Lee's Summit R-7 school district's 2009 budget was $193 million dollars (excluding bond funds). $193 Million Dollars. And now they want to borrow more money.
How much? $16 million dollars.
I ask all citizens registered to vote in Lee's Summit to Vote NO on Lee's Summit R-7 School Bond Question in the upcoming April 6 election.
The question on the ballot reads thus:
"Shall Reorganized School District No. 7 of Jackson County, Missouri, incur indebtedness and issue its general obligation bonds in the amount of $16,000,000 for the purpose of constructing additions to, remodeling, renovating, repairing and improving Hazel Grove Elementary and Pleasant Lea Middle schools, constructing and equipping an auxiliary gymnasium at Bernard Campbell Middle School; constructing additions to, remodeling, renovating, repairing and improving various other elementary schools, middle schools and high schools; constructing and equipping a new building for women’s and men’s physical education, activity and athletic programs and an all district robotics center located at Lee’s Summit High School; making energy saving improvements and improving technology district-wide; renovating and repairing high school tennis courts and replacing grass fields with all-weather artificial turf at all district high school stadiums and construction of softball fields at Lee’s Summit North High School and renovation and repair of tracks at all district middle schools; purchasing school buses; purchasing land for a middle school site; and improving, renovating, remodeling and repairing existing school buildings and furnishing and equipping the same?"
Talk about a run-on sentence. I hope the school district didn't compose it.
Notice the kitchen sink of items involved. It reminds me of a pork bomb of earmarks from the Congress in D.C.:
"...an auxiliary gymnasium; an all district robotics center; a new building for physical education; renovate tennis courts; replace grass with artificial turf at district stadiums; new softball fields; land for another new school; furnishing and equipping existing schools..."
That last item is most troubling because it's so vague, like a blank check.
As with all pleas for bond indebtedness, it's touted as a "no tax increase" bond issue - for the children. Which is true. But few stop to realize that bond indebtedness is paid for with your property taxes over a very long time. Your tax rate ostensibly does not increase, but the more bond indebtedness incurred, the longer the county tax payers are in debt. In other words, the schools are again asking to spend your children's property prosperity today before those kids are even old enough to earn it tomorrow - kinda like the Obama administration's catastrophic budget policy.
To be fair (and we are nothing, if not fair, here at lb1901), the R-7 district has done better than many surrounding districts at meeting the budget challenges from a collapsed economy, failed businesses, record unemployment, a shrinking tax base, and reduced state funding for education. But given the Obama administration's furious and continuous pattern of proposed tax and policy burdens upon this already battered economy, I find it highly irresponsible & shortsighted to vote ourselves, here in Eastern Jackson County, into even more indebtedness - especially when it's our children who will be paying for it.
The Lee's Summit R-7 district will simply have to do what many of the citizens have already had to do: trim their own budgets and go without all the extra goodies - like a robotics center, softball fields, astroturf, and new buildings. Times are tough. 2010 isn't the right time. Maybe we can all hope for something to change in 2012.
I ask all citizens registered to vote in Lee's Summit to Vote NO on Lee's Summit R-7 School Bond Question in the upcoming April 6 election.
