Comments on Our Loudoun Schools: Final Budget Votes, FY09

"Everyone should pay the same percentage of whatev...

2008-04-15T18:35:00.000-04:00

"Everyone should pay the same percentage of whatever base measure is being used."

So I think we are somewhat on the same page here, we just disagree on the base measure. I think a blending of property and use would be more fair that just using the base measure of property.

What is the downside to that blending?

Edmund,

The question of fairness is always ...

2008-04-15T15:47:00.000-04:00

Edmund,

The question of fairness is always interesting. It so often depends on perspective and philosophy, and in this case the base assumptions.

To me, a fixed tax is the most fair. Everyone pays the same amount. I see this as a per person tax, so a family of four would pay more than a family of two.

You may want to call this a regressive tax. But I find that term

m. prell,

Which is more fair in this instan...

2008-04-13T22:04:00.000-04:00

m. prell,

Which is more fair in this instance in your view:

A regressive tax?
A progressive tax?
A proportional tax?

Edmunds proposal is intriguing. The negative repl...

2008-04-12T21:19:00.000-04:00

Edmunds proposal is intriguing. The negative replies are interesting. But I wonder if those who are so strongly opposed to the idea of differing property tax rates make the same argument about differing income tax rates?

I suspect not, which is unfortunate because they are right. We are all part of a society based on freedom and justice. We must contribute equally or it becomes a

John --

I think you were right in voting ag...

2008-04-09T16:26:00.000-04:00

John --

I think you were right in voting against the whiteboards at this time.

Though I think these would be a great asset in any classroom, I don't think current circumstances warrant being early adapters of this technology accross the entire system.

Prediction: In three years, this technology will be far more capable and cost half of what it does now.

No

Yikes.

I'm getting a lot of emotional respo...

2008-04-09T13:19:00.000-04:00

Yikes.

I'm getting a lot of emotional responses here and would rather look a the proposal dispassionately.

I'll work from the bottom up:

I don't think a whole new bureaucracy would need to be created. The mechanisms for reporting children would be no more difficult than the current business tax method.

Jaelyn, there was a $100 "supply fee" being discussed (I

Edmund's split tax rate is silly, are we going to ...

2008-04-09T11:39:00.000-04:00

Edmund's split tax rate is silly, are we going to have gov't trackers to see who is tell the truth? You created a whole new bureacracy.

As for the snarky teacher, buck up. With a poor outlook you may end up accentuating the negative. Teachers have been teaching to the middle for hundreds of years, what's new? I feel sorry for the teacher's that have to deal with difficult parents because

So, Edmund, when those children grow up and become...

2008-04-09T10:55:00.000-04:00

So, Edmund, when those children grow up and become contributing members to society, should they look upon you and say, "You only contributed to a portion of my education. Therefore, I can/will only contribute a portion of my taxes to the transportation dept. that clears the street of snow in front of your house or the police officer that patrols your neighborhood. After all you turned your back

Edmund, the post after yours sums it up perfectly....

2008-04-09T08:56:00.000-04:00

Edmund, the post after yours sums it up perfectly. We all (society)owe it to the next generation to provide the best opportunity for their success....and ultimately our generation. I understand the frustration some may feel by having to pay taxes for schools, and yet they have no children in the school. But, again as a society we need to help this generation, and our society (I think more so

Well, the notion that we all contribute equally to...

2008-04-09T08:45:00.000-04:00

Well, the notion that we all contribute equally to society would be great in practice. As you know it doesn't happen.

Please don't take my suggestion as saying that some should pay nothing and some should pay all. Rather some pay more and some less. This has already been proposed with "material fees" for parents to pay in SB discussions.

Someone paying the lower rate (who are

Although I'm not the anonymous teacher, Edmund, I ...

2008-04-09T06:19:00.000-04:00

Although I'm not the anonymous teacher, Edmund, I would like to respond to your suggestion. A group of people who come together for their mutual benefit is a society, a country, a civilization. We must all contribute equally or else we start pitting one need against another. I don't have a public library anywhere near me, but I'm willing to pay taxes to support them. I've never needed aid (

Teacher, I'm curious what you think about the noti...

2008-04-09T00:00:00.000-04:00

Teacher, I'm curious what you think about the notion of people that have children pay a higher rate ($1.21) and those without children a lower rate ($1.14).

Anyone else?

We have yet to see the real impact this reduction ...

2008-04-08T21:54:00.000-04:00

We have yet to see the real impact this reduction in the budget will cause. The new teacher positions that were cut (and those that move on to better money in Fairfax..with a lower tax rate as was mentioned) will affect your children down the road more so than right this instant. Yes, teachers will still do the best job they can...that is why we are professionals, which may be a surprise to

Michele, the sky did not, in fact, fall. Chicken L...

2008-04-08T19:12:00.000-04:00

Michele, the sky did not, in fact, fall. Chicken Little was wrong.

So the doom and gloom predictions of the School Bo...

2008-04-08T17:35:00.000-04:00

So the doom and gloom predictions of the School Board members - the horrendous impact that the budget cuts would have on our children's education if they came to pass - did not come true. What a shocker! Once again, the Board members used the usual scare tactics to stir up parental support via the PTAs and PTOs, and yet when push came to shove, the cuts that were approved have little to no

Sorry, I understood you to mean the "New Initiativ...

2008-04-08T15:07:00.000-04:00

Sorry, I understood you to mean the "New Initiatives" part of our budget, which was indeed less than $2M. You can find complete budget information on the LCPS website (see the "FY09 Budget Information" link in the right sidebar) and throughout this blog (click the "Budget" category in the issues list on the right sidebar.

John, that's less than 2 million.
I'm referring...

2008-04-08T15:01:00.000-04:00

John, that's less than 2 million.
I'm referring to what the full funding of the budget would have covered.

The New Initiatives were listed on page 13 of the ...

2008-04-08T13:46:00.000-04:00

The New Initiatives were listed on page 13 of the School Board's adopted budget executive summary. Total FTEs: 28. Total cost: $1,996,328.

Provide additional secretarial assitance in the largest elementary schools beginning in January 2009. (cut)
Expand the full day Kindergarten program to the only four additional elementary schools in the county with current underenrollment (now 3

Seems to me that funding full-day kindergarten cou...

2008-04-08T12:23:00.000-04:00

Seems to me that funding full-day kindergarten county-wide should get preference over any new technology, no matter how useful.

Is it possible to list the "new initiatives" that ...

2008-04-08T11:55:00.000-04:00

Is it possible to list the "new initiatives" that LCPS had proposed in its original budget in November that have been eliminated due to insufficient funds from the County and State? I think it is very important for the public to know what they will not be getting.

I think having interactive whiteboards in Middle S...

2008-04-08T09:18:00.000-04:00

I think having interactive whiteboards in Middle Schools is a good idea that does not have the support of the community. Because they do not have the community's support, I voted against them. The other members of the School Board feel that the whiteboards do have community support, and voted for them.

John, were you against the whiteboards in Jr HS or...

2008-04-08T08:55:00.000-04:00

John, were you against the whiteboards in Jr HS or am I misreading?