Halls of Shrewd'm / US Policy
No. of Recommendations: 1
Went to a meeting last night with our School District people to hear a presentation and discuss in small groups.
Our state is reducing school funding. District is facing a large shortfall. Folks are angry about property tax increases.
Ideas put forward:
- Additional property tax levy. The last one they tried in 2024 failed, 55-45.
- Additinal city regular income tax of 1%
- Additional city earned income tax of 1.25%
All have to be passed by the voters.
I suggested additional sales tax as a 4th option. Probably only workable at the state level.
Expect earned income tax would be easiest to pass, since a lot of voters won't have to pay it.
Any ideas? There isn't much fat to cut. Transportation is on the chopping block (go to state minimums).
No. of Recommendations: 1
Propose a 10% pay cut for all school district staff. Across the board.
Then vote "no" to any tax increases.
Transportation is way more important than teachers' salaries and benefits, which I am sure are generous.
They keep taxing and taking until there is nothing left to give.
Stop it NOW.
You say there is no "fat" left to cut.
That's....unlikely.
Have you reviewed the most recent annual school district budget and annual audit by an independent auditor?
You can't say there is no more "fat" until you have done that homework--which almost no one does because it's too boring.
You'd probably be shocked at what your tax money is being spent on.
No. of Recommendations: 10
I suggested additional sales tax as a 4th option. Probably only workable at the state level.A local sales tax would be a no-go. You would be amazed how much people will spend, to avoid paying a bit of tax. I have told the story before: when Michigan passed a deposit law on beverage containers, some coworkers got together to drive to Indiana, to buy beer without paying a deposit, so they could throw the empties out the car window without taking a loss.
Most Michigan public schools have cut trades classes. Some have cut driver's ed, not even offered as an elective. When Detroit Public was run by a state appointed "emergency manager" whose remit was to make sure the money interests were paid in full for school district bonds, some buildings didn't have heat, and so few books were available there were classes where as many as three kids were sharing one text book.
ten years ago:
Detroit teachers union sues school district, EM
The complaint lists some of the conditions in Detroit’s schools, which include black mold, bacteria, freezing cold or overly hot classroom temperatures, rodent and insect infestations, exposed wiring and falling debris.https://www.michiganpublic.org/education/2016-01-2...But the same Gov that appointed the EM for DPS, gave the "JCs" two rounds tax cuts. This was the same Gov who appointed an EM for the city of Flint. The Flint EM cut spending so sharply the city water was undrinkable, but the residents were still required to pay their water bills, because the money interests must be served.
Steve
No. of Recommendations: 6
Have you reviewed the most recent annual school district budget and annual audit by an independent auditor?
You'd probably be shocked at what your tax money is being spent on. ~oldmarco00
I know it's totally crazy...
"Can you imagine your child goes to school and they don't even call you, and they change the sex of your child?" ~Trump
"But the transgender thing is incredible. Think of it. Your kid goes to school and comes home a few days later with an operation.
The school decides what's going to happen with your child. And you know, many of these childs (sic) 15 years later say, What the hell happened? Who did this to me?
They say, Who did this to me? It's incredible." ~Donald Trump
What kind of fool likes to be lied to over and over?
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/trump-children-s...
No. of Recommendations: 1
“Propose a 10% pay cut for all school district staff. Across the board.
Then vote "no" to any tax increases.
Transportation is way more important than teachers' salaries and benefits, which I am sure are generous.”
A teacher with a bachelor degree and 20 years experience makes $57k. The benefits are generous. They’d have to be to get people to teach full time for $57k.
No. of Recommendations: 2
“ A local sales tax would be a no-go. ”
Yes, you’re right. There is a proposal at the state level to get rid of property tax levies. Schools would be funded from a fixed millage rate plus increased sales tax. I doubt it goes anywhere.
https://fox8.com/news/ohio-legislator-proposes-sch...“Under SB 93, school districts would no longer be able to levy property or income tax levies. Instead, Brenner proposes a statewide 20-mill property tax, to be distributed across public and charter schools. He also suggests raising the state sales tax by 1.75%, bringing the total tax to 7.5%. All of the additional sales tax revenue would go directly to education funding.”
Trouble is, all funding is then controlled by the state.
No. of Recommendations: 6
Any ideas?
Target the morons cutting the school funding. Legislators and the governor (I assume). Blast them, and make clear they may pay a price in the next election.
Our local districts usually do bond overrides. The last one passed just last month. People seem a little less opposed to that than a "tax", even though taxes will ultimately have to pay the bonds.
No. of Recommendations: 1
Trouble is, all funding is then controlled by the state.
Michigan did that, some years ago. Now, every new tax Lansing wants to levy is sold as "for the schools", but they always play a shell game and withdraw money from other sources, when the sucker voters approve the new tax. Then the freed up money is used to cover another "JC" tax cut. Michigan ranks 28th in per pupil spending. The (L&Ses) just did another shell game: exempted motor fuel from the 6% sales tax, but increased the motor fuel tax by an equal amount "for road maintenance" (another hot issue in this state). To replace the lost sales tax revenue, they levied a new 24% tax on weed, tagged "for the schools".(note another steep, flat rate, tax, that would take the same amount from a millionaire as it would from a burger flipper)
Or, your town could simply forget about the concept of "free public education". I have commented before, about what I found in the Farmington high school class catalog: every class has a fee, of $10 or more, per semester, except football, which is free. Your town could simply charge as much tuition as it needs for nigh school: $1000/semester. $2000/semester, whatever is needed. Then, when parents cry they don't have that kind of money, channel the GOP, and tell them to either go farther in debt, or drop their spawn out of school, so they can "learn the dignity of work".
Steve
