Curmudgeon's Corner
cur-mud-geon: anyone who hates hypocrisy and pretense and has the temerity to say so; anyone with the habit of pointing out unpleasant facts in an engaging and humorous manner
Counterintuitive Argument...
The Sunday Journal Sentinel contains a story by Tom Kertscher that discusses the school referenda with interviews of Bruce Warnimont, school board member, and others representing both sides of the debate over a new elementary school and the operating cap 'forgiveness' that would permit an additional $500,000 for operations of the new school.
Mr. Warnimont is quoted as pointing out the potential, based on presumed increases in full day kindergarten enrollment, for the increases in state aid to offset or exceed the cost of the referenda issues on the property tax bills in the district. He is very knowledgeable on such things and I do not presume to espouse a position, either pro or con, in this Blog.
I will say that this is a most counterintuitive argument. How does one approve a $22.5 MM bond issue and an additional $500M in annual operating costs and still see his or her property tax bill stay the same or decrease so far as the school district's portion of that bill? The assumption is that some 230 full time kindergarten students would be enrolled (76 more than now) and that the additional state funding would offset the tax increases necessary to pay off the building and to operate the school.
Those in favor point to this as justification while those opposed point to this skeptically given that there can be no assurances that the supposition will prove valid.
I have difficulty in thinking that anyone would be disingenuous and therefore presume that each side is speaking what it considers to be the truth. Perhaps I am terribly naive but I hope that isn't the case.
Given the lay of the land today so far as this project goes, I must say that I am happy to be an interested observer and not a direct participant on either side. As I stated above, this is one tough counterintuitive argument to mount. I do not know how I will vote but you can be sure I will vote. I trust that the vast majority of our school district citizens will vote, as well. We need to learn the true will of the people...and this election should point that out...unless the referenda pass by a handful or lose by a handful of votes.
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