Does this bother others like it bothers me? I live in Burnsville. The only thing on the ballot is to extend the school levy referendum. $835/student for another 10 years…. If they think they need to raise tax money this way, why can’t the put it on the ballot during regular election years?? Sneaky way to get the turnout they want.
I did vote though!
In South St. Paul they had a school referendum during an off year and it was defeated. They had another election a couple of months later and it was defeated again. Then they had ANOTHER election the next April and it squeaked by. NO should mean NO. Oh, and the following Fall my bosses daughter’s had to stay after school to get their homework done because there weren’t enough books to go around. Where did the money go?
The other thing that really bothers me about this is that there’s no legal requirement for a school board to actually spend the money on the things they said they needed it for in the first place. Again in SSP, we had a decrepit old grade school called Roosevelt. Every 5-10 years we would get the sob story about how the school was falling apart and how dangerous it was for the kids. Then they’d spend the money on something else. The first time they did this was in the mid 1960’s. They finally had to tear the building down…still in need of major repairs…in the early 90’s.
Rootski
I work for a school district and I must admit all the levy talks bother me aswell. As of july 1st my paychecks have been 175$ shorter than what they used to be due to the district raising what I pay for medical and dental. I’m a big boy so have went out there and more than made up for what I’m out. Everyday I wonder what program or activity will get cut out of the budget. Another thing that bothers me is how many people show up for the school board or levy meetings. I volunteered a couple weeks back to set up 300 chairs and help people get to where the meeting was being held(very large school). Didn’t do to much helping since a total of two people showed up. I was laughing the whole time that we were taking the chairs down. I’m a believer that no matter how much money the schools get they will spend it, and where they cut it they will spend elsewhere. But as much as we all wonder where all the money is going, save your opinions and thoughts for the place where they will actually matter.
BrandonJ, just so you know, the district does not raise your dental and medical costs, the insurance companies do. People keep complaining about school spending but no one goes to the meetings or bothers to understand how the funding works. The State shifts dollars (does not pay what it says it will on time) and creates mandates that schools need to implement that are unfunded.
Our district has 6,400 students and it averages 2-3 community members per board meeting…it has always puzzled me. If the district didn’t need the money, it would not ask. If you want to understand where the money goes, get involved, if not, stop complaining.
Any association or organizaton that needs public funds is going to ask for it ANY way they can… especially if there is a vote that can mandate extra funds to them. All of this new technology.. especially… screams new funding. Sorry to say… those before you did more than what you can do long before you are begging for more money that you claim you can’t teach without. NO new money on the referendum.. do what you are paid to do… and TEACH!.. using the skills that were provided to you!!!
Why the hell does the state collect taxes to be redistributed to districts anyway? Let each district pay for their own schools through property taxes, then I guarantee you will see people more involved.
Its just like them taxing income taxes out of your check. They set up these screwy systems so that you don’t realize when you are being screwed and then no one objects or confronts how and where money is being spent.
How do you know what schools can or cannot do and if people before did a better job? Have you been in a school in the past 10 years? School is more rigorous than ever and students are learning more at an earlier age. What was once learned in 7th or 8th grade is now being taught in 5th grade.
Talk about something you have a clue about…by the way, ‘all this new technology’ is the wave of the future.
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How do you know what schools can or cannot do and if people before did a better job? Have you been in a school in the past 10 years? School is more rigorous than ever and students are learning more at an earlier age. What was once learned in 7th or 8th grade is now being taught in 5th grade.
Talk about something you have a clue about…by the way, ‘all this new technology’ is the wave of the future.
How do you know he hasn’t been to a school in the last 10 years?
Why is it despite more and more money being poured into education, all we get is excuses? You might have a better argument if you can show how the education has been near the top in the world relative to the amount of money going into it.
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BrandonJ, just so you know, the district does not raise your dental and medical costs, the insurance companies do.
In my case the insurance costs in total didn’t change(yet). Just my portion, along with my pay freeze, along with alot of other out sourcing through out the district. Contract BS. But hey everything is just peachy its almost ice season and maybe I’ll get laid off for the winter. 
Last year the district hired what they call a business consultant or what I call the eliminator but I must admit she is pretty easy on the eyes. The only good thing that I know she has done is put up stickers above every light switch and I mean every one, that say to turn the lights off. Must have taken a week. BTW voter turn out at the school I work was actually pretty good. The first question was voted yes, and the second question was not suprisingly the big no. 
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