[Vision2020] Fortunately Phil Roderick and his Allies were Wrong

Wed Jun 1 14:06:55 PDT 2005

For all it's worth, MSD's enrollment has stabilized and is, in fact, 
increasing.  The addition of new single-family houses on the east and north 
sides of town almost assuredly will lead to an increase in student 
enrollment.  Further, I don't think for a moment that our City Council is 
against parochial schools.  Beyond that, we should be grateful that the levy 
in Boundary School District passed, because a threat to public education 
anywhere in the U.S. is a threat to all public education.

Kind of in the same way that weaving threads of inaccurate, ill-informed 
argument threatens the entire tapestry . . .

keely

From: Donovan Arnold <donovanjarnold2005 at yahoo.com>
To: Art Deco <deco at moscow.com>, Vision 2020 <vision2020 at moscow.com>
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Fortunately Phil Roderick and his Allies were 
Wrong
Date: Wed, 1 Jun 2005 09:33:03 -0700 (PDT)

Wayne,

Did you actually read the articles you posted? The
Boundary School District levy was less than what the
previous levy was. Therefore it was a tax cut. That is
why it was approved.

MSD has had a significant decrease in student
population (over 10%)and an increase in property tax
revenues with the increasing value of homes in Moscow.
We would have even less students in our public school
district it the Moscow City Council would be more
friendly to parochial schools.

This has never been about, or ever will be about
"saying 'Yes' for kids". It is always about
affordability and responsible use of taxpayer monies.

To believe that caring about education for children is
a conservative, liberal, or moderate agenda ONLY is
ignorant. Everyone in this city that I have ever met
cares about the future of the children in our
community.

Donovan J Arnold

--- Art Deco <deco at moscow.com> wrote:

 > Phil, et al,
 >
 > On May 4, 2005 you wrote the following about the
 > Boundary County School District:
 >
 > This is what happens when a brand new high school is
 > built and no money to maintain it. O & M money. Keep
 > in mind this is the second time this bond has come
 > up. It will fail again.
 >
 > If our School District and Trustees were doing their
 > job properly and did a simple 10% cut back of
 > expenditures and overhead, we would have the dollars
 > to build a brand new high school and for it to run
 > and do repairs on the elementary schools.
 >
------------------------------------------------------------
 >
 >
 > Boundary County identifies cuts if school levy vote
 > doesn't pass
 >
 > >From staff reports
 > May 4, 2005
 >
 > Boundary County's School Board has approved a list
 > of cuts to be made if voters reject a second-attempt
 > Maintenance and Operations Levy on May 31.
 >
 > The proposed levy, which would collect $799,700 a
 > year for two years, is about $185,000 less annually
 > than the levy expiring this spring....
 >
 >
 > Sorry Phil, see the news article posted below.
 >
 > Despite the fact that Boundary County is far, far
 > more impoverished and contains a much high
 > percentage of ultra-right wing and/or religious
 > crackpots than the Moscow School District, Boundary
 > County citizens again ponied up to keep the future
 > of their children brighter.  Although the district
 > will be forced into a four day school week, the
 > system will still be able to provide a basic,
 > enriching, giving-hope-to-those-who-wish-to-succeed
 > education.
 >
 > I attended Boundary schools from the fourth grade
 > through high school.  My family was on the extreme
 > lower edge of poverty.  I am very, very grateful to
 > the Boundary County citizens who sacrificed greatly
 > so that many of us were able to climb out of the
 > abyss of extreme poverty.  I know that many of my
 > former classmates feel the same way toward their
 > benefactors.  About 60% of my high school graduating
 > class went on to college or other educational
 > institutions.
 >
 >
 > Art Deco (Wayne A. Fox)
 > deco at moscow.com
 >
 >
 > _______________________________________________
 >
 > >From The Spokesman-Review, June 1, 2005
 >
 > Boundary voters pass school levy, avert cuts
 > Measure saves extracurricular activities, but
 > four-day week stays
 >             Saved
 >             The vote likely rescued Naples
 > Elementary from closure.
 >
 >
 >
 > Taryn Brodwater
 > Staff writer
 > June 1, 2005
 >
 > "Vote Yes for Kids" was the message levy supporters
 > carried as they walked the Kootenai River bridge in
 > Bonners Ferry on Tuesday.
 >
 > Voters in the Boundary County School District took
 > heed.
 >
 > A last-ditch effort to save everything from
 > extracurricular activities to a small, rural
 > elementary school was met with success. A
 > supplemental, two-year levy was approved with 57
 > percent of the vote Tuesday, sparing the district
 > from bone-deep budget cuts. The vote was 2,003 in
 > favor and 1,494 against, said district board
 > chairman Tina Wilson.
 >
 >
 > "We are proud of our community for stepping up to
 > the plate," Wilson said. "Everybody was working
 > together."
 >
 > The levy failed by 82 votes when put before voters
 > on March 29. Board members, who initially had said
 > there wouldn't be a second try, relented, rather
 > than make the deep cuts.
 >
 > The supplemental maintenance and operations levy
 > will collect $799,700 a year for the next two years.
 > The owner of a home with $100,000 taxable value will
 > pay about $149.51 a year - a reduction of $34.64
 > from the expiring levy.
 >
 > Because $185,000 less is being collected each year
 > of the levy, the district has already made some
 > money-saving moves, including shortening the school
 > week to four days.
 >
 > The vote appears to have saved Naples Elementary, a
 > small-town school slated for closure if the levy had
 > failed. It also saved school sports and other
 > extracurricular activities, secured the purchase of
 > new textbooks to replace outdated ones, and spared
 > more than $30,000 in technology funding. A handful
 > of positions, including those of rural elementary
 > principals, would have been eliminated.
 > >
_____________________________________________________
 >  List services made available by First Step
 > Internet,
 >  serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
 >
 >                http://www.fsr.net
 >
 >           mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
 >
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 >

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