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Old 09-18-2007, 03:50 PM
 
1 posts, read 2,910 times
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Hi All,

Is anyone else out there as sick of the referendums as I am, can we ever have a year or two pass without the school district begging at our front doors. It might be ok if they were willing to disclose what the money is for, but "programs" with me really does'nt do it. I don't know maybe its just me but I have to live within my budget or I lose everything.
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Old 09-18-2007, 03:56 PM
 
Location: Phelps, WI
2 posts, read 8,285 times
Reputation: 10
Angry school referendum

We have the same problem here. Non-stop it would seem.

Usually stating the same message about programs. What this ultimately meant, was that unless the referendum was passed, the 'programs' would be canceled. And that meant all sports, computer science lab etc. So we get a threat as well as a near demand for money. With the on-going increases of these referendums. Seemingly every year, where then does the money go? We are at the point that we are near unable to live here. Let alone the constant increase in property taxes.
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Old 04-15-2008, 09:41 PM
 
2 posts, read 5,004 times
Reputation: 10
Default No accountability

My problem with the referrendum is the lack of accountability. When directly asked during a phone conversation, nobody could answer how the money would be allocated. Why is is that we have state budgets, but city officials don't consider it necessary to operate within one? Perhaps they have a budget, but won't disclose how the money is to be spent so the can move things around? I really hate paying for something when I don't know how the money will be used. We see the football field, the new school and wonder do we really need this in such a small town? Perhaps the money could have been used to build a pedestrian bridge over 169?
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Old 04-16-2008, 08:07 AM
 
Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota
501 posts, read 1,939,329 times
Reputation: 138
I'm not in your district but our current district just had a referendum pass this year. I try to make it to all the PTO meetings and stay involved with the school and I was kind of surprised that when the superintendent came to a meeting along with some school board members to try to clarify and discuss the upcoming levy, despite how much the visit had been promoted, only 3 parents (outside of the normal ones who show up for PTO) attended. If people gripe about referendums and how much they don't understand them, I certainly would expect a larger crowd because there was the perfect chance to seek those answers.

From taking part in some of the referendum discussions and from meeting with the super., and I'll reiterate this is just our particular district, the district administration is more than willing to provide information about their budget and the Dept of Education has work ups on districts as well.

In general, referendums are requested because there just isn't enough funding to cover their expenses. Just as the economy is tough on individuals and families, with the rate of inflation (<~that's always a popular excuse) and such, what once was enough money is no longer. Many of us can attest to feeling the crunch as well. There are many sides to this story and private school officials and parents for one will demand that public schools get too much money as it is. School budgets can be equated to government budgets...with the proper allocation of money it can work out much better...but in my district's case for instance, they had passed budget reviews with flying colors and each time were shown to budget their money very well. It just boiled down to being not enough. There was no room to juggle around, it had been allocated as far as it would stretch.

Funding for "programs" is a poor description on the problem...one thing we learned is that people want to know exactly what programs meant and so it became detailed.

Our referendum wasn't a matter of programs (sports, extra curricular,e tc) it strictly boiled down to "this money will be used to keep all the schools as they are (meaning open versus closing some) and it will go to teacher salaries so we can hire more teachers and bring next year's class sizes down to 2 years ago's numbers".

If you don't understand something, the best way to understand is to seek out answers.

As for the people calling you, they were most likely parent or neighborhood volunteers who were advocating the referendum. They typically do the calling or flyer drops around the neighborhood and I'll admit, they tend to feel positive about sending a referendum through though they don't quite know how to describe it in educational terms. Though well-intended, these are NOT the people you want to base your decision on.

It's unfortunate that school funding isn't more of a priority to government. Children are our future and if we stuff them into classes like they're sardines and cut out all their extra-curricular programs, and even their in-school programs like music and art and phy ed, they're not going to be the well-rounded individuals that are necessary to navigate in the future. In times like this I'm stunned that people have the audacity to take a tax hike for a stadium but they can't see the benefit in funding an education system. If you are troubled by your tax hike, do what many people in my district are doing...write to your representative and let them know you are in favor for better government budgeting and demand they reevaluate their priorities and focus more attention on the public schools. Public school might not have the best reputation but it's the skewed priorities of the people around it that force it down the stinker.
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Old 04-16-2008, 08:18 AM
 
Location: Minnysoda
10,659 posts, read 10,686,910 times
Reputation: 6745
Default Same thing in Blooming

Quote:
Originally Posted by mkaj7475 View Post
Hi All,

Is anyone else out there as sick of the referendums as I am, can we ever have a year or two pass without the school district begging at our front doors. It might be ok if they were willing to disclose what the money is for, but "programs" with me really does'nt do it. I don't know maybe its just me but I have to live within my budget or I lose everything.
Yep, same thing in Blooming Prairie Down here they rammed through a building referendem last Spring then tried a operating levy in the Fall which failed! Now they building a new school with dropping enrollment and they laid of 13 staff as well as cut programs...........Typical elitest teachers thing they can run a business
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Old 04-16-2008, 02:56 PM
 
2,507 posts, read 8,538,878 times
Reputation: 877
Quote:
Originally Posted by Str8key View Post
My problem with the referrendum is the lack of accountability. When directly asked during a phone conversation, nobody could answer how the money would be allocated. Why is is that we have state budgets, but city officials don't consider it necessary to operate within one? Perhaps they have a budget, but won't disclose how the money is to be spent so the can move things around? I really hate paying for something when I don't know how the money will be used. We see the football field, the new school and wonder do we really need this in such a small town? Perhaps the money could have been used to build a pedestrian bridge over 169?
Ask that to somebody in a small town that just lost its school, few people will want to move to whereever it is that you live without things like that. The local public school is the lifeblood of a community.
You would seriously perfer a ped. bridge over funding for public education? The kids can walk to school on it when they start charging kids to take the school bus.
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Old 04-16-2008, 02:59 PM
 
2,507 posts, read 8,538,878 times
Reputation: 877
Quote:
Originally Posted by my54ford View Post
Yep, same thing in Blooming Prairie Down here they rammed through a building referendem last Spring then tried a operating levy in the Fall which failed! Now they building a new school with dropping enrollment and they laid of 13 staff as well as cut programs...........Typical elitest teachers thing they can run a business
$50,000 a year sounds pretty elitist to me. If you looked at why they are doing that, you would see that the money passed for a school building is bound by law to be spent on the physical school. The voters didn't vote to put money into a general fund. Last spring's money cannot be used for teacher's salaries. Also, the teachers aren't running the school board (which is who allocates the money); that is left to people who you elect to the school board. The only people you can be mad at for this one is the good people of Blooming Prairie.
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Old 04-16-2008, 03:02 PM
 
2,507 posts, read 8,538,878 times
Reputation: 877
Quote:
Originally Posted by jaa54554 View Post
We have the same problem here. Non-stop it would seem.

Usually stating the same message about programs. What this ultimately meant, was that unless the referendum was passed, the 'programs' would be canceled. And that meant all sports, computer science lab etc. So we get a threat as well as a near demand for money. With the on-going increases of these referendums. Seemingly every year, where then does the money go? We are at the point that we are near unable to live here. Let alone the constant increase in property taxes.
Since the school population is presumably growing, that money is spent to pay for the education of the extra children who now have to be educated in your local district. Stop having kids, you can stop passing new referendums safely.
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Old 04-16-2008, 04:37 PM
 
Location: Minnysoda
10,659 posts, read 10,686,910 times
Reputation: 6745
Quote:
Originally Posted by Minnehahapolitan View Post
$50,000 a year sounds pretty elitist to me. If you looked at why they are doing that, you would see that the money passed for a school building is bound by law to be spent on the physical school. The voters didn't vote to put money into a general fund. Last spring's money cannot be used for teacher's salaries. Also, the teachers aren't running the school board (which is who allocates the money); that is left to people who you elect to the school board. The only people you can be mad at for this one is the good people of Blooming Prairie.
Maybe thats how they run it in your neck of the woods! School Supt. drives the wagon here.
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Old 04-16-2008, 05:23 PM
 
2,507 posts, read 8,538,878 times
Reputation: 877
Who is your superintendent's boss, who gave him his job?
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