My hometown of Perham saw their school levy fail. This will mean major cuts to the school system. I have a dual sided view of this. You've got school districts completely relying on public funds, funds that come from state and federal dollars, but mostly local property taxes. You have home values going through the roof, thus raising your property tax already so any more increase becomes unaffordable, you have inflation and cost of living expenses to match at a school district for teachers, staff, and administrators to other industries like banks, factories, retail, and health industries, you have declining enrollment with more pressure to educate everyone to meet the ridiculous 2014 100% proficiency set by NCLB (declining enrollment means a huge cut in the state and federal funding schools get...that's why they have to ask for levies).......It's like being caught between a rock and a hard place. Something is broken and our communities are suffering because of it. I've spoken before in this blog about how I don't think vouchers are an answer and elluded to the fact that vouchers are systematically debasing public education -and I still don't believe that's an option we should consider first. Failed levies are hurtful to the community. Teachers and staff will be cut and most likely they will move away -taking their kids with them, causing another drop in funding. What happens to the economy of a city when people move away? North Dakota as an entire state has this problem, even in Fargo, because people can earn a better living somewhere else. It hurts the economy. I've always thought Perham was one of the most thriving communities in the area because of the business, industry, and the school system. Now I'm afraid it won't be that thriving for long.
This is a call to MN education finance leaders and those working in the legislature to affect change in the way we fund our schools. It's also a call to each citizen to start raising some noise at the legislative level. It's not the school's fault they are asking for this!! In fact, school districts HATE asking for levies. It's a lot of work and the time could be better spent doing other things. There are complete graduate classes on how to conduct a levy...it's a big deal....and it's something we shouldn't have to be doing. It needs to stop. It's hurting our future, hurting our economy, and creating disenchanted citizens. Not only that, it's creating a divide between education and the community in our schools. My sister said the other day that she didn't think she would vote for that levy because she heard that every kid in the middle school had a free day last Friday and apparently every Friday they have movies and parties. Why should it come down to that?
2 comments:
Remember where and who we are right now!! as a nation, and remember to think back to this day 4 or 8 years from now- with a LIBERAL majority in every branch of government- think of how our vote truley does matter. The balance is now gone.
I agree...I voted republican for senate in MN -because I both believe in the balance of power and I think it was the right thing to do in this particular race. The republican party is failing in the eyes of America though...maybe they should wake up and get on the ball. If the best they can do is Sarah Palin, we're looking at more liberal majority down the road.
Where are the republican leaders? And why aren't they getting elected??? THAT'S the problem, not the after-the-fact election results. What's wrong with that party that they cannot gain a majority anywhere anymore??? If you blame America, then you curse the democratic system we have. Democratically, republicans were voted out and democrats were voted in. I repeat, people VOTED them in. Our system is not flawed, our party ideology is flawed.
Democrats have had a long history of flubbing up their party...remember Al Gore? And especially John Kerry??? Well, they learned from that and fixed it. It's time for the republicans to stop and fix their party's reputation so balance can be regained.
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