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Paul,<br><br>Yes you are correct I must have had a trpo in the calculator. <br><br>> Date: Fri, 9 Nov 2007 23:57:00 -0800<br>> From: godshatter@yahoo.com<br>> To: mattd2107@hotmail.com<br>> CC: vision2020@moscow.com<br>> Subject: Re: [Vision2020] [Bulk] RE: Why I'm going to vote Yes on the Levy<br>> <br>> Matt,<br>> <br>> Just a quick reply. First, if the budget is $20,260,923.00 and salaries <br>> are 81% of that, then the average salary is $20,360,923.00 * 0.81 / 175 <br>> = $94,241.99, not $114,285. Not that that makes much of a difference - <br>> it's still obviously taking other salaries into account. Also, the "and <br>> benefits" part is usually around a 33% increase in fringe benefits for <br>> State employees. I don't know the numbers for the school district, but <br>> my salary at the U of I has a 34% fringe associated with it, inflating <br>> it's real cost by about 4/3. Multiplying the $94,241.99 * 3/4 = <br>> $70681.49. The fringe takes into account employer amounts for taxes, <br>> insurance, and retirement.<br>> <br>> However, any speculation past that point is useless, because I don't <br>> know if their support staff is one guy or 500 people.<br>> <br>> Paul<br>> <br>> Matt Decker wrote:<br>> > Keely/all,<br>> ><br>> > First and foremost thanks for your drive and determination towards our <br>> > children's education. You've taken many steps to insure success. I <br>> > have to admit though, that I am unsure about giving my vote to the <br>> > levy. Let me explain. I have many questions and have heard from both <br>> > sides on this topic. So please let me give my thoughts, but also give <br>> > me hope that our schools will spend the money wisely.<br>> ><br>> > Candis Donicht wrote an opinion piece tonight in which she states that <br>> > MSD has a budget of $20,360,923. She also mentions that 81% of that <br>> > goes to "salaries and benefits". She further states that, "175 <br>> > teachers" are employed by MSD. Now bare with me, since I am a MSD <br>> > graduate. Twenty mil divided by 175=$114,285. We all know that can't <br>> > be true. So I will assume that this budget includes cooks, <br>> > assistants, lawn care, etc. Let's again assume that 500 people are <br>> > employed by the MSD, under this percentage. Twenty mil divided by <br>> > 500=$40,000. A great median wage. Now we are going to increase this <br>> > rate by 1.9 mil. A increase of 10.33%. Seems pretty high to me. Where <br>> > is this money going?<br>> ><br>> > Now I know I may not have all the numbers correct, but I also doubt <br>> > that they are too far off. To me Candice stating that 81% of the money <br>> > goes to pay scares me. Why should raising the rate of teachers pay <br>> > three times more then that of inflation, raise our level of education? <br>> > Money does not = education.<br>> ><br>> > Furthermore, Dale( I will be labeled as a kirker for mentioning his <br>> > name) Courtney brought up a valid point in his opinion piece. He <br>> > mentioned that the state tax has been raised by 1%, all of which is <br>> > for schools. Hopefully meaning that more is coming this way. Why not <br>> > wait another year?<br>> ><br>> > I also can't get over the fact that our neighboring cities pay less, <br>> > but have higher test scores. Pullman has less teachers, but yet again <br>> > beat us in most accounts. Again money does not = education<br>> ><br>> > Also cant understand how Moscow has lost student numbers, but yet we <br>> > insist on smaller numbers. Why? When I was there we had 25-30 students <br>> > per class(1984-95). Now we want smaller? Hey I'm all for it, but only <br>> > if the GPA rises. Which, I am unsure of.<br>> ><br>> > I have no problem giving my vote to this levy, but I need question <br>> > like these answered. Please give me hope.<br>> ><br>> > Thanks for your time<br>> > Matt<br>> ><br>> > ------------------------------------------------------------------------<br>> > From: kjajmix1@msn.com<br>> > To: godshatter@yahoo.com; vision2020@moscow.com<br>> > Date: Fri, 9 Nov 2007 21:30:17 -0800<br>> > Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Why I'm going to vote Yes on the Levy<br>> ><br>> > Thank you, Paul!<br>> ><br>> > keely<br>> ><br>> ><br>> ><br>> ><br>> > > Date: Fri, 9 Nov 2007 20:59:25 -0800<br>> > > From: godshatter@yahoo.com<br>> > > To: vision2020@moscow.com<br>> > > Subject: [Vision2020] Why I'm going to vote Yes on the Levy<br>> > ><br>> > > Just a few reasons:<br>> > ><br>> > > I can't underestimate the value of education in our community.<br>> > Forget<br>> > > evolution vs. intelligent design, think basic math skills, a<br>> > sense of<br>> > > history, simple reading skills, a knowledge of the language we<br>> > speak,<br>> > > and a basic understanding of science. Where would we be today if we<br>> > > didn't value education? Do you like that computer you're reading<br>> > this<br>> > > with? Are you happy to know that the hospital is just down the<br>> > street<br>> > > if you have some kind of medical problem? Would you rather drive<br>> > to the<br>> > > ocean, or walk? The more data we have to live life, the better<br>> > it will<br>> > > become. The more we all know, the better off we all are. This<br>> > > prosperity results in real-world economic development. This<br>> > makes us<br>> > > richer as a community. Our poorest people are richer than much<br>> > of the<br>> > > rest of the world.<br>> > ><br>> > > So, education is important. But why not educate everyone<br>> > individually?<br>> > > Why centralize it?<br>> > ><br>> > > Well, first you have economies of scale. There is more to<br>> > learning than<br>> > > just sitting around the teacher on the floor in a semi-circle,<br>> > listening<br>> > > to him or her reading you stories. You need books and supplies. You<br>> > > need places to work, and you need prepared lessons. Centralizing<br>> > all<br>> > > this makes sense. Why expect every family to buy a microscope? Or a<br>> > > bunsen burner? Or a wall map of the US? Why dump a substantial<br>> > amount<br>> > > of money individually when we can spend less by centralizing it?<br>> > ><br>> > > You also have the benefits of specialization. We teach our teachers<br>> > > about one particular subject until they become experts on it.<br>> > Why ask<br>> > > everyone to learn everything about all subjects? We also teach our<br>> > > teachers how to teach. It's not simple, and just faking your way<br>> > > through it is not recommended. Why expect all of us to learn this?<br>> > > Granted, it's probably very useful, but we have a limited amount<br>> > of time<br>> > > and a limited number of neurons. Learning all this takes time,<br>> > and the<br>> > > ones who have learned it the best cost money. Yet we need them<br>> > desperately.<br>> > ><br>> > > Public education is the great equalizer. People who can't afford to<br>> > > teach their children, whether it's because of finances or time<br>> > > commitments or lack of knowledge in some areas, will still be<br>> > able to<br>> > > give them an education. Every child, no matter their background,<br>> > has<br>> > > the opportunity to excel in their learning. Who will become the<br>> > next<br>> > > great physicist, or mathematician, or musician? It's also a great<br>> > > springboard. Who will be in the right place with the right set<br>> > of facts<br>> > > and the knowledge to make use of them and do the next great thing?<br>> > > That's why I want to live forever. So I can see what people keep<br>> > coming<br>> > > up with as the world progresses.<br>> > ><br>> > > Another reason for centralization is the changing nature of the<br>> > world we<br>> > > live in. All of us spend much of our lifetime unlearning things we<br>> > > learned as children. Some of it was simply our misunderstandings<br>> > as we<br>> > > developed and are simply later correcting. Other facts, though,<br>> > have<br>> > > simply been shown to be wrong. Look how much physics has changed<br>> > in the<br>> > > last 50 years. Subjects like history change as we realize more<br>> > about<br>> > > our past. Geography changes as world events progress. Even with<br>> > > relatively slowly changing fields, such as mathematics, new ways of<br>> > > imparting knowledge to others in these areas are found. Teaching<br>> > > incorrect knowledge is probably worse than not teaching that<br>> > knowledge<br>> > > at all. This corrected knowledge needs to be assimilated, and it's<br>> > > inefficient to have to teach every homemaker just to have them<br>> > teach<br>> > > their kids the next day. It's more efficient to have those<br>> > specialists<br>> > > I mentioned previously get updated on their subjects. It's faster,<br>> > > because they are subject experts, and there are fewer of them to<br>> > teach.<br>> > > It's also easier to require that they get updated on their<br>> > subjects.<br>> > ><br>> > > So why support this levy, specifically? Because, in my humblest of<br>> > > opinions, every penny we can afford to throw at it we will see back<br>> > > again a hundred-fold in the future as a community. I'm sure<br>> > there's a<br>> > > line out there past which any increases will not help. I think<br>> > we are<br>> > > so far away from the breakpoint that it's silly to talk about<br>> > it. Also,<br>> > > the appropriateness of this levy has been put into question.<br>> > Show our<br>> > > community that we know how important education is by voting Yes<br>> > on this.<br>> > ><br>> > > Paul<br>> > ><br>> > > =======================================================<br>> > > List services made available by First Step Internet,<br>> > > serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.<br>> > > http://www.fsr.net<br>> > > mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com<br>> > > =======================================================<br>> ><br>> > ------------------------------------------------------------------------<br>> > Windows Live Hotmail and Microsoft Office Outlook – together at<br>> > last. 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