Search the ArchivesNavigation Contact InformationThe Citizen Newspapers For Advertising Information Email us your news! For technical difficulties |
E-SPLOST an investment in our home values Judging by the smaller crowds I’ve seen in local restaurants lately, it’s safe to say my family is not the only one feeling the financial pinch here in Fayette County. We are dining out less. We’re spending less. Yet I have no problem paying another $150 to $200 a year for the Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (E-SPLOST), so I’ll be voting for it on the ballot. It’s an investment in the value of my home. Most all of us moved here for the excellent school system and a very safe environment in which to raise our families. Just like us, the school system has been tightening its fiscal belt this year. They have used attrition to leave 58 positions unfilled, saving an estimated $3.03 million. Among those positions are 14 elementary teachers, 10 elementary paraprofessionals, nine middle school teachers, 10 high school teachers and 9.5 positions in the central office. This year they’ve also had to cut the projected bus and computer acquisitions needed to remain on an adequate replacement schedule, as both such assets wear out over time. Next year, they will need to replace 5,700 computers, estimated at $5.7 million. Our school system has been hit with $21.7 million in state funding cuts over the past six years. Until now, they’ve been able to avoid drastic cuts. Schools Superintendent Dr. John DeCotis told me a few weeks ago that it’s no longer an option. If the E-SPLOST doesn’t pass, they’ll have no choice but to cut programs, he said. Among the cuts to be considered for future years include a number of positions including central office staff, leadership positions at schools such as assistant principals and counselors, and a variety of teaching positions, including art, music and band. Also on the potential chopping block would be first grade paraprofessionals and a reduction of kindergarten paraprofessionals from one per class to two per class. Mind you, this is when children are learning to read, and without parapros to provide individualized attention, we can expect those children to get slower starts at the very least and perhaps fall far behind their peers, which is unacceptable. Another item mentioned as a possible cut is a reduction in salary system wide to the tune of $3 million. All those potential cuts are based on the fact that the school system gets either no state funding or only partial state funding for those positions, according to information I received from the school system. If the E-SPLOST passes, there won’t be a need for those cuts and the school system will have funds for school renovations along with technology, safety and security improvements. They’ll also use the money for school buses, transportation and maintenance equipment and even will pay off some of the outstanding bonds the school owes, deriving a savings in interest payments and a reduction in property taxes. Technology is a crucial item on this wish list. If our children aren’t exposed to it now, they’ll be far behind their peers as years go by. The school system has been investing in training for teachers to help bring technology into more use in the classroom, but without new computers and associated technology there’s no way they can stay relevant, much less prepare students for the economy of tomorrow. Never mind that the current generation of students is already plugged in at home. Being able to engage their minds using computers is a big plus and will better prepare them for the workforce. Now, to address some criticisms of the E-SPLOST initiative: • Critics say it will unfairly tax seniors, who benefit from a property tax break from school taxes. While yes, seniors would pay more than they do now, by no means will it break their bank. My household, with a family of four, will pay between $150 and $200 for the E-SPLOST each year, by my quick figuring. It’ll be significantly less for seniors, especially those living on fixed incomes. A recent survey of Fayette residents ages 55 and up by the Carl Vinson Institute of Government showed the average person in that demographic has lived here for 16 years. In that time frame, their home values have gone through the roof. When they sell their home, they will see the economic windfall from their investment in local schools. • Other critics point to the new elementary school that’s being built on Sandy Creek Road despite the recent reduction in the elementary school population the past two years. Critics say it’s “reckless spending” by the school board. Yet part of the reason the system trudged ahead with Rivers Elementary is to avoid the spiraling construction costs, which would increase an estimated 15-20 percent should the project have been built two or three years later, according to school officials. It was also pointed out that the Atlanta Regional Commission still projects Fayette’s population to continue increasing until at least 2030, so the need for schools will exist in the future, school officials contend. If Rivers Elementary opened today, it would have 434 students and there would be 505 at Burch, and while those are small student bodies they “are close to ideal sizes for elementary schools,” school officials told me. • Then there’s the claim that the public was “blind-sided” because the school board didn’t vote on E-SPLOST until after the June election, in which all three incumbents were re-elected to their positions (though one, Janet Smola, faces a write-in opponent in the general election). My knee-jerk reaction, at first, was the same as the critics. I leapt to the assumption that the E-SPLOST, and the financial need for it, were purposefully withheld or at least “played down” prior to the election. Then I got to thinking. There’s no way our school board is that politically stupid. Three of them were politically smart enough to get re-elected this year. So certainly they are politically smart enough to know if they create ill will even with a perceived misstep, their chances of passing the E-SPLOST are slim and none. In their defense, the latest round of state sales tax cuts, attributed to the severe downturn in state sales tax collections, weren’t announced by the state until after the election. In a perfect world, the school board would have made its E-SPLOST decision months before the election, and maybe even had a few informational open houses on the matter before the election. But I long ago gave up on the dream of this being a perfect world. The one claim you won’t be hearing from E-SPLOST critics is that our school system isn’t doing its job. All Fayette schools continue to meet federal education standards, commonly known as AYP, short for adequate yearly progress. The counties surrounding us can’t make that claim. And Fayette’s SAT score was 37 points better than the national average, and 76 points ahead of the state’s average score. The results speak for themselves. So there you have it. All things considered, I’ll pony up my fair share to keep improving our schools. I hope you’ll join me, as the future of our investments — both in real estate and in future students — depend on it. login to post comments | John Munford's blog
|
Copyright 2010 - Fayette Publishing, Inc. | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use Policy
Server 4
