Shorter DEGOP – Delaware Schools suck, so we need to underfund them to teach them a lesson
Do you like crazy, contradictory nonsense? Then you’ll love this update from the DEGOP.
Democrat majorities in Dover are trying to take away your rights and remove direct accountability from your elected officials.
Delaware schools have always been governed by two principles.
First, decisions on how local schools should be run are determined by local school boards elected by the voters. Second, our local school property tax can only be increased by a referendum approved by the voters.
HB 129, supported by Democrat legislators from both the House and the Senate, seeks to take away Delaware tax payers right to vote on school property tax increases. It provides that a school district may increase our school property tax by as much as 2% without referendum.
This is not only a bad idea but another example of their efforts to give government the power to make decisions without your direct input.
We recently learned that Barclay’s Bank will move 500 workers to New Jersey. While companies re-locate for many reasons, one of the major considerations by all companies is the quality of the schools for its employees’ children. We must insist that our schools provide the best or we will lose more jobs every year.
When you allow school districts to increase their tax revenues without voter input, you remove an important check on schools to provide quality education.
We have a long history of school referenda—some pass and some fail. If you examine those results, the pattern is clear. Those school districts that provide quality education for our children succeed in getting approval for more funding. Those that don’t provide that quality education have their request rejected.
Perhaps Albert Einstein put it best, “I never teach my pupils. I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they can learn.”That is the responsibility of our local school districts. They must remain guided by local boards you elect, and funded only with the consent of the local tax payers – the very people who rely on those schools to educate their children. I urge parents and grandparents who care about the quality of their children’s education to write or call your legislators. Urge them to vote “NO” on House Bill 129 to give away your tax dollars without your approval.
Help us with our efforts so that those legislators get THAT MESSAGE.
Thanks for your help.
Jane and Debbie
Naturally, no data included to back up the assertion that schools with “quality education” do better passing referenda. I’m not going to research it myself because nobody will pay attention to the GOP anyway, but I’d wager that the closer correlation is with median income in the districts. Income of the parents is the best predictor of just about everything in public education.
They cite NJ as having better schools but, correct me if I’m wrong, I believe their school boards are empowered to do exactly what HB 129 does.
Jane and Debbie have lost their minds.
Ha.. thanks for that catch!
DEGOP typically holds up NJ as an example of a tax payers nightmare, and yet that’s where Barclay’s Bank is moving 500 jobs. Go figure.
What’s good for Barclay’s isn’t necessarily what’s good for its 500 employees. I doubt they took a vote.
Has any one thought of separating the kids by color? I know a lot of parents that would probably put their kids in a Public school if we could figure out a way to do this.
Wayne Smith gave it his best shot with the Neighborhood Schools Act, which necessitated lots of shuffling of students among various schools in service of this goal.
While Jane and Debbie are running their letter-writing campaign, maybe they should suggest sending everyone in Dover a second note: “Urge them to stop letting the meets-in-secret Delaware Prosperity Partnership give away your tax dollars without your approval.”
“When you allow school districts to increase their tax revenues without voter input, you remove an important check on schools to provide quality education.”
I don’t think they really meant that the way it reads, but the truth will out as the saying goes.
what a bunch of BS, you can’t give the keys of the hen house to the fox! They’ll run amock. There have to be checks and balances, it’s that simple.
I would prefer a statewide property tax to fund education, with the same sort of automatic escalator for operating expenses; capital expenses can still be put to referendum. This will do until a better proposal comes along.
Just BTW, when you’re going to comment on education posts, it’s probably best to use spell check.
Do foxes really use keys to get into henhouses? Without opposable thumbs? They’re more clever than I realized.
Jane and Debbie, I only wish you knew what your talking about. Do you know that the referendum system over the last 10 years is 3 – 7 % higher than if your property taxes where raised 2% over the same period, depending on your school district. Maybe that’s why over 40 states use the system outlined in HB 129. Secondly, you are not giving up your local control. Instead of voting for or against a referendum; you start holding your school board members accountable with your vote at school board elections. Just maybe we would get more than the normal 500 votes at those elections! With your premise that school districts would be out of control and raising your taxes 2% every year. Than why doesn’t that premise happen with your state income taxes. The General Assembly can raise income taxes without your vote. But they don’t!! Why? Because they have to answer to voters at the next election. If you want to talk about residents on fixed income – then wouldn’t it be better to budget for a possible 2% increase every year than wide range increases of 5 – 30 % every 5+ years with the referendum system? Remember that HB 129 was designed to handle small everyday increases so that school districts wouldn’t have to go to referendum as often. They still would need to go to referendum with increases of more than 2% and for capital expenses. Jane and Debbie maybe you should do some homework before writing your next pieces…
Drops mic.
Thank you Rep. Jacques.
Jane Brady, brains of the Delaware Republican Party. Sounds about right.