Friday, February 25, 2005
Adelphia, School District #1, Maureen Dowd
Who thinks the Justice Department should get involved and who thinks the set owner should just change channels if they don't like the content?
Mover Mike
The Oregonian, today, has an article Portland schools likely face cuts by Steven Carter. There is a projected budget of $402 million for the 2005-06 year and a projected budget of $411 million for 2006-07 year. We have a student body of 47,500 (which is down 10,000 from a few years ago). There is concern that there will be a budget gap this year of $51 million and due to expiring taxes, a budget gap next year of $98 million.
Now for me if I'm going to run a budget gap of $51 million this year, I don't project a budget next year of higher spending. I suspect, based on my work with an Economic Development Committee (EDC), a lot of budgets are top down budgets. They start with spending and then figure out where the money is coming from. In this case $402 Million divided by the number of students (47,500) works out to $8,463 per student. A budget gap of $51 million, cuts that by $1100.
Shouldn't we be able to educate a student for $7,300 to $8,463 a year? How about getting 10 students together for $73,000 to $84,630? I don't know the answer, yet, but I do know we have an ongoing education crisis in this city and state. We keep cutting the school year. The enrollment in this school district continues to drop. The paper says that because of expiring taxes, rates to homowners in the school district will fall $2.53 per 1000 assessed property value and will be lost to the schools. A property owner with a home value of $350,000 will realize an $855 drop in taxes. To me, that's real money! With these questions, will I vote to raise my taxes back $855? Would you?
Mover Mike
Speaking of the schools...how long do we have to put up with Derry Jackson, charged "with four counts of violating a restraining order and violating a two-year probation sentence that was handed down by a judge last week." Jackson serves on the Portland School Board. Jackson could face a total of two years in jail if found guilty.
Mover Mike
And to Maureen Dowd who has this to say about the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth "who dynamited John Kerry, a war hero, by sliming him as a war criminal", just ask Kerry to fulfill his pledge made on Meet the Press to Tim Russert post election. Sign the SF-180 and we'll put this debate to rest.
Mover Mike
