School ballot issues

Levies come in several flavors. There are temporary, permanent, emergency, and renewal just to name a few. I would agree that, years ago, folks were more willing to pass some of these but,where I live (Columbus, Oh), it seems that the public school system continues to deteriorate on the results side. There is nothing wrong with the facilites, programs, supplies or technology but the kids just aren't learning. It seems the money just gets spent on a more expensive toilet to flush down the money from the next levy. I won't offer my opinions about what's wrong with the schools because, IMO, the first thing a school needs to succeed is children who are ready and eager to learn. The schools cannot make this happen so it's the GIGO principle at work. It's been well established that past levies didn't help so why would voters want to keep trying to "fix" something with tools they know don't work?

We don't have such specific requests where I live, so I can't speak to yours in Ohio.

Several months ago the School Director said he needed more money to even continue the status quo. The city council did not agree. So the Director (whose contract was not renewed) started cutting such services as janitorial.

Now, I don't know about your school district, but here administrative jobs are much too numerous. But not a peep about cutting those.

Call me mean, but I don't believe that more money means better schools. We have given them more and more, but the results continue to slide.

We did have a magnet school make the list of top public schools in the USA. But there is talk of closing some of those magnet schools we have.

I come from the day when there was no phys ed in grade school. Recess was on the playground that had nothing but some jump ropes for the girls (we could bring our own jacks), some concrete on which to draw a jumping on onr foot game (I forget what it is called), and played Red Rover. The boys played football (nop tackeling), mumbly peg (all had pocket knives), and running games. (I know knives can't be allowed now, but how about some jump ropes? Double Dutch was so much fun!) My point is that there was no permanent playground equipment. However, a place to play kick ball wouldn't cost that much.

My guess is that now there are too many liability issues, so exercise now has to be structured.

But I digress.

I, too, am on a fixed income. As I sold my home, the property tax does not effect me. Also, our kids did not attend public school, so we "doubled paid", but that was our choice But I know the rising taxes hurt a lot of people. It cuts into the budgets of my grown children. Now we have the increased prices due to fuel costs, which does effect me. It costs more to produce and deliver food. I heard this morning that the major delivery companies have had to raise their price. I shop per the internet, so that effects me.

Angeline
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You know, greed, power, etc. From the local school administrator to the U.S. Congress. From the idiot that tries to sell some stinger missiles to a terrorist(luckily it was an undercover FBI agent) to a labor union official who pays himself a half mil while his members are losing their jobs. There is no accountability, no oversight. Now there's an oxymoron, Congressional Oversight! Working folks can't or won't take the time to be on school boards. Teachers can't teach because a few groups have molded a "plan" that they refuse to change or allow to be changed. You can't fire a sorry teacher or give a raise to a good one because of the unions. It can be changed but how do you mobilize the people who can change it?

Tom

VERY few still live in the neighborhood I grew up in. It was mostly middle-middle class back then, it is now upper end of the upper middle class. I think my Dad gets like a 10% discount on property taxes because he's a senior citizen. But it's not much. I think the property taxes for less than two years is what he paid for the house "back when". He has done no substantial improvements on the home, save for new roof and such (no additions, no new bathrooms, etc.). I think about half of the property taxes go to the school, it may be even more than that. Many of the parents from my generation have moved out because they can't afford the tax burden. This is not an altogether terrible situation, because with the skyrocketing taxes also came skyrocketing property value so they can move to another area of the country and live comfortably off the difference. But the neighborhood has lost a lot of its neighborhood feel -- people move in when their kids are school age, move out when they're done. Most of the children, even if they get good jobs, cannot afford to inherit the homes from their parents to live in them. That is rather sad IMO.