On April 3rd, Beloit taxpayers, parents, and citizens will be asked to vote "yes" or "no" on a 70 million dollar referendum. The 70 million dollars, plus interest, will be paid by the Beloit taxpayers through increased property taxes over 20 years. Only certain schools will benefit from this referendum, if passed. Some schools get nothing. Others will be closed down permanently. The properties will eventually be sold. Neighborhood schools, for many, will become a thing of the past. Vacant buildings may linger for years.
There are many uncertainties. What school will our children attend? Where will the new school on the east side be built? What will become of the schools that close? Will the new configuration of grades 4-8 together in one school promote student achievement? What do we do if it doesn't work? How will our children get to school? How long will they be on buses each day?
Unfortunately, the referendum was rushed through so quickly that these questions will likely remain unanswered even as we go to the polls. Whatever needs are left out of this referendum will go unmet for another 20 years. It is critical to get it right and not rush into something not properly studied or planned.
Parents and students of Beloit want good schools. But good schools require careful planning. Good schools meet the needs of every student. The proposed referendum abandons some of our most needy buildings and programs. Each student deserves a good school. We deserve a better referendum!
Has to be stopped... Just way too much of the "One Way, My Way" been happening in Beloit..from "elected officials" in the Public Sector...(City & Schools System) spending Monies that do nt effect them really, with the CONSTANT raises they always get.
ReplyDeleteWe have to wonder, is there a direct relationship to the raises that school employees receive every year and the fact that routine building maintenance has been neglected? After all, school funding is decreasing over the years, but raises continue. The money is handed out as if the pot is bottomless, and then the board asks us to pay more taxes to fix our schools. We need some accountability.
ReplyDeleteBuilding more schools and more beautiful schools is not what Beloit neeeds. We need to improve the atmosphere for learning and children will come to our district. Without it they will not. Lets face it children are leaving Beloit schools because of student achievement not because our schools are old. The school district needs to concentrate on behavior issues in the classroom and make children and parents accountable.
ReplyDeletebeloit schools are loosing students to surrounding areas due to open enrollment. we do not feel better looking schools and more of them is the answer to the problem.beloit needs to focus on classroom achievments and behavior issues so more students move to the district. that gives us a better tax base in upcoming years to do wonderful improvements.
ReplyDeleteAgree with both of the anonymous comments above. None of the proposed ideas -- newer school buildings, reconfiguration, swimming pools or fitness centers -- will help our schools be successful. It is obvious that even those we trust to do the research and come up with some answers are not doing their jobs. The research the district references does not support what they are proposing.
ReplyDeleteKeep in mind please? All this simply started for a 1.2 million "Boiler Fix" ??
ReplyDeletehttp://www.beloitdailynews.com/news/million-added-for-boilers/article_7936fbf8-000f-11e1-885c-001cc4c002e0.html#user-comment-area
CORRECT!! They keep PREACHING the schools as "for the kids"...but the raises kept coming?
Give me a break...
I think this referendum is a slush fund, a pile of cash that's been requested that has no fixed home. They don't seem to be locked into any certain plan, something that we can count on. One day they say one thing, the very next day they say something else.
ReplyDeleteHey, trust us with 20 years of your property taxes and $70,000,000 of your money, and we'll figure out what were going to do with the money after you gift it to us.
This referendum should have had several years of planning that was open to the public, with room for citizen input, updates, and revisions. Instead it was rushed through the "process" in a matter of weeks.
Trust them with $70,000,000 ---- I don't think so.