Fairhope, Alabama
REFERENDUM THIS TUESDAY
Representatives for and against the proposed new 3 mill property tax spoke and answered questions from audience members during a voter forum hosted by the Common Sense Campaign PAC at the Fairhope public library Thursday.
Proponent city councilman Robert Brown reviewed the history of the city's Educational Advisory Committee and it's yearly $350K contribution to area schools ... and the 2016 AKROBOS local school study that recommended what else is needed to be within the state's top ten systems: the extra $1.9 million would fund early intervention programs and professional development to do so, he said.
Opponent Dr. Lou Campomenosi (Common Sense Campaign PAC President) thought there were "enough taxes already" and called the issues raised by proponents "system level problems" better addressed by the school board in a county-wide fashion by "re-purposing funding already available."
Proponent Ken Cole pointed to the state's equity funding program as the reason the new tax is needed: a "Robin Hood" system that unfairly redistributes from wealthier districts in the state. All of the money raised by the new tax will stay here, he said, and will be used to improve the weakest student achievement areas identified by the AKROBOS study: reading and math scores.
Spanish Fort business owner Kevin Spriggs said he graduated from Fairhope High School and thought local sales taxes already make up for the shortfall in state property (foundation program) tax dollars. Too many taxes "take away freedom" from individuals and hurt business owners who have to pass them along to customers.
POTENTIAL USES QUESTIONED
Audience members questioned how the money would be spent, since the Fairhope ballot only mentions it will be used generally for "district public school purposes." (See video below.)
Cole said he hoped initially the money would be for those uses already spelled-out by the city's existing EAC (reading/math instructor support) ... but conceded it will ultimately be decided by a new nine-member public school commission to be appointed by the Fairhope city council; flexibility will be needed over the 30 year term of the tax to address new problems as they arise. Some restrictions on use of the money could be put into the new commission's by-laws when they are adopted, he said.
Spriggs citing the penny school tax extension as an example (click), warned that taxes often start out for one purpose ... but change completely over time as new administrations/officials are elected. (In January of 2017, a "temporary" penny school tax was made permanent by the county commission and 5% "skimmed off" for other uses, he said.)
Based upon the EAC's track record, Campomenosi thought the new commission could be trusted to decide how to spend the money appropriately.
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| Final school tax forum |
REFERENDUM THIS TUESDAY
Representatives for and against the proposed new 3 mill property tax spoke and answered questions from audience members during a voter forum hosted by the Common Sense Campaign PAC at the Fairhope public library Thursday.
Proponent city councilman Robert Brown reviewed the history of the city's Educational Advisory Committee and it's yearly $350K contribution to area schools ... and the 2016 AKROBOS local school study that recommended what else is needed to be within the state's top ten systems: the extra $1.9 million would fund early intervention programs and professional development to do so, he said.
Opponent Dr. Lou Campomenosi (Common Sense Campaign PAC President) thought there were "enough taxes already" and called the issues raised by proponents "system level problems" better addressed by the school board in a county-wide fashion by "re-purposing funding already available."
Proponent Ken Cole pointed to the state's equity funding program as the reason the new tax is needed: a "Robin Hood" system that unfairly redistributes from wealthier districts in the state. All of the money raised by the new tax will stay here, he said, and will be used to improve the weakest student achievement areas identified by the AKROBOS study: reading and math scores.
Spanish Fort business owner Kevin Spriggs said he graduated from Fairhope High School and thought local sales taxes already make up for the shortfall in state property (foundation program) tax dollars. Too many taxes "take away freedom" from individuals and hurt business owners who have to pass them along to customers.
POTENTIAL USES QUESTIONED
Audience members questioned how the money would be spent, since the Fairhope ballot only mentions it will be used generally for "district public school purposes." (See video below.)
Cole said he hoped initially the money would be for those uses already spelled-out by the city's existing EAC (reading/math instructor support) ... but conceded it will ultimately be decided by a new nine-member public school commission to be appointed by the Fairhope city council; flexibility will be needed over the 30 year term of the tax to address new problems as they arise. Some restrictions on use of the money could be put into the new commission's by-laws when they are adopted, he said.
Spriggs citing the penny school tax extension as an example (click), warned that taxes often start out for one purpose ... but change completely over time as new administrations/officials are elected. (In January of 2017, a "temporary" penny school tax was made permanent by the county commission and 5% "skimmed off" for other uses, he said.)
Based upon the EAC's track record, Campomenosi thought the new commission could be trusted to decide how to spend the money appropriately.
Comments
Where are the discussions of cuts and cost containment? Teacher accountability? Administration accountability? Political accountability?
Money is not the problem; the problem is that circle of unaccountable big spenders who live, like parasites, off of the taxpayers while are children languish.
NO to throwing more money into a bottomless well. NO, to higher taxes.
Some of their decisions are being made behind closed doors out of the public's view.
Throughout the land
And don't criticize
What you can't understand
Your sons and your daughters
Are beyond your command
Your old road is rapidly agin'
Please get out of the new one
If you can't lend your hand
For the times they are a-changin'