The BCCT today covers the budgetary aspect of Wednesday night's slugfest and headlines the story as "Residents may see lower taxes." Note the "may" in the headline. That's only because it's a proposed budget. The "may" there does not really apply. The correct word is "will." That's why the Emperor and His Court of Toadies exist.
I'm sure that if commonwealth law allowed it, the budget would start out something like this: We have decreed that the taxes are absolutely lowered in this, the first Royal Budget Proclamation released in the first Year of the Reign of William I, over all the Dominions and Countries which then did, or thereafter should belong, to the Imperial Educational Crown of this Realm.
I love the way royalty sure can speak the lingo goodly!
We've discussed this before, and the lower taxes are a certainty. The actual amount was the only variable. And I welcome it. Lord knows how much I cringe each month as that escrow payment goes out. Keeping in mind the story told Wednesday evening by one of the seniors in the audience, I know the folks on fixed incomes welcome it as well.
Echoing Ed Frankenfield for a moment though, what's the plan? Lower the taxes, and then what? "Shhh...", says the Emperor. "It's a secret."
My cloudy, cracked, and overused crystal ball sees what's next. Tell me if you agree.
In the first year, the bond money is returned, the taxes are lowered, and the Emperor basks in the general huzzahs and acclamations. As a result of this popularity, there is a general exodus of talented people from the district as well. Lily pads will be installed in the district offices as loyal toadies receive the jobs they were promised.
In year 2, it's much harder. The three schools are still here, and without an overall strategy (as in the Frankenfield plea for a plan), money is thrown left and right at issues and problems. All of a sudden, the money used to repair something yesterday becomes meaningless as it now has to be replaced today. The budget, well folded, spindled, and mutilated, has no room for the expansion to cover the rising expenses that we all face. Where does the money come from? Glad you asked.
Watch November 2009. There will be a general election that will have four board seats up (depending of course, on the primary results from the previous May), but there will be a referendum on the ballot to raise the taxes because they were lowered too much this year. And when the referendum fails, then what?
Yes, I did say that taxes are being lowered too much. Without an overall plan in place, there is no real way to plan for the future and how to pay for it. This is no different than the idiots who took out home mortgages without a clear plan on how to actually pay for them. We're all paying for the home mortgage mess. And we're going to all pay for the penny-wise and pound-foolish follies right here at home.
And then all local control will be stripped from Morrisville. The Hellmann dream of having the state come in will finally be fulfilled. We'll be mandated to do certain things and pay certain costs. And there will be no one to complain to.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
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6 comments:
The new board can pat themselves on the back all they want, but the only reason taxes are going down is because they took money borrowed for the defunct new school and gave the vast majority of it back. Sounds great, right? The thing is, it cost almost $2.5 million to do it, and we've got ZIPPO to show for it right now.
Channeling Morrisville? From today's Courier Times.
Must be a better way
By PHIL DENNY
As a resident of the Pennsbury School District, can someone tell me why my taxes constantly are going up? The elders in the school district are really getting ripped. From 2003 to 2004 my taxes increased $376. From then until the present there has been another increase of nearly $400. If my own taxes have gone up close to $800, multiply that by the number of residents in Pennsbury School District and you have quite a fabulous figure!
In those past years, what have we residents gotten for our money? A lengthy teachers strike and high-paid teachers who had the audacity to want even more in benefits and other goodies.
It's time for a tax revolt!
Why can't the district cut expenses instead of forcing hardships on residents? I for one have never had a child in the Pennsbury schools.
Why not put this burden on the parents that do have children in the district? Why can't the management come up with better ways of increasing the funds they need? I'm not against education; however, this school district needs to implement some new and better plans for the entire community.
Phil Denny
Falls
March 29, 2008 5:22 AM
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Comments To This Article:
Overall Rating For This Article: ••••••••••
- Cry me a river
(03/29/2008 )
Move somewhere else that has a crappy school district & lower taxes. Remember, senior citizens paid for YOUR public school education. By the way, do some research & stop blaming the teachers for higher taxes.
Jason - Cry you a river?
(03/29/2008 , Ratings: ••••• )
I've done research and am disgusted by the way school taxes continue to spiral out of control. I am tired of teachers crying poor. I am also tired of attitudes like yours when someone voices their displeasure. Remember when you tell someone to move that you might be in the same situation some day.
- WAAAAAH, Jason
(03/29/2008 )
Well, I am tired of senior citizens complaining about everything. How about doing what every other person does - budget accordingly. If you can't afford where you live, move. I can guarantee you that I will never complain about my school taxes when my children are out of school since I benefitted from the system. I can't remember the last time I heard a teacher "cry poor". That is a myth. The teachers simply try to keep what they already have whenever their contract is up for renewal. Place the blame where it belongs - on the federal government & the state. They mandate measure after measure which THEY DON'T FUND.
jon, do you mean that *gasp* things are not perfect in the Pennsbury school district? How can that be? They are going to be our saviors. They are going to rescue us from our mess and we'll be happy the whole livelong day.
Yes, and since the "prior board" was so awful and simply didn't go about it "the right way", the highly-skilled new board should be able to negotiate that Pennsbury merger in no time. Or convince the Commonwealth to swoop in to force a merger, like Al Radosti exclaimed at the 3/26 board meeting, about the 1,739th time I've heard that. Note to new board: You're in power now - stop exclaiming and like Larry the Cable Guy says, "Git R Done!". Good luck with that, by the way!
Dang, apparently Council Rock ain't nirvana either. Either that, or hippies and disco really freaked this guy out (or was it Vietnam and Watergate?), to the point where he gets a Courier Times guest opinion about every 3 days. Anybody want to lend their green signs to our common-cause brethren in Council Rock? Especially since Morrisville finally has the taxation representation it was apparently previously lacking. Isn't it amazing how everyone seems to know exactly what our Founding Fathers would be doing right now about our modern problems? Hey, I understand the need for reform, but let's cut the krapola with the overblown rhetoric, eh?
The tyranny of taxation without representation!
By LARRY S. BREEDEN
Our founding fathers would be making a call to arms for the manner our present government extorts revenue from the public under the guise of “for the public good.” The monopoly of public education is a prime example.
A premier example is how school district budgets are passed and approved in Pennsylvania. Presently, a cadre of school administrators look at last year's spending, match it with projected increases, and present a new budget to the “elected” school board, which then passes those costs on to the local property owners. The board members are both compliant to and held hostage by the local chapters of the NEA (National Education Association) in their ever increasing demands for more pay and benefits.
Council Rock, as an example, has a very affluent population, many of whom want “private school” quality from the educators of their children. The district has stepped up to the challenge and has given them their wish, but at what cost? The salary for a teacher is one of the highest in the nation. Layers of administrators such as superintendents, assistant superintendents, principals, vice principals and other “necessary” assistants, each making substantially more than regular teachers, burden the budget. This costs all property owners, whether or not they have ever had children in the school system. If parents opt for private schooling for their child, they pay tuition for that child and then through property taxes, for the affluent residents who elect public education for their children.
Recently an announcement to the public from the Council Rock School Board informed us that our school taxes were increasing in accordance with the limitation of the law. That increase, 5.21 percent, is higher than the Act 1 limit. That increase won't go to a public referendum because it qualifies for an exception. That exemption allows Council Rock to raise taxes .81 percent more than the limit because of “uncontrollable” costs in special education. Oh yes, they are in compliance with the Act 1 provisions.
Uncontrollable cost? Why are the administrators getting the big bucks if not to properly manage the school district programs and funds? Who reviews these costs to determine if administrators have shifted costs from the general fund to one that qualifies for an exemption? Seemingly the taxpayers are simply a sponge for the greatest desires of the educators. This is taxation without representation.
What is the remedy for these inequities?
According to the Allegheny Institute for Public Policy, more than 25 states place a cap on property taxes at a specific rate and require voter approval for increases beyond that amount. This creates a referendum and allows the electorate to determine if they wish to have more benefits bestowed upon the school district. Still other states allow citizen control by having voters directly approve school budgets in annual elections. Eighteen states have laws that require voter approval for school districts to issue bonds.
Pennsylvania is the only state that requires districts to provide the majority of funding for education and yet does not give taxpayers control over school spending and taxes. That is taxation without representation! This is feathering the nest for “educators” and administrators who are feeding at the public trough, sucking our taxpayer dollars ad nauseum.
Let us not to blame the teachers. Who doesn't want to be paid more? Educators, who do their job, are the backbone of society. Sadly, the position of backbone of society used to be held by parents. The progressives have been trying to displace the family with an all-powerful central government for decades and seem to be successful. If asked, each progressive would deny being fascistic in their lan for government control. However, that is exactly what they are, fascists.
An educated populace has been the goal of the leaders of this country since Andrew Jackson picked up the baton for the education of the “common” man. Our forefathers never fathomed that the system would run amok. The safeguards they put into place have been subverted. The judicial system legislates from the bench, the legislative branch continually attempts to usurp the powers of the executive branch and we the taxpayers get to swallow the bitter pill of “taxation without representation.” Karl Marx would be proud.
Larry S. Breeden, Upper Makefield, has been a resident for 35 years and a practicing Conservative since observing the events of the '60s and '70s.
March 25, 2008 5:42 AM
FASCISTS? REALLY?!?!
I don't love the way the state dictates educational policy but then doesn't back it up with proper funding. But does that really make us -- teachers, administrators, and those of us that want the best for our kids -- fascists?
As for Mr Denny's comment, "Why not put this burden on the parents that do have children in the district?" This is what it means to live in a community. We have a social responsibility to educate our young and take care of our old. I continue to pay into Social Security even though, according to the Whitehouse, it is expected to go bankrupt during my golden years and I may never get a dime in return. But guess what, that's what we do because taking care of our elderly -- right now -- is the right thing to do. Same goes for educating our young.
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