The results are that as the suburbs of the city are growing, the school budgets are taking millions of cuts and have finally gotten to the point where school districts are facing bankruptcy.
After a three hour budget meeting with his staff Wednesday morning, West Clermont Superintendent Gary Brooks was preparing to call the State. He needs to discuss the process of entering fiscal emergency. Even with an additional 5 million dollars in budget cuts, the district will still be in the red by the end of the year. West Clermont’s 7.9 mill levy was voted down decidedly.
“We agree with the sentiment of the voters that the system for funding public schools is broken, that taxing people on the basis of their property values is an unfair and inadequate way of funding public schools. We don’t disagree with that. We understand their frustration with higher taxes and will certainly work with them to try to change that funding formula.”
Brooks says West Clermont will put another levy on the ballot this fall. Little Miami has already fallen into a fiscal emergency. Its 8th levy attempt in 3 years failed, this time by just 143 votes. Also Lebanon, Batavia and Deer Park levies failed. Norwood and Loveland levies passed.
This is happening all over the country. Local school districts and school levies and bonds are being ripped at every opportunity by Tea Party faithful, and the results are schools that have to cut deeply and even close schools in order to balance their dwindling budgets. Without the resources they need, the schools continue to struggle to produce prepared students, and the nation falls further and further behind countries in Asia and Europe who are increasing their investment in schools. The Tea Party then says the remedy to the situation is to cut more funding from "failing" schools.
It's a vicious cycle that will continue to damage our country for a very long time.
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