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School Levies

linzpinz14linzpinz14
in Cincinnati Babies

Do you vote yes on every school levy?  Why or why not?

 I know it depends on what the levy is for and I also know that there are a lot of teachers and school supporters on this board, but I was hoping we could have an honest discussion about this.  And obviously, how we vote is very personal to some people, so feel free to just ignore me too.  :)

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Re: School Levies

  • linzpinz14linzpinz14

    When I taught, I used to say that I would NEVER ever vote no.  Now I am not so sure.  I feel like the district I live in is just getting a bit ridiculous and I am not very happy with how $ is being spent from what I hear from my inside teacher sources.  I love living where I live and having good schools is very important to me, but I am just not sure that our tax dollars are being spent in the best way possible.  I have kinda sorta a controlling personality :)  and I wish I could get in there and yell at the curriculum director for switching programs all the time and wasting our money on this useless stuff they are using.  (just one of my complaints about spending.)  I really need to find a way to get more involved, because I really, truly am scared for when C starts school.

    I know when I head to the polls I will feel really guilty if I do end up voting no.  But I also don't think money is going to fix the problems in our district.  And next school year is going to be another really tight one until DH finishes school and an extra $30/month on our mortgage doesn't sound fun either.

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  • kel716kel716 member
    I think it is easy to say 'always vote yes' and as a teacher that's what you've kind of been taught to do.  However, I will tell you that having worked in a district with some big budget woes and taking the time to read the paper, message boards, etc...  I have learned to see the other side.  With anything, there is a balancing act.  I think a school board should be held accountable for waste, and the administration making the financial decisions should be questioned when big purchases are made.  There's a levy on our ballot that will cost us almost $40/month extra...  And I do see both sides of this particular levy and I too questioned it.  I think that's what you have to do as a responsible tax payer.  However, after doing my own research, reading the verbage from both sides, I am supporting this one.   It doesn't mean I'll support the next one, but I support the current one.  I will almost always give the school district the benefit of the doubt, but that doesn't mean I won't question it. 
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  • Ttimes3Ttimes3
    Can I just C&P the diatribe I just spouted off on Katie's FB thread? Wink
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  • Ttimes3Ttimes3

    imagekel716:
    I think it is easy to say 'always vote yes' and as a teacher that's what you've kind of been taught to do.  However, I will tell you that having worked in a district with some big budget woes and taking the time to read the paper, message boards, etc...  I have learned to see the other side.  With anything, there is a balancing act.  I think a school board should be held accountable for waste, and the administration making the financial decisions should be questioned when big purchases are made.  There's a levy on our ballot that will cost us almost $40/month extra...  And I do see both sides of this particular levy and I too questioned it.  I think that's what you have to do as a responsible tax payer.  However, after doing my own research, reading the verbage from both sides, I am supporting this one.   It doesn't mean I'll support the next one, but I support the current one.  I will almost always give the school district the benefit of the doubt, but that doesn't mean I won't question it. 

    Exactly this...plus more (---> points to FB). 

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  • hav2runhav2run
    imageTtimes3:

    imagekel716:
    I think it is easy to say 'always vote yes' and as a teacher that's what you've kind of been taught to do.  However, I will tell you that having worked in a district with some big budget woes and taking the time to read the paper, message boards, etc...  I have learned to see the other side.  With anything, there is a balancing act.  I think a school board should be held accountable for waste, and the administration making the financial decisions should be questioned when big purchases are made.  There's a levy on our ballot that will cost us almost $40/month extra...  And I do see both sides of this particular levy and I too questioned it.  I think that's what you have to do as a responsible tax payer.  However, after doing my own research, reading the verbage from both sides, I am supporting this one.   It doesn't mean I'll support the next one, but I support the current one.  I will almost always give the school district the benefit of the doubt, but that doesn't mean I won't question it. 

    Exactly this...plus more (---> points to FB). 

    This exactly.  And more.  Agree  FB.

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  • hav2runhav2run
    imageTtimes3:

    imagekel716:
    I think it is easy to say 'always vote yes' and as a teacher that's what you've kind of been taught to do.  However, I will tell you that having worked in a district with some big budget woes and taking the time to read the paper, message boards, etc...  I have learned to see the other side.  With anything, there is a balancing act.  I think a school board should be held accountable for waste, and the administration making the financial decisions should be questioned when big purchases are made.  There's a levy on our ballot that will cost us almost $40/month extra...  And I do see both sides of this particular levy and I too questioned it.  I think that's what you have to do as a responsible tax payer.  However, after doing my own research, reading the verbage from both sides, I am supporting this one.   It doesn't mean I'll support the next one, but I support the current one.  I will almost always give the school district the benefit of the doubt, but that doesn't mean I won't question it. 

    Exactly this...plus more (---> points to FB). 

    This exactly.  And more.  Agree  FB.

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  • linzpinz14linzpinz14
    Katie's post is what sparked this question and I didn't see all the new comments til now.  I totally agree that the fault of the system lies with our elected officials.  My question is what do you, as a taxpayer, do about it?  Continue forking over $ to a flawed system?  Either way, our children loose.  I wanted to know where others drew the line.
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  • teacherjessteacherjess member

    For me, I generally support levies because it sometimes comes back to bite you on property value. For instance, in Springboro, where we just bought, the levies have failed over and over again. As a result, the housing market was just not as in demand as it was in Centerville and Bellbrook, and we were able to get an awesome deal on a house and we also had a huge selection of good choices. This will negatively affect the other people in the neighborhood who are on the market as their comps will drop.

    In general, I support levies, but in the instance that Lindsay gave, I can see why you wouldn't. That particular district is doing some crazy things with their budget and I can see the hesitation to support the levy.

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  • SuperchicySuperchicy
    I'm voting yes on ours even though I'm not looking forward to the tax hike.  I've seen the articles about it, and I think it is more than justified, I just hope the money is spent wisely.  Plus, DD will be in the schools in a few years and hopefully the levies will have been put to good use by then.
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  • Ttimes3Ttimes3
    There are very few instances (hard and fast proof of mismanagement/misappropriation of funds would be one) wherein I would vote no for a levy. What I don't understand is voting no for the levy because you don't agree with the way in which schools are funded in our state. You shoot yourself (and your community, small and large scale) in the foot, nobody else. You don't send a message to Columbus by voting no on a levy. Unless/until we demand change (DO something, SAY something), paying increased property taxes continue to be our civic duty. In most cases (aside from a community like Indian Hill, maybe Sycamore), levies are ALWAYS going to be required, just to spend the SAME amount (per pupil), over time, not more.
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  • sistrkatesistrkate

    imageTtimes3:
    There are very few instances (hard and fast proof of mismanagement/misappropriation of funds would be one) wherein I would vote no for a levy. What I don't understand is voting no for the levy because you don't agree with the way in which schools are funded in our state. You shoot yourself (and your community, small and large scale) in the foot, nobody else. You don't send a message to Columbus by voting no on a levy. Unless/until we demand change (DO something, SAY something), paying increased property taxes continue to be our civic duty. In most cases (aside from a community like Indian Hill, maybe Sycamore), levies are ALWAYS going to be required, just to spend the SAME amount (per pupil), over time, not more.

    You echoed my thoughts exactly, I just couldn't articulate them as well as you did.  I agree with everything said above.

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