"This is an important and difficult vote. PPS knows it can pass the levy and bond if few people vote. PLEASE VOTE.
PPS is betting on parents voting with their hearts. However, some PPS parents plan to vote with their heads and will vote NO on the bond. It is the wrong size, at the wrong time with the wrong priorities. Only two of 15 schools rated highly likely to collapse in an earthquake would receive seismic upgrades. Schools with low enrollment are slated to be rebuilt.
Even with the increased local option levy, PPS will have insufficient funds to operate its 85 schools. Wealthier districts around us are consolidating their schools in order to maintain quality education. PPS needs to make those hard decisions and then come to us with a bond for sensible investments. Until then; YES on the Levy, No on the BOND. PLEASE VOTE." —PPS Mom
"If this really directly benefited the kids and kept more teachers employed, I'd vote yes in a heartbeat—the additional $300-$400 per year doesn't bother me. What does bother me is that PPS is a bloated, inefficient bureaucracy with its own very stupid agenda.
In reality, they waste a great deal of $$$ on outdated, lengthy, expensive processes that no one needs. This is a measure that only benefits a handful of schools—many of which are regularly tinkered with, receive more money than many other schools and regularly fail.
From personal experience, I can tell you that PPS will never simply make a direct simple decision—instead one must jump through hoops, fill out many forms and have it reviewed by a variety of people whose salary you pay. No matter how basic and simple the request. All this is time consuming (for both parent and district) and expensive.
Vote NO for paper pushers and Carole's 'I can do whatever I want to' agenda." —Zumpie
"There are poor families in the county who will be out on the street if their landlords raise the rent. The high cost of the school funding issues ensures a lot of rents will be raised. Therefore, the trade-off is, patch the school leaks and we create more homeless. These proposals, coming in the midst of the wreckage of the worst economic train wreck since the 1930s, are a bludgeoning of the poor who've been bruised and bloodied sufficiently the past few years. Enough, already! We helped Packy and the fish back when times were good. Times aren't good anymore. The schools will have to wait." —Tim
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Fax: (503) 243-1115, Email: mzusman@wweek.com
Fax: (503) 243-1115, Email: mzusman@wweek.com
WWeek 2015