[Vision2020] school facilities discussion

[Brent Bradberry]

    I am one of those old codgers who vote. I welcome tax increases 
about as much as visits to the dentist. However, I make dentist 
appointments when my teeth need repair, and I vote for tax increases 
when my schools need repair. By "my schools" I mean, of course, public 
schools. Our own children are long past school age, but our youngest 
daughter attended MJHS and graduated from MHS (class of '88). We have a 
granddaughter who graduated from the Alternative HS and a grandson now 
attending MJHS (who would most likely graduate before he could benefit 
from any facilities improvements). But whether our own progeny benefit 
directly or not,  support for the public schools is a civic 
responsibility which I believe many  (most?)  older voters take seriously.
     I have only one suggestion re: the recent survey; my wife was one 
of those selected to respond, and we discussed the options. Although the 
options were clearly specified, I think now that the presentation of the 
three "packages" was inadvertently counterproductive because any 
individual might support one component of a given plan more or less than 
another component - thus causing a "leveling" effect on the results. I 
think it would have been better to have presented  the components 
individually (even those which are linked from a practical standpoint, 
such as the fates of Russell and West Park), and to have asked 
respondents to prioritize the list by ladder rank. I can't guarantee the 
results to have been clearer, but I think so.
    In any case, let's keep talking and thinking. I want to see better 
facilities in my lifetime!
Brent Bradberry
Art Deco wrote:

> Debbie, Keely, Jack, et al,
>
> We (my wife and I) have generally been very supportive of public 
> education. We have both benefited greatly from it.  We believe that a 
> well-designed public education program is an absolutely essential part 
> of a participatory democracy and a competitive country in the global 
> marketplace [now more than ever].
>
> Having said that, I will now be a curmudgeon again:
>
>
> In my opinion, it is going to be difficult to pass any significant 
> school bond levy because:
>
>
> 2.    The percentage of citizens on fixed incomes who may not be able 
> to easily afford a tax increase has increased.  These are older people 
> who are more likely to vote.
>

-- 
Brent Bradberry, Ph. D.
Professor of Mathematics, emeritus
Lewis-Clark State College
Commander, U. S. Navy (retired)

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Moscow, Idaho 83843-7445
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