On The conservative ‘happy warrior’
Posted on May 7 at 10:53 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
In the end, I wonder which is better. A centrist who pretends to be more conservative to get elected, or a leftist who pretends to be more centrist??
On The conservative ‘happy warrior’
Posted on May 7 at 10:18 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
whythink - Thought provoking comment comparing McCain and Obama. So would we agree that both McCain and Obama assumed there was a benefit in running a more conservative campaign?
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Say "Hi" for me and keep up the good work there.
On February referendum likely for Clinton schools
Posted on December 8 at 9:27 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
whatever. I hear you, and assuming your email was respectful (no reason to think otherwise) it was a mistake for the school b. pres. not to communicate back. It doesn't take long to at least thank you for taking the time to write.
Perhaps I'm too optomistic, but I think the general economy will be seeing some big improvements this Spring and that things will be picking up. And knowing how quickly building expenses and costs increase, we may end up paying a lot more for a lot less. I understand that it can be kind of tricky playing the "what if" game but I think we have to make our best judgment call on it.
Who knows, by Feb. we may even be seeing some of the upswing in the economy.
On February referendum likely for Clinton schools
Posted on December 5 at 12:39 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
whatever. Thx for the tax link, it's a good one and I would encourage people to take a look. Here's a bit of the info from that link:
Expense per pupil / Tax rate
Beloit - 10,296 / 10.36
Beloit Turner - 9,111 / 9.30
Brodhead - 8,575 / 8.09
Clinton - 9,222 / 10.29
Delavan-Darien - 8,375 / 6.79
Evansville - 8,577 / 9.81
Janesville - 9,041 / 7.71
Milton - 8,138 / 7.31
Palmyra-Eagle - 8,424 / 8.71
Parkview - 9,528 / 8.87
Sharon J11 (K-8)- 9,201 / 6.20
`
average: 8.49
For example:
property of $150,000.
at the average of $8.49 would = $1273.50/yr or $106.12/m
at Clinton’s rate of $10.29 = $1543.50/yr. or $128.63/m
Just the info, and then you can decide if that is out of control or not.
On February referendum likely for Clinton schools
Posted on December 5 at 12:05 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Voicing your opinion is doing something about, at least the first step. I would just want to encourage everyone to focus on how to be part of the solution.
On February referendum likely for Clinton schools
Posted on December 5 at 10:18 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
whatever . . . I must admit that I'm not sure procedurally how this would have to be done - but I would think we don't need the state to step in here. There must be some way that if we as a local gov't felt that we wanted to put limitations on how often the school board could present the same proposal, then we could do that. I very much do understand, but the fact remains that whether you think it's appropriate or not - there is nothing that currently restricts the school board from calling the same proposal.
On February referendum likely for Clinton schools
Posted on December 5 at 8:25 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
One thing I try to keep in mind is that school board members are individuals from the community, no different than you or I. They have the demands of their everyday lives & families and then on top of all that they are willing to serve in this way. I don't think those of us who have never served on such a board can really understand all the time and complexities involved in putting together these proposals. So whether I agree with their decisions on a specific issue or not, I believe it's important to communicate with (and about) them with respect. Trying to keep in mind all the time and effort that has been spent in researching and putting together the ref. proposal, I just can't get angry at them for asking the question again. If the community at large is against it, that will come through in the vote again. Great thing about the process is you have a voice and can hold accountable those you think have made bad choices. And the fact is there is nothing that prevents the board from calling the same proposal. Again - something that can be changed if enough people agree that there should be a mandatory waiting period before the question gets on a ballot.
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Like I try to tell my kids - if you don't like something, figure out how you can get involved and make it better.
On February referendum likely for Clinton schools
Posted on December 4 at 2:15 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
I do need to say that I don't live in the village though, and I'm sure the expenses of living in Turtle Township are much lower than the village itself. I understand things are tight right now for most of us and am not insensative to that. But I am not convinced that it will get any better in the next few years. We can probably count on building expenses going up and watching the price tag on any improvements rise with it. I'd be all for building new, but I have a feeling the expense would be much higher. I wouldn't mind seeing a comparison though - new vs. remodling.
On February referendum likely for Clinton schools
Posted on December 4 at 1:10 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Just a few thoughts on previous comments:
1) This has nothing to do with "living within their meens" - if the measure is not passed, no money will be spent.
2) My opinion is that it is resonable to have another vote in Feb. If that vote was still a "no" than it would be the school board's responsibility to rework the proposal and come back having made some changes, reducing the price tag. I wouldn't support continually calling the same proposal.
3)I currently have 2 kids in the district, and one more next year. I have worked for the District in the past, though not currently, as well as other local Districts. There are things that I am critical of the administration about and am well aware of the challenges that our teachers face. I know that test scores have been lower than in the past (something that has many contributing factors), but after sharing my concerns about this very issue with the CES administrator and staff, I am confident that they are taking serious steps to improve the situation. We will see in the next couple of years if those steps are in the right direction, and then it will be time for some accountability. But given all this - I wouldn't chose to have my kids in any other public school.
4) Personally, I'm not one that wants to throw money around (my own, or my comunity's) and tend to be very conservative when it comes to spending issues. However, investing in quality facilities for our children's education is one area that I am willing to spend, and make sacrifices in other areas if need be. What I don't like are those who react to any ref. question with a "NO!" without even taking the time to check out the details. I am not claiming that everyone who voted no, did so without being informed. But I do know that when the elementary school held some open houses for people to come and see 1st hand what changes were being proposed and ask questions/share concerns, pretty much nobody showed up.
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On Faith Community CARES and shares
Posted on May 18 at 1:08 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
I think this is really great! I really like how the church is willing to support ministries that already have good distribution systems in place. Why reinvent the wheel? A great demonstration of entire family of God working together, and meeting needs.