by Reasonable » Thu Nov 01, 2012 5:55 pm
I received two additional mailings one was a hand written oversized postcard asking me to vote Yes for education in Rockford and it was signed by a teacher. Wow, I've got to say the Vote Yes group is really putting on the pressure. The other mailing downplays the financial aspects of the referendum. Again, only part of the truth is being told which if you are uninformed, you may cave in and vote Yes. The mailer explains what the tax cost will be for one year... what it fails to explain is that this is a watered down cost and that the cost will be much greater in future years. For a home valued at $250K, the first year tax is calculated at $167.00 but it won't stay that way. The mailer explains the difference between bonds and levies. They stress that the operating levy is less per pupil than the average in the state. Ok people, we want to know what the capital bond number is per student since we are not voting on an operating levy. You're mixing apples with oranges here which will confuse some people. Oh yeah, don't forget the back page of the mailer is dedicated to threats that if you vote no, you will still pay a tax. Well, I'll still be saving $79.00 for a $250K valued house the first year ($167 - $88 (bond failure tax) - $79) and after that even more since you don't have the bond payment and interest. If you vote yes, you will be voting for a future of tax shocks since there is no full disclosure on how the cost escalates in future years. I say push back on the School Board to come up with a better solution which does not close the middle school and does make necessary building repairs - I believe it is possible to come up with a solution that will work for everyone.