This story is obviously showing you all how little you save individually by slashing large amounts of money from the school budget.
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But there will always be the greedy self centered individuals who will say "I don't have kids... give me my taxes back!"... but unfortunately they'll need twice the amount back to pay for jails, police, and lawyers the uneducated criminals will need. And you won't have the opportunity to decide how that is spent.

dkush21: What about April and May and part of June? And yes they do have summer school!

JohnDoe said it all,

The thing is; the heating and ventilation system needed to be replaced to bring it up to code...and by doing that it was cheaper to run an efficient system with AC included than it was to run the old system without AC...a no brainer...keep your cool and still save money.

The thing is; the heating and ventilation system needed to be replaced to bring it up to code...and by doing that it was cheaper to run an efficient system with AC included than it was to run the old system without AC...a no brainer...keep your cool and still save money.

I have used my air conditioning maybe 2 weeks this SUMMER, I use my fans in the house because I can't afford to run the air conditioning in my house! I also have the heat down really low in the winter. And you expect the tax payers to pay for air conditioning for the schools when the children are not there in the summer months. You seem to forget that it's the tax payers who pay for the utilities to run the school also. Everybody has to suffer thru these bad economic times, No one is better than the next person. I made due without air conditioning when I went to school.

jqpublic: I didn't know that the kids were in school during the summer months!

dkush21: You are right, having cool air to work in and learn in is a ridiculous concept! Students and teachers should not be offered luxuries that even our prisoners have. They should be able to sit through 95 degree temperatures and maintain their concentration. Perhaps you should get rid of your central air and car air to show us how it is done!

tomwolfe53: First of all, don't forget that twice we voted the referendum down and it passed the third time. I said to not spend on unecessary things, therefore, improvements on the schools were fine. I am talking about the basketball courts and air conditioning which were not necessary.

MOC0428 (sorry for misspelling your name earlier): "Face it folks taxes are here to stay and they won't be going lower in the long term."
While I agree, I find it sad that you seem to just lay down and take it. At what point are taxes too high for you? 50%? 80%? At some point you cease being a free individual, and become a serf to the government (some would argue that many of us have already reached this point). We are already far more taxed than those who started the american revolution (admitedly this is apples to oranges). If there is nothing but tax increase in our future then there will eventually be a taxpayer revolt.

"It is a price to pay for living in a free country. If you don't like it move to a different country, as it is clear you don't appreciate the one you live in."
On the contrary, I very much appreciate the freedom (especially religious freedom) we enjoy in this country, which is why I hate to see it being eroded away.

MOC0248, I already did suggest a solution, I suggested that parents who send their kids to private schools not pay school district property taxes. How difficult would it be to attach a receipt proving tuition was paid to your tax return? In fact, I would even be willing to compromise and say that only the amount of tuition paid is deducted from your tax bill; therefore it would prevent sleasy parents trying to save on money by paying some mock "school" cheap tuition and not really educating their kids. Would the public school income be reduced? Absolutely! But then there would be so many kids pulled out of public school that they could all downsize and cut their operating budgets. Keep in mind that I would still suggest that those people NOT paying any private school tuition on any given year still pay public school taxes, so there would still be plenty of people paying in who are single, don't have kids, kids have left the house, etc.

soside4life just don't teach your boys about grammar......
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LOL jvldude! :).....And so, YOU <lol AGAIN!!> are BETTER...??! ;) ~WELCOME~ I'll take my boys OUT of your PUNCTUATION class, HOWEVER! ;)

KEEP MY $31 dollars and tax me more if it means that the children will be better educated!!!!!!!!!

I also wanted to comment on the quality of education at JSD. Personally I didn't go to school here but my daughter does and the education she is receiving is great. I'm sure there are some crappy teachers in the JSD. I'm all for getting rid of tenure. Teachers should not be locked into a job just because of time served. I would think most GOOD teachers would agree with that. The only ones that need to be scared are the ones who are there to collect a check and nothing else.

opinionsforfree,ktaustin,deborah and DrTalk:
How would you all suggest not taxing you? All of you came out of a system that was paid for my your parents and many others without children. All you do is complain but you never offer up any solutions. I'm going to guess that one of you 4 might be needing Social Security sometime soon right???? Well guess what, I don't need it nor will I ever. I don't want to coninue to pay thousands of dollars into it. So should I have that right?
No, it doesn't work that way.

Face it folks taxes are here to stay and they won't be going lower in the long term. It is a price to pay for living in a free country. If you don't like it move to a different country, as it is clear you don't appreciate the one you live in.

To rephrase what Dr.Talk said, the property owner pays the property tax. The owner then charges enough rent to cover all expenses, including property tax, mortgage, etc., plus some profit.

"in what manner do families with children in the schools that do not own their homes (i.e. rent, live with parents, etc...) contribute to the revenue allotted for the schools?"
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People who pay rent pay property taxes in the form of rent. So they already contribute.

According to the city of Janesville website "Your property tax bill adds together the tax levy of five different taxing jurisdictions. These "taxing jurisdictions" are Janesville School District (33.8% of the total tax levy)". My question is; in what manner do families with children in the schools that do not own their homes (i.e. rent, live with parents, etc...) contribute to the revenue allotted for the schools?

Let's use the $31 to take our family of four to the new janesville children's museum! That should be enough to pay the admission and maybe buy 1 nacho. (really just one chip w/ cheese)

dkush21, the monies used for the building improvements were approved by referenda and do not come out of the operating budget. Therefore whether the projects were approved or turned down they have no affect on the districts operating budget.

By the by I personally think that our building improvements do address "educational needs". They were for far more than "basketball courts and air conditioning" as your blog suggests.

proartist,
Should we thank a tax payer for a being mis-educated? I was taught in public school that America was a democracy. What's funny is that the Constitution never mentions that. In fact, the Constitution says that we have a right to a Republican form of government. I could list a bunch of other inaccuracies that I was taught. My point is that parents don't have any control over what their children are taught if they send their children to public school. It's not worth taxpayer's money if our kids aren't getting a quality education.

Opinionsforfree: If you went to public school yourself, THANK a taxpayer; a taxpayer who may or may not have been retired with limited income but one who apparently had far more faith than you that the future of the community/nation with an educated populace was worth the price.

Coppertop,
"Please take my $31 and find something else more constructive to do such as enhancing education"
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Do you know how to boil a frog? You don't put a frog into hot water because the frog will jump out. If you put a frog in warm water and slowing increase the temperature, you will boil the frog. You're going to get boiled if you keep approving all the increases in taxes. "It's only $31"..."It's only an increase of such and such an amount" ... It a tactic employed by politicians to get you to accept the increase. Car dealers use this tactic as well. They get you to negotiate car payments instead of the price of the car. In the end you end up paying more.

Tax the hell out of people who have kids. Not me, Why should I have to pay tons of taxes for your kids to go to school. Doesn't seem fair to me.

I just wish the school board would take care of the necessities first. If your going to make cuts then start at the top first.

Sorry no nails done here I spend my money where it is needed. By the way five kids here. Better Job = 1 that supports your current needs if yours doesn't then apply yourself and get 1 that does instead of expecting the Government to do things (PK) for you.

Where exactly did the Janesville School Board get their education? "A savings of about $31"

Please take my $31 and find something else more constructive to do such as enhancing education, not taking it away from the kids.

We did not need to spend millions of dollars on basketball courts or air conditioning when children are not in school during the summer months. That was wastefull spending. If they would have put that money in educational needs instead, we would not be in this predicament now.

Why don't we start trimming the fat from the top? And last time I checked, I paid for alot of school supplies myself. Maybe some of these schools could rethink their decisions next time they go and buy 60 pairs of rollerblades for the students. Whatever happened to school was for learning and not sports, they could do sports after school hours. I think that is the parents responsibility,not the schools.

soon it will be "press 2 for Chinese" 3 for English

hay all plus the school district is trying to put in a new language that will cost more money to all of us I know alot of people would agree with me on saveing money and not put in chinese,

exactly twerp. The administration should be the ones getting pay cuts if they want to save money. They also need to quit all these silly projects. Really what the hell was so wrong about Craigs cafeteria wing that they needed to tear it down and build new? Its not like the new one will have any more class space.

As a mother of twins, I sent my children to 4K for socialization. It really wasn't convenient because (up in norhtern Wi.) it ran Tues.- Fri. from 12:10- 3:00. So, depending on Jville's schedule, this program really doesn't work as "free childcare" while you're at work. I'm fortunate enough to be able to only work a few hours a week and this program was perfect for us. My girls are now right where they should be and nore outgoing than before.

K4 should be added if it will create a better student but not if it's meant to just be a cheaper baby-sitter.

I wish higher ups in the administration would get pay cuts. I really don't understand why we pay out so much for a guy to sit behind a desk down at the ESC and do nothing. Dr. Everts ignores phone calls from parents, ignores problems with principals who have a 4 inch thick file folder of complaints against them, and yet feels it is ok to take trips to seminars and such, all the while saying poor us we need to cut mopney for important things like BOOKS and TEACHERS. By the way what good has come out of going to one of those seminars,? Has it saved us money or created a earth shattering new way to teach kids the 3R's?

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As for K4 I thought we were supposed to have a grant for that? Maybe I am wrong, but if we don't have money for books and such it is not a good idea to start a new program.

Don't they have money already in the budget for maintenance? There is a lot of fat that can be cut from the school budget and students wouldn't know the difference.

Great! Now we can invest that $31 a year towards a bigger jail because the kids will eventually turn to crime since everything good will be cut from their education.

soside4life just don't teach your boys about grammar

Seriously - this is ridiculous! USA students are already lagging behind kids in other countries so let's handicap them some more by not providing textbooks and maintaining things around our schools??? As a former teacher and a mother of 3 kids in this district, this appalls me. I am embarrassed to send my kids to school here.

sweeeet. now we can build that tunnel and all the homeowners pretty much wont feel a thing:)

I would ALSO "LOVE" TO HOME SCHOOL MY "Own" BOYS, too! :) I KNOW ;)..... I "COULDN'T" do ANY WORSE, than the education my oldest HAS already received from the JSD!! :)

I CAN ONLY WISH (lol! :), I COULD BE A STAY AT "HOME" MOM!!! :) :) :) (...And, I TOTALLY AGREE, IT IS "MY JOB!" ;) But, UNFORTUNATELY, I CAN'T "NOT" work :( & Daycare prices NOWADAYS are HORRID!!!....I WELCOME the P4K program! :) I wish this program would have been in place before my oldest started K!! :)
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"This village can stay away from my child. Responsibility for the child starts with the parent.
If you can't afford to send your child to private school or home schooling then get a better job." QUOTE cozat5~LOL!! TRY HAVING some MORE children & THEN COME BACK (...after your "nails" are done, of course <LMAO!>) & SPOUT your REMARK! BTW~What's YOUR definition of "BETTER" job?? Just curious! ;) LOL!

I am rich, thanks JSB. I am going go out and put a 1/4 tank of gas in my truck now.

beenthere,
You never stated any of those "obvious" reasons. That's a rhetorical device known as a proof surrogate. Please provide your reasons for thinking that I should give up my hard earn money to pay for someone else's education.

Here's a real novel idea -- How about the people using the school system for their kids paying a higher fee per year to do so. What's the going rate for child care for one week? Yet to have your kid in elementary school for an entire school year is considerably less than $50. Maybe if those using the schools had to pay a much a more realistic fee, the interest in actually having so many kids actually attending the classes or arranging to get them there on time would go up.

DrTalk Although teachers do pay for their own education, it seems obvious to me why you would want to pay for teachers to continue to improve themselves and pass along their knowledge to their students.

biggirl,
"No cuts...in continuing education (travel) for teachers"
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If I continue my education I do so at my own expense. Why should I have to pay for teachers to continue their education? Teachers should be continuing their education at their own expense.

Also, who's pet project is 4K? It makes no sense to start up what amounts to public subsidized day care, while at the same time deferring taxes so we can pay an even larger amount the following year.

"But holding down this year’s levy would mean that the 2009-10 levy would increase at a greater rate."

This is not a "cut", it's a deferment of taxes. What's the point?

All I HEAR IS schools need this and that for
students... well each school has a web site. If you need something for your class. like kleenex , crayons . pencils or just anything. Lets use those web sites for a let"s help page. So a grandma like my self knows what to
go buy and drop off at what school when we can.,
WOULD THAT BE SO HARD. Yes I have I bought 33 books for parker 4 years ago it can be done . If we know exactly what you want for each school or class.

No cuts, I say, in continuing education (travel) for teachers, but cuts can be made to administration and superstructure. If you notice all this discussion of "education," it often discusses infrastructure, especially building, but never, never addresses issues directly related to teaching and teachers. Why don't we ever have referenda to invest more in getting and retaining good teachers? Why don't we encourage our teachers to attend seminars in the summer, where they can improve their teaching? We nickel and dime our teachers, even as we pay literally millions to consults, architects, and builders. Human capital is what we should invest in.

Does Janesville really need a 4K? With programs like HeadStart already in place for lower income families or with children who benefit from it? As a parent, I'd rather let you keep my $31 than let my child read from an outdated book, or not have current materials. What are you thinking Evert? And Gazette...that headline is terrible! A whopping $31. That's what it costs nowadays for a worsening education. Sad, sad, sad.

I agree that a first-rate education system can be the life-blood of a community. But I also wonder if public schools can learn a lesson from private schools. Parents and others supporting private schools voluntarily do a lot of work to keep the schools in good shape, physically and financially. I know this is a very vague suggestion on my part, but can anyone see my point and build on it? I lost my job this week and have to count every penny again. Yes, at this moment, $31 or $25 or even just $10 is a lot of money to me.

I thought that only government institutions and interested parties who benefit from such spending call a smaller than desired increase in spending a "cut".
Near the bottom of the article it says that the tax levy will increase 5.97% after the $1million "cut" and would increase 7.46% if they only "cut" $1/2 million. The article says that the "cuts" would reduce the property tax levy from the desired increase 8.96%.
I expect the bureaucrats to engage in this kind of double talk but it is unfortunate that the Gazette headline writer and the reporter engaged in this propaganda as well.

This village can stay away from my child. Responsibility for the child starts with the parent.
If you can't afford to send your child to private school or home schooling then get a better job.
JSB keep the $31 and use it responsibly don't waste it on luxury items.

If you want good jobs to come here, you need a well-educated workforce.
If you want families to move here, you need a highly rated school system.
This is moving in the wrong direction if we want a vital city.

Public education is necessary for a healthy democracy and everyone must pay their fair share, no matter where you choose to send your kids to school. Consider yourself very blessed if you can afford private school and don't try to take money away from the children who can't.

In addition, I have never met anyone that was "forced" to work some where.

ktaustin It takes a village to raise a child.

I wish those who sent their kids to private school could pay 0 school taxes. How many parents out there hate sending their kids to public school, but can't afford to pay for a private school on top of public school taxes? Or for that matter, how many teachers are forced to teach for public schools because, despite the low salary, it's better than having to teach as a volunteer at a private school that literally can't afford to pay its teachers?

I have rethought how I will spend my potentional $31 savings next year. I will let my wife spend it on buying supplies for her classroom. She already spends a couple hundred each year so this extra $31 will help. Thanks again JSB.

Keep my $15-$31...PLEASE! The FUTURE of our community and nation will someday be in the hands of those who are students today. Teachers already have a hard enough time with their limited resources. To cut the budget so much just to save each homeowner so little is insanity when considering the potential consequences to education and safety.

For that extra $31 I can afford a couple extra cases of beer next year. Sounds great JSB.

Let's see, my house is worth substantially less than $140,000 (because my husband and I have a mortgage within our means) so I figure we'll save around $25 this year. School board members, if you're listening at all, please keep that $25 and put it toward the buzzer/door access systems at the middle school my son will attend. You are nickel and dime-ing this administration to death, and Janesville's kids are the ones taking the hit.
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Your job is NOT to pander to the taxpayers/voters who whine about what it costs to educate children (which benefits all of society), it's to provide a quality education for all the children of Janesville (which includes supplies, equipment, software, and training opportunities for staff). If the school system takes a nosedive, NO ONE will bring good jobs to Janesville. This is the time to invest in education!

Every penny helps in this economy we live in.

Let's erode the level of services, materials and supplies. If you think that cuts like this won't affect the students eventually, you're kidding yourself. Talk about cutting off your nose in spite of your face. So any estimates on how many people the $2.58/month will keep in their homes? Commissioner Murray's mother?