a major employer in our area. Do we really want to support an amendment that will result in widespread teacher layoffs?
Four years ago, we collectively hailed teachers as heroes for their amazing efforts during the pandemic. Teachers still deserve our support this November.
More fear mongering. Let’s talk about our teachers. My wife spent 33 years in OPS schools, so I believe I can speak with some authority. Since 1990 public school teachers have realized an 8% increase in salary when adjusted for inflation. All while spending per student has more than doubled. Well, we’re spending more on our kids at least, right? Not exactly. Since 2000 school administrators’ salaries have increased 88%. Principals’ and assistant principals’ salaries have increased 37%. So very little is actually finding its way into the classroom. The fact is competition benefits teachers. In nearly every state with school choice the market, and perhaps more important, working conditions improve dramatically for teachers. The Bluegrass Institute has just released their report confirming school choice benefits teachers. See for yourself.
We should also consider the impact beyond our own neighborhood. Owensboro and Daviess County can be proud of our strong public schools, plus our large homeschooling community and many excellent private and parochial schools.
Our region is already teeming with school choices. But many of our rural-county neighbors do not have these options. This amendment would impact them most — 71 counties in our state — that’s about 60% — have zero certified private/charter schools.
Our region is not teeming with true choice. Parents with a limited income are not financially able to choose private, parochial or Christian schools. A yes vote on Amendment 2 might mean the difference for those families. These are our friends and neighbors. If we’re going to be concerned for someone other than our own children, I’m picking my co-worker and my daughter’s best friend, not some mysterious someone several counties over that may or may not actually be struggling.
Where’s the “choice” for them? Exactly! Where’s their choice?
Half of the non-public schools in Kentucky are clustered within three counties: Jefferson, Kenton, and Fayette. The state education budget isn’t divided up into separate accounts for each county. If all those students in the Golden Triangle apply for state funding to pour into their private schools, students in rural counties across Kentucky are the ones who will suffer most as their schools are gutted.
Perhaps it’s hard to prioritize rural schools miles away from us. If you’re already spending your hard-earned dollars on your child’s education, getting help from the commonwealth might sound appealing.
I understand where you’re coming from as a former private school parent.
Other states that have passed “school choice” laws have found that vouchers mostly subsidize existing private school students. However, the subsidy is often not enough to offset the full amount of tuition. A study from Princeton University (Ed Working Paper No. 24-949, April 2024) found that after taxpayer-funded tuition subsidies began, Iowa private schools increased their tuition rates between 10-26%.
This just isn’t true. First, she’s falling back on that old false flag argument. Vouchers are NOT on the ballot. We have the whole menu of school choice options available to us IF we vote YES on amendment 2. What we do know is that all students benefit in states with school choice. That’s not hyperbole, it’s fact. https://www.edchoice.org/research/the-123s-of-school-choice-2/
That means in the majority of cases, private schools just raise their rates to absorb the voucher amount and ask parents for more. So families who’ve been paying tuition are disappointed to find the state doesn’t take over their full tuition costs, and lower-resourced parents who were hoping to send their kids to private school find themselves gatekept out.
In my view, public schools deserve protection and public funds. Defeating Amendment 2 ensures a well-educated future for Kentucky’s students.
I think it’s important to interject some history here. The first school choice programs in the United States were championed by residents of inner city in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Cleveland, Ohio. These programs remain in existence today and millions of inner-city children have been the beneficiary of them because they work. School choice at one time, was a bipartisan issue. Ms. Nebel, the KEA and their allies will attempt to pull on your heartstrings for rural areas, they will evoke rivalry with the Golden Triangle, they will even use scare tactics, but they won’t address the most important argument to be made.
Who knows better what your children need? Overpaid school administrators and the KEA or YOU?
Have you noticed; they aren’t arguing for your children. They’re arguing to keep control of the money. They’re arguing to keep control of your children. Not once has she told you leaving things the way they are is best for your children. Because she can’t. Study after study after study extols the benefits of school choice. Don’t be fooled, cajoled or intimidated into giving up the best opportunity we’ve had to wrestle our children’s educational options away from people who don’t have your best interests at heart. For more information, please visit our school choice page. VOTE YES ON 2.
First sessions held in response to 'Building a Better Owensboro'
· By Scott Hagerman Messenger-Inquirer Aug 27, 2024
Last week, the Greater Owensboro Leadership Institute held two days of training as it begins to address the civic culture issues Owensboro-Daviess County was found to have after the completion of “Building a Better Owensboro: A New Path Forward for Owensboro-Daviess County,” a report released in June that it partnered with the Harwood Institute for Public Innovation to produce.
Notice the use of language here. “Found to have”? If you actually read the report “civic cultural issues” weren’t even the primary focus of the comments. A few citizens claimed we have cultural issues. That’s far from “found to have”.
The extensive report documented that Owensboro-Daviess County has much work to do to be “inclusive,” which Harwood said is a must for a community to thrive.
Again, Hagerman’s use of language is intended to mislead. First, lengthy doesn’t mean “extensive”. Second, if he had read reports on 7 other cities, like we did, he’d know there is no actual “documented” need for “much work to be done”. The report given to Owensboro is very similar to the reports given to half a dozen other communities.
The opening session was the Public Innovators Getting Started Lab, with the training designed to get started in the practice of turning outward to the community. It initiated work that is designed to take root and continue to grow for years to come.
“The focus of the training was to help and equip individuals with the mindset and tools needed to step forward and work together to make a lasting difference,” said Stacy Edds-Ellis, executive director of the Greater Owensboro Leadership Institute. “The training focused on gathering public knowledge, how change happens, making intentional choices and taking action to create meaningful change.”
Edds-Ellis said the training expands on the public knowledge that was gathered for the report.
“Our initial work will focus on youth, housing/homelessness, health and the arts,” she said.
Let’s break this down. “Youth” have complained about having nothing to do forever, and they will continue to. What exactly is Rich Harwood going to do about Homelessness that no one else has thought of? Health in general in the United States deserves attention, but are we really going to pay six figures for someone to come here and tell us we need more exercise? The Arts?!? I just heard ding, ding, ding. We have the finest arts community for a city our size anywhere in the United States. So, why would “The Arts” be a focus for Harwood? Could it be drag shows? We know proponents of the GhostLight Lounge insisted that their drag shows were “art”. Is that where this is going? Is our Chamber of Commerce going to pay six figures for someone to tell them we need drag shows? If so, perhaps we need new leadership at the Chamber.
When the report was released, it was expected that about 50 community members would participate in the opening labs. However, that number grew due to outstanding buy-in from community leaders.
“Both the Greater Owensboro Leadership Institute and the Harwood Institute are very pleased with participation,” Edds-Ellis said. “The training this week was over capacity, and we have a list of citizens who are eager for the next training opportunity. Participants were engaged during the training, hopeful and ready to be a part of meaningful work in our community.”
Rich Harwood, founder and president of the Harwood Institute for Public Innovation, was equally impressed with the interest the community showed in the opening labs.
“Their engagement was phenomenal,” he said. “It is clear to me that Owensboro as a community has what it takes to build on the good and create an even stronger community moving forward.”
Edds-Ellis said the enthusiasm of those who participated in the starting labs is consistent with what she’s heard from the general public about the initiative.
I’d sure like to know who participated. I didn’t get a call, did you? If so, let us know.
“The community is ready to work together,” she said. “I am excited about the energy surrounding this initiative and where it’s heading. People are stepping forward to be a part of this work with the desire to deepen their understanding of the community’s aspirations and concerns and to work together to get things done in a positive direction.
How can you claim, “The community is ready to work together,” when you’ve selected from a narrow swath of the community? Keep in mind Stacy Edds-Ellis got this job, in part because of her work at OCTC empowering the LGBTQ community.
“We are taking the right steps to grow and strengthen our civic culture.”
The Harwood report emphasized the importance of government support for the project, including elected officials being leaders and advocates for the initiative. Edds-Ellis said she has been pleased from the start with how officials have bought in.
“We have been delighted with the participation of our elected officials in our work throughout this past year and in the training,” she said. “The door is always open for any community member to join the initiative when they are ready.”
The next steps in the process have already begun, with initial teams having been formed at the end of the training session in the areas of youth, housing/homelessness, health, and the arts.
Edds-Ellis said anyone who was unable to attend last week’s training sessions can still join a team.
Anyone interested in learning more or joining in should contact the Leadership Institute at 270-663-1048 or GOLI@owensboro.com.
In closing, our friend Toby Potts says it better than I could:
After working for decades in a place that kept a bunch of consultants in business, I observed a pattern to the business model of all consultants. The steps are:
1. Put together vague marketing materials that promise the moon and a team of people with impressive-sounding resumes.
2. Convince weak management of an organization that they need your services to do their job and get them to sign a contract.
3. Conduct a bunch of "listening sessions" and "focus groups" to appear to care about the client.
4. Confirm and validate the pre-existing biases and beliefs of the individual(s) signing the checks, whether or not that's for the greater good of the organization.
5. Recycle a vague, lots-of-fancy-words-that-say-nothing report from the last suckers you worked for, just changing the names and dates.
6. Send invoices.
7. Cash checks.
8. Move on before the organization fails to implement anything you suggested, puts your report on a shelf to collect dust, but still pats themselves on the back for having "done something".
9. Repeat steps 1-8 for the next idiots that fall for your snake oil.
My observation of and research into this Harwood group tells me that they have absolutely mastered this business model. If you think I'm wrong, no problem. We can agree to disagree. But please do this: make a note on your calendar and let's get back in touch five years from now. I'm willing to bet that at that time, nothing will have changed except that Harwood will have long ago cashed their Owensboro checks and moved on.
Thank you, Toby. After reading 7 reports on 7 communities, speaking to civic leaders in those communities, and reviewing any results we could find, we’re confident that you have hit the nail on the head.
In the interest of full disclosure, Scott Hagerman texted Friday morning and said he was doing an article on the Library board vacancy and wanted to ask questions. I told him if he'd submit them in writing, I'd "look" at them. I looked at them and, as one board member put it, "they had more hooks than a fishing tournament". So, we made a statement instead. That statement, declined by Scott Hagerman, follows:
We live in a time when exposing children to pornography is not just acceptable to some, but paramount. Despite laws that say it's illegal, research that says it's dangerous and harmful, and our God who finds it damnable, the Messenger Inquirer has chosen to legitimize their position by giving them a voice and treating them as if they're sexual desires deserve equal standing with the protection of children. The board of DCC4D, its members and supporters, find this whole situation contemptable. As the only elected official involved in the selection process, we not only have the utmost trust that Judge Castlen will make a decision that is best for the citizens of Daviess County, we believe he is the only person in the selection process who has a right and responsibility to make these important decisions for our community.
Library board has another opening
· By Scott Hagerman Messenger-Inquirer Aug 23, 2024
As legendary New York Yankees catcher Yogi Berra would say, “it’s déja’ vu all over again” for Daviess Fiscal Court.
Just four months after Fiscal Court went through a contentious appointment process to fill the Daviess County Public Library board seat vacated by Harry Pedigo, the exercise will now begin again after board member Chris Gendek submitted his resignation this week, citing his inability to commit the time the seat requires.
“Chris was a great board member, and we’re sad to see him go,” said Erin Waller, library director. “I think he brought a unique perspective, being the father of young children and the different entities he’s worked with in the community.”
Library board chairwoman Susan Montalvo-Gesser seconded Waller’s assessment of the loss.
“His perspective will be missed,” she said. “As someone who works full-time, with high community involvement, and raising children, I understand the difficultly in squeezing out time to worthy causes. He wanted to make sure there was someone who could devote the time necessary to the DCPL board. I respect that.”
Gendek had served on the board since Sept. 13, 2022. His term expires Sept. 13, 2026.
While the situation is the same as last time, the appointment process won’t be.
Fiscal Court learned the first step of the process was handled incorrectly last time, when the initial two nominees submitted to Judge-Executive Charlie Castlen came from the library board after it had received and reviewed applications. This time, initial applications are being submitted to the Kentucky Department of Libraries & Archives (KDLA), which will choose the two nominees presented to Castlen.
From there, the process would follow the same steps and guidelines as last time. Castlen will have 30 days to bring one of the KDLA nominees to the full court as his appointment nominee or he can reject both nominees within 30 days and ask for two more nominees from KDLA.
Following Castlen receiving the second set of nominees, he has 30 days to accept one to bring to the full court, reject both or put up his own nominee for the court to vote on.
Castlen said during the previous appointment process that he had been given the power to make the choice by the state legislature and that it made more sense for him to make the pick than to heed nominations from a group outside the community.
“I agree with him on that,” said Waller, who calls it a “flawed” process.
I’d be curious why she considers it flawed.
In April, after rejecting all submitted nominees for the appointment, Castlen nominated Kathi Mattas, who was unanimously approved by the court after concerns were voiced by members of the Coalition for an Inclusive Daviess County that Mattas would support the agenda of the Daviess County Citizens for Decency, which has been pushing for books to be removed from the young adult section after its book audit determined some of the books aren’t suitable for that designation.
Cheryl Brown, spokesperson for the inclusive coalition, believes the groups fears about Mattas have been proven out.
“She has given two short speeches about her desire to remove books from the young adult section, and we would just like to remind everyone that the library does have a restricted access card process in place, and (the library) did change its process to accommodate those concerns,” Brown said. “(Mattas) continues to do that, and there continues to be speakers that come to the library board meetings and are very inappropriate (with their comments), anti-LGBTQ comments, and in their comments they misrepresent scripture verses quite often to support their prejudices.
It’s not lost on me that Brown finds Mattas comments, a board member, inaccurate. Mattas is in fact correct. And Cheryl knows she’s correct but continues to push a lie. We’ve removed ourselves from the board meeting process as they are at best a contentious show. But it’s my understanding that comments from those opposed to the pornography have been respectful. It is the responses to those comments that have been disrespectful and contentious.
They keep invoking this restricted access card. That card relegates the 13-17 year old child of any parent who expresses concern over the pornography found in the teen section, to the juvenile section, the section curated for 2-12 year olds. That card is punitive at best and spiteful at worst.
“The public library is not a church. It’s not your church. This is a public library.”
For those of you who are old enough to remember Baghdad Bob, Sadam Hussein’s comical Press Secretary, Cheryl and her sometimes insane, often unreasonable, and occasionally unhinged comments remind me of Baghdad Bob’s press conferences. Read on and see what I mean.
Brown said she does not view the opening as a swing seat, even though two of the four current board members have been appointed by the current Fiscal Court. She does, however, remain concerned about the direction being taken.
“I think we’ve been overall concerned all along about the board and what’s going on,” she said. “We have been trying to be proactive by keeping the lines of communication open with Fiscal Court about our concerns, and we feel like communication is the key. That’s been our strategy, to let them know professionally that as a community, as citizens of Daviess County, we feel like there should be some diversity on the library board. We also feel like it needs to be someone that doesn’t have a hidden agenda and wants to censor books, especially in the young adult section.
“That seems to be the motive at this point for the board appointments.”
A big point of contention for the inclusive coalition during the last appointment process was the lack of involvement Waller or Montalvo-Gesser had in the nominee process.
As the only elected person in the selection process, Judge Castlen and the Fiscal Court alone should be responsible for the selection. Neither an employee, nor a volunteer board member should have any say in who serves the public on this board. Judge Castlen and Fiscal Court must be allowed to do the jobs they were elected to do.
“Either Erin or I would welcome being part of the process, as the board had been highly involved prior to the change in the law which removed local library boards from the process in the case of a resignation,” Montalvo-Gesser said. “I have hope that because we are a governing board tasked with setting tax rates, following laws related to constitutional rights and approve the strategic plan and large purchases for an important institution, that a candidate would be appointed that either can quickly get up to speed on those topics or has a track record of service in those areas.”
Montalvo-Gesser would like to see more transparency in the appointment process.
She sure wasn’t a fan of transparency when she was hiding those emails.
“I am a big believer that governments build trust with the public when they are transparent and act with all of the information available to make an informed decision,” she said. “I, as the current board president, and Erin, as the director, have a wealth of information I believe would be valuable in making an informed decision. This information can be used in combination with which candidates apply and are forwarded to the judge-executive from KDLA to ensure the best candidate is selected for the board.”
This commentary from Montalvo-Gesser is rich coming from an attorney who knowingly and intentionally violated the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) by withholding emails and responses she initiated as chairman of this library board.
Brown agrees that there needs to be a level of expertise involved in making the appointment.
“Erin’s the expert, she is in charge of operations; how could you not include your library director?” Brown asked. “I managed at the hospital for many years, and I included key stakeholders in any decision I made about hiring, because they’re going to be the ones working with that person. That doesn’t make a lot of sense to me, why you wouldn’t include the person over operations in that decision.”
While the coalition was deeply disappointed by how the last appointment process transpired, Brown said the group is optimistic its meetings with Fiscal Court members since Mattas’ appointment has laid the groundwork for a more preferred outcome.
“They have been accommodating to our requests to meet with them about our concerns,” she said. “I felt like they did listen to us. I did feel heard. I just hope that the actions that are taken meet the discussions that we’ve had.
“The coalition is not asking for anything, other than a pragmatic, sensible person that will do the right thing for the right reasons for the library and the citizens of Daviess County will be in that position — someone with no hidden agenda to censor the library. That’s all we’re asking.”
Cheryl asserts there is some hidden agenda in Judge Castlen’s appointments. I’m not sure conducting yourself and your actions like a Christian qualifies as a hidden agenda.
Daviess County residents interested in applying for the board seat can go to the DCPL website — dcplibrary.org — and at the bottom of the homepage there is a link to the board of directors page, which has a link at the bottom to apply. Or avoid the censorship and go directly to the KDLA application page.
I urge anyone interested in serving the public in this capacity to follow the link and apply. I can promise they are.
If you’ve gotten to this point and are wondering what all the fuss is about, go to the porn-in-the-library page and take a look for yourself.
Fiscal Court still in library debate
Aug 5, 2024
In the weeks following Daviess Fiscal Court’s appointment of Kathi Mattas to fill an open seat on the Daviess County Public Library board in April, it appeared much of the consternation surrounding the selection and its potential impact on the debate about placement of books within the library had taken a less adversarial tone.
But the issue, which was raised by the Daviess County Citizens for Decency, has been a significant talking point during public comments at the last two library board meetings and rang enough alarms that members of the Coalition for an Inclusive Daviess County, which supports the library’s protocols on the placement of books, recently met with members of Fiscal Court to express their concerns about the increase in negative public statements being made about the library.
However, Judge-Executive Charlie Castlen said whatever public statements are made are out of his purview because Fiscal Court doesn’t control library board meetings.
“Some of the stuff they’ve brought to my attention is stuff they’ve heard the public say at the meetings, and I just flat out said, ‘I don’t control the public,’ and I don’t consider myself a controller of the board for that matter,” Castlen said. “I’ve never called (board chairwoman) Susan Montalvo-Gesser and told her to do X, Y or Z. I never called (former board chairwoman) Michelle Drake and told her to do X, Y and Z. I didn’t even call and ask them to do X,Y and Z.
“I feel like my role, whether it’s airport or any of the many boards I appoint people to, my place is to appoint the board members and the board members do the job. They deal with the organization, the direction of the organization, the facilities.”
Castlen said he doesn’t attend library board meetings — Fiscal Court is represented by Commissioner Janie Marksberry at meetings — because issues being addressed are for the library board. He also believes there is a misconception that he’s loaded the library board with people whose outlook is in line with the DCC4D.
“I don’t care what anybody wants to say and how they want to couch what they think I’ve done or am doing with regard to the library board,” he said. “I’ve made two appointments, and three board members were appointed by my predecessor. I would say there has been little change in influence, because the majority was appointed by my predecessor.
“That’s not meant to say I have a target I’m looking for. It’s just a fact that three of the five are still people I haven’t appointed. For anyone to say the board has changed direction, I’d say I don’t see how that’s so.”
Why does it feel like Hagerman attacks Judge Castlen, then turns immediately to Commissioner Conder so that he can decry divisiveness and be the arbiter of peace?
Commissioner Larry Conder believes extending the opportunity for public comment is creating divisiveness more than helping resolve issues.
Where was this concern when the Coalition for Exclusion was spreading misinformation and lies? Now, public comments are favoring removal of porn from the children’s section and suddenly they’re “divisive”? Is it coincidence that Cheryl Brown of the Coalition for Exclusion, has demanded public commentary be curtailed, and now Commissioner Conder concurs?
“I have spoken to (Montalvo-Gesser) briefly about this issue of people standing up and saying what they’re saying,” Conder said. “The library board meetings, the privilege of speaking is extended by the chair. It’s not a right for anyone who is not on the board to be able to stand up there and talk, it’s not. It’s a privilege extended. In my opinion, where that platform is being used by whomever, either side, left or right, I don’t care, it’s being abused.
Again, he says “either side” but conveniently voices concern at the point citizens are beginning to speak up to protect their children? So we’re clear, Commissioner Conder believes the people footing the bill for OUR library, “either side, left or right, I don’t care,” should sit down and shut up.
“In my view, as a county commissioner, what I would like to see is No. 1, if you’re going to be allowed public comment, you must not only give your name, but your address, and if you are not from Daviess County as a taxpaying individual, then that privilege is not extended to you. They’re not taxpayers. No. 2, you could just completely say we’re going to stop public comments, we’re not going to extend the privilege because it is being abused, and we’re just going to stop. We’re just going to conduct the business of the library.”
Conder knows there would be significant grumbling if public comments were nixed, but he said no one has the constitutional right to be heard at the meetings.
This is an issue we ran into with the City Commission and drag shows at our RiverPark Center. Just give us your money and shut up! I believe our forefathers fought a war over this kind of attitude.
“Would everybody like that idea, probably not,” he said. “They’ll say it infringes on their first amendment rights. No, I’m sorry, but none of our rights are absolute. In this case, that platform is a privilege that is being abused, and it needs to stop. It is creating division. There is no necessarily good coming out of it. You could just say we’re not accepting public comments.”
Pound it home Larry. We’re listening… and remembering. Oh, how we’ll remember.
Conder however, doesn’t dismiss the thought that there could still be more done to find a compromise to the placement issue beyond what has already been implemented.
And there it is, classic Larry Conder. Playing both sides.
“There may be a couple tweaks here and there as to the availability of material similar, like it was back in the day when like Hustler magazines were available in a magazine rack,” he said. “So what did they do? They simply moved them behind the counter. They were still there. But you couldn’t just pick it up and start looking through it, regardless of age.
“Maybe that could be better managed a little bit. But other than that issue, I think (the library) has done a very good job. I think the staff has done a very good job, and I thank them for the work that they have to do considering the circumstances they’re put under.”
He’s right, so he clearly understands the issue. But that doesn’t excuse him from trying to play both sides.
Commissioner Chris Castlen said with the library having trained professionals, he thinks “we can count on them to do what’s right for the community and what’s right for the library, as they see and understand it.”
This comment is really disconcerting. I’ve met with Commissioner Castlen, and shared the filth being shelved by these “trained professionals” at DCPL. He can’t claim ignorance, so what does he claim?
He also wants the library board to be able to do its job.
“The library board helps regulate that as well with the people we put on,” he said. “I would like for us to just be able to put people on the board and it be enough for the community.”
Chris Castlen said he welcomes people to question things they have concerns about. But he said after having done his own research, he’s comfortable with the processes the library has put in place to guard against children having access to items their parents deem inappropriate.
“I believe when (library director) Erin Waller made the changes to the way that parents can know what their kids are checking out, I think that was a very insightful moment that took care of the issue there was so much concern about,” he said. “People who have brought up concerns about the books that are there, I’ve gone there several times to see for myself what the concern is, but the way they have things set up and the way they do things at the library, I feel like they’ve made the right adjustments and they’re doing well as they are without all of the interference.”
I want to repeat this because it’s a direct quote, “Erin Waller made the changes to the way that parents can know what their kids are checking out, I think that was a very insightful moment that took care of the issue there was so much concern about.” I’ve said this time and time again, and I’ll continue to say it. Erin Waller made two changes. She changed the sign over the teen section. That change wasn’t policy. It didn’t move any adult books, it had no effect on who had access to the books in that section, it just called kids ages 13-17 “young adults.” She created a “limited access card”. Here is how a limited access card works. A parent of a 16 year old child, concerned with the content in the teen (young adult) section, goes to the front desk and expresses their concerns. They are offered a limited access card. That card permits their 16 year old to check out books ONLY found in the “Juvenile Section” which is curated for kids from 2-12 years old. If that isn’t punitive, then I don’t know what is. For Commissioner Castlen to call these changes “a very insightful moment” makes me want to cry for our county. Seriously, is this the best we can do?
Marksberry has been the most vocal Fiscal Court member in support of additional placement guidelines at the library, and she’s not opposed to letting people speak during library board meetings.
“It doesn’t concern me that it’s an issue,” she said. “People have a right to speak their mind. It is a public library, so anyone who has concern about anything has a right to come forward and express that concern.”
Marksberry remains adamant that more procedures need to be put in place to guard against children being able to access material deemed inappropriate.
“I don’t think there needs to be compromise when you’re talking about our youth and what is presented to them for their age,” she said. “I don’t think there will be compromise. There is a strong tendency in our county for people to want what’s good and decent in front of their children, especially during their formative years.
“I don’t see a compromise, personally. They need to be in the adult section. I don’t think the library can redefine age. Just because they say young adult is 13-17 (years old), that’s nonsense. An adult has always been 18 years or over. They don’t get to redefine that.”
First, God bless Commissioner Marksberry, she is 100% correct. There is no compromising the protection of our children. These books should be moved to the adult section. A teenager is not an adult, they should not be confronted with adult content, period... and especially without parental consent and by a publicly funded entity that once enjoyed public trust. Anyone insisting that you call a 13 year old an adult may have more than pornographic library books in mind. If you have read these books, any of them, and you love your children, you understand. There is no compromise.
“It doesn’t concern me that it’s an issue,” she said. “People have a right to speak their mind. It is a public library, so anyone who has concern about anything has a right to come forward and express that concern.”
Marksberry remains adamant that more procedures need to be put in place to guard against children being able to access material deemed inappropriate.
“I don’t think there needs to be compromise when you’re talking about our youth and what is presented to them for their age,” she said. “I don’t think there will be compromise. There is a strong tendency in our county for people to want what’s good and decent in front of their children, especially during their formative years.
“I don’t see a compromise, personally. They need to be in the adult section. I don’t think the library can redefine age. Just because they say young adult is 13-17 (years old), that’s nonsense. An adult has always been 18 years or over. They don’t get to redefine that.”
Final thoughts: Just like Hagerman’s piece on Judge Castlen over economic development, this smacks of a coordinated effort between he and Larry Conder. Aside from the porn in the children’s section of our library, what citizens should be concerned most with is Commissioner Conder’s belief that a taxing district the size of Daviess County Public Library doesn’t need to be accountable to the people who pay their bills. If you need to be reminded of what’s in the Teen section that we’re so concerned with, visit our Porn in the Library page.
Second of the series of texts released 5/28/24
Fourteen year old kids should have access to books about adventure, not pornography.
If you agree, join the concerned parents of Daviess County Citizens for Decency who have said enough is enough by calling the Library Director, Erin Waller, at 270-684-0211 and demand action!
Together, we can protect our kids. Thank you for your support.
To learn more and decide for yourself, go to https://dcc4d.com/porn-in-the-library
P.S. Join the movement to protect kids by heading to https://dcc4d.com
Paid for by Daviess County Citizens for Decency. Reply STOP to opt out.
Press Release
For Immediate Release
Tuesday, June 28, 2024
Owensboro, KY – Daviess County Citizens for Decency has just released its second countywide text message concerning the continued refusal of the Daviess County Public Library to address the pornography found in the Children’s (age 13-17) section of the library. An audit of books completed in August of 2023 and updated twice since has uncovered 31 books that meet the United States Supreme Court test for obscenity. Under normal circumstances, anyone sharing these books with minors would be subject to criminal charges and prison time. Our public library and its board are hiding behind a statutory “educational exemption” intended to protect textbooks. Children’s fiction was never intended to be exempt under this statute. The Parents of this community have asked since August of 2023 that these books be moved to a more appropriate location in the library, the adult section. In addition to the pornography, there are over 200 volumes that should carry a parental warning so parents can make informed decisions about what their children are reading.
You are receiving this press release because the DCPL Board of Trustees and the Executive Director, Erin Waller continue to refuse to rectify the situation. Hanging a different sign and issuing punitive limited access cards is not a serious effort to address this issue. Daviess County Citizens for Decency is committed to educating the citizens of Daviess County and protecting our children.
DCC4D believes this is a furtherance of the nationwide attempt to sexualize the youth of our nation, and in so doing undermine the nuclear family. Exposure of undeveloped minds to explicit materials and pornography creates a plethora of personal, developmental and relationship issues for children. There is no positive or redeeming value in these books.
The Parents of Daviess County hold Executive Director, Erin Waller and the DCPL Board of Trustees responsible and continue to demand immediate actions be taken.
· All identified titles must be moved from the teen (young adult) section to the adult section.
· Policy changes must be made to reflect Kentucky revised Statute 531.340.
· A grading system akin to that used by BookLooks.org must be implemented and all books included in BookLooks.org’s ratings should be labelled with parental warnings.
· Library leadership and staff must pledge (by way of policy change) to work with parents to prevent exposure of our children to explicit, age inappropriate and pornographic materials.
Respectfully,
Gerald S. Chapman
Chairman, Daviess County Citizens for Decency
(270) 929-5729
Debate continues over what's 'young adult' at library
Note: Text from the article is in italics. My comments follow in bold. the complete article is linked in the title above.
Erin Waller, executive director of the library, said the book (Let’s Talk About It) was moved to the Adult/Parenting section when a parent raised concerns about the initial placement of the book — prior to the Daviess County Citizens for Decency conducting its audit of the library.
This is the third version of the story Erin has told concerning this book. She’s told so many versions now, she can’t keep her stories straight.
This book was brought to our attention by a concerned parent. We took it to Judge Executive Castlen and every member of Fiscal Court. As a result, Erin was reprimanded and told to move the book.
Conder said reaching a resolution on the dispute between DCC4D and the library requires “a level of common sense to be brought forward; not yelling, not grandstanding.” He said it’s also incumbent on adults to take responsibility for overseeing and raising their children.
So much wrong in this paragraph. The only yelling being done is by the folks on their side. And the only grandstanding is from Larry himself. Parents can’t oversee what the library is working so hard to hide from them. These books wouldn’t even be a concern if they were in the adult section. And make them put warning labels on the remainder of the books with objectionable content.
“Find a little common sense of saying, you know, we’re all responsible for what our children read and look at and do, and our parents especially are, and our grandparents, guardians, aunts, uncles, we all are, and many times we allow government to do that for them, and we shouldn’t,” he said. “We should be doing that ourselves. The citizens should be doing that themselves. Maybe it’s just a little bit lazy, thinking that other people, government especially, should parent instead of them. There has to be parents. Be a parent. If you’re a parent, be that.”
This is a concerted effort to undermine parents that is so much bigger than a few books getting past parents. Frankly, it’s incredibly offensive for Commissioner Conder to put the blame on parents. This material is well disguised. Nothing in the description, forward or covers give a clue as to what is on the pages of these books. That isn’t an accident. If the effort expended by Erin Waller and the DCPL board and others like them from across the country are an indication, it’s going to take a government effort akin to the same that created movie, music and video game rating systems. Shame on you Larry Conder.
This is more slight of hand from the “journalist” here. He quotes my letter then cites DCPL policy, that I provided as if it is somehow a correction of me. The citation of DCPL policy was too much effort for Mr. Hagerman in his May 15 article, but when given to him he claims it as his own.
Erin Waller stated in the May 15 article, “You cannot be in the building without a guardian if you’re under 12 years old, you have to have a parent/guardian with you.” This in itself was intended as misdirection, as the pornographic material has always been in the teen (13-17) section, not the juvenile (3-12) section. But my citation of her own policy was intended to correct her misdirection.
Waller said she has not been informed by any employees that they have concerns about materials.
I don’t even know how to address this. It’s just sad, and I feel for any Christian stuck in such a situation.
“With what has gone on since the first time that the DCC4D, from the very beginning from what I’ve seen, the library has worked with them on what their requests were — I don’t know, they might be demands,” Castlen said. “Of what DCC4D’s opinion is of what needs to happen, the library has worked with them on these things.
Changing a sign, but no policy, and relegating any teenager, whose parents complain, to the 3-12 year old section is not “working with us”.
“…I have physically gone to the library, saw the concerns, what the locations are, and I trust the library on this, that they are choosing the right process and have things in the places they should be.”
If he believes that, he has no business in a leadership position. You can’t believe it’s okay to subject children to pornography and lead anything, let alone our county. Shame on you too, Chris Castlen.
I thank the Lord for Cheryl Brown
Cheryl Brown is the best thing that has happened to us. Emotional tirades, screaming at respected elected officials, argument based on feelings not facts, and now this. She truly is the gift that keeps on giving. Here she challenges Commissioner Marksberry on the definition of “young adult” Then proceeds to quote LibGuides definition of “young adult literature”. I’ve heard people say, “you are what you eat,” but I guess, in Cheryl’s world, you are what you read? Beyond that, she honestly thought the definition of a "minor" is just a matter of opinion and somehow LibGuides was her trump card. WOW! I've got news for her. Kentucky law is the trump card. Kentucky Revised Statute says age of majority begins at age 18, which means “young adult” begins at 18. KRS500.080 defines a "minor" as anyone under the age of 18. and there are hundreds of statutes on the books that make it a criminal offense to harm minors, aka children. Exposure to obscenity i.e. pornography is one of them. If not for a poorly crafted educational exception the whole lot of them would be in prison.
Doing what we do is not always pleasant, so I thank our Lord for the comedic relief he has provided through the opines of the Coalition for Inclusion’s spokesperson, Cheryl Brown.
Channel 14 Nearly Gets it Right
Jen Vogel, leader of the “Coalition for Inclusion”, is incorrect. "Let's Talk About It" was originally purchased by the Teen collections Librarian for the Teen Department. It was moved to the Adult Section in July 2023, after Erin Waller was reprimanded. A screen shot of the email from Erin Waller to Commissioner Chris Castlen, stating as much, is below and the text of that email follows.
“In regard to the book, "Let's Talk About It," I have attached the resource reviews our Teen Librarian used when she made the decision to purchase this book for our collection. It has been shelved in our Teen section and hasn't circulated much in the two years we have had it. I find it interesting that it isn't on Common Sense Media, considering is being questioned nationally. That probably means we need to find some other resources like Common Sense Media to recommend.”
Remembering that children ages 14 and above do not require parental supervision, one can only conclude that a sexual instruction manual covering all sorts of deviant sex acts was bought and placed in the teen section so that children could find it without parental knowledge.
To see excerpts from this disgusting piece of “literature”, click the Title. Let’s Talk About It
An Open Letter to Erin Waller concerning her dishonesty in the May 14, 2024 M&I article by Scott Hagerman
Attn: Ms. Erin Waller May 14, 2024
Daviess County Public Library
2020 Frederica St.
Owensboro, KY 42301
Ms. Waller,
I read with a great deal of disappointment what can only be described as your blatantly dishonest response to Our organizations text message campaign in today’s Messenger Inquirer. Not that there is anything wrong with fundraising, a lot of not-for-profit organizations don’t have the public teat to suckle from and rely on their supporters, but you know our intent was to counter the misinformation you and your friends are spreading. Those texts weren’t about fundraising.
Regardless, how you refer to our education campaign is not what we have a problem with, we just found it juvenile and beneath someone in your position to mislabel the concerns of a citizen group.
Our biggest problem with the comments you made are in the very dishonest way that you categorize children and in so doing mislead readers. In no sane world is a child aged 13 to 17 considered an adult. A 14 year old is a child. As is a 13, 15, 16 or 17 year old. It’s a sad day when our taxpayer funded Public Library Director intentionally misleads the very people who pay her salary; the very people she is here to serve.
And to misstate your own policy concerning unattended children had to be intentional. One is left with only one conclusion. You lied about DCPL policy in order to hide the facts. For the record, Daviess County Public Library policy reads as follows:
· Children under age 10 should always be directly supervised by the adult responsible for their safety. Direct supervision implies that the child is within the sight or sound range of the responsible adult.
· Children ages 10-13 may be unattended for short periods of time as long as they abide by the Rules of Conduct Policy. If a child under age 14 is in need of supervision and no parent or guardian can be located in the building or otherwise contacted, library staff will notify the police.
· Children at least 14 years of age or in high school may be unattended as long as they abide by the Rules of Conduct Policy.
To be very clear. What was formerly known as the “Teen Section” was intended for children 13 to 17 years old. When you took down the old “teen section” sign and hung a “young adult” sign, that’s all you did. You did not change policy. You do not redirect 13-17 year olds away from this section, YOU CHANGED A SIGN. PERIOD. This is where the pornography is shelved. It is the children ages 13 to 17 who you’ve put at greatest risk. Yet you continue to hide the facts.
Then you claim, “…we sent out, notified, every parent and guardian of children that have library accounts, via mail, saying there may be material in the building that you personally find objectionable.”
There are laws against subjecting minor children to pornography. This is not simply “personally objectionable.” Anyone not hiding behind an ill-conceived educational exception would be facing prison time for what you are doing. It’s pornographic and it’s illegal. And dismissing the dangers as simply being in the building when in fact it is right there in the TEEN/Young Adult/Childrens Section is another piece of dangerous misdirection unbecoming of someone entrusted with the wellbeing of our children.
For you to feign concern for your employees is over the top. We have had Christian employees of DCPL tell us they have been subject to a hostile work environment because they’ve objected to the presence of this pornographic material. You can’t subject your Christian employees to hostility then publicly claim to be concerned for your employees all while making false accusations that the Christians in this community are harassing DCPL employees.
In closing, the blatant dishonesty you’re guilty of is unbecoming of a public employee, let alone the Director of one of the largest taxing Districts in the County. You owe the parents and guardians of Owensboro and Daviess County an apology and at a minimum should move the 30 plus pornographic books currently shelved in the section dedicated to 13 to 17 year olds, to the adult section. Further, parents deserve to know the truth. All books addressing sensitive issues should be labelled with a warning so parents are able to make informed decisions. I urge all concerned citizens to go to dcc4d.com and learn the truth about what’s happening in our library. The information is free. YOU DO NOT NEED TO MAKE A CONTRIBUTION.
Jerry Chapman
Chairman, Daviess County Citizens for Decency
https://www.messenger-inquirer.com/news/residents-receiving-texts-urging-support-for-dcc4d/article_17de8bf5-80db-54a9-b3e9-c81cda361650.html