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May 3, 2007
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May 3, 2007 |
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Editorial Schools deserve our support The heart of a small town is its schools and we are lucky, here in the village, to have a vibrant and caring heart. Of course, luck has little to do with it. Good schools come from creative, competent people who work hard and who care about children. We have many such people teaching our children and running our schools. They deserve our support in passing Issue 4, the emergency levy renewal. First and foremost, Issue 4 will not raise taxes. When the school board passed an income tax levy several years ago, it promised not to raise taxes, and the board has kept its promise. If this levy passes, villagers will pay their current level of school property taxes, with no increase. The 9.4 mill levy will raise $1,060,000, or 15 percent of the system’s total revenues. That amount equals the salaries and benefits of 14 teachers, 25 percent of the teaching staff. While the levy campaign has veered away from fear-based scenarios, we can assume that if the levy does not pass, the school system will be unable to maintain its current level of programming. Overall, that programming works well. Our children receive an excellent education, especially given the challenges imposed by the district’s small size. Yellow Springs students consistently rank high on state academic tests. Even better, the schools value and emphasize the arts, critical thinking and character education. Each year at this time in these pages, graduating seniors express their gratitude for having attended schools in which they felt both nurtured and challenged. Most importantly, those young men and women then go out into the world and lead interesting and complex lives. There is every reason to believe that the school system’s finances are well-managed. Those who regularly attend school board meetings hear a familiar refrain, as Treasurer Joy Kitzmiller, in her report, states that the budget is “on target,” that there are “no surprises.” Clearly, administrators in Yellow Springs plan well. Still, costs have risen here as they have everywhere, especially costs for health care and special ed programs. In response to financial challenges, the schools this year trimmed $160,000 from the budget; an accounting firm brought in to help reduce expenses reported that there was no more fat to trim. The schools need our continued financial support and they clearly deserve it. The current school board, administrators and committee members conducted an impressive campaign for this levy, providing to the public clear budget figures along with opportunities to raise questions and concerns. They were especially impressive conducting the search for a new superintendent to take over for Tony Armocida, who retires this summer. The year-long campaign featured deep community involvement, from a large and diverse search committee to the many community forums to encourage villagers’ input. That search ended successfully last week, with the board’s unanimous choice of a new superintendent. In explaining last week why he wanted the job, the newly hired superintendent, Norman Glismann, spoke of how impressed he was to discover that Yellow Springers have passed every school property tax levy for the past 50 years. On Tuesday, May 8, let’s take a few moments to go to the polls. In the very best tradition of our town, let’s say yes once again to Yellow Springs schools.
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