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It used to be harder to pass them with the supermajority rule, but they still mostly passed. The school districts, recognizing that in general 50% of people would vote for all levies and 40% would vote against them no matter what, got tired of having to actually make a logical case of good stewardship to the 10% of people who used their brains and could go either way. It was so much easier to just change the law so that the thinkers no longer mattered, and that's what they did. I used to be in the part of the 10% with a bias for levies, but these days I'm in the part with a bias against and the burden of proof is on the school district to convince a man who is resistant to convincing (but it's not impossible).
I know they enjoy it very much not having to deal with thinkers and having rendered us politically irrelevant. What they do not understand, and will not enjoy, is that many of us will never, never, never forget it.
Why would a full-time RS student want a HS to issue a diploma? The college can offer a HS diploma if you think you need one (at least ours offered that option). Just get the college AA degree on a transfer program to a U, no need for a H.S. to spend time / $$.
Legally, the school is required to account for all their students. It's not the school's choice, it is the law. Most of the things schools do aren't by choice, it's by mandate. The only way to circumvent that is if the student is officially homeschooled and waives their rights to a diploma. This accounts for maybe 5%. 95% are treated like regular high school students under the law.
All other comments are opinions, of which you are entitled and I won't argue with. WA education is not competitive with the rest of the country. Some teachers are slackers, as you find in any other profession in varying degrees.
But the fact remains that the schools do not collect funds for the Running Start students. The schools aren't flush with cash.
Cut OSPI. Cut the ESDs and all those layers of bureaucracy. But school budgets are tight and our schools would not function without the dedicated staff members who contribute countless hours in unpaid overtime and pay for supplies out of pocket, to get the job done.
Most people truly don't understand how convoluted education funding is in this state. There are so many rules...
I hate to say it, but I don't think the voters should be entrusted to make every decision. Especially school funding. Public schools don't have an easy time of it. Elected officials have an obligation to see that schools are adequately funded, but they don't live up to that obligation. Some schools don't have enough textbooks to go around, or are in decrepit buildings, or have crowded classrooms, etc.
And then when school levies and bond issues are voted on, all too often people's own needs come before the communities. People think " I don't have kids, why should I pay for the schools?", or " My kids go to private school, why should I pay for the public schools?", or " I hate politicians and administrators, why should I reward them?"
I admit it, when my kids were school age I saw firsthand how screwed up the Seattle school district was, and had mixed feeling in the voting booth. But it's not like voting to subsidize a multi billionaire to build a sports arena, or something frilly or boutique. It's basic, and it serves a whole lot of people. Sometimes I hold my nose in the voting booth, but rarely vote no on a school bond or levy.
To answer the question: Revenues from property taxes are down, and there's less money going to the schools, so they're not holding up real well. Some districts seem to be much better funded than others, they seem to have more "fat" and can withstand economic downturns better.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ira500
... It's basic, and it serves a whole lot of people. Sometimes I hold my nose in the voting booth, but rarely vote no on a school bond or levy.
Unfortunately WA schools are no longer providing the 'service' of 'basic' education. Much like politics, the School system has become an 'entitlement' institution, and thus has lost effectiveness.
Schools have WAY too much reporting to do (to justify their funding) AND spending majority of the yr 'tutoring for the WASL' has caused many good teachers to leave. System is broken, it needs complete overhaul, not a band-aid.
Voting for levies is our only voice, and it certainly does not do the school, students, or the taxpayer justice. It does not change the academic deliverable in the slightest. More money does not mean a better edu. Real teachers are passionate and good at their job and I wish they were paid what they are worth, but 'the-system' protects the poor performers often by making them administrators... death spiral.
The repeal of 'Super-Majority' rule just perpetuates the failure. Too bad, as the entire state / country is paying the price for poor EDU, and it will be a huge price to pay as USA falls in 'Real' GDP (not the 'fake' Gov bolstered portion of GDP).. I.e. new coined phrase - 'Jobs Saved' That's an Empty promise / statistic. It is similar in the schools reporting "students graduated" by the system (so it doesn't look bad) vs. "students EARNING graduate status" - a very different statistic (Having just complete another degree after 32 yrs in workforce, incoming college students are very poorly educated and even worse in having an incentive to learn, victims of 'the system')
Last edited by StealthRabbit; 02-19-2010 at 12:05 PM..
Educating is a form of investing. Unfortunately, it's the kind where you have to wait through four presidential terms to even begin to see the return. The American political attention span simply isn't anywhere near that long. If you can't say it in five seconds and get instant gratification, Americans will just tune it out. We are incapable of making a twenty-year national decision without it becoming a bogged-down, attenuated political football.
I was predisposed to vote for levies on the basis that even though I never have wanted children of my own, it is my way of returning the benefits I gained, and ideally making them better (given my public school experiences after second grade, it would be hard to make them much worse), resulting in better educated communities with lower crime and better thinkers. (I also don't believe in purely selfish voting as a general principle.) But none of that is the goal any more, and in any case, I liked accountability. Doing away with the supermajority sent me a very clear and unpleasant message.
To answer the question: Revenues from property taxes are down, and there's less money going to the schools, so they're not holding up real well. Some districts seem to be much better funded than others, they seem to have more "fat" and can withstand economic downturns better.
IRA... Washington's property tax system continues to perplex me.
I know revenues are down and as a result I expected my property tax to be less... assessed value dropped $123,000 and tax bill dropped $50
Based on general tax rates... shouldn't I expect a far greater reduction than $50?
Seems, no matter what... taxes go up, at least this is my experience except for the the period of time I 747 was in effect... my bill only increased modestly.
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That's an Empty promise / statistic. It is similar in the schools reporting "students graduated" by the system (so it doesn't look bad) vs. "students EARNING graduate status" - a very different statistic (Having just complete another degree after 32 yrs in workforce, incoming college students are very poorly educated and even worse in having an incentive to learn, victims of 'the system')
