More money, more schools
Referendum target somewhere under $200M
SUMMERVILLE — Before the wax is barely scuffed on the floors of the new Ashley Ridge High School that opens next month, Dorchester County residents are likely to be asked to approve a referendum to build more schools.
District 2 school officials are planning a March referendum for somewhere under $200 million. They've been talking about it for months, but Thursday was the first time the board set a target date. The amount will be firmed up when the board meets again
next month. Superintendent Joe Pye said he can't imagine voters accepting it unless it's less than $200 million.
Board members informally agreed to the March referendum after touring the new high school. Pye said during a planning workshop following the tour that the district can't wait any longer to respond to the rapid growth around Summerville. The board didn't take a formal vote, but all agreed to work toward a referendum in March.
"Even if we do a referendum in March, we will still be 18 months behind schedule," Pye said.
Photo Gallery
Ashley Ridge High School tour
Dorchester District 2's new Ashley Ridge High School will open to teachers August 18th. School starts for students August 21, 2008.
The board plans to meet again next month and to try to decide how many projects could be done and how to convince voters to approve the money. Last year, a consultant told the board the district needs to open two more elementary schools and another middle school by 2010. The board has also been talking about renovating several existing schools.
"Nothing has changed," Pye said. "We're just farther behind."
The land outside the new high school was mostly bare Thursday, but that will change soon when the landscapers start to work, said Richard Coppola with the Southern Management Group. Much of the interior was almost ready to go.
Principal Karen Radcliffe said she was confident everything would be ready for opening day.
Librarian Maylene Alejandro, who moved from Summerville High School, was getting ready for a shipment of 14,000 new books Monday.
"I can't even imagine a tractor trailer full of books," she said with a mixture of enthusiasm and anxiety.
Bond referendum
THE ISSUE: Dorchester District 2 school officials are planning a March referendum on money to build new schools and renovate some existing schools.
WHAT'S NEXT: The school board plans to meet in mid-August to set the amount in the referendum, what could be done with the money, and how to convince voters to go along with it.
The school will open with about 850 9th- and 10th-graders. The other grades will be added over the next two years. The 225,000-square-foot school can handle 1,500 students. Plans call for enlarging it for 1,800 students within a few years, although that might depend on voters approving a referendum.
The last time the district held a referendum, it failed. Pye blamed that on not telling residents how bad things really are. In the past, he's always played up the district's strong points and not talked much publicly about students sitting in the floor and crowding into trailers. He will take a different tack this time.
"Last time some of our own teachers didn't get out and vote, because they thought it was a no-brainer," he said. "This time I'm telling it like it is."
Pye said too many business leaders are telling him they're worried overcrowded schools might hurt the county's chances of attracting new industries.
Back to school
The Post and Courier will tell you what you need to know about getting your children ready for school.
TUESDAY: Information about the tax-free shopping on Aug. 1-3.
AUG. 4: A guide to bus schedules, start times, lunch prices and school supply lists.
AUG. 5: How school will impact families in Family Life.
AUG. 6: Food goes back to school.
AUG. 7: Meet the new principals in Your Lowcountry sections.
The board is also pondering other ways to get the public behind the referendum this time. For instance, would residents be more likely to approve the referendum if they knew the money would build "green schools," designed not only to save the planet but to save money?
The design firm LS3P explained how school districts are saving money and gaining public support by going green, using the new North Charleston Elementary School as an example. Green schools cost about 2 percent more to build but can save hundreds of thousands of dollars in energy costs over several years, LS3P architects told the board.
The board will also consider whether new schools could combine kindergarten through eighth grade. Allowing two sets of students to share library, cafeteria and administrative staff could save enough money to hire several more teachers, according the LS3P presentation.
Pye said he's considering that possibility for new schools in the Givhans area, where some major subdivisions are going up. At the same time, he said he would prefer to build smaller schools but can't see how to get the money for them.
OTHER NEW SCHOOLS OPENING THIS FALL
CHARLESTON CHARTER SCHOOL FOR MATH & SCIENCE
DISTRICT: Charleston County
PRINCIPAL: Peter Smyth
LOCATION: At the former Rivers Middle School campus in downtown Charleston, 1002 King St.
FACILITY: 12 mobile classrooms and use of the renovated Rivers gym and cafeteria.
OPENING: Teachers are slated to move into their mobile classrooms Aug. 6, and an open house will be held Aug. 18. School starts Aug. 19.
ENROLLMENT: The school has filled all seats except for 10 spots in its ninth-grade class, for which it is still accepting applications. About 200 students will enter grades 6-9 this fall, and the school will grow to serve 10th-, 11th- and 12th-grade students.
WHY IT WAS BUILT: Originated with a group of Charleston County parents and community leaders who wanted a school that would offer a rigorous education in an innovative learning environment.
WEB SITE: charlestonmathandscience.org
CANE BAY HIGH SCHOOL
DISTRICT: Berkeley County
PRINCIPAL: Cassandra Jennings
LOCATION: About about four miles northwest of Carnes Crossroads at the intersection of U.S. Highways 17A and 176.
FACILITY: A 365,000-square-foot school with separate areas for vocational classes, auditorium, media center, gym and administrative offices. The football stadium will seat 6,000.
OPENING: A dedication ceremony will be held at 2:45 p.m. Aug. 10. Teachers move in Aug. 6. Students arrive for orientation Aug. 14. School starts Aug. 18.
ENROLLMENT: About 704 freshmen and sophomores will enter this fall with about 1,430 students in grades 9-12 by 2010. Most of the students would come from Sangaree Middle School, with a smaller number coming from College Park and Berkeley middle schools.
WHY IT WAS BUILT: To relieve overcrowding at the nearby Stratford High School and to handle the anticipated increase in high school students in Berkeley County.
WEB SITE: berkeley.k12.sc.us/high/CBH/CBH.htm
Reach Dave Munday at 745-5862 or dmunday@postandcourier.com.
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Comments
This article has 30 comment(s)
Posted by Nonsense on July 25, 2008 at 7:18 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Stop the growth in district 2 - put a stop to building all these new subdivisions. The roads are a mess now and there is gridlock every morning - much worse once school starts. Dorchester County Council needs to step up and put a moratorium on building all these new houses. They need to find a way to let the infrastructure catch up, because the schools and the roads are saturated. It destroys the quality of life in Dorchester County. I will not vote for another increase for schools until the county council does something about the growth.
Posted by lou9 on July 25, 2008 at 7:25 a.m. (Suggest removal)
How about going to the developers and asking them for the money? They are the ones responsible for the overdevelopment and overcrowding of the schools and roads. They come in, build a bunch of houses, make a truckload of money, and then drive off into the sunset, leaving the existing residents to deal with the problems. The people creating the growth aren't paying for the growth. It's the existing homeowners who pay increased taxes over and over again.
We also need an ordinance that says the school disricts or other public bodies cannot have a referendum except on election day. That way more people will vote on the issue and the school board won't be able to stack the deck with mostly their supporters.
Posted by carolinadude on July 25, 2008 at 7:29 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Good morning all,
I agree with your comments above. The SC General Assembly and the Dorchester delegation has refused to re enact school impact fees which were removed from the statute under Gov Jim Hodges. In addition, the County Council nor Summerville town council has been willing to enact an "adequate public facilities ordinance" to insure that "growth will pay for itself". I agree with the comment above that voters should not vote for "bonds for schools until the county/state does something about growth. I was told the other day that Florida has a state "adequate public facities ordinance". VOTE THE RASCALS OUT OF OFFICE!!! We have elected officials that are "of, by and for the developers".
Posted by carolinadude on July 25, 2008 at 7:40 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Lou9,
I agree wholehearteldy that the disctrict's refusal to schedule a Novemember referendum is "an attempt to stack the deck" in favor of the ballot measure. They're going to tell the voters, as they have told us before, that "they did not have time to prepare for a November ballot." Somethings never change! I believe however that contemporary voters are much more educated on the growth issue than previously, and the TAXPAYERS WILL PREVAIL ONCE AGAIN.
Posted by carolinadude on July 25, 2008 at 7:46 a.m. (Suggest removal)
THE FOLLOWING IS AN EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF THE STUDY OF THE 2006 TAX SHIFT PUBLISHED BY THE SCPC IN NOV 07. Executive Summary
In June 2006, the South Carolina General Assembly passed, and the Governor signed, H. 4449
(R. 417) – legislation that will radically change the state’s revenue system. The new law shifts
the burden of funding public school operations from local to state government by replacing the
local school district tax on owner-occupied residential property with a one-cent increase in the
state retail sales tax. The law is intended to provide a clean, revenue-neutral swap of sales for
property taxes, with the state government reimbursing the local governments for the revenue loss
created by elimination of the property tax.
What home owners gain in the form of reduced property taxes, consumers will suffer in the form
of increased sales taxes. Moreover, the hoped-for relief to property owners will prove illusory.
Soon after the old taxes are removed, we predict, local taxpayers, particularly business taxpayers,
can expect to find themselves burdened by new taxes, which will be imposed to replace the old
taxes removed by H4449. The new taxes will be imposed to satisfy local governments’ appetite
for revenue and from state government’s failure to impose a local spending cap.
We believe that local governments will, by 2010, have completely recouped the revenue loss
attributable to the 2006 tax cut. They will thus be receiving a sizeable transfer from the state,
while offering no relief to local taxpayers. This push could take a number of paths, with the
renewed burden of local taxes falling in different ways on businesses and homeowners. In the
report that follows we sketch one plausible outcome. In summary, we predict that, by FY 2010:
The entire 2008 reduction in property taxes will have been extinguished by the
introduction of new property taxes. And, because the 1¢ increase in the state sales tax
will be in effect, the state will be collecting $594 million more in sales tax revenue.
The 2008 reduction in property taxes will have been extinguished through the imposition
of new taxes on commercial property and on residential property that remains taxed
under H. 4449. We foresee a state of affairs in which:
o Business, which saw no relief in taxes under the new law in 2008, will pay $409
million in additional taxes by 2010, a 12.51% increase in taxes over and above
what they would have paid had H. 4449 not been adopted.
o Home owners will find that their initial tax cut has been reduced by 45% (or
$281 million) from $632 million to $351 million.
Posted by ChrisPia on July 25, 2008 at 8:47 a.m. (Suggest removal)
We Must Do Everything Possible To Educate Our Children in this Country in a Safe Protected Environment. We Need to Fund this.The Problem is how. We Must cut The waste and Corruption that goes along with this..How about the cigarette tax for funding?
Posted by drp7773 on July 25, 2008 at 8:53 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Here we go again, another new school not built big enough from the start, why not 2 stories and 3 stories. It is a lot cheaper to build up then to buy land and build another school. Total waste of tax payers money but hey whats new.
Posted by newbattleaxe on July 25, 2008 at 9:13 a.m. (Suggest removal)
drp, 2 and 3 story schools do not meet the Americans with Disabilities Act or the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act.
Nonsense, you are absolutely right! DD2 schools, even with the new schools that opened last year, are overcrowded. Summerville High School has been overcrowded since forever, and Ashley Ridge High School will help relieve this only a little.
Oh, and DD2, in its infinite wisdom, has built yet another high school on a two-lane road. Anyone who has ever sat in traffic on Boone Hill Road will understand the plight of motorists on Hwy 165 come this August.
Posted by Floger76 on July 25, 2008 at 9:27 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Early - The only way that mentality work is if people with children have a financial choice of paying for either public/private/homeschool. Otherwise it becomes a tax on reproducing.
And since Summerville schools have been overcrowded for over 30 years, why is it that only the newcomers should pay for new schools (as in APFO)?
Posted by jammer on July 25, 2008 at 9:33 a.m. (Suggest removal)
ditto that Early...
people with kids in private school, those without kids, and retiree's should not be funding this debacle
and the growth in the Summerville/Dorchester area needs to stop before it just grows into another N.Charleston/Mt.P type areas with the current quality of living all but a distant memory
it's already changed beyond repair, and will only keep getting worse because in reality "we the people" don't seem to have a say in anything in this county/country
Posted by ginj on July 25, 2008 at 9:49 a.m. (Suggest removal)
CarolinaDude - Hate to tell you this, but the ink wasn't even dry on H-4449 and Dorchester County Council raised the millage on property taxes to recoup the tax savings it's citizens should have received. Of a possible $1,000 plus savings on my taxes I received only a $90 reduction. I 1) have no children in school, 2) am on a fixed income & 3) have medical problems out my ears. How am I suppose to pay for all these tax increases? It's time government got there fingers out of my pockets and let me live my life without worrying about losing what I have spent 42 years to build!!!!!!! Not to mention paying higher and higher property taxes during those years and for what? It took a $0.01 sales tax to pave the road in front of my home last year.
Posted by scienceguy on July 25, 2008 at 10 a.m. (Suggest removal)
jammer and early:
I am not offended by your proposal on grounds of morality. I am offended on grounds of ignorance.
I pay taxes that go to many things I don't use--Social Securtiy benefits for folks who paid little or nothing into the system, AIDS research, roads that I never use, bridges that I don't use, renourishment of beaches to which I do not have access, Abstinence-only education, a $35,000 pony for the C of C equestrian team..and on and and on. So quit trying to single out public education which benefits us all.
Posted by guidedbystewart on July 25, 2008 at 10:15 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Great post scienceguy!
It is ironic that the same libertarian crowd that complains about government intrusion are the same ones that complain when they have to pay more taxes because of unmanaged growth.
Posted by UrGatorbait on July 25, 2008 at 10:36 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Bravo science guy, well said!!
It's for the benefit of all citizens that we have kids getting or having the opportunity to receive a quality education. We need people that can think and create in this country not merely following lock step while wearing a different color boot and calling it change.
Posted by STREETLAW on July 25, 2008 at 11:06 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Developers should have to pay a huge chunk to finance public facilities required by the growth they create. Home builders of course benefit by real estate sales and fat cat politicians and beaurarats by the increasing tax base.
Every school system needs consider using a part of their budget to promote in-home schooling. It would be over all cheaper to pay parents to stay home and teach their children, or to subsidize very small neighborhood schools. Particulary with the cost of transportation being what it is.
Mostly what public schools do is provide jobs for the glut of teachers spawned by colleges and universities, whether we really need them or not.
Posted by mkhaynes on July 25, 2008 at 11:43 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Ditto scienceguy. Product of SHS, graduating class of 600+ students. They'd just built FDHS, my younger brother was lucky enough to get through there before it became over-crowded. The only thing y'all can do (I don't live in the Ville anymore) is vote for people who don't want the development to continue at the current pace, and you need to support and encourage smart infrastructure and school growth when it's offered, because you're part of the community whether you like it or not, and as long as the development is happening, things are going to be changing. Unfortunately, most of what county council accepts and acts on isn't "smart."
Streetlaw, I don't know about the home-schooling thing - there are so many people who can't even teach their kids to listen, how are they supposed to be able to teach them what they'd learn in school? And I definitely disagree about the "glut of teachers spawned by colleges and universities" - if the primary function of public schools was to provide jobs for teachers, the ratio of teachers to students would be a little bit better than 1 to 30 (on a good day!).
I do agree that small neighborhood schools are a good answer, but you have to build them first.
Posted by jammer on July 25, 2008 at 12:27 p.m. (Suggest removal)
scienceguy and misguidedbystewart all you can do is insult others with a completely misplaced gesture? I'm not a libertarian, which is extremely obvious if you've paid any attention at all to who you are talking to before insulting them
we are all WAY over taxed, there is no excuse you can try to give me that will justify the ridiculous taxes we pay now that get squandered away by the millions, if you think we need MORE taxes then it's YOU that's the libertarian and too ignorant to even realize it
we all know billions/trillions have been thrown away by the establishment, instead of asking for more lets ask for accountability on what they already receive and you'll find there is no need for more taxes... and we would actually be able to pay less once you see it isn't needed
all of our local govt's calculate their next fiscal years budget on what they were able to waste the previous year and then add more into the proposed new years budget
there's the old saying they all live by - use it all or you don't get as much or more the next year, it doesn't matter if you don't need it and it doesn't matter that you found millions to waste it away on in the last remaining months in order to make sure you spend it all... you just have to make sure you spend it so you can get as much etc etc...
what's wrong with that picture?? EVERYTHING!!
do you not know how govt budgets are done? the PC could do a "Hall of Shame" article on county budgets and their waste
they waste OUR money because they don't realize that it's real dollars as opposed to just numbers on a spread sheet they calculate every year
as we all know there needs to be a complete revamp in our tax system
if I knew my taxes actually went where they pretend they will I'd be more than willing to throw in my share, however they never do
Posted by scienceguy on July 25, 2008 at 12:52 p.m. (Suggest removal)
jammer:
I did not call you a "Libertrain." I only called you "ignorant," which is akin to calling you "uninformed." I called you ignorant because your proposed "solution" to the problem of wasteful government spending will only cause more problems--more uneducated, unemployable young adults.
If you want to decrease government waste I am with you. Why don't you start the ball rolling by writing Senator Campsen and Senator Grooms and telling them to stop funnelling our hard-earned tax dollars to Anne Badgley for her discredited and expensive sex uneducation programs? After that we can all ask the good folks on Isle of Palms whose flood insurance is being subsidized by us to let us stay at their homes on the beach for a week for free.
I just received a call from a friend of mine who lives in Bay St. Louis Mississippi. He can no longer obtain subsdized flod/wind insurance, but must pay market rates. Since the true costs of insuring his home are now $2300 per month he is not going to rebuild. What do you think? Should the rest of us continue to pay my friend's insurance bill? I may be for this, because I get to visit him if he rebuilds.
Posted by jammer on July 25, 2008 at 2:18 p.m. (Suggest removal)
scienceguy open your clouded eyes and reread my post, where does it say ANYTHING about spending ANY money... much less more
you must have my post mixed up with someone else's, which again shows your ignorance not mine
exactly how will accountability, which will lead to much lower taxes because they will see where they waste it and can cut way back, equate with "more uneducated, unemployable young adults"
before you hop on here insulting people it would probably be a good idea to get your facts straight... including who said what, and what their post actually means
my post stated what most all agree we need, real accountability so we can actually see how much we overpay already before they start hitting us up for more
it's been proved time after time that money doesn't equal education, the most successful schools in SC have the lowest budgets and amenities... a small run down rural school in St.Stephens out scores most of the schools in this entire state year after year
you need take your dumba*s back into the closet you came out of, you're not quite as smart as you think you are and it's showing
when it's all said and done we pay nearly 50% of our income in taxes, at no time in history have taxes ever been so high and yet you wish to give more
it took much less for us to break out in a civil war, the war was about taxes not slavery as some would have you believe... take a look at the Lincoln monument and what it says if you haven't lately
I'm surprised we haven't had another civil war yet, I think many are now on the verge of taking action if this keeps up... especially now that so many are losing everything in the face of the housing crisis
take away all the absorbent taxes we already overpay and these people would not be losing things they've worked their entire life for, they would be able to afford the better fixed rate mortgages and would not be losing everything
the clock is ticking
Posted by realdealsummerville on July 25, 2008 at 2:37 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I will support a vote on new schools, but I agree that it needs to be done during the general election. No special election.
Posted by coolfreaknbeans on July 25, 2008 at 3:20 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I have a question.Why is it that they don't take care of the schools we have now?My daughters middle school is old and crappy.And the funny thing is last year a group of "VIPs" were coming in town to observe and possibly give them an award.Guess what happened?The school was scrubbed top to bottom,new landscaping put in and new murals and paint!!So they only find a need to have a nice clean learning environment when "VIPs" are coming?It absolutely disgusted me.And here they are building new beautiful schools.That Cane Bay one is AMAZING!I saw it from afar but that thing looked like a new college!And my daughter is stuck in a dump.
Posted by guidedbystewart on July 25, 2008 at 3:29 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Jammer,
Government is a complicated process, but I will try to be as brief and as through as possible. There is already a system of accountability already in place, and it is called a bureaucracy. These bureaucracies consist mostly of elected officials, the same people that the voting public puts into power. These bureaucracies might not do a good job at accounting on how the money is spent, but the public, through voting, have the power to take these people out of power. The problem lies in that these bureaucracies are inefficient, and costly unto themselves. Also, they usually cost more money and cause more problem than they actually solve. Then it can get really complicated, if the county tries to put the brakes on growth, all the developers have to do, is get annexed by a municipality, which is exactly what happened with Watson Hill tract and North Charleston. The thing is, when there is growth, especially when the growth has been mismanaged as it has been, this growth costs money (new schools, new infrastructure, and so on).
Last, as far as the libertarian comment goes, it was not intended for one particular person (I didn’t call out any names), but more or less a blanket statement of many of the posters on this site.
Posted by guidedbystewart on July 25, 2008 at 3:39 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I left allot of points out and simplified my explanation, but then again I currently working, but I take a book to explain it in much detail, but you like Max Weber explained bureaucracies greater details.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Weber
Posted by guidedbystewart on July 25, 2008 at 3:44 p.m. (Suggest removal)
also this explains bureaucracies more.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bureaucraci...
Posted by faelady on July 25, 2008 at 9:15 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I can't believe Cane Bay - Hubby and I drove by there today - they have an awesome stadium - 3 baseball fields, 6 tennis courts and 2 football PRACTICE fields complete with goal posts, not to mention the college looking campus! And current schools are struggling to maintain what they have and working with buildings that are falling apart. Sad, sad, sad.
Posted by jammer on July 25, 2008 at 9:58 p.m. (Suggest removal)
guidedbystewart you are an awful presumptuous character to think people don't know how the bureaucracies run, or don't
why do you think so many people crack on govt workers? we all understand fully, that's how we all know where the fat really needs to be cut out of
Posted by guidedbystewart on July 25, 2008 at 10:50 p.m. (Suggest removal)
jammer,
I was not being presumptious, but because of your earlier post, you seemed a little ignorant on the subject matter.
In your earlier post you were talking about accountability, and how accountability would lead to saving money. Well you can not have your cake and eat it too (I know, cliched but it gets the point across). Accountability leads to bloated bueauracies, which does little and never saves taxpayer any money, but you can not have accountability without buearacraies. The only alternative is having one or two people in power, and we don't want that in government do we. If you don't believe me, try reading Catch-22, hence the expression or Maybe watch the movie Brazil by Terry Gilliam. Both are about buearcracies, so that might a little better understanding on the subject matter.
Posted by rocketscientist on July 26, 2008 at 12:05 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Cane Bay High School is part of Berkeley County, not Dorchester School District Two...
Posted by Slick50 on July 26, 2008 at 7:44 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Superintendent Joe Pye said he can't imagine voters accepting it unless it's less than $200 million.
I can't imagine voters accepting it when we rank consistently at the bottom nationally for education. Take a good look at all of the "involuntary" taxes you pay and ask yourself where is the money going?
Pye said too many business leaders are telling him they're worried overcrowded schools might hurt the county's chances of attracting new industries.
Once again, Joe Pye is crying wolf and taxpayers must flock to his rescue. Can District 2 make a logical decision based on fact, not speculation? Or maybe these concerned business leaders would like to pony up the cost of another school?
Posted by scienceguy on July 26, 2008 at 8:24 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Early wrote "They just keep raising the property taxes. I going to piss off a lot of folks with this comment but, I feel very strong about it.If you do not have kids in public schools, then you should not have to pay for public schools, period. I believe you should have a tax increase if you have children in school and a tax relief if you have no children in school."
Jammer wrote "ditto that Early...people with kids in private school, those without kids, and retiree's should not be funding this debacle."
Again, I ask both of you why is it fair for anybody to have to pay taxes towards things they do not use? And what makes homeschoolers, retirees, and those with children in private school different than anyone else? That is, if person A has to pay for water slides and golf course tunnels that he or she doesn't use, why should person B be relieved of the obligation to pay schhol taxes when his/her children have graduated from school?
Perhaps without realizing it, you are advocating another tax shift and "wealth transfer." Simply stated, if you want to reduce reveneue, you have to get rid of programs to avoid tax shifts. So be bold and list all the programs you are going to eliminate.
And Early--while I do not monitor your posts in depth, I do notice a great deal of name-calling and anger coming from you. You are ignorant and uninformed--"that's a fact Jack" not just my opinion. So don't be offended.
As for me personally, I do not watch Soap Operas, though I may have seen you on the Jerry Springer Show.
Being serious for a minute, though my kids are neither drug users nor freeloaders on society, I recognize that other people's taxes helped educate them. That is one of the reasons that I do not complain about the fact that I paid taxes when I did not have children in school or that some of my taxes go towards things that I do not use (I repeat myself.)
With the recent voter-approved tax shift, very little of my taxes go towards public education. I would agree to amend the law to return to the way it used to be done. (Check out http://couriercritic.blogspot.com/2007/0....)