What's with the Insane Property taxes? (Pittsburgh, Economy: homes, established neighborhood, to buy)

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by COPANUT

You got that backwards, at least in this state.

You are both right. And that is why I said above this system encourages economic segregation ... it creates a feedback loop between property values and school funding, which means some neighborhoods spiral up in both price and school quality, and some spiral down in both, leading to richer people generally living apart from poorer people, whether they have kids or not.

[right-here-i-say]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

So, I would personally favor a large shift of the tax burden away from property taxes and to a progressive income tax, which is the logical solution to this problem.

If this happens places like Mt Lebanon and Upper St Clair would become a retiree haven which would then make the small percentage of folks who are not retired have to pay even more than they do now.

You'd have retirees from Peters Township moving to Mt Lebanon and Upper St Clair so they don't have to pay taxes. Maybe Mt Lebanon could become 99% retiree and then the remaining 1% could build the $130 million dollar school.

[right-here-i-say]

[quote=COPANUT;4633278]But all schools should be equal in quality, but funding by real estate taxes prevents that from happening. Would you rather send your kid to Mt. Lebo or Woodland Hills?
QUOTE]

I disagree. If every school was given the exact same amount of money, there would be no new ideas, low standards, no competition, just everybody being tought the same exact things. People are different, cultures are different, landscapes are different, standards are different.

Woodland Hills is not underfunded. They get a lot more money for their school than many high schools in the South, yet I bet many of those high schools in the South do better than Woodland Hills academically.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by right-here-i-say

If this happens places like Mt Lebanon and Upper St Clair would become a retiree haven which would then make the small percentage of folks who are not retired have to pay even more than they do now.

You'd have retirees from Peters Township moving to Mt Lebanon and Upper St Clair so they don't have to pay taxes. Maybe Mt Lebanon could become 99% retiree and then the remaining 1% could build the $130 million dollar school.

I'm not sure I understand your point, but to clarify, I'd like to see the entire state, indeed the entire country, shift to funding schools through income taxes.

[Copanut]

My point. Whatever the best model for a school system there is, everyone in this country, poor, rich, black, white, should have that available to them. Then you're on your own.

Are you talking South as in below the Mason-Dixon line, or Pgh's South Hills?

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by right-here-i-say

I disagree. If every school was given the exact same amount of money, there would be no new ideas, low standards, no competition, just everybody being tought the same exact things.

I don't see the necessary connection between funding levels and these other issues. For example, you could still have things like magnet schools and charter schools, which would get the same amount of money but be able to use that funding in different ways.

[scrapp]

Originally Posted by londonbarcelona

That's why people are moving OUT of Allegheny County. The city may have pockets of delightful neighborhoods and great museums, schools, etc., but buying house in Allegheny County is almost stupid nowadays, no matter how *inexpensive* one thinks the house is.

Personally, I find the idea of daily commuting from outside Allegheny County into either Oakland or Downtown unacceptable. Even if you discount the price of gas, you still have to deal with the region's poor transportation infrastructure. Yuck.

[right-here-i-say]

Originally Posted by COPANUT

My point. Whatever the best model for a school system there is, everyone in this country, poor, rich, black, white, should have that available to them. Then you're on your own.

Are you talking South as in below the Mason-Dixon line, or Pgh's South Hills?

South of the Mason Dixon line.

[right-here-i-say]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

I don't see the necessary connection between funding levels and these other issues. For example, you could still have things like magnet schools and charter schools, which would get the same amount of money but be able to use that funding in different ways.

He said they should be equal in quality.

[right-here-i-say]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

I'm not sure I understand your point, but to clarify, I'd like to see the entire state, indeed the entire country, shift to funding schools through income taxes.

OK, I guess Mt Lebanon should decide to build the school now so the rest of the country can pay for it later.