Councilman Johnson, Donna Walker Brown, Kim Brown to debate Cleveland schools 15 mill tax levy with state Rep Patmon as moderator, schools CEO invited

From the Metro Desk of Cleveland Urban News.Com and the Kathy Wray Coleman Online News Blog.Com

(www.kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com) and (www.clevelandurbannews.com)

CLEVELAND, Ohio-Cleveland Urban News.Com and Cleveland area grassroots groups such as the Imperial Women Coalition, the Imperial Women, the Cleveland African-American Museum, Black on Black Crime, the Carl Stokes Brigade, the Cleveland Chapter of the New Black Panther Party, the Oppressed People's Nation, the Joaquin Hicks Real People's Movement, the Lucasville Uprising Freedom Network, the People's Forum, the Family Connection Center, Organize Ohio, Revolution Books, Occupy Cleveland, the Committee to Bring Home Jamela and Jamyla, the Northeast Ohio Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign, the Underground Railroad, Stop Targeting Ohio's Poor, Ohio Family Rights and Cleveland Jobs With Justice will host an inner city grassroots debate on the Cleveland Public Schools 15 mill property tax levy that is on the November ballot on Thurs, August 30, 2012 from 6 pm-8:30 pm at the Lil Africa Recreation and Party Center, 6816 Superior Ave in Cleveland.

Under state law the predominantly Black school district is controlled by the mayor, currently Frank Jackson, who personally appoints members of the Cleveland Board of Education. (Editor's note: The 15 mill proposed schools property tax levy would cost the average Cleveland homeowner $300 more annually).

The contact persons for the event are Imperial Women Leader Kathy Wray Coleman at 216-659-0473 and Cleveland African American Museum Executive Director Frances Caldwell at the museum offices at 216-721-6555.

State Rep. Bill Patmon (D-10) will moderate the debate set now between Cleveland Ward 8 Councilman Jeff Johnson, who publicly supports it, Grassroots and Educational Activist and Slated 2013 Cleveland Mayoral Candidate Donna Walker-Brown , and Kimberly Brown, an author, youth advocate and former Cleveland mayoral candidate who says she shall challenge Cleveland Ward 1 Councilman Terrell Pruitt for his seat next year.

Both Brown's are staunchly against the levy and will debate against it.

Panelists to pose questions during the debate include Imperial Women Coalition Member and Cleveland African-American Executive Director Frances Caldwell, Cleveland Jobs With Justice Executive Director Debbie Kline, Black on Black Crime Founder Art McKoy, Cleveland Criminal Defense Attorney Michael Nelson Sr., Educational Activist and Community Affiiate Mary Keith, Roz McCallister, a member of the Imperial Women and the leader of Ohio Family Rights, and Dr. Eugene Jordon an E. Cleveland dentist who leads the Underground Railroad and is second Black president of the Cleveland NAACP.

Ernest Smith, leader of the Oppressed People's Nation, will talk briefly about the plight of young Black make public school students in fighting and surviving racism and steotyping.

Community activists have also invited Ohio Congresswoman Marcia Fudge or her representative to update the grassroots committee on public education as to her role as a member of the congressional committee on public education, and Cleveland schools CEO Eric Gordon has been asked to participate in the debate or to simply attend to show his commitment to the Black and grassroots communities and Cleveland school children.

"The CEO needs to come to talk to inner city residents and community activists on the levy and his decisions on school and community matters, " said Caldwell, who is not only a spokesperson for Cleveland's Black museum but also a strong activist for Civil and human rights.

Also at the forum will be a discussion on the No Child Left Behind federal mandate for public schools and an overview of the Cleveland Municipal School District from the desegregation court order to mayoral control (by former Cleveland School Board Member Genevieve Mitchell).

The unconstitutionality of the state's public school funding formula as determined by the Ohio Supreme Court and the refusal of the state legislature to revised the funding formula that is prejudicial to Ohio's poor and Black school children also will be addressed, and, after the debate, a vote by community activists and elected officials there on whether the levy should be endorsed (Editor's not: The grassroots have said that in order to vote to reject or endorse the levy the person must have participated in a Cleveland metropolitan area rally or protest in the past years since the Imperial Ave. Murders in 2009. Some elected officials such as Patmon and Johnson have the option of voting because they have a grassroots thrust at times and qualify for having been active in grassroots activities in the past three years).

Additionally, activists will give a brief overview at the forum on the issues they have fought for or are fighting for as to Cleveland area disenfranchised groups such as Blacks, women, poor people, grassroots associates, children, seniors and others from the Cleveland, Oh. area, and requested public policy changes to state lawmakers in public education.

Reach Cleveland Urban News.Com by telephone at 216-659-0473 and by email@ editor@clevelandurbannews.com