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Post by fernwood on Jan 24, 2020 10:37:45 GMT -5
Tis the season to pay property taxes. I noticed that the amount I pay for local K-12 school increased greatly, while the Voc-Tech school, County and Township went up minimal or decreased.
I have no problem helping the local school. The programs they offer are amazing. More like a charter school, than a pubic school. I work with some students at the Opera House. Their excellent education shows, big time. The District has a policy to go above and beyond what is required. To teach respect for others. To teach a lot about the local area. To include many historical curriculum items that other districts have abandoned as being too controversial. To include global CC (edited because CC is considered a controversial subject here). The need to help your community. I could go on and on on how much I love, support and help the school district.
I have/had many friends who constantly complain about how much money they are paying to pubic schools. Some were where I used to live. They insured that the school I went to was consolidated with another. Now, some students travel over 1.5 hours, one way to get to/from school.
I am a huge advocate for local, public schools. Especially those who are able to expand their curriculum and are somewhat rebels in how they expand it.
Please, get to know your local school. If their curriculum warrants, support them.
Thank you
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Post by Rockoonz on Jan 24, 2020 12:58:18 GMT -5
While I agree that local communities should support schools, I'm not a big fan of property tax as it is structured. Too many people lose their property when they get older because they can't pay the taxes, and it's one of the many reasons we will be leaving the NW upon retiring.
My wife volunteered at my sons schools all through grade school, and every year they threw perfectly good school supplies into a dumpster at the end of the year because if they weren't all used up their budget would be reduced. One might think budget reduction is a laudable goal, not them, obviously. There are clearly some really good schools out there, and they deserve all the support they can get as well as being models for the rest, but the system tends to throw the money at the schools that perform poorly. IMO that trend began, or at least accelerated, when Jimmy Carters federal dept of Education was formed.
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Post by rockjunquie on Jan 24, 2020 13:15:16 GMT -5
We've got some great schools here in Tidewater, too. Many really wonderful programs. My grandson went to a technical school and my granddaughter went to what they call an "academy". She went to law academy which is very competitive. My youngest goes to Premed. But, even better- The Norfolk school system allows you to take your kid out of a failing school and send him somewhere else. This is awesome! My youngest was going to a failing school. He was able to go to a better one and, later, get into the Premed academy because of it. Had he been forced to stay in that school, who knows where his education may have gone?
I have been involved with the local school board several times. Our board are elected by the people, which is really nice. We've had to get rid of a few, but most are very good and answerable to the people. They are easy to access and helpful.
The flip side to the story above is that a student with less resources is stuck in that failing school- however, once a failing school is discovered, more resources come in to bring it back in line.
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Post by rockjunquie on Jan 24, 2020 13:29:15 GMT -5
I guess you can infer that I am a fan of school vouchers. Kids should be able to go the best school they can- esp if they get pigeonholed by their street number into a failing school.
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Post by fernwood on Jan 24, 2020 19:48:09 GMT -5
Wisconsin has a program called Homestead Credit. It allows people with lower incomes to claim a portion or all of their property taxes or the portion of rent that covers property taxes. People can receive an income tax refund even if they have not paid any income taxes. Over the years I have known many who claimed this credit. It really helps those on fixed income like minimal Social Security remain in their homes.
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