MASON CITY – The Mason City School Board approved a measure sending the Instructional Support Levy to the ballot box.
Mason City voters will be able to decide whether to approve or reject the levy on September 10th. The levy affects property owners’ tax bills. According to the school district, the additional funding for the Instructional Support Program for a budget year shall be determined annually, and shall not exceed ten percent (10%) of the total regular program district costs for the budget year and moneys received under Section 257.14 as a budget adjustment for the budget year. Moneys received by the District for the Instructional Support Program may be used for any general fund purpose. The tax would commence in 2015 if it passes.
The levy was approved by the board months ago, but a petition drive forced the board to take the tax to the ballot box and gain approval from the voters before it can take affect.
The school district claims it is “losing millions” and cannot pay the bills, despite plummeting enrollment over the years. Opponents of the tax say the poor and elderly will shoulder the burden of paying the new tax.
Mason City is the only class 4A school in the state with no Instructional Support Levy.
Watch video of school board approving the measure and an explanation from Superintendent Anita Micich on why the tax is needed:
httpv://youtu.be/EAIHurYb9nA
Watch video of public comment on the ISL levy:
httpv://youtu.be/B_qohPS_eks
“Let’s not forget observer that No Child Left behind means everyone graduates…”
NCLB Act was good intentions, but bad policy. Teaching to pass tests does nothing for kids. Well, except how to cheat the system in order to get more money.
In the Video Anita runs those numbers by the audience in rapid fire fashion so it was difficult to catch.
After listen again did I correctly hear that if approved the ISL will tag voters for increased taxes at no more than 10% per year for a minimum 5 year period?
That’s outrageous! Who the hell would vote yes on that open purse proposal?
Bodacious, you have got to be kidding, the average wage at MCHS is WELL over 50.000 dollars. The majority over 60.000. Thats for what many people would consider a part time job. If teachers have a 2nd job, I would guess it is because they are bored. Please post the wages again for all to view. Let people look and decide in people are underpaid.
What about the private sector who have seen their wages and benefits cut in half or worse. Why cant government employees be a part of this? We are all serving our public servants. Something is wrong here and has been for a long while.
Did you read where I said starting wage? And, for the most part, those teachers who are making more have 2 things to account for that – a Master’s or Doctorate degree and longevity. And, despite your soon-to-be howls of derision, if they aren’t involved in the education of our children they shouldn’t be employed.
speaking of spokespeople, how about a woman making well over 200.000 a year with benefits, telling people making 9.00 a hour, they need to dig a little deeper. Laughing all the way to the bank
The people against the levy need to get somebody better than an old lady that never had a job in her life and doesn’t know where she is at to lead their movement.
Explain to us by all means why a woman, who was probably a housewife her entire life, must have as a qualification, a career history to lead others against excessive spending?
Most old women I know personally have a far more knowledge than the likes of what Graduates today. One of which, now 85, served on a Board of Education and still is in tune with the needs of students, and the system’s requires for a curriculum. A woman I am proud to say, stood up to the system for the betterment of it’s students. Yes, she was a housewife all her life.
So please, recant that foolish comment.
Well I am sorry to go against your mom here but she may have been in the education realm many of years ago but she doesn’t know what is going on in schools today. I will vote no on this levy but it is because of what they are spending the money on and not just because it will “affect my taxes.”
“Well I am sorry to go against your mom here but she may have been in the education realm many of years ago but she doesn’t know what is going on in schools today.”
You assume too much. It was not my mother, and the woman does know exactly what is going on today in the system she served. Never did I mention it was here in Iowa.
And she would not approve of the current issues faced in Mason City, nor any other district for that matter. Compared to her day, and mine, too many children are illiterate upon graduation from High School.
In small towns like Mason City, there is no excuse for the large numbers of kids who cannot read and comprehend beyond an eight grade level, avoid simple math like counting back change, and lack basic communication skills aside from text messages and twitter.
When parents send kids to school to be babysat instead of get an education, and we as taxpayers end up supporting them into their adult lives (I realize there are more than a few exceptions), it is no wonder the public becomes concerned over costs.
Let’s not forget observer that No Child Left behind means everyone graduates…back in the day, the school actually expelled disruptive students that weren’t interested in learning. Heck, many kids dropped out after 8th grade. Now they are left in school and too many people think its the teachers job to make them learn. If you aren’t a willing student, awfully hard to learn. The upper tier of students are still solid. I think the problem is the smart ones move away leaving the dumb ones behind to propagate. Also, a lot of money is now spent on disabled students, many of which get one on one helpers. Back in the day, they had special ed, not saying that was right, but it was very economical. That being said, the administrator needs to come up with specifics of how the money will actually be spent before I say yes. Teachers have a hell of a retirement plan and should not be making more than your average college graduate.
Speaking of old people…. it was good old Jack McCourt, retired veteran, who got the ball rolling in the first place. As you will recall he started the petition that called for the issue to be placed on the ballot, otherwise the school board would have had their hands in your billfold already.
Quit with the age references, it’s irrelevant.
Your not helping your argument with a racist man like McCourt as the other spokesperson
@steve-this is so damn typical of you elitist people. Everytime you want to discredit someone you call them a racist with nothing to back it up. At least McCourt stand up for what he believes in. And then a P.O.S. like you comes out of the woodworkto insult the man. Not like the school board who thinks everytime they want a raise all the have to do is increase taxes. I spent a lot of years in manufacturing and went through a lot of wage freezes and even wage reductions when business was down. These over educated fools don’t even understand how a real budget works. VOTE NO, NO, NO.
LVS I am sorry that your wages were frozen. We do need people like you making our doors, car parts, and pudding. I think that if the schools spent the money on something that would help the students achieve better reading, writing, and math scores then they would have more opportunities than yourself. The students need the help to believe they can do more than just settling for a manufacturing job. Like I said I will vote No because of what the money is going to be spent on, and not just because I might of had a bad go at it in school.
@steve-I hate to bust your bubble, but I am afraid you will have to get someone else to make your doors or pudding. Engineers generally don’t do that type of stuff. Just because I didn’t work on a line doesn’t mean I don’t know what the working people go through. I think I know it better than most and these people have no concept about what people live on now.
Once again and it is worth repeating… Our nation spends more per student than any other civilized country in the world, yet we have the poorest educational outcomes.
Its time to look critically at how we spend our education dollars and not just pour more bucks into a system that is broken.
This Board is clueless. Join the movement, send a message and vote NO.
” we are going broke”, but everybody just recieved a nice raise? If employees and administrators dont understand how good they have it, and are not willing to put skin in the game, they get a NO vote from me. Government employees have NO clue what is happening in the real world. (the private sector)
Sad But True – although our educational system has its problems, and there are many, employees (at least the teachers and support staff) are not overpaid. If you would check world-wide pay scales for teachers, the US falls behind those countries who outdo us in math and science scores. Our cost per pupil is high (actually the highest as Mr. Cotter says), but the money that is spent doesn’t go towards curriculum or teacher’s salaries. In Finland which has the best educational system in the world, teachers are the fifth highest paid people in the country. They get the very best people to teach their children because they see a value in an enlightened and educated public. Why would someone who is great at Chemistry decide to take a teaching job where he/she would make around $35,000 to start out when, in the business world, he/she could make twice that much starting out? Besides that, the business world doesn’t have as many detractors as do teachers.
I, for one, would like to know where all that money goes, and how it can be channeled back to where it will make a difference – stronger, modern curriculum and paying teachers a wage that doesn’t need a second income to feed his/her family.
@bodacious-Good post-In business when the overhead (management) cost more than the workers (direct labor) the company is in trouble and needs to cut back on overhead. That is where the Mason City School System is today. Way to many high paid administrators and overhead that are taking away from the teachers. We could hire three to four teachers for what we are paying the superintendent and still be money ahead, and the kids would get a better education.
They just don’t get it do they? No more money. Learn to live within your means like the rest of us do. Less students means less money needed. Cut back on all those administrators and quit wasting money and you would have enough. VOTE NO, NO, NO.