2008 school taxes = X 2010 school taxes = X + 42% ----------------------- Hate to break the news to ya, but my kids in school apparently are going into debt for their own education beyond fubar. I can't imagine at this rate they will get an education to support/find a job to pay for primary schooling they've just finished and afford a house at these tax increases. What are we doing for the children? Putting them in debt so the boomer generation has a nice retirement? When does this end or how will this end?
Most of the money for "school tax increases" goes to fund a more lavish teachers' retirement plan. We need the states to officially go BANKRUPT... so that union contracts can be dissolved and renegotiated.... reasonably, sanely this time.
My wife and I are looking for a house in Westchester County, NY and we kinda liked a place in Hartsdale, near Scarsdale. House isn't that grand, but definitely a step up from the condo-living lifestyle we have out grown. The tax bill for the house is a little over 20k/yr, and they break it down for you with 5k going for county bs and 15k going for the school system. 15K! 3/4 of my tax bill is going to the schools. Granted Westchester schools have a reputation of being good, but 3/4 of my tax bill? With this tax bite, no need to send the kids to private school.
I live in NJ and I sent my kids to private school. Under the NJ State and Property Tax interaction, the affluent town I live in did not receive very much state support, so my property taxes are very high. Most Rich and Poor NJ towns spend over $20,000 per student per year. So, I paid $30,000 a year per kid per year to send my kids to private school. The private school fee is high becuase they need to raise funds for need scholorships to secure a diversified student profile. So, I paid for my kids and somebody elses kid. I paid high state income tax that included education subsidies that was distributed to other towns that I do not live in and caused my town to charge very high school taxes (becuase they did not get subsidies...so, I paid to educate high tax to educate kids in my town, but not my own kids and I paid high tax to educate kids in other towns through the state but not my kids and I paid high fees to educate my kids and somebody elses kid at private school. I figure that I paid to educate a whole tribe of kids. I sent each kid to public university and I paid tuitions of over $40,000 each year for each kid. These fees are high so that the schools can give aid to other students to keep a diversified student body. So, I paid for my own kids college and I paid for some other kids college. Recently the parish priest invited me to dinner and put the arm on me to make a contribution to the parish becuase they had spent so much money on thier elementary school, that now has debt for the capital improvement and operates at an annual loss that needs to be funded by an endowment...that paris school educates kids from the parish, but mostly less well off kids from other parishes. Here again the Priest wants me to help pay to educate somebocy elses kids. I figure I must own a whole school somewhere.
There was just a vote for a school tax increase to bridge the budget gap of over 20 million. It was voted down!! Maybe there is hope after all
I say cut education by 75% and only teach reading, writing & math. Anything else you want your kid to learn, you pay for on your dime. That way everyone gets a basic education and has the ability to learn on their own after that. Look at ben franklin. He was only in school from age 8 to age 10. Evidence that parenting is better than just shoving your kid in a public school for 12 years and HOPING he decides to do something with his life.
Bring back child labor. This will solve the illegal immigrant problem too, because their kids won't be in school. They'll be in sweatshops, so if they stay, it makes a lot of sense. The key will be to make sure the sweatshop jobs stay, otherwise they will revolt. School is not a right. It is a privilege.
You are thinking child labor in the US is the same as child labor in other countries. But the fact is that when a child worked, it was under an apprenticeship and business owners were only supposed to have 1 apprentice at a time. It wasnt like the nike factories in indonesia here. Children mature faster when they work at a younger age. In the US we act like 18 year olds are still children. Its F-ing ridiculous how americans baby their offspring for so long. How many of you, whenever you go out to eat dinner, still expect your parents to pick up the check? A good deal of you, I bet. Thats what happens when you baby your kids until age 18(and beyond)
The problem isn't the students, its the teachers unions and the administrators. Our school district just built two new lavish high school football stadiums less than a mile apart and now they are crying they're out of money and need to raise the levy. I don't even have any kids and have been paying for everyone elses kid's education all my life. Enough already.
Locally the last settled contract I saw was at 4% a year for 5 years. The state pensions are very underfunded so down the line something bad will happen with taxes, unless teachers will make up the difference.