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