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| Affiliation | Democratic |
 |
| Name | William L. "Bill" Buckel |
| Address | 1641 Hess Boulevard
Columbus, Ohio 43212, United States |
| Email | None |
| Website | [Link] |
| Born |
August 01, 1929 |
| Died |
Still Living
(95 years) |
| Contributor | Thomas Walker |
| Last Modifed | RBH
Jan 29, 2009 01:59am |
| Tags |
Caucasian - Married - Air Force -
|
| Info | Born in Indiana.
Education:
* B.S., Mechanical Engineering, University of Colorado, 1952
* M.L.S., Library Science, Kent State University, 1980
Experience:
* Served four years in the U.S. Air Force from 1952 to 1956.
* Employed as a reference librarian at Battelle Memorial Institute until retirement in December 1994.
* A long-time supporter of effective public education and honest government.
BASIC INFORMATION
Name: William L. Buckel
Born: 1929
TIME SUMMARY
1952 . . B.S. Mechanical Engineering., University of Colorado
1952--> 1956 . . U.S. Air Force
1956--> 1994 . . Battelle Memorial Institute (BMI)
1956--> 1963 . . Research/Mechanical Engineering at (BMI)
1963--> 1973 . . Main Library in Reports Section at (BMI)
1967--> 1980 . . Thirteen years as an active Columbus School parent
1973--> 1994 . . Main Library at Reference at (BMI)
1980 . . M.L.S., Library Science., Kent State University
1995--> present . . Retired from BMI
1960--> present . . Active in Civic Affairs
ENGINEER
Conducted experiments, analyzing results, and preparing research reports while working in a research section of Battelle Memorial Institute. One project involved the evaluation of the Hickman Still as a distillation method for converting seawater to drinking water. (The technology was sound; but, the process was not cost-effective.) During this period, two professional papers, one patent application, and one technical report on the topic of seawater distillation were co-authored. [See 1960A, 1960B, and 1961 below] Currently a registered Professional Engineer in the State of Ohio.
LIBRARIAN
Performed online literature searching and general reference work while serving as a reference librarian at the Battelle Main Library. Collectively the online computerized systems offer over 300 indexing and abstracting services, numerous online catalogs and directories, and a variety of numerical databases.
One technical report and two journal articles were prepared during this period. [See 1982, 1985, and 1986 below]
COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES
The same analytical skills used in the work place also proved useful in community service problem analysis and position paper development. I have run unsuccessfully for the Columbus Public School Board starting about 1981 on the platform of decentralized school governance for the District's 140 school communities. Prior to that, I spent thirteen years as an active Columbus School parent--parent teacher organization officer.
In 2000, I ran for the U.S. House of Representatives on a platform of starting to pay-down the Federal Government's growing public debt. At that time, it was $5.5 trillion. The platform outlined specific program cuts and tax increases that would be necessary to start a 20-year pay-down program. Although not elected, the exercise gave voters a choice because no other candidate tried to "steal" my platform. [See 1991 below]
ARTICLES, PAPERS, REPORTS, AND PATENTS
1960A:
"Centrifugal Phase Barrier Recompression Distillation", Hickman, Kenneth C.D.; Hogan, W.J., Eibling, James A., and Buckel, William L., Advances in Chemistry Series, no.27: Saline Water Conversion, American Chemical Society, p. 128-146, January 1960
1960B:
"A Study of the Development of the Hickman Sea Water Still", Buckel William L., Office of Saline Water Report No. 43, NTIS Report No. PB 171030, September 1, 1960.
1961:
"An Analysis of Heat Transfer in the Hickman Rotary Evaporator", Putnam, Abbott A., Buckel, William L., and Eibling, James A., International Development in Heat Transfer, Part V, Section A, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, New York, p. 886-94, January 1, 1961.
1982:
"Literature Searching Service - Choosing the Contract With the Best Discount Plan", Buckel, William L., Online, September 1, 1982, p. 59-64.
1985:
"Specifications for the Operating Features of the Uniform Catalog-1985", Final Report, Buckel, William L., NTIS Report No. PB85-197986, Pgs. 64, April 1, 1985.
1986:
"The Uniform Catalog", Buckel, William L., Library Journal, ISSN 0363-0277, Vol. 111, No. 1, January 1986, p. 52-54.
1991:
"Why Isn't the National Public Debt Being Reduced?", Bill Buckel, NTIS Report No. PB91-234690, 51 pages, August. 1991.
Address:
Bill Buckel
1641 Hess Blvd.
Columbus, OH 43212
. Ph. 614--488-8963
Age: 78
Residence: 1641 Hess Blvd., Columbus
Web site: [Link]
Occupation: retired reference librarian, Battelle
Education: bachelor's in mechanical engineering, University of Colorado; master's in library science, Kent State University
Experience: past officer of school parent organizations
Family: married, with adult daughter who graduated from East High School
Religion: does not follow an organized religion
Why he's running
I want the school board to encourage parents to set up local councils, with elected members, that do quality assurance studies at their child's schools. This would provide an incentive for dissatisfied parents to improve their home school rather than choose a tax-funded bas ride to another school.
The proposed optional Academic Quality Assurance Councils at each school would have five elected members. The school principal and a teacher representative would be nonvoting members of the council. Duties of the proposed Academic Quality Assurance Councils would include:
• Conducting a quality-assurance review of at least one academic program each school year. If the council finds a need for change, it would make written recommendations to the school principal. In turn, the principal would be required to respond in writing in a timely fashion.
• Maintaining an environment conducive to local innovations and “home grown” solutions by holding problem-solving forums.
• Participating in establishing rules and setting annual goals for their own school.
Have you run for public office before? When?
Yes. However, I have not won once in a general election. For the past decade, I have run for the Columbus school board on the same platform every two years. During this same time, I have also run for the U.S. House of Representatives (1996, primary election; 2000, general election; 2006, write-in general election).
I ran for the U.S. House of Representatives out of frustration. None of the other candidates were willing to take a public position on (a) stopping the growth of the federal public debt and (b) stopping the funding of the government of Israel until it quits its aggressive behavior. For years, Israel has been brutally ethnic cleansing Christians and Muslims out of Palestine and replacing them with Jewish settlements. Another example of aggressive behavior is Israel's recent invasion of Lebanon in an attempt to push its northern boundary up to the Latani River — an added water resource.
What are the three biggest issues?
(1) One of the biggest three issues facing the Columbus Public Schools is its “ bigness.” The district has 130 schools and only one school board. It is not possible for these seven board members to maintain close oversight at each school. This is why I keep asking the school board to encourage an Academic Quality Assurance Council at each school.
(2) “Bigness” explains why Columbus has more bad press than any of the local suburban school districts. For example, if Columbus had 60,000 students and 10 different suburban districts had 6,000 each, then Columbus should receive half of the “bad press.” But any one of the suburban school districts would get only 1/10 as much bad press as Columbus.
This simple example assumed that “bad behavior” is directly linked to student enrollment. Because Columbus has a larger percent of low-income families than suburban school districts, one should not be surprised if Columbus had more than its share of bad-press instances.
(3) “Bigness” also allows a school board with a top-down mind-set, to maximize discontent. Each high school community will have different preferences on dress code, graduation-program rules for classmates who haven't passed the OGT (Ohio Graduation Test), lunch-room activities, etc. Discontent is maximized when everyone must do the same.
If all schools are allowed to decide personal-preference questions, there will be a greater number of contented people. Needless to say, if the high schools had Academic Quality Assurance Councils, there would be elected members of the public at each school to provide input to building-level personal preference decisions.
What makes you the best candidate to address those issues?
I am not the best candidate. Any candidate could support a policy that improves consumer oversight at each school. None of the candidates will be able to reduce the large size of Columbus school district and thereby reduce its bad press. Anyone with common sense can avoid maximizing discontent by not using top-down decision-making except when necessary.
What do you hope to accomplish?
It would be nice if, four years from now, I could report that (a) the Columbus school system now has Academic Quality Assurance Councils at many of its schools, and (b) I have spent the past few years serving on the council at my local school.
Financial issues
Should the Columbus school district continue to hold spending increases to 3 percent a year?
Yes. ... However, the new board should not make a similar promise in the coming operating levy campaign.
To me, it's irrational to promise to control costs over which one has no control. A school board had no control over the cost of bus fuel, heating fuel, water and electricity. A school board has no control over the number of students needing expensive ESL instruction and only indirect control over total number of enrolled students. ...
I think Columbus students and teachers have been the victim of a bad idea compounded with a goofy accounting practice.
In what areas should the district reduce spending? In what areas should it invest more money?
I am not well enough informed on these topics to respond to these questions.
The district might ask taxpayers to approve an operating levy and a bond issue in the next couple of years. Should the district seek these and should they be on the same ballot?
Asking for a new operating levy seems reasonable. Asking for a 28-year bond issue (debt financing) is a bad idea. Future new school buildings should be funded with a pay-as-you-go method. I am not well enough informed to address the question of ballot timing.
Did the district close the right number of schools, too many or too few? Should closed schools be sold or should the district keep those properties for future use?
It is impossible to tell if the district closed the right number of schools because school communities, who wanted to keep their school open, were not invited to respond with innovative money-saving ideas. I am not well enough informed to know whether or not to sell old school buildings.
It is well-known that the Columbus school board has not encouraged Academic Quality Assurance Councils, or any other representative community groups, at each school. Therefore, there were not established school-based groups in place to react to the school-closing announcements.
Obviously, schools were being closed because low enrollment has caused high per-student cost of operation. Yet, each school community was not informed of a cost target as part of the school-closing process. That is, school communities were not given any opportunity, with or without local leadership, to come up with money-saving ideas.
Should nonclassroom operations, such as food services and busing, be privatized?
No. However, the school board should look at the unit cost of these operations. Also, the board should evaluate the idea of privatizing the upper management of the school system.
In recent years, the school board has had a policy of paying a fair wage to its employees so that children of these employees do not become “at risk” students. This makes sense to me. To privatize nonclassroom operations in order to save money (by reducing the wages of these frontline workers) would be a short-sighted public policy.
Climate/competitive issues
How can the district improve student discipline? Would uniforms help, and should they be mandated?
Several things the district might do include:
(1) Enforce the existing discipline code. Be firm but fair.
(2) Encourage Academic Quality Assurance Councils at each school. This allows outsiders to suggest ways to improve the “school climate.”
(3) Experiment with various virtual-classroom options for students who are under suspension from the normal classroom.
How can the district better compete with charter schools?
Encourage Academic Quality Assurance Councils at each Columbus school. This would give parents an opportunity to improve their own school before they send their child to a charter or alterative school.
Should the district create more alternative programs and/or charter schools? What kind?
Every school should have the opportunity to be an “alterative” school and operate with a standard per-student budget. Each school community should determine the type of alternative. Specialized alternative and charter schools can fill a niche in the total public educational system.
Do residents trust Columbus City Schools? What should the district do to improve its public image?
(1) I am not well-enough informed to give a useful answer to the first question. Any resident who attends the rigidly structured school-board meetings probably would conclude that the school-board members do not trust the residents. There is almost no board member to citizen dialogue at these meetings.
(2) The school district already has an active public relations effort. The district could further improve its image by encouraging Academic Quality Assurance Councils at each school. Over time, this action would create hundreds of well-informed residents throughout the district.
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