Are you paying attention to your local school budgets?

[egoldber]

It's school budget time of year. Our district is looking at hard and deep cuts that could impact a lot of families.

Higher teacher-student ratios (on top of increases last year)
Cutting full day K
Eliminating buses to GT centers and magnets
Cutting band and strings in elementary school
Fees for AP and IB exams
Eliminating foreign languages in the elementary schools
Eliminating middle school sports
Fees for high school sports

And maintaining from last year, no teacher raises and continuing a teacher hiring freeze.

There are also planned "staff reductions" and hints at school closings.

[mytwosons]

I've definitely been paying attention. Districts around us are in big trouble - bankruptcy, etc. We have a mileage election coming up that is stirring up a lot of debate. We've already had pay freezes and staffing cuts. Teachers don't have basic supplies like paper. If the mileage doesn't pass, it's unclear how they will make ends meet. Cutting all transportation won't even come close to closing the gap.

[egoldber]

Yes, they are projecting a $175 million dollar short fall for fiscal year 2011. We had a large short fall last year as well, but got unexpected money from the ARRA act (aka stimulus) so were able to not cut as deep last year. But this year the ARRA money is not there.

[TwinFoxes]

Beth, I'm pretty sure we just bought a house in your district...for the schools of course! I heard about this yesterday and just hoped that things will turn around by the time the girls start. But I find that doubtful. :( I was so happy to be living somewhere with good schools, especially after moving from the dismal LA-USD. Our schools are still way better than LA's, but I hope this isn't a slippery slope.

[JenaW]

In our area it seems like a lot of the cuts are the direct result of the state decreasing funding for the schools. This makes NO sense to me. Education is our future. If our children can't get a quality, well-rounded education, how can we expect to further our society? Our city schools are already so abysmal that I am not sure how they can even survive further cuts. And I absolutely LOVE that the legislatures can give themselves a hefty raise, yet teacher's salaries are frozen AGAIN!

[egoldber]

Well, I do think that the schools here are still quite good compared to many. The problem is that it is a HUGE district with a lot of variability. Some schools are well run, not over crowded and are amazing. Some schools are not well run with all the accompanying issues. Some schools are over crowded, but still well run and do a nice job. And there is lots of variation on those themes.

Honestly, I think almost any child from a family that provides a solid foundation will get a good education in practically any school in FCPS.

We have gotten used to a lot of extras that made the experience (despite my many and vocal complaints LOL) well worth it. The loss of the Chinese program at Sarah's school will be a huge sadness to me. They did an amazing job with it. She has really been looking forward to strings when she was a 4th grader. If they cut buses to GT Centers, our options for school choice will be limited.

[egoldber]

In our area it seems like a lot of the cuts are the direct result of the state decreasing funding for the schools.

Our funding comes from the state, but most is from county property taxes. Plummeting property values have directly affected the schools.

[MoJo]

I'm paying attention, both because our local district is in a lot of financial trouble and because DH is a high school teacher.




Higher teacher-student ratios (on top of increases last year)
Cutting full day K
Eliminating buses to GT centers and magnets
Cutting band and strings in elementary school
Fees for AP and IB exams
Eliminating foreign languages in the elementary schools
Eliminating middle school sports
Fees for high school sports

And maintaining from last year, no teacher raises and continuing a teacher hiring freeze.

I know it's got be hard to lose all that.

But our schools, and the schools we attended as kids, never had most of that. We didn't have instruments or language in elementary; there are no GT centers or magnet schools (much less bussing to them); we had to pay for AP exams and fees for any extracurricular activities we were in.

Most of my IRL friends (with school age children) live in one of the very best districts in a twelve-county area, and I know they don't have any of that. They have good programs and good test scores, but nothing like that.

In our district, we are literally looking at how to keep the roof on one of the buildings and how to keep the plumbing and electrical systems going in the others, plus too many of the busses are too old and breaking down too frequently. And we're in arguably the best district in our county (there are five districts in my county.) We're in Ohio, and at 10% unemployment officially (higher if you count the many people who've been looking too long to still qualify for unemployment benefits), so we can't afford the gigantic tax increase the super wants to get the millions to pay for all of that. (Because, really, they need three new school buildings and at least 10 newer busses.)

Knowing they are likely to lose at least one building before anything can be done, they are trying to figure out how to consolidate into two buildings instead of three, but at this point the majority of the students are still here (almost no one can sell their home, if they could find work someplace else.)

I sure hope things turn around for everyone involved.

[egoldber]

But our schools, and the schools we attended as kids, never had most of that.

No, mine didn't either. I realize these are not "necessary", like a roof or plumbing and we are fortunate that our cuts are only to "extras". Although class sizes averaging almost 30 to 1 in early elementary is not an "extra" IMO.

But I think a lot of people don't pay attention to school budget discussions and are often surprised when those cuts then directly impact them and their families. Buses and full day K are huge issues for working families here.

[hellokitty]

Our district is not looking too hot, b/c the GM plant (biggest employer in our city) is closing by next yr, so ppl will be losing jobs and moving away and the city will be losing out on tax $ from GM. So, we haven't seen things get really bad yet, BUT I can see it going south pretty fast by next yr.

[mamicka]

Thanks for the reminder, Beth.

I'd be thrilled if the schools just managed to keep bullying (both large-scale & small) in check & keep the ratios down so each child was actually paid attention to. I'd gladly give-up all the "extras" if that would happen.

[TwinFoxes]

Honestly, I think almost any child from a family that provides a solid foundation will get a good education in practically any school in FCPS.



ITA. Things would have to get really bad before they approach LAUSD levels!

A lot of the things being cut ARE things I had growing up, so I know how valuable they are, even if they are technically extra. But from researching the district (and our soon to be local schools) I'm still confident that the girls will get a good education.

[lfp2n]

Yes our schools are looking at making a lot of cuts. The city school system was assessed by a 'consultancy firm' and the state will only pick up the tab if a certain number of suggestions are implemented, these include cutting a whole elementary school, or cutting the upper elementary, changing the grade configuration of elementary and middle school. As we are in 1st grade and plan to stay here these changes will directly impact us. I think a final decision will be made this year. As you say decreasing property taxes has had a huge impact on revenues.

[kransden]

It's grim here too. Since these are poor districts to begin with there isn't much left to cut out.

[Ceepa]

Thanks for the reminder. Everyone should stay involved with their local schools. They affect so much for each resident.


Beth, I'm pretty sure we just bought a house in your district...for the schools of course! I heard about this yesterday and just hoped that things will turn around by the time the girls start. But I find that doubtful. I was so happy to be living somewhere with good schools, especially after moving from the dismal LA-USD. Our schools are still way better than LA's, but I hope this isn't a slippery slope.

Sadly, FCPS aren't what they used to be. Personally, I think the county has been sitting on the "best schools" label for years without guaranteeing the label still fits. The downward trend has been around for quite a while. Some big factors: population outpacing the school growth and the relative decrease in funding. There was once a level of countywide excellence rather than, for example, an innovative program at one school and noteworthy staff at another.

I still think there is currently value in FCPS, but it doesn't seem to me there is any movement to stop the decline and rebuild the system.

[kijip]

In our area it seems like a lot of the cuts are the direct result of the state decreasing funding for the schools. This makes NO sense to me. Education is our future. If our children can't get a quality, well-rounded education, how can we expect to further our society? Our city schools are already so abysmal that I am not sure how they can even survive further cuts. And I absolutely LOVE that the legislatures can give themselves a hefty raise, yet teacher's salaries are frozen AGAIN!

I agree that education is very important and the cuts are not something I support in my city. But I think it is more complicated than you describe. Most states are facing significant budget shortfalls as property tax, sales tax and business tax revenue declined in most cases during the recession. I frankly doubt there are many legislators, regardless of political persuasion that are cutting or looking at cutting school budgets gleefully. Many are operating with a balanced budget law or constitutional amendment so running in the red for a year or two while the economy improves is not feasible. I don't know about other states but in my state legislator pay is about $40,000 for the year. Here I can definitely say that the shortfall is not caused by legislator pay. It's caused by the economy. In my state and city it is one of the last things cut, but essentially everything is getting cut in some way and we are talking basic services like health care, roads, higher education, K-12 education. Voters here have passed, in the same years, laws mandating increases to education and cuts to taxes. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that, all else being roughly equal, that this is an impossible equation. I do think the economy is an overused excuse, but most states are facing severe budget gaps and that calls spending priorities and allocations into question.

[kijip]

We have school closures (some of which may have been needed- we have a spread out city and some grade schools were under-enrolled), some layoffs here and there and an increased need for PTAs to fund stuff, like music, that should be in the budget already. They are also counting pennies over transportation, which will limit school choices. I am sure there will be more school cuts and while not under a strict hiring freeze, they certainly are not hiring. Class size in most clusters is a function of over-enrollment/population growth in the K-3 set and not strictly cuts...but they should be expanding and adding capacity, not holding steady which has the end result of a cut.

My state has a constitutional amendment to fund K-12 education first and fully. Fully is shrinking a bit, that is for sure. However, higher education is not constitutionally protected and the community and state 4 year colleges are looking at big cuts coming up.

[JustMe]

Hmmn, are everyone's school districts' doing their budget now? I have not heard anything around here and there is nothing on our district's website other than something about new budget committee members.

It is scary and sad to have cuts to a system that already doesn't have enough for all it is trying to accomplish.

[mommylamb]

Beth- We're in the same school district, and I must admit that I haven't been paying much attention because DS isn't school aged yet, but those sorts of cuts are terrible. We moved here for the schools too (or we would have just stayed in Alexandria city and had a shorter commute).

I hate that school funding is primarily a local funding stream. Property taxes seems to be the worst funding source for this stuff because the housing market can be volitile.

[jenmcadams]

My state has a constitutional amendment to fund K-12 education first and fully. Fully is shrinking a bit, that is for sure. However, higher education is not constitutionally protected and the community and state 4 year colleges are looking at big cuts coming up.

Colorado has a similar measure in place and honestly it's caused lots of problems. I'm all for funding schools as much as possible, but I guess it's the conservative/libertarian side of me that just thinks everyone needs to share the burden and everyone needs to share the riches from a state budget perspective. I completely understand the sentiment behind such amendments, but I think they're inherently flawed. Basically, putting constitutional measures in place regarding funding levels because people think their legislators aren't funding things correctly can cause problems later when the financial/economic situation changes drastically in either direction. CO has had to make huge cuts to other vital areas (police, highways, benefits for the disabled, etc.) to maintain it's funding of schools. I would rather there be more stringent oversight of all spending (b/c there's obviously waste everywhere).

As an example of (to me) wasteful spending, our school district (the largest in CO and generally a pretty high performing one) made pretty significant cuts in a lot of programs last year, but made putting an Instructional Coach in every school a priority (over classroom teachers). My sister is a principal and most of my close friends are teachers and everyone disagreed with this change. Coaches can play a great role in underperforming schools and can be instrumental in helping schools when new curricula are being rolled out or new programs implemented, but our schools are not doing either one of these things. They're using pretty established literacy programs and they've been using the same Math program for the last 5 years with no plans to switch it any time soon. My friends in education say that Coach positions tend to pull too many top classroom teachers out of the classroom and then they end up in relatively undefined roles with little student contact.

My DD is in a wonderful, blue ribbon neighborhood school with average class sizes of 18-22 in Grades 1-3 (jumps to 28-30 in grades 4-6). They do have instrumental music (gr 4-6), great Art, PE and Music specials and a well funded PTA that buys tons of laptop carts, smart boards, document cameras, etc. for the classes. The library is beautiful, classroom teachers are great and experienced and it's overall an idyllic elementary school. The parent population is involved, kids are generally well behaved and the school is able to focus on a lot of enrichment b/c they don't have to focus on a lot of programs they'd have to put in place with a different population of kids (e.g. we have no ESL students and <5% free and reduced lunch). I'm grateful they're at such a calm, nice school (a little more diversity would be nice), but I'm also aware of the inequities within our own district and especially b/t our district and other districts. In my sister's school (which is about 12 miles away) they have 65% ESL students, 80% free and reduced lunch; average class sizes in the 28-30 range for all grade levels, classes meeting in the gym, auditorium and basement (b/c of overcrowding) and tons of other problems. Is it fair that her kids (who arguably need more help than those in our neighborhood) have classes with that many kids and fewer resources all around?

My current big issue that I'm trying to wrap my mind around is facility use. Our school district is considering moving all 6th graders to junior high/middle school (several of our middle schools are under-utilized) and closing/consolidating a couple of elementary schools. Our school currently turns away tons of students trying to choice in every year and so we're basically full, but there are elementary schools where the enrollment is only at 60% or so of capacity. I understand the $$ logic from the district for doing this, but I really don't want my 11 year old 6th grader with 14 year old 8th graders. I also want her to enjoy being an elementary student as long as possible. I see the 6th graders at her school now and they play on the playground equipment at recess. At our middle school (which is very nice and right next door to the elementary school), the kids stand around in circles at lunch break...there's no playing happening. I've also done a bit of research and there have been a number of studies done that show that 6th graders in elementary schools tend to have higher test scores and fewer behavior problems than 6th graders in middle school settings. So, I'll be attending the upcoming public meetings about this proposed change and hoping that we can convince the district to look at other options.

In the back of my head though, there's definitely a piece of me that feels like we just might need to accept a slightly less wonderful elementary school if it means some other schools are helped to improve. I also really feel like everyone needs to share the burden of states having less $$ and for my district it might mean larger class sizes or a move towards a middle school (6-8) instead of junior high (7-8)

[almostamom]

I'm on a LOA from a local school district, however, I could not have gone back this year if I wanted to. For the first time in decades, there was a RIF for this school year. Many of those teachers were eventually hired back after resignations and retirements, but there were no positions available for those wanting to return from LOA. In addition to no money for classroom supplies (and I do mean zero dollars which means teachers, in many cases, are paying for the supplies) teachers took a 6% pay cut as well as two mandatory furlough days. For the first time that I can remember, a budget override did not pass last year. There is a major campaign currently going on for a budget override this year. FWIW, when I started teaching special area included music, art, computers, and 2 days of PE per week (library was in addition to these). It now includes art or PE (1 semester each), computers, and library one day each week.

In the distict I live in, cutting full day K was the most controversial potential cut. It was only implemented 2 years ago. In the end, K was not cut back to 1/2 days, but it will certainly come up again during the budget talks this year.

Linda

[Naranjadia]

There's a lot of pain and acrimony in our district. We've had pay freezes, one school closure, hikes in athletic fees, etc.

This year the district cut all funding for field trips, so parents have done independent fund-raising for that - but they're not going to be able to come close to covering the costs traditionally associated with that.

Our kids aren't school age, but I pay attention because I wonder if there's going to be anything left when they are school aged. :(

[kijip]

Colorado has a similar measure in place and honestly it's caused lots of problems. I'm all for funding schools as much as possible, but I guess it's the conservative/libertarian side of me that just thinks everyone needs to share the burden and everyone needs to share the riches from a state budget perspective. I completely understand the sentiment behind such amendments, but I think they're inherently flawed.

I am not wild about it, in my example I was pointing out that it came at a cost of higher education which is sort of like robbing Peter to pay Paul. I also generally oppose laws that cap spending and taxes to some arbitrary number, there is an initiative here now to do that and where it has been done in other states, it has been awful for education and public safety spending.

[lovin2shop]

Forgive me for asking a stupid question, but where / how do you find out about the budget initiatives? We always have access to the finalized budgets, but how do you find out what is going on before they are finalized?

[egoldber]

All of this info is public record and much of it is on our school's system website, you may have to dig.

I am on a local Yahoo groups for school issues and there are people in that group who attend all the board meetings and work sessions. They provide links back to the group for the info presented.

[vonfirmath]

I hate that school funding is primarily a local funding stream. Property taxes seems to be the worst funding source for this stuff because the housing market can be volitile.


All forms of taxes are volatile in a depression/recession because the entire supply of money to fund them is decreasing, so there just isn't as much money. No one complained though when the values were increasing. They just increased what they wanted to spend it on.

It'd be nice if money had been put aside when the economy was expanding for the inevitable decreases. But it wasn't, so we deal with what is.

[vonfirmath]

My current big issue that I'm trying to wrap my mind around is facility use. Our school district is considering moving all 6th graders to junior high/middle school (several of our middle schools are under-utilized) and closing/consolidating a couple of elementary schools. Our school currently turns away tons of students trying to choice in every year and so we're basically full, but there are elementary schools where the enrollment is only at 60% or so of capacity. I understand the $$ logic from the district for doing this, but I really don't want my 11 year old 6th grader with 14 year old 8th graders. I also want her to enjoy being an elementary student as long as possible. I see the 6th graders at her school now and they play on the playground equipment at recess. At our middle school (which is very nice and right next door to the elementary school), the kids stand around in circles at lunch break...there's no playing happening. I've also done a bit of research and there have been a number of studies done that show that 6th graders in elementary schools tend to have higher test scores and fewer behavior problems than 6th graders in middle school settings. So, I'll be attending the upcoming public meetings about this proposed change and hoping that we can convince the district to look at other options.



If it helps any -- when I was growing up, Elementary was K-4. 5th grade had a school all its own. Middle/Jr High was 6-8 and High school was 9-12.

I never felt bulled or anything by the 8th graders in 6th grade. It seemed like a natural breakdown.

As the motehr of a 1st or 2nd grader (5 to 7 years old), I'd be a lot more worried about them in the same school with a 6th grader (10-12 YIKES!) than a 6th and 8th grader together.

[egoldber]

Our school is K-6 and I would prefer K-7 or K-8. The older kids at our school are very protective of the little ones. It's very sweet. They get extra jobs and responsibilities (school patrols, library aides) but still have the extra time in elementary that gives them a safe place to still be little. Plus they still get recess, which they don't get at our middle school and I think they still REALLY need it.

[Naranjadia]

Forgive me for asking a stupid question, but where / how do you find out about the budget initiatives? We always have access to the finalized budgets, but how do you find out what is going on before they are finalized?

In addition to what Beth posted, our local paper usually has an article the day after school board meetings with some info on budget proposals, etc. But it probably depends on where you live and how many school districts are covered by your paper.

[AnnieW625]

Yes I am and I don't even have a child in school yet. Our school district is trying to pass another $92 a year bond issue after already passing one last year that ads $5 a month for every $100,000 your home is valued over $400K per the county tax assessor. The only other way to get out of it is if you are over 65 or if your home is valued at less than $400K. So as an example when my house is reassesed next year I'll most likely be back at $400K (right now I am at $379K) I'll be paying an additional $240 per year for this bond ($20 a month) and if you own a $600K house, which is very common in our district your taxes have gone up $360 per year whether or not you have a child in school. It's honestly crazy, but we live in a very liberal area and a good portion of the people who vote either don't own homes or are elderly so they don't really see how much the bond is going to cost everyone else who has to pay for the thing.

Rant done!

[hanaum02]

All of this info is public record and much of it is on our school's system website, you may have to dig.

I am on a local Yahoo groups for school issues and there are people in that group who attend all the board meetings and work sessions. They provide links back to the group for the info presented.

Given that my oldest is in Private K right now, I haven't been paying much attention to this stuff personally. But, he'll be attending public school next year so I really need to start educating myself better. I'm in Northern VA (FCPS) as well. Is the Yahoo group you are on a public/open one and if so, I'd love to know the name so I can join.

Thanks!
Michelle
DS 9/04
DD 10/07

[g-mama]

Buses and full day K are huge issues for working families here.

Losing full day K is a huge issue for ME and I'm a SAHM. :( Okay, only on a selfish basis, but I would be very disappointed.

I thought about this, though, and when my oldest was going into K, our school was 1/2 day K. We chose to enroll him at a private school with full-day K knowing it would only be for that year. I had two younger children and ds was a November baby who was desperately in need of constant stimulation that I could not give him. Then our school switched to full-day, so we put him in there and breathed a sigh of relief over all the money we no longer had to spend. This was a kid who went to full-day K and would come home complaining that he didn't get to go to SACC (after-care)!! He never gets tired.

If our school reverts to 1/2 day K by the time my 3yo goes in 2011, I'll be bummed but will put him there and just use our free time to do extracurriculars like gymnastics, music classes, playdates, etc. Totally different, laid back kid, totally different situation.

[infocrazy]

Not sure if it is just a MI thing but our particular school district (it does vary by district) is half day K. They were looking at going full day in the 2010 year (DS1) because they were no longer going to get full student funding for 1/2 day K. They would only get half funding. They were weighing the pros/cons of the funding change v need for more teachers/loss of Wondergarten revenue/classroom requirements/busing...etc. Then the change was delayed until the 2012 year (DS2) so they are staying 1/2 day until they reevaluate then.

[niccig]

We're not in LAUSD, but one city over. It's better than LAUSD and our schools rate well for our area, BUT compared to school districts nationwide, it's not great at all. And now we have budget cuts. This year this didn't lose any teachers, but they didn't replace any that left. A friend's K class lost their teacher's aid, so it's one teacher to 24 K kids and no help other than parent volunteers. Another friend's son is in 4th grade and they have 36 kids to one teacher. Her son has ADD and yes the school is required to help, but she said there's a difference between doing the minimum and giving her son what he needs. They're looking at private schools for him.

Several people I know have their kids in private schools, or looking to move to private schools. Some are trying to move to better school districts - the next town over has excellent school district, but house prices are astronomical. I just did a quick search and the cheapest is a 2 bed 2 bath condo at $500,000. One friend of ours lives in LAUSD, and they sold their house 2 years ago, they are renting, and using the savings from not having a mortgage/property tax/maintenance to send their kids to private schools. He worked out it's better financially for them then to move to the expensive public school district.

But we're in CA, so our state is in major trouble. My friend's son has Down Syndrome, and the regional center is having to cut services and therapies. It's just bad all round. Most of our DH's work in the entertainment industry too, so they can't easily find work elsewhere. We just have to find a way to give our kids the best that we can.

[MontrealMum]

It's honestly crazy, but we live in a very liberal area and a good portion of the people who vote either don't own homes or are elderly so they don't really see how much the bond is going to cost everyone else who has to pay for the thing.


I don't know how things are done in your area, but in mine it is untrue that renters are not affected by hikes in property taxes. In addition to the allowable % increase per year (based on inflation), landlords who experience an increase in property taxes are allowed to pass a % of that along to their renters. When property taxes go up, tenants' rents go up. Same with a hike in gas/heating prices if the LL pays, or with a hike in water fees. It's all part of managing a property. If the cost to manage it goes up, so does the rent on the property.

[MontrealMum]

This is a great reminder, Beth. Although we are far from school-age here, if we do end up staying here, we are in a district that would likely suffer from budget cuts. But we do have an English school close by which is unusual. It has an OK rating, but not great. We are considering private, but it's very $$$ in the city. If we wanted to get DS into another English public school in another neighborhood, we'd have to get him on a list super-early. So I will have to start doing my homework on that soon. The other scary thing is that English school enrollment continues to decline, so English schools are being closed. Yet we have a guaranteed legal right to educate DS in English based on DH's education. It hasn't happened in our municipality yet, but in the one just next door. There is bussing, but not all schools bus kids in.

One of the fun cuts locally in schools is sending kids home at lunchtime. Not all schools do this, but many do. One of my good friends moved in from the suburbs and was quite surprised by this. I guess there's the expectation that at least one parent is at home? Or that there are grandparents to help out? Since not everyone is within walking distance of the elem. school that they attend (public schooling doesn't work the same way up here) I find this troubling that 6 year olds are expected to get home and back, midday.

[kijip]

Yes I am and I don't even have a child in school yet. Our school district is trying to pass another $92 a year bond issue after already passing one last year that ads $5 a month for every $100,000 your home is valued over $400K per the county tax assessor. The only other way to get out of it is if you are over 65 or if your home is valued at less than $400K. So as an example when my house is reassesed next year I'll most likely be back at $400K (right now I am at $379K) I'll be paying an additional $240 per year for this bond ($20 a month) and if you own a $600K house, which is very common in our district your taxes have gone up $360 per year whether or not you have a child in school. It's honestly crazy, but we live in a very liberal area and a good portion of the people who vote either don't own homes or are elderly so they don't really see how much the bond is going to cost everyone else who has to pay for the thing.


Renters pay property taxes. Do you reckon landlords don't include taxes in the rent? When I rented, our rent usually went up each year at a faster rate than property taxes. We own a house and I don't really think my property taxes are crazy. Of course, we live in a state with no income tax, so maybe I just feel less taxed in general. I prefer property taxes to sales taxes because sales taxes are the single most regressive taxing model IMO.

I frankly would be ok paying more property taxes if the money would be used for a good investment. For example, to close the achievement gap/support the schools in the district which feed the 4 high schools that represent most of the drop-out rate in town, thus reducing the drop-out rate and helping to reduce the crime rates associated with high drop-out rates. I would be willing to pay more property taxes if that meant my school could have music without scrambling to raise money.

Seriously, the donations we end up giving to the *public* school far exceed the ordinary ballot measure in cost. Being a citizen costs money and Americans pay very low taxes overall by comparison to the other wealthy nations on this planet. Freedom, security and a functioning infrastructure isn't free. I take exception to the idea that the tax should only affect people with kids in school. One, we all benefit from a good education system. Two, I pay for a ton of things I don't personally directly use as an individual, like services for seniors, rural mail delivery and many of the roads in my state. That's life. Before I owned a car, should I have been able to opt out of paying the sales taxes that go to roads? I live an a part of town that cops don't pay a proportionate amount of attention to, do I get a rebate? Of course not. Other people use those services, just as I use schools now. I'd feel the same way even if my son was homeschool or in a private school.