School Tax
The Great Falls Public School District would like you to believe that the impact of the proposed $1.75M operational levy would result in a very small increase to your property taxes, $16.27 on a home valued at $100,000 and $32.54 on a home valued at $200,000.
The fact is that the impact of the levy will be much more. Why?
First, homeowners are not the only ones supporting the school district, business owners pay property tax to the school district too. Privately owned utilities pay property taxes to the school district as one of our astute E-City Beat readers found out.
Not all privately owned utilities are as transparent as Energy West-Montana, which recently indicated that the cost of providing natural gas to homeowners and businesses increased due to added property tax costs, i.e. the recent $98M school bond. Every time property taxes increase, so will your heating costs.
Added property taxes increase the costs for all goods and services. That’s how it works, and that’s everything you buy and consume.
Think about that when you vote, and remember that this levy will benefit school district staff and administrator raises, not “the kids”.
To one and all interested folks !! I believe we as a community should (and have a responsibility) to provide good and sound educational experiences for our young and future community leaders> BUT !! I also believe we need much better management of our dollars at the admin level.As our community members advance in age and are burdened with a fix income, there must be more consideration and demonstration of a greater management at the admin level, BEFORE asking the community to step up and dig deeper in the pockets. So be it!
If the school board had the stones, they would cut these top 30 salaries by 20 percent. This would free up much needed funds to hire more teachers and pay them what they deserve, as the group for the tax suggest we need to do. Twenty percent across the board cut. Hire more teachers. Since a new teacher in this district makes less than minimum wage, we should be able to hire at least 50. Honestly, I have no idea how the administration looks themselves in the mirror and doesn’t feel bad, knowing that their new hires are struggling to make ends meet. They sit upon their alter of self importance and greed, smugly asking their subjects to fork out more, while they sacrifice nothing. They sacrifice nothing, except our children’s future that they proudly proclaim to protect. It’s time. 20 percent cut.