School administrators have their own lobbying association in Harrisburg and typically do not live in the district so they don't care how high taxes go up each year. The teachers have the most powerful union in the state watching their back.
Who do the taxpayers have? Isn't the elected school board suppose to represent the interests of the beleaguered property owners who have seen their taxes go up 40 percent since Gov. Ed Rendell signed the casino gambling bill way back in 2004 with a promise that all Pennsylvania residents would see substantial property tax reduction?
If they're not looking out for the taxpayers of the district, what do the four candidates stand for?
According to their campaign literature, their platform consists of four items:
1) Responsive Budgeting (Translation: Rubber-stamp everything the administration wants to spend money on.)I'm glad the four candidates dropped a flier in my mailbox to remind me which candidates I won't be voting for on Tuesday.
2) Quality Education (Translation: Give the teachers' union everything it wants during contract negotiations.)
3) Improving the Quality of life for All Citizens -- Young and Old (Translation: Drive seniors out of the district with the highest tax rate in the county and prevent young people from being able to afford their first home by high taxes)
4) Preserving our Sense of Community (Translation: Fight any efforts to merge the smallest school district in the county with a neighboring district to save money, improve offerings for students and reduce property taxes).
1 comment:
This is excellent analysis of the literature sent out by candidates. More spending and no increase in student learning performance. No increase in Advanced Placement or college admissions or getting a family sustaining job is ever referenced. No effort to set any measurements of performance.
I think that if a calculation is made, it will show school teachers make about $60 dollars an hour including benefits.
If you can't measure it, you can't manage it.
Simon Campbell is, by far, the most articulate spokesperson for real cost benefit. Spending has doubled and well in excess of rate of inflation and there is no evidence of improvement in student learning performance.
It turns out that closed shop so that teachers are not compelled to accept compulsory unionism and is something that school boards have control of and they can also vote not to collect union dues or PAC contributions. Simon Campbell is real leader. I hope you take time to meet him. He is a gold mine of information.
Thanks for this informative post.
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