High voter turnout makes passing school district bonds and levies difficult, and it’s not going to get any easier in the future.
Historically, school districts have been allowed to hold elections on obscure days at unusual polling locations. Districts count on turning out teachers and parents with students enrolled in the affected schools, and low turnout of all other electors. It’s a winning strategy that has helped pass levies and bonds for years – and it ends in 2011. Last year, the Legislature approved a plan to move school elections to four specific unalterable days during the year.
When people know about elections, voters turn out and often reject tax increases. Two elections ran off the rails this spring in Bonneville County where a construction bond in Idaho Falls School District 91 and the doubling of a plant facilities levy in Bonneville 93 failed to garner the supermajorities necessary to pass. A side issue, school district consolidation, drove voter turnout to record levels. Critics of the proposals legitimately wondered why two nearly-identical districts next door to one another couldn't consolidate and achieve the same goals, rather than take on more debt. The districts tried to downplay criticisms saying, “give us your money and we’ll talk about efficiencies later.” Too few taxpayers thought the districts would still respect them in the morning, and the proposals failed.
The school districts said they will regroup and try again later. Unsolicited advice: it would be better for them to come to terms with reality and work more intelligently within their current budgets. As long as the voters’ collective consciousness remains raised – the district consolidators are regrouping, too – turnout will remain high and measures will not pass. What's more, next year passage will be even more difficult because the new election consolidation law takes effect. Voters, armed with new awareness of school tax and budget issues will ask tough questions, and now that elections aren't held on obscure dates, they'll show up to vote.
Even though it wanted to double its plant facilities debt, Bonneville School District 93 still deserves credit for modeling how to stop the seemingly-endless money pleas. It offers the Bonneville District Virtual Academy, attracting families that otherwise might have chosen a full-time online public charter school or homeschooling. Notably, the district hasn’t had to build more buildings to educate more students.
Both school district consolidation and online learning are reasonable ways to reduce costs. If a school district like Meridian can educate more than 32,000 students with just one administration and one superintendent, why can't the same be done in eastern Idaho? If the Bonneville District Virtual Academy is a good way to educate kids without the cost of building construction, why can't there be more investment in this successful and innovative approach? If charter schools are able to educate children at less cost to the taxpayer than traditional schools, why can't that savings be replicated in the traditional schools? Taxpayers deserve answers and if the answers are not satisfying, they'll vote no.
Comments
district consolidationSubmitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 05/30/2010 - 23:36.
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If you folks spent as much time and effort helping education as you do trying to kill it Idaho would have the best schools in the nation.
When was the last time anyone of you "vote no" people stepped into a classroom and helped?
Charter schools don't educate for less. Every kid that has an IEP or a problem gets d91 or d93 help with the school district getting no money.
Killing or Saving Education?Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 06/01/2010 - 00:43.
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I think you are equating school with education, which is not a True equation. Some have kept their kids from school /because/ it interferes with their education.
Perhaps killing public schools (I mean modern Federal- and Union-run "conveyor belt" schools) is exactly what Good education needs.
Additionally, instead of simply stepping into classrooms, what is needed are parents who step into the lives of their children and take an active interest in their education and proper training, then we will have the Best Educated Children (and future) in the world. (This is something Charter schools cannot do alone, either...)
-b
I've stepped into a classroomSubmitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 05/31/2010 - 17:32.
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I've stepped into a classroom and helped, and that's when I realized that my gifted daughter was not part of 'No Child Left Behind' but rather 'No Child Shall Move Ahead of the Pact'. I agree with you, everyone should help in the classroom, and then make the decision of whether or not their child is receiving a fair education. Then we can decide if we should throw more money into the already bloated and failing school system.
Currently, my daughter is now being home-schooled and is learning Algebra 2 in 8th grade, instead of the substandard 'Pre-Algebra' like many of her peers in the public school system.
If we were to throw any more money at the public school system, I would only vote to add more teachers in order to lower the teacher to student ratio, and make parents sign a contract understanding the student's homework and discipline responsibilities.
Parents, don't lull yourself into thinking that more money will solve the problem. If it hasn't by now, it most likely won't in the future unless some of the bureaucracy changes. We need to hold public school spending accountable, bring discipline back into the classrooms, and we need all parents to be involved with every aspect of their kids education. And check out the revisionist history textbooks being thrust upon your kids as well.
I've stepped into a classroomSubmitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 05/31/2010 - 17:30.
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I've stepped into a classroom and helped, and that's when I realized that my gifted daughter was not part of 'No Child Left Behind' but rather 'No Child Shall Move Ahead of the Pact'. I agree with you, everyone should help in the classroom, and then make the decision of whether or not their child is receiving a fair education. Then we can decide if we should throw more money into the already bloated and failing school system.
Currently, my daughter is now being home-schooled and is learning Algebra 2 in 8th grade, instead of the substandard 'Pre-Algebra' like many of her peers in the public school system.
If we were to throw any more money at the public school system, I would only vote to add more teachers in order to lower the teacher to student ratio, and make parents sign a contract understanding the student's homework and discipline responsibilities.
Parents, don't lull yourself into thinking that more money will solve the problem. If it hasn't by now, it most likely won't in the future unless some of the bureaucracy changes. We need to hold public school spending accountable, bring discipline back into the classrooms, and we need all parents to be involved with every aspect of their kids education. And check out the revisionist history textbooks being thrust upon your kids as well.
Taxpayer quorumSubmitted by Walt Holton (not verified) on Thu, 05/27/2010 - 11:30.
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Bravo! End special elections as they are a chink in the armor of a demmocracy/mobocracy. My proposal would be to require a quorum of property taxpayers (66%) before any new bond or levy election could be considered final. Here is how it would work.
1) Special election announcement in the newspaper; three notices (a week apart) required before polls are opened.
2) The polls will remain open for a minimum of two weeks or until a quorum is met (effort dies in 60 days). The polling places shall not be on school ground but at the County Clerks office.
3) Every person who assessed property tax will receive an absentee ballot via mail with the expense carried by the group requesting funding (the cost of the ballots and election must be paid up front).
4) If the quorum is met in two weeks the ballots will be counted, if not the effort will sunset in 60 days absent a quorum.
5) Only those assessed taxes will be sent ballots by mail, although non-taxpayers may vote at a polling place or request an absentee ballot.
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