Voters in the region spoke loudly and clearly on election day, rejecting five of eight levies on the ballot. Read the rundown here. COAST thinks that is three too few.
"Voters in the region spoke loudly and clearly on election day, rejecting five of eight levies on the ballot. Read the rundown here. COAST thinks that is three too few."
Is that based on a detailed analysis of all 8 levies or a blanket position that all school levies are per se bad?
There is virtually no oversight on where the tax dollars are spent. The superintendents come right out of the union and then "negotiate" the union contracts. Until there is a forensic audit performeed every year on all districts, requirements for experienced CPA's to head up the finances and actual experienced business managers as the leaders, no new money should be given. These rules must be mandated at the state level.
I don't understand the COAST philosophy. Soooooo, you don't care about Halliburton setting $80,000 trucks on fire instead of fixing a flat tire, but you want to squash any attempt to fund education? Wow. That's awesome. If we spent what we spend on maintaining military bases around the world and have the same kind of oversight that we have for those, I think our education system would actually climb above rank 20th worldwide.
Tax dollars that trickle down from the state and federal government to fund state schools has decreased dramatically as their demands have risen. I hope citizens understand that school spending isn't a secret. Every board meeting, teacher salary, and school spending is a government document open to the public. Schools are audited frequently. Every cent is accounted. However, the cost for electric, water, supplies, and additions have risen just like they have for the average homeowner. Why wouldn't you think that they wouldn't raise for schools as well. If you no longer care for the education for our future, then what's the point of the other issues? Education needs to moved closer to the top. We can no longer live in a society that feels that any other way. Support your schools and teachers. These are people that have given their lives to simply helping kids to achieve their goals in life.
^ You might want to read our Mission and Purpose in the sidebar. We understand prices go up. We think taxes should go up with them, but not beyond.
The problem is that school taxes have consistently been rising at double, triple and even quadruple the inflation rate for a few decades now. For education to be attainable, it must be affordable.
Taxpayers have been subjected to tear-jerking "do it for the children" ads and have reliably emptied their wallets. And all the while they've seen our kids lose ground academically to poorer districts and poorer countries. That "support=money" arguement has thus been proven baseless.
If public schools can't provide education at an affordable cost, then they either need to radically reform themselves, or get out of the business.
The time for that change is now. It's not that taxpayers won't support schools any longer, it's that they can't. They are literally out of money, and are unable to give any more without harming themselves in the process.
COAST has never opposed any school levy that was merely an inflation adjustment of a previously approved levy, nor would we ever. If districts would exercise that option, you would see many more levies pass.
"Voters in the region spoke loudly and clearly on election day, rejecting five of eight levies on the ballot. Read the rundown here. COAST thinks that is three too few."
ReplyDeleteIs that based on a detailed analysis of all 8 levies or a blanket position that all school levies are per se bad?
There is virtually no oversight on where the tax dollars are spent. The superintendents come right out of the union and then "negotiate" the union contracts. Until there is a forensic audit performeed every year on all districts, requirements for experienced CPA's to head up the finances and actual experienced business managers as the leaders, no new money should be given. These rules must be mandated at the state level.
ReplyDeleteI don't understand the COAST philosophy. Soooooo, you don't care about Halliburton setting $80,000 trucks on fire instead of fixing a flat tire, but you want to squash any attempt to fund education? Wow. That's awesome. If we spent what we spend on maintaining military bases around the world and have the same kind of oversight that we have for those, I think our education system would actually climb above rank 20th worldwide.
ReplyDeleteTax dollars that trickle down from the state and federal government to fund state schools has decreased dramatically as their demands have risen. I hope citizens understand that school spending isn't a secret. Every board meeting, teacher salary, and school spending is a government document open to the public. Schools are audited frequently. Every cent is accounted. However, the cost for electric, water, supplies, and additions have risen just like they have for the average homeowner. Why wouldn't you think that they wouldn't raise for schools as well. If you no longer care for the education for our future, then what's the point of the other issues? Education needs to moved closer to the top. We can no longer live in a society that feels that any other way. Support your schools and teachers. These are people that have given their lives to simply helping kids to achieve their goals in life.
ReplyDelete^ You might want to read our Mission and Purpose in the sidebar. We understand prices go up. We think taxes should go up with them, but not beyond.
ReplyDeleteThe problem is that school taxes have consistently been rising at double, triple and even quadruple the inflation rate for a few decades now. For education to be attainable, it must be affordable.
Taxpayers have been subjected to tear-jerking "do it for the children" ads and have reliably emptied their wallets. And all the while they've seen our kids lose ground academically to poorer districts and poorer countries. That "support=money" arguement has thus been proven baseless.
If public schools can't provide education at an affordable cost, then they either need to radically reform themselves, or get out of the business.
The time for that change is now. It's not that taxpayers won't support schools any longer, it's that they can't. They are literally out of money, and are unable to give any more without harming themselves in the process.
COAST has never opposed any school levy that was merely an inflation adjustment of a previously approved levy, nor would we ever. If districts would exercise that option, you would see many more levies pass.