Olentangy school board candidate joins the show

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Episode Transcript

(00:00):
And last week I stumbled across anOlin Tangi school board candidate's name. His
name is Ben Weber. And lastweek Josh and I were talking about what
we were with this that garnet.Of course this happens whenever I pull this

(00:20):
up on my phone. We weretalking about what happened with that principle at
ol In Tangi Schools and how hewas put on leave, and there was
all now, it's due to sexualharassment allegations and what was the first allegations
that well, not allegations, butthe first information that we had sources telling

(00:43):
us that was like the reason basicallybefore this all came out, that a
lot of the differences between the principaland vice principal arose out of an email
that was sent out to staff talkingabout let's focus more on education, less
about the rainbow flags and I lovethe gayway banners in the halls and classrooms,

(01:03):
right, in other words, let'smake it more about academics. Let's
focus more on that than pushing anagenda, right, And then that caused
apparently the riff that led to anargument that apparently led to him accidentally shutting
the door on her and breaking herfoot. Yeah, something along those lines.
But yeah, that's what's that's what'sout there as well. And what

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was interesting as soon as we kindof did that, it was like almost
maybe the next day, two dayslater, Okay, I knew it.
I was about that on a Tuesday. By third Thursday, yeah, was
when this comes out. The oldTenjie High School principal on leave due to
sexual harassment allegations. I want tobring in old Tangie School board candidate Ben
Weber. Ben, welcome to theMark Blazer Show. Thanks for joining us,

(01:45):
brother. We appreciate it. Thankyou, sir, pleasure to be
here. Yeah. So as faras this information that is out there now,
I don't know. I guess itdepends who you talk to about this.
But the fact that this is nowformal as far as a sexual harassment
allegation and all of that, I'veissued a I asked the Robert Griffiths,

(02:09):
who is the old Tansey High Schoolprincipal there on the air. I said,
you're welcome to come on and soon. I don't know how this
is going to shake out. Areyou aware of how this is proceeding at
this point? I mean, isit is it getting ready to go in
front of anybody for to try toget anything figured out. Do you know
anything about any of that? Ihave no idea As a candidate, I'm

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only you know, given limited information. Probably you know more than I know
at this point, I've just heardthrough the rumor mill pretty much exactly what
you've been talking about. So yeah, I don't I don't know anything about
that, right Yeah. The factthat and I feel like this is a
theme that happens in academics academia rightnow, because because we've witnessed it feels

(02:58):
like what well it actually it feelslike forever, but it's actually just been
the last few years that anybody whois attempting to get on any type of
school board, like yourself, Benis there's just all kinds of hurdles thrown
at them, especially when I findout you know, information about you saying
you know, you're wanting to bringcommon sense back to the board, You're

(03:20):
wanting people to focus on academics,you know, not so much of all
of the other stuff that seems likeit's all part of our woke society right
now. Well, my big thingis, you know, my mom and
dad taught me to base, howI treat people based on their character,
not their color, not their sexualorientation, not their creed. It didn't
matter. You treat somebody, andyou take somebody at their character. And

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I feel a lot of times thatour school is going towards the social justice
programs more than the academics. Theteachers I've talked to are. They're exhausted.
They have to so through so manyhoops and make sure they please everybody.
They just want to teach our children, and that's the big thing.

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So the other part, Okay,so let's say, what kind of information
are you receiving as far as theprocess, what you're going through right now.
Does it seem like you actually havea really good chance in this situation
or are you fighting an uphill battlehere? I feel like I'm fighting an

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uphill battle. I tell a lotof people I feel like I'm David against
Goliath. What types of things andwhat types of things are making you feel
that way. Well, there's alady who is quite in the political scheme
that has backed the other three candidates. She's made comments to the fact that
we need to hire, we needto elect these experienced people as opposed to

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an outsider. Just to give youa background on me, I'm a Navy
veteran. I'm a former California CoPatrol officer. I've served the Olentangy Orange
Marching Band as a chaperone for fiveyears. I take off two weeks every
year just to go to band campand provide services everything from carrying water for

(05:12):
these kids to providing first aid,driving the band truck, you name it.
I'm also in the classrooms at leasttwice a week. I'm a FCA
volunteer for the high school and themiddle school, and I actually am in
there talking to the kids. Isee these kids. I have my finger
on the pulse these kids. Iknow what they are looking for, what

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they need, what they're expecting.I have a daughter who just graduated from
Olanga Orange and this might get youI don't know, but she graduated with
a four point two grade point averageNational Honor Society. Couldn't even get into
Ohio State main campus. She tookher college entrance her math test for the

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major she's going pre med. Shetook her college entrance test for the math,
didn't score high enough to take themath she needed for her major.
She had to take the next stepdown and then turns around and she has
to take another class this summer tocatch up to be in where she needs
to be. And I and notonly that, but she didn't pass or

(06:17):
get a high enough score on herACT to even qualify four point two grade
point average. I mean, she'sa smart girl, but she just didn't
have that basic knowledge to get intoOhio State. And a lot of people
say, well, you know,not everybody gets into Ohio State. Well,
I've talked to other mothers and fathersand they have the same problem.

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Their children are scoring off the chartsas far as grades are concerned, but
when it comes right down to theacademics that they know and that they need
for college, they don't have it. So what's the So what's missing there?
You're saying that needs to be moreas a part of the UH.
That needs to be more a partof all onto Agie schools system as far

(07:00):
as the academics goes. We've gotto get the ACT. We got to
bring our focus back to the academics. Just toned down the social justice programs.
That's something that parents need to teachtheir kids at home. You know,
how to treat kids properly. Ifthere's ever a bully situation at school,
whether it's color, color related,sexual orientation related, doesn't matter,

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handle those case by case. Ijust don't understand why we have to educate
ninety percent of the kids on howto treat other kids when that should be
done at home. That makes sense. Just to give you another example,
I talk to a teacher that atfourth grade teacher, she gets students all
the time that don't even know howto read and write. They can't even
form a proper sentence, they don'tknow where to capitalize and where to put

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a period. Fourth grade. I'msaying, we're with Ben Weber, who
is a candidate for all and antischool board. And I also have seen
some pictures of an English classroom atOlin Tangy Orange, all four walls covered
in social justice or rainbow flags withoutany effort to display academic sports supports rather

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supports, and from what I understand, is a male teacher but dresses as
a woman. From what I understand, are you aware of that situation at
Orange? Yes, sir, okay, so you know, and we've had
I know one time we were talkingabout a situation like this and it was

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and it escapes me where it was, I can't even remember what state.
But as far as a distraction goesfor the students, they're there and it's
everything is happening around them except focusingon why they're there to to, you
know, further expand their their brainpower and their learning capacity and all of

(08:58):
the things that need to happen whileyou're in school, and it feels like
there's all of this other stuff goingon. If there's ever a time in
history somebody like you needs to beput on the school board, it is
now. Well, I'll tell youI support the LGBTQ and trans kids.
I figured that if they need thattoo for their mental health, they need

(09:20):
to be accepted. I'm all forthat. But I'm also for equality across
the board. We have a bigdiversity and equity program here in all and
Tanji, and it seems like it'snot for everybody. And I'll give you
an example. If somebody was toput up a thin blue line flag in
a classroom, they would have totake it down. I'm sure unbelievable.

(09:43):
You don't see the flags of theNational Church Association or the Star of David's
flags or anything like that. Iwant equality across the board for every single
student. I want every single studentto know that they're safe, that their
voice matter, that the parents teacher, that the parents' voices matter, because
we are we've been unheard for toolong. And two yours point about the

(10:09):
teacher with the pride flags. Wehad a big meet and greet thing for
all the candidates and one of themothers came and was actually talking to one
of my opponents, Kevin O'Brien,and she said, I have a question
for you. There's this gentleman atthe school that pride flags everywhere. He
dresses like a woman. Blah blahblah. That really bothers my daughters and

(10:30):
his I kid you not. Hisresponse back to her was, my daughters
go to ol and Tangy Orange andit doesn't bother them, So why does
it bother your daughters? And sheturned around and said do your daughters take
his class? And he said no. She said, I rest my case.

(10:52):
How do you know My big thingis I want to be a voice
for the parents if you have aproblem. I mean, there's not much
I can do as a as aboard member. I get questions all the
time, how are you going tochange academics. How are you going to
do this? And a lot ofpeople don't know the role of a board
member. I mean that's the administration'sjob. Ours is to create policy,

(11:13):
hire the superintendent, hire the treasurer, oversee them and make sure they're doing
their job. And that's pretty muchit. Hey, we're running out,
like to be Ben, we're runningout of time, and I wanted to
ask you about this before we gothe national So all in Tanji's partnered up
with Seattle based National Center for RestorativeJustice. Yes, and they're going to

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pilot restorative justice programs in six sixcountum six of our schools this December.
And it's all on the taxpayer dime. What exactly is this, I've once
again I've had limited information. Fromwhat I understand, it's supposed to Now
you you interpret this any way youwant. It's supposed to bridge the gap

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and they and the discipline gap intheir whole diversity program. Now, from
what I understood, and I talkedto a teacher about it, Supposedly,
what happens if my daughter calls somebodyby a different pronoun that they're comfortable with
and they feel offended, my daughtercan be called down and possibly re educated

(12:24):
on how to properly take care ofthat situation or what pronoun to use for
those for that person. Now,I don't know if that's true or not,
but that's just was her take onit. Have you heard any numbers?
Ben, Do you know what kindof money this is going to be

(12:45):
the taxpayers are going to be dishingout for this? I would imagine pretty
expensive. I have no idea.We've spent hundreds and thousands of dollars on
diversity. We spent over half amillion dollars just rebranding our high schools,
branding our high schools, the mascots. Half a million dollars to change mascots

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because a pioneer was offensive and theother mascots were offensive. So I mean,
from what I understand, we're stillpaying for that. Yeah, I
you know, that's part of oursociety unfortunately right now with you know,
we saw it with I don't knowthe syrup bottles, and but I think

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Uncle Ben's rice and I don't know, there's a whole we've over the years
and said, you've got to bekidding me. Of course, the Indians,
the Cleveland. I mean, it'sjust from top to bottom everything like
that. It feels like it's onthe chopping block. Man, I wish
we had more time. But BenWeber ol in Tangi school board candidate,
I appreciate you jumping on with usand being able to kind of articulate exactly

(13:54):
what you're about and maybe some ofyour concerns and challenges. And all I
can say is hopefully getting the wordout will help and maybe you can land
on there and begin to make achange, I hope. So thank you
sir. All right, Ben,thanks appreciate you joining us. Ben Weber
again, old Tantie school board candidate. If you're able to vote for him

(14:15):
at any point, keep that namein mind, Ben Weber, Trafficking weather together