OSWEGO, NY – “The first thing I want everybody to know is, I am not a politician,” Bill Myer said.
He is one of five candidates seeking three seats on the Oswego school board in next month’s elections.
He has worked in the school district for 31 years; and is retiring this (school) year.
“Over those 31 years I have seen, what I’ve felt were poor decisions; too much spending, money wasted,” he told Oswego County Today recently.
Regarding this May’s proposition to buy new school buses, he said you are actually spending money to save a lot of money.
“It’s not a waste. You’re reducing the maintenance costs, reducing the fuel costs,” he said.
The district is about 20 buses behind because of decisions over the past 10 years or so not to update the fleet, he noted.
If they had stayed the course, they wouldn’t have a good part of the bus fleet that is 15 years old or older – with a ton of miles on them, he added.
“I have been a mechanic, head mechanic, for 28 years, I worked at the (district) warehouse (maintenance) for three years, so I pretty much know the transportation department,” he explained.
There are certain things he doesn’t know about.
“If you don’t know something, you’ve got to go out and learn. That’s what I’m willing to do. I have already gone out and talked to people like (assistant superintendent) Cathy Chamberlain and said hey if I get elected do you have a problem meeting with me? And, she said she’d welcome a meeting,” he said.
“My platform is simple. It’s you have an obligation to provide the highest possible level of education that you can to our children. The other obligation is to supply that level of education with the minimal amount of expenditures so as not to over-burden the taxpayers any more,” he continued. “You have two obligations, one to the children and one to the taxpayers. Today’s economy is really tough. So, you have to work to find a balance that works best for both sides. When they vote someone into office, the people of this district expect they are going to work for them to not only supply the highest level of education but to look out for the taxpayers and say how can we do this as efficiently as possible?”
That means you’ll have to do some leg work; if you don’t know about the schools, what condition they are in or what condition the buses are in – you have to get out there and find out yourself, that’s your job, that’s what you were elected to do, the candidate said.
The school board is the CEO of the company, according to Myer.
“If the CEO of the company doesn’t know how things work, where are you going?” he asked rhetorically.
“You’ve got to know all the aspects of a company you’re trying to run and it is the same way with the school board. I’ve seen a lot of school board members through the years, they’ve had something, they have an agenda, they want to save the band or they want to save the football team or they want to save something. That’s fine, I can understand them wanting to go to bat for those people,” he said. “But, there is more than that to the school district. You have to keep the big picture in mind.”
For example, he points to a move this year to cut the literacy programs.
“Oswego County is not exactly the most literate county in the world. So what are we doing? We’re doing away with literacy. I am not sure the board members really know what the literacy coaches do,” he said. “These kinds of cuts undermine the foundation of the program. Kids have to know how to read, and comprehend what they’re reading, and the teachers need to know the best ways of teaching these kids.”
Myer says he would bring a different look, different perspective to the school board than what they’re seen in recent years.
“Anybody that knows me, knows that I will listen. I listen to everybody and that’s the important part,” he said. “You have to listen and try to comprehend what people are trying to tell you. You listen by going out and talking to people.”
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Seems like a good guy for the school board. I can’t vote for the two ex-teachers by virtue of their inherent biases toward OCTA, and I know enough about Tripp and Dunsmoor to be honored to cast my vote for both of them. Was up in the air whether I wanted to throw my third vote away, or vote for Mr. Myers. Had to hear more from him. Seems like he has a level head and knows what he is talking about. I’m leaning toward voting for him, John and Sam.
Bill Myer for schoolboard? That’s just great! Beautiful! Another Oswego City School employee running for a seat on the schoolboard. (Can anybody see what’s wrong here?) The Oswego City Schoolboard is totally stacked against the ordinary tax payer of Oswego. The schoolboard negotiates a contract with the School Teachers Union. Then it goes to the schoolboard for approval which is just a formality.
Now it is put into a school budget for public vote! Now all the school district employees, family memebers vote on the school budget which passes everytime will little difficulty. Well thats about to change!
The next time in the City of Oswego, when there is a public vote on a school budget. All the people who registered and voted are going to checked to see who their employer is? If one voter is employeed by the City of Oswego, School District. A legal challenge will be made, and that person vote thrown out!
And you know who the teachers and have to thank for this… read!
Daniel Harmony was the OCSD’s former Assistant Superintendent for Business; he was fired for his arrest and subsequent conviction of felony methamphetamine possession,. But it has just been discovered that he has been receiving an annual pension of $53,132.00, plus other benefits. Harmony did not pay one penny into this pension fund! The TAX Payers did! Harmony is living in Florida not in New York State! When you get fired you loose your pension! But not if you’re a member of a teachers union!
No wonder states want to do away with teachers bargaining rights. You don’t collect and a pension and benefits if you get fired from a job for doing drugs. This type of bilking tax payers out of money has to stop!
I was going to run for a seat on the Osweego City Schoolboard. But that is useless, but I have been approached about running for Oswego County Legislature!
Joseph Gunther
Oswego, NY
PS: I use to be a Grievance Chairman for CSEA!
The last thing the tax payers need is someone to run for a board seat that work for the schoolboard….no no no..
Listen folks….we need teachers. The school system doesn’t work without them. Want a well oiled, successful school district? First, strip away the outrageous rights and benefits that the unions have empowered. Second, employ ONLY the best and brightest teachers and administrators. Oswego has many, many great teachers and some OK administrators. With no union protection, FIRE the many poor performing teachers and administrators that the Oswego School District harbors. LISTEN to the students and their parents….they know who works and who is just “doing time” collecting the benefits! If the BOE could pull off that maneuver, the moral of the students would soar and coupled the leadership of the great teachers Oswego would catapult us to the top!
I’ve know Bill for a good number of years. The man is totally honest! He does not make false promises in order to satisfy anyone. Bill was not a teacher; he was a mechanic who worked for CENTRO before coing to the school district. His best qualities are his honesty, willingness to listen and his dedication to serve to the best of his ability. He has no hidden agenda. He has my total support.
I think some of you are missing the big picture here the important thing is not only looking out for the tax payers but also our childrens education. I moved to this area not all to long ago and i have a daughter who has always struggled in school and by cutting literacy programs the school board is reducing her and others ability to learn at their full potential. I know that it is important to everyone that the taxpayers are not over looked but the education programs and even the extra curricular programs in our schools our also very important. My personal oppinion is as far as the so called ordinary taxpayer goes thats what Bill is, thats what i am, and that what the children of the future will be. But our children deserve more than just a mediocre or second rate education just so the tax payer can save a dollar. the schools budgets should not suffer. but thats my oppinion. I have had the honor of meeting Bill Myer and do believe that he will be a fair and just board member he defineitely has the vote of me and my entire family