[Vision2020] re: In defense of beating people up.

[Dale Courtney]

Doug Farris wrote: 
> Speaking of drinking that wonderful honey drink ... mead.....

I've had two bottles sitting in my wine rack for the last 2 years. I wasn't
sure how to heat it and spice it correctly. Bring the family over and let's
open them up!

> Looks like the state coffers will be 23.6 million smaller for 
> government education this spring.....

Doug, I'm having a *blast* today. I got a copy of the MST Annual Financial
Report. This is a *very* enlightening document. I'm going to post my
observations later on next week. 

But for starters, State funding for teaching salaries, administrative
salaries, and classified salaries is based on an average daily attendance
unit count. Since MSD has been losing students at a rate of 3.5% per year
(for the last 7 years), the State funding to MSD is going down. Now that
seems reasonable, doesn't it? Basing funding on the number of students you
have to educate? 

Well, since MSD *refuses* to downsize services at the rate to match the
number of students (allegedly their "activity cost"), the only thing that
they can do is scream "levy!!!!". In fact, Moscow has had the following levy
increases:

1991: $3.796 M (indefinite!)
1995: $4,546 M (indefinite!)
2001: $1.1   M (supplemental)

So what we are being told is that MSD needs more and more money in order to
educate fewer-and-fewer children. 

Just beats the heck out of me how they can justify that to the property-tax
payers. Oh, wait! It's because a majority of people eligible to vote don't
have to pay direct property taxes. Duh! But that's a discussion for a
different time...
 
> Time to get those yard signs dusted off.....

Remember the mantra: "Investing in our Children's Future!" But it's time to
turn that back on the School Board: the money is *really* "for the system".

At some point, the people in Moscow will figure out that they are being
duped, and that each of these levies are actually going to support
non-instruction costs. Last year, the teachers had a 0% pay increase while
Support Services went up 4 percent.

Can someone tell me *how* you can have a decrease in 2.7% enrollment per
year for 7 years (12.9% since 1996) and need to have a bloating budget? 

*If* MSD had to be run fiscally responsibly (read: like a private
institution does), the nonsense would stop. 
 
> what do ya say Dale to a cup of mead... eh?

Any time!  Maybe something stiffer. The financial report is giving me a
migraine. 

Dale