University Chronicle Extras:
Movies
|
Rate a Pic
|
Horoscopes
|
Career
|
Scholarships
|
Travel
|
GradZone
News
Briefly
Calendar of Events
Commentary
Sports
Diversions
World News
Classifieds
Login
Letter Submission
Search
Archive
Publishing Policy
Mail Subscriptions
St. Cloud State University
College Publisher
Home
>
News
Levy vote stirs debate
By Regina Eckes
Published:
Thursday, October 30, 2003
District 742 and St. Cloud resident voters will answer five levy questions to decide whether four measures will be implemented into the educational system Nov. 4.
According to information supplied by the Citizens Advocacy Committee, District 742 has had to cut over $10 million in education funding over the past two years. Special education, athletics and fine arts program have suffered from the lack of funding and three neighborhood schools closed. Committee members have been campaigning in hopes of having the levy passed, which they say, will improve education.
Though the levy has been looked over in past years, most recently in 2002, community members such as Chris Brixius believe the levy has more support this time around. People, including Brixius and high school students, are going door to door informing the community about the proposed measures. Brixius said that even groups such as the Chamber of Commerce have declared their support of the levy this year.
"It's important for everyone in the community to come together and enhance education," Brixius said. "I would hate to see anyone deprived of that."
The first part of the levy deals with funding to avoid additional budget cuts and increase financial stability. Question one must be passed before any of the other four measures can be put into place. Levy supporters believe state and federal mandates, such as Special Education and No Child Left Behind Acts, are not properly funded. These mandates intend to provide educational opportunities to all children and include the basics of educational materials, heating and transportation costs.
There are, however, people opposed to supporting the federal mandates. James Rugg is a We The People Executive Board member who strongly believes the mandates put in place by the government are the source of the educational system's problems.
He said that as the mandates travel from the federal level to the state level, the city loses control over funds.
"Continuing mandates from above are stripping the general fund of dollars needed to run the district," Rugg said.
The second measure of the levy informs the public of how overcrowded class sizes currently are. The average is 30 students and some high school classes can have as many as 50. If question two is passed, District 742 plans to hire more teachers to keep class sizes reasonably lower than they are now.
The transportation of students has been a rising issue in the last several years. By passing question three, District 742 will be able to offer half-days of school for kindergarten students and will provide transportation to students who live one to two miles from their schools. Currently, students who live less than two miles from school are required to provide their own transportation.
Brixius finds measure four to be one of the most important because it involves keeping up with technology. The Citizens Advocacy Committee has said students are working on 8-year-old computers and dealing with outdated databases. Brixius said college students and university faculty should know how important it is to receive a good education when you are young and how necessary it is to be exposed to the most recent forms of technology.
"Children need a good quality education to stay on the same page as kids elsewhere," Brixius said. "You can't count on having one job your whole life. You need to be prepared with a good education."
Question five intends to reinforce fine arts programs and activities that will build character in students. If voted down, schools will increase their activity fees and may have to drop other programs altogether.
Regarding the $10 million in education cuts, Rugg believes half of the amount lost resulted in the district's spending of reserve funds where they had more money than they needed. Poor spending choices have resulted in a lower credit rating causing the district to borrow money.
"The levy is like a bucket of water chasing an arsonist around," Rugg said. "We're not solving anything. All we're doing is encouraging overspending of the allocated funds the state gives each district."
If all five questions pass, District 742 will receive almost $500 per pupil for the next four years. A third of the amount will be paid for by the state and the rest will come from a property tax increase of about $106 per year.
Forum:
No comments have been posted for this story.
Post a comment
