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Although the meeting was canceled at the Calhoun Academy for the Arts, I went anyway. Since the Anderson Independent printed the announcement, I figured many people would come unaware of the cancelation. Got to speak to about 20 or so constituents.<\/p>\n
Also, I\u2019ve been sent a copy of a petition that is being passed around to district 5 teachers, parents, and concerned citizens. The petition calls for the legislature to do several things:<\/p>\n
1-suspension in state mandates. I\u2019m all for that, we\u2019ve got to get out of the habit of micromanaging the classroom from Columbia<\/p>\n
2-grant flexibility in funding. I\u2019m for that too. I\u2019m not concerned how, just get the money to the classroom. Currently, we only get about 50 cents on the dollar to the classroom. I\u2019d love to see the day when 80 % or more get to the kids.<\/p>\n
3-grant flexibility to reduce the number of days after testing. Amen to that too.<\/p>\n
4-Rescind Act 388. The petition claims that this change has affected the budget crunch we are in. This particular request is based on inaccurate information. Remember, Act 388 was the property tax reform bill that removed the school operating portion from your home\u2019s property tax bill. We added a penny to the sales tax to compensate (and guaranteed the funding should the penny fall short). Had we never passed 388, we would still have this very same budget problem we face now. We are in a serious recession and the drop in sales tax collections on the other portion of sales tax is the cause of the $300 million shortfall, not Act 388. Also, the petition doesn\u2019t explain that 388 gave you property tax relief. A rescind of 388 would lead to higher property taxes. Sorry, can\u2019t go there.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ll add another essential item if we really want to reform school funding…TRANSPARENCY. Here\u2019s some math for you. Anderson 5 spends $8,628 (this figure does NOT include buildings and\u00a0maintenance) per pupil per year. I\u2019ve asked several teachers this question. You\u2019ve got 20 students; do you see $172,560 per year in your classroom? 30 students: $274,840? I\u2019m sure you know the answer. Teachers, parents, and the taxpayers deserve to see online how their money is being spent, down to the very penny.<\/p>\n