Huskerfan

I am glad you brought up fund raising. That was a topic of discussion just today with my co workers. Are there laws against LCS or any public schools doing fund raising for the general fund? I know the ball that Gehlen has each year is deemed successful. Is this something that the parents/teachers/staff/supporters of LCS can put together or something like it? Good things to look into before we vote.

I will vote no (like I did last time) because I'm not giving power for people to fluxuate an interest rate for 10 years. 2 years I would have voted yes 3 years ok, but 10 years of high taxes that can go up by 10%? Yea NO. I can't believe that anyone would vote for that. I understand our kids need money but try fund raising. I bet you can accomplish most of your budget problems with fund raising. But nope lets stick everyone that is having hardships as it is with higher taxes. Let's make them pay more since we aren't getting taxed to death anyway. I can't believe that they want 10 years of our lives.

VOTE NO and let them come up with a better way to do this!!

The district receives about $11,550,000.00 from the state. The state money is about 82% of the money we are talking about here. That means roughly 18% comes directly from us in property taxes to cover what the state funding won't. This means roughly $2,450,000.00 needs to be collected here by us, from us, directly. Up until now the shortfall has been collected exclusively by adjusting our district property tax levy. We were down 81 kids last year which in dollar figures comes to roughly $445,500.00. Put that on top of the $165,000.00 (30 students) loss from 2 years ago and we are down $610,500.00 a year, from now on, until we gain back 111 students. When we realized the loss of 81 students in October of '07 we knew the budget for '08/'09 school year was in trouble. The Board decided we needed to cut at least 1/2 of the projected shortfall and hopefully use the ISL to cover the other roughly 1/2. The ISL failed and we made more cuts last spring until we had a balanced budget for this coming year. The reason we tried the ISL and continue to try the ISL is because of the income tax piece in the levy. It is designed to lessen the burden on property taxes and make up for it with an income tax.

This is all written from memory, before church Sunday morning. Please don't nitpick the figures if they are off a little. I have tried to portray the general idea of what happened and what we are trying to do in good faith.

We have a history of conservative tax levies in the past. Some may doubt we will continue to act in such a manner, I am sorry they feel that way. Vote YES, and tell everyone you know to vote YES with you. I gotta get going.

I'm not sure my thinking is correct, but I don't understand the City, School, and County raising or needing additional tax money. Here goes! In the last 10 years in Le Mars there has been a tremendous amount of new homes built, not 50k homes but 200k on up. Look at all the new additions created in 10 years not to mention the expensive homes on the golf course. Come on guys I need an explanation as to why you need more money? Along with most if not all housing assements going up along with the building it seems to me that it's time to stop spending.

Could someone please explain to me what they are going to cut if it doesn't pass again? We already lost tk and our child really needed it. I think sports should have to take a turn at cuts also. It is sad to see conflict between Gehlen and Community. Please treat all kids equal. It was probably there parents decision as to which school to send them too.

The school board has the freedom to word the vote any way they want--the 10 years and up to 10% are the maximum guidelines set by state code. Since they keep insisting they only need half of the allowable 10%, why not try setting the Instructional Support Levy at "an amount not to exceed 5% of the General Fund Budget?" That would meet the schools stated needs and give those of us who do not trust Dr. Wendt's spending practices a better sense of security. In addition, it shows a willingness to compromise with those who voted against the ISL a mere five months ago.

Another snafu by the school board was going along with Dr. Wendt's suggested cuts. They really should have thought it through and not allowed him to protect athletics the way he did. Had $30,000 been cut from athletics like it was from music and academics, maybe we could believe this new tax is needed for the EDUCATION of our students. As it is, I hear through the grapevine that bowling will now be added to the 'curriculum.' I hope that is a vicious rumor, but somehow I doubt it. There always seems to be money floating around for sports.

Does anyone think that if gas would go down that maybe this would help the economy. With all the high prices of food,gas, and even taxes. If we could just drill in our own counrty that it may bring everything down? Just a thought.

I don't mind voting for something that isn't long term. 5 years is alot of time to put on families. Our economy as fallen apart in 6 months. Many families are facing hardships and now you want us to be subject to and increase in taxes? It's a very difficult thing to tell someone that doesn't have much to please give us more. It has nothing to do with helping the children. Of course I want our education to be the best for our children. But many of us are trying to raise our kids with higher gas prices and food prices soring. Why not have fund rasiers and money drives so people can give what they can instead of a forced way to give up there hard earned money?

Do you wonder why enrollment is down? Because property value in Le Mars is outragous. People think there homes are worth more than they are. And when people pay the high price for the home and realize they can't afford there home and have to move away.

I say you do something more simple to start with. You do a two year tax levy with a FLAT rate instead of giving power to a group of people to raise it whenever they want. I would vote for that cause it gives you two years to get your accounting straight and hopefully you can get it right instead of having the community bail you out of a jam again...

Lets all remember that every child is a child of God and we have to support ALL of Gods childern.

I am as conservative as they come. I don't like waste and I prefer all levels of government stay as small as possible. HOWEVER, I believe our country should protect itself from our enemies. It should also provide the basic infrastructure needed for us to operate as a representative democracy. Finally, it should provide a solid education for its citizens.

The Le Mars Community School District is charged with providing the best education possible for its students. Thanks to the bureaucracy created by the state and federal governments, funding for all public schools is regulated and often micromanaged from Des Moines and Washington. Le Mars Community Schools has to operate in this quagmire.

First, let's clarify a couple things. The LCSD does NOT have one giant pot of money to spend on whatever the Board chooses. The school has a General Fund which pays its educators and support staff, classroom supplies, heating and cooling, etc. The basics.

LCS also receives the Physical Plant and Equipment Levy (PPEL). These funds allow the school to repair and build school buildings, BUT IT CANNOT BE USED OUTSIDE OF THOSE PARAMETERS! The district uses these funds to keep the physical structures up to date and safe for the students. (Just look how the Sioux City Schools ignored their buildings for much too long and now have had to pay dearly to just catch up with their needs.)

Now, the LCSD is hurting financially, right along with many in our community. The Board has taken rather significant steps to cut the budget, just as any of us must do in times of needs. Programs that our community valued have been cut or downsized.

Le Mars now has a choice. Do we let the cuts continue? Or, do we step up to the plate and decide to help? Yes, the ISL will require a few dollars from our pockets. But it does two things. First, it provides needed funds for our children's education, but it also sends a message to our students (and those considering a move to our community)about the value we place on them and their school years.

Finally, it has bothered me for some time that some in our community seem almost proud that our per-pupil-spending has ranked us near the bottom in Iowa for many years. Do we need to be wise fiscally? Absolutely. Should we spend so little on the students that teachers must struggle for adequate resources, including spending their own money? They are. Not a great selling point for our town.

The ISL is needed. Send the right message to our kids. We should be proud and supportive of our students and schools, and this is a chance to prove it.

oldone1:

i care because i graduated from Lemars Community and i have benefited greatly from all the learning experiences i had there. I recieved a high quality education and i would just like all the children in the community to have the same opportunities that i had.

If i hadnt been involved in school activities, i dont know what i would have done with myself.. I probably would have been getting in trouble partly because there really isnt much else the community offers for its young people. but thats an entirely different argument altogether.

And your little car scenario really doesnt make any sense. The car your driving doesnt belong to you, it belongs to your neighbors. Teachers and administrators dont own the school. They are just the drivers, who are driving because they want to help the children. So when the drivers say they need alittle extra money, i would probably listen, because theyve been educated in driving and have been driving for awhile now.

And i agree, cut things that dont work, but the entire school does work. There are literally hundreds of examples of a highly functioning school dristrict. And each example has benefited from different pieces of the school. Dont break something that works.

Thanks for answering my question. It was a real and valid question.

Now if my kid goes to Gehlen how do you expect me to vote for higher taxes? How will my kid benefit from the higher taxes? And also you are asking alot with a ten year plan. How can we vote on something that will affect the next 10 years of living in Le Mars.? See these are valid points that are not addressed and they need to be. You are asking alot from us. Why can't you do it for 2 years and see where we are then? Why does it have to be ten years? And my last point how can we trust that giving you power to raise percentage rate when ever you please that it won't be taken advantage of?

This is to "former_resident".

1. If you are truly a former resident why do you care?

2. I have done my research. Which is why I am upset. I have tracked the data and come to the conclusion the school must do more with less.

Please note the comments of "Huskerfan". They are very well put.

How about this: I want a new car. I need to haul my kids around to various events. And they will learn many things by riding around in my new car. But, I can't afford it. So, I'll just ask my neighbors to pay for it. Hold on, they already told me once that they would like to help but no, they won't cause they cannot afford to help me.

This gets better. I am askng them again, because it is for the children and they really need a nice new car to ride around in and learn. Probably, my neighbors will listen but say no again. Does this sound crazy? You bet. But this is EXACTLY what the school board and many of you want.

The school has less kids enrolled. The state provides less money for less kids enrolled in school. The school cannot over extend its' own budget because it did not plan for the loss of kids. The local economy sucks. Taxes are up and income is down. This is a recession.

Practically everything at the grocery store costs more. And on and on.

Why should I as a tax payer have to take on a greater burden for the school.

This is not a blame game but reality.

Cut back on things that don't work or don't add revenue for the school.

I understand the frustrations that community members have about a failed budget and, as always, any increase in taxes is going to stir up controversy, but it is important that our children get a clear message that we care about them and their education or this community will continue to diminish! I have heard too many times kids talking about how they cannot wait to get out of this town and never come back. Lets give them something to come home for! There are studies done that show that kids involved in sports, arts, and music are more likely to do well in school and heaven forbid maybe even ENJOY going to class or at least put up with it knowing they will have practice later that day or a concert that evening. We need to keep these programs in our schools! We are all in hard times but we need our children to know that they come first...after all they are the future leaders of this country...and, hopefully, the future leaders of the Le Mars community!

It is amazing to me that the school board cannot adopt and stick by a budget. I know they received less money from the state than last year and there will be a shortfall this year.

Can they not project that they have less students this year than last?

Le Mars Community Schools offers more programs, with less students, than at any time in recent history. They continue to build (this means more staff, more heat $, more electricity $) and add (the Wells admin building) which again needs more staff, more $ for heat, more $ for electricity and then scream that "student" programs will suffer.

There is no need to pass this ISL, the students are there to LEARN and not PLAY using all the latest "programs" and unneeded facilities that strike someones fancy!