Why Vote Yes?

School Budget Votes are an interesting thing.  They affect your taxes.  Why would anyone vote to raise their taxes?  You don't get to vote on your income tax, property tax,  sales tax, or any other tax for that matter.  Yes, you do get to vote for people who will represent you & create these other taxes but the School Tax is the only tax you get to directly vote on.  So why vote YES?

The school tax is dependent on the school budget, the cost to run an affective school.  Much of that cost is mandated by the state & federal governments.  The biggest piece of the budget pie is "people".  Salaraies of all the people it takes to run your school & all it's programs.   Included in their are salaries, insurance costs, retirement costs, and pssibly some other incidentals involving your employees.  Then there are costs for supplies and programs.  There are mandated programs & unmandated programs.  Programs like Sports, Music, the Arts, & even kindergarten are NOT mandadated.  Imagine kids entering school for the first time at age 6?  Imagine trying to create a well rounded individual without music, sports, and the arts?  Then the state adds all this mandated testing & doesn't pay for it. Add to all the issues & costs escalating the fact that the governor got the legeslature to put into place a 2% tax cap.  School Districts throughout the state struggled to put together budgets that fall within the cap. 

Was there Fat?  3 or 4 years ago, there was Fat.  But over the past 3 years that fat which, by the way made for a better educational experience for our kids, was cut.    Cuts have occured over the past 4 years which are hurting our children's educational experiences and challenging our schools to do More with Less.  So, why should you vote Yes?   I think it's obvious.  The alternative is even more disastrous. 

For years the state has said it should look for better ways to fund education.  What happened to the hundred of Millions spent on the Lottery?   The state can not continue to mandate more & more & fund less & less. It's time they found a Better Way.