I was recently contacted by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution to give my opinion about SPLOST IV (see article here), and before I knew it, I was in the middle of controversy. I guess voicing your own opinion and then backing it up with what you know to be true can sometimes be unpopular, especially when there is money involved. But I still stand by my position and there are a lot of people out there who agree with me.
I don't expect everyone to speak out, but I do hope that more people will get out and vote on Tuesday, Nov. 8, so your opinion will actually count. Like all elections, the biggest contributing factor in the upcoming SPLOST IV vote will likely come low voter turnout. Since SPLOST IV is viewed as relevant only to parents of public school children, chances are fairly good that a large portion of voters who could make a difference either do not know about this issue or do not care. And that means they do not intend to vote.
Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that
matter. - Martin Luther King Jr.
But if you are concerned about high taxes and mismanagement of your money, it might be time to start paying attention because a good school system can make or break our county. And right now, we need all the help we can get. So, thanks to the Internet, it does not take much time to get caught up on the issues concerning our school system. And, if you really enjoy controversy, I recommend you check out The DeKalb School Watch blog or the website I moderate on behalf of our schools that were selected to receive cell towers courtesy of T-mobile and the DeKalb County School System (DCSS): Get the Cell Out - Atlanta Chapter.
Think "Yes" (to education), but Vote "No" (on SPLOST IV)
The reason I am comfortable with the "No" on SPLOST is precisely because we know that they have other ways to get the money, such as repealing the homestead exemption for property owners. This option has been positioned very cleverly as being a negative effect of a "No" vote. But, if you consider your options, you might find that it really would not be so bad. For every homeowner, the cost of losing the exemption would be about $57 flat.
(If SPLOST is not approved then we would lose the $2500 extra homestead exemption that goes against the school levy that we get in DeKalb. The school millage rate is 22.98 mils. 22.98 times $2500 is $57 and change. That's the same no matter the value of your house because the exemption of $2500 is the same for every homeowner. This amount would change only if the millege were to increase.)
So, if you want to look at it on a strictly personal level, do the math. Can you afford a penny on every dollar you spend for a year on everything except food? Or is a one-time, flat cost of $57 per household a better bargain for you?
This could be the wake-up call we need!
And, if you wonder what will happen if you decide to vote "No." The biggest difference is not whether they will get the money. It is only about how they will do it. A "No" to SPLOST IV results in a repeal of the property tax exemption. And that will do one very important thing - it will notify a lot more residents in our county about how bad the problems are in the school system these days. And since property owners are probably more likely to vote as well, these are important people for us to reach so that they might help us elect responsible school board members when it is time to cast our ballots next November.
A continuation of a tax that is already in place without even a short gap of interruption will not only send a message of approval to the current board, but it will also be passed without the majority of our county even realizing that anything has taken place. The current SPLOST funds extend through August 2012 and the tax can be revisited again if we do not pass it on November 8.
I think it is better to give the new superintendent a clean break from the past while she completes her plans. We should enable her to provide more input into the list of items where the money should be allocated so the money will go to back her plans, not require her to work within the confines of a plan that hasn't worked for us in the past.
Think Ahead if You Want Real Change
Without bringing attention to the education downslide we are on, we (the parents and teachers) will not be able to influence the other voters when it is time to try to vote out the incumbents who have failed to listen to us and have pursued their own agendas. It is a fact that voters who are unsure of how to vote will typically vote to preserve what is going on now because, even in difficult times, people are inherently afraid of change. We have to motivate them to WANT to change.
Yes, it might take a short adjustment period where some pain is felt, but it is temporary. If you are concerned about the conditions of the schools, then perhaps you could consider volunteering your time to help. Maybe the PTA or the community at large could help raise funds and organize clean-up or repair days with local volunteers for the most pressing immediate needs that have been neglected by our school board. Our money can be used to directly help the schools, rather than collected and then wasted by administrators who pay their own salaries first before paying teachers and beautify and improve their own surroundings before considering the needs of our children.
We are giving away so much money that it is literally bleeding us all dry, and for what? Our schools are a mess, our board is corrupt and our children are failing. Money is not the only way to show support for the children. In this case, the good intentions of the public to help our schools has resulted in litigation that must be paid by the fund that would normally pay our teachers. So, by giving more money to SPLOST, we actually took money away from those who are directly responsible for teaching our children.
Congress will not pass a new law if there is one single line in it that they cannot agree upon. Instead, they will deny it and wait for a better version to come across their desks. If the money is really needed, we do not have to worry about them finding other ways to ask... that is exactly what they will do.
Don't accept something that is not clearly defined or does not meet your expectations. Do not settle for less than what we deserve. Do not take the abuse of those in power without at least attempting to put your foot down. Because a leopard doesn't change its spots, but a great city and a great county can certainly decline into poverty if we do not speak out now while we still have something left that is worth protecting.
GC
10:24 pm on Sunday, October 30, 2011
It is unfortunate how ill-informed the author is regarding SPLOST. "Sending a message" to the current school boards is precisely the opposite of what will happen if SPLOST is voted down. If you have issues with the board, a YES vote will bring all board members up for re-election. Voting 'NO' is a vote for more of the same on the board (policies and people). This article also is inaccurate with regards to the financial impact on homeowners, since it is based on the illogical assumption that millage rates would not increase (they absolutely would).
I hope readers will get better information before casting a vote on Nov. 8 ... this article is woefully inaccurate on the impact of a NO vote.
Susan-Anne Smith MacKenna
7:39 am on Monday, October 31, 2011
A little research shows why this position will send no other message than "I don't care" to our board, our teachers, our students, and our community. As GC points out, the only way we get to re-elect an entirely new board - with new district lines - is to support the school SPLOST. Only by having the school SPLOST in place on January 1, 2013, will we trigger the legislation passed to redraw district lines, moving DeKalb's board from 9 members to 7, thereby putting ALL boards up for election (not as incumbents).
Furthermore, without the adequate funding, our schools will continue to flounder. We MUST invest to continue to maintain and improve our physical plant. The list of projects has already been stated, and this cannot change except in cases where continuing the current plan would be infeasible. Further, the new Superintendent is showing over and again that she is committed to complete transparency, community oversight, and a complete overhaul of the central office. To handicap her ability to continue her proposed changes and improvements would be detrimental to the school system, to DeKalb as a premier community, to our businesses, and yes, our students and future leaders.
Please vote YES for the school SPLOST on November 8. Send the message to the board that you want change; and send a message to our students and teachers that they deserve the very best.
- Susan Anne MacKenna
Friends of DeKalb Education
DeKalb County School System Parent
Cerebration
11:09 am on Monday, October 31, 2011
The district lines will be redrawn regardless of the passage of SPLOST. These are redrawn every time the Census is conducted. The only issue is the reduction in the size of the board, which has some language in the new law saying that counties with an Education SPLOST as well as a homestead option sales can have no more than 7 board members. So whether we end up with 7 or 9 members, the voting districts will still be redrawn according to population, which has substantially decreased in south DeKalb and substantially increased in north DeKalb. Ironically, SPLOST construction money is scheduled to be spent evenly around the county even though the growth in the north end clearly shows that schools there will continue to be over-crowded.
Susan-Anne Smith MacKenna
11:52 am on Monday, October 31, 2011
Not exactly; the district lines may shift, but we will not have new districts. With the passage of SPLOST, we lose two members, and all board members will be elected in an open election - NO INCUMBENTS. Additionally, if we do not redo the makeup of the board, not everyone will even be up for re-election.
Lovely red herring in the second point. Seriously.
David S
6:06 pm on Monday, October 31, 2011
GC and Susan-Anne: You are spot on.
I originally thought I’d vote NO to “send the Board a message” that I don’t like how they’ve handled our money and I don’t want to give them any more.
I hate to condemn the whole Board because there are a couple of folks that I think really care about education in the county (not necessarily my own rep). But I don’t think this dysfunctional group cares where the money comes from and they’ll get it from another source. I have no doubt that if SPLOST fails, they would raise the millage rate, so we either pay it all ourselves as county taxpayers, or we let some of our non-DeKalb neighbors share the additional sales tax.
So I’ll vote YES and “send the message” that I don’t like their job performance and want them replaced. At least two of them will be history.
lastminutemom
6:51 am on Tuesday, November 1, 2011
David,
Don't count on making a difference on election day. The most problematic board members are probably not yours.
The message sent to the DeKalb delegation, with the failure of SPLOST, will be huge. It will say to them, get real reform for the DeKalb school board.
It is telling that the PAC formed to pass SPLOST has raised less than 3000 dollars In years past, the amount has been 10 times that. Even the contractors don't have confidence in the DeKalb schools anymore.
There are lots of half truths and fear tatics being used to encourage folks to vote YES. Let this fail, and then try again the next year when Dr. Atkinson can have input into the plan.
Cheryl Miller
12:05 pm on Thursday, November 3, 2011
David, I'm curious about what you meant by "the most problematic board members are probably not yours." Are you assuming he is in the district that covers North Druid / Briarcliff? Have you read the transcript from the meeting at Briarlake? http://www.getthecelloutatl.com/2011/09/meeting-with-paul-womack-at-briarlake.html
Cheryl Miller
8:25 pm on Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Okay, GC, let's assume the millege is increased to 25 (the max allowed in GA), then the homestead exemption fallback plan is $62.50. I can pay that one time for the year, or I can approve a penny on every dollar I spend for a year (excpet food, I know)... I'm estimating $2,000/ month which is $240 / year, so that's almost 4 times as much money. But, if I plan on buying any big ticket items in 2013, like a new refrigerator, hot water heater, TV or computer, then I'm looking at even higher sales taxes on top of what they are already taking. And, the millege increase isn't a definite. Every elected official wants to be re-elected and they know raising taxes right now is not going to help them. Why not wait this one out, let the board know we will be cautious as we expect them to be as well. Wait till they get the admin. office straightened out and until the new Super. has a chance to assess what SHE thinks our needs are. The current SPLOST takes care of funding through Aug. 2012. Why not revisit in Nov. 2012 BEFORE the homestead would even come into play? Why the rush?
Cheryl Miller
8:28 pm on Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Oh, I get it... because YOUR school is on the wish list, so that's why the rest of us should pay up now and keep repeating the same mistakes of the past? Wow, that's so noble of you guys to suggest we all hope for the best instead of acting like responsible adults who don't want to continue seeing our county's residents sink further into poverty... which, by the way, is the only one true, proven factor to influence a child's performance in school. The other factor that most agree on is smaller class sizes AND smaller schools, esp. for elementary school... which is the one big spending area this SPLOST is wanting to change - build more mega schools so we can continue to bail out Crawford's construction buddies and keep the relatives of the administration working at their $100K+/year jobs that they don't even have to show up for. Great plan!
Cheryl Miller
12:00 pm on Thursday, November 3, 2011
A NO vote on SPLOST IV on Nov. 8 does not mean NO forever, it simply means, "not right now." We urge everyone to allow the new Superintendent Cheryl Atkinson to complete her mission to learn about our district and the job she has only had for a couple months now. Rather than agree to extend the sales tax to fund projects that are not a part of her plan (and could possibly be linked to corruption), VOTE NO this time and give her a chance to give us a new perspective on what our schools really need. The current SPLOST funds will not run out until August 2012. And, the board can ask for a NEW SPLOST vote to take place in November 2012. That's only 3 months without the 1 cent tax. We would not expect Dr. Atkinson to totally reinvent the wheel, just provide us with her justification and her plan with changes to the items she determines are not mandatory needs to improve education in DeKalb. So, if you are only voting yes because you see your school is on the list, please think again. If you really need the changes, then you should have nothing to worry about. And, perhaps if your school is in dire need, you might even get a better deal with the changes Dr. Atkinson makes. The point is that we need to support the change, not ask for more of the same. Our children truly do deserve better
DHL
5:18 pm on Friday, November 4, 2011
Is SPLOST IV is rejected, the comments above suggest that we have a vote to RAISE taxes in November, 2012. (To reimplement the 1 cent sales tax). Does anyone seriously believe that in this economic climate, the populace will vote for a tax increase?? Please vote yes on SPLOST IV
David S
5:34 pm on Friday, November 4, 2011
@Cheryl 12:05:
Actually, the quote you reference above is not mine, it’s lastminutemom’s. But the point I was making in my original post was that, while our BoE seems to act rather dysfunctional at times, we do have a couple of members who seem to care about education and pay attention to what’s going on. I’m not particularly enamored with my own representative, but I’m somewhat envious of districts 1 and 2.
Cheryl Miller
12:51 pm on Saturday, November 5, 2011
DHL - why are you concerned with the wording? We all know what one cent on a dollar means, don't we? If we vote now and continue it or vote later and "re-implement" it - either way we know what we are being asked to do and what that means to our own bottom line. It's a bit insulting to voters to think that the way your word the question will get you the money that is claimed that we need. If we need it, I have faith that our citizens will step up to provide it. If there are a lot of luxuries or ill-defined "needs" that make voters wary, we will likely vote no and keep the penny for ourselves. You are right about the economic climate and that is no joke if you are not fortunate enough to be in the upper 2 - 3 % as I'm sure many foks are in the areas asking for the yes vote. If we are all having to cut expenditures, learn how to live on less and take better care of the things we have so they last longer - why can't we expect our school board to do the same? If we have to lose pensions, retirement savings and good-paying jobs, why do they continue to furlough teachers will giving themesleves huge raises and bonuses and increasing salaries for the administrators who are not meeting the educational goals set forth by the state, two years in a row? We can continue to give, but isn't it time to see something in return? Like results? Not just pretty new building with substandard roofing and faulty HVAC systems.
Cheryl Miller
12:54 pm on Saturday, November 5, 2011
David, I agree with you about District 1 & 2. I wish that type of committment to listening to the communities they are elected to serve would rub off on some of the other members. I'm tired of hoping that the other districts who vote fairly will somehow be the votes we need in order to help our district, too, since we cannot even get our board member to return an email or phone call.