Pickerington Area Taxpayers Alliance

It's Necessary

Dear Anonymous,

The bond issue is absolutely necessary for the future of our school district. I hope you're not splitting hairs in an effort to justify voting ''no'' on it.

Our district is growing at a rapid pace and is showing no signs of stopping. That's a good problem to have. It means our area is desirable and people are happy with the job our schools are doing educating the students. Districts like Columbus are losing students because kids aren't getting a good education there. They're losing tax dollars to charter schools. They have had to lay off teachers and redistrict the students to deal with the student population contraction. This is a bad problem to have.

Maybe you could get involved with this campaign to make sure everything is on the up-and-up.

I am not splitting hairs.

Katelyn

$5 Million dollars of tax money is not splitting hairs.

Let me go over this one more time.

In the article it says one school at Sycamore Creek area will costs $15.8 Million.

Now add the estimated cost of the second school that will use the same plans as the first school and that estimated cost of the second school is $16.3 Million.

Now if you add the estimated cost of the two above school that comes out to $32.1 Million.

Now take the $32.1 Million for the two schools and another $300,000 for the renovation along with the $1,428,000 they say they saved some body?’s math is off here. If you add all of that up it comes to $33,828,000. What is the rest of the money being spent on? It is a simple question so do not read more into the question that what was asked.

Need to think

Katelyn -

I'd like to know exactly what you're suggesting we get involved in. The last failed levies had virtually no campaign to get involved in. Our school board just keeps throwing levies on the ballot (at a considerable cost, I might add) and then just sits back to wait for Election Day. This why the levies keep failing.

Also, you need to get your facts straight regarding growth in this district. The growth is at a lowest level in many, many years. In fact, the school board (despite what line of bull Lisa Reade keeps tossing out) still cannot explain why, if we have enough students in portables for one school, are we having the funding for TWO schools shoved down our throats!

Oh and before you throw out that same old tired line... I'll save you the trouble... ''Hey Tiger4ever, why didn't you run for school board??!!''

Please.......

By Tiger4ever

Planning 101 ??

A quick call to the district office and I found out that there are 755 students housed in portables this year.

You are right - that fills one school. I asked when the new schools might open & was told the 2008/2009 school year if the levy passes in May.

It seems to me that we will continue to gain kids in the two years between now and then. I believe the second school is planning for that growth and lowering the number of kids in some of the existing schools.

If one school is built, opens full with a need for more portables won't the Board be slammed for not being able to plan. I have seen that over and over again on this site. You can't have it both ways.

They have to house the kids they get there isn't a choice - they are our kids and I would think a community would take care of their own.

By Tiger too