Was This Because Of Apathy Or Futility?
I very much admire and appreciate the Allentown School District superintendent Russell Mayo hosting four town hall meetings. What I'm about to say should not be misconstrued as a criticism to either he, the ASD or any of the other school districts of which I'm about to speak. Rather I'm speaking about this lack of participation from a taxpayers point of view.
Looking over my federal income returns from as far back as 2007 I've noticed that we paid over $200 more in school taxes then we did in federal taxes on both mine and my wife's earnings combined. Now that I'm retired and no longer working doesn't mean I won't be paying until I die whether in rent or on the home we own.
In addition to what I and others pay individually the overwhelming majority of the school districts' budgets (about 2/3rds) come from both the federal and state governments. Then on top of that they also receive even more money from profits at Pennsylvania's casinos. I'm not taking a poke at any of the school districts or their administrators when I say, enough is enough!
This blogger isn't pretending to have all the answers, but rather trying to explain why people aren't showing up by posing a few questions as to the purpose of having them.
Will any of these town hall meetings resolve these problems and make them go away? Will these meetings be little more then an informational as to the problems facing districts and why taxpayers are going to get hammered even more? If so, we already know that. No sense wasting a hour or two to explain this districts budget woes. I get that. What I don't get is how things got this way and will remain this way throughout the foreseeable future.
Let's use Whitehall-Coplay School District for example. The township has at least 6 shopping centers and 100's of stores and finds itself in the same fix. I'm not picking on this school district, but here you have one of the most commercially developed areas in Lehigh County facing a budget problem too. It doesn't matter where you turn. In any school district, whether it be urban, suburban or otherwise, their budgets are all in a pickle. Why is that?
Again, I'm not accusing any district or it's administrators, but I think it's safe to say taxpayers are sick of hearing about it this same time every year. Year after year. What's the point if nothing is ever going to change? All the whining in the world isn't going to change a thing. Should it be any wonder why people don't show up annually for another dose?
Yes I feel bad for the sorry state our education system is in. I feel even sorrier for all the taxpayers throwing ever increasing money into the black hole that this has become. There's no point in going to a meeting where those leaving it are left only to shake their heads in despair. Yes we know there's a problem. We don't need that drummed into our heads.
Does that explain the lack of attendance?
I think so.
I have some ideas, but those are beyond the purpose of this post which was to explain why the lack of attendance at the meeting. If anyone has a further interest in discussing this further I'd be happy to entertain them in comments. Otherwise I'll end this post on what I've just talked about. The lack of public participation.
Good post. One of the biggest reasons supporters of Hamilton Crossings cite is the "windfall" for the school district. And I get it. But it's a stop gap. Whitehall proves it and your exactly right. 6 major shopping centers, miles of strips and 100's of stores. . . yet the very same problems. Chasing ratables is nothing more then a bandaid. How do we address the underlying issues?
ReplyDeleteOverall Whitehalls tax liability is 1 mill higher then Lower Macungie. All that strip development while a "windfall" for the school district is extremely expensive for the township. The township of course being the entity that pays for fire, police, road/stormwater maint ect. ect.
Enough with the bandaids.
Agreed
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