CCS Board Not Looking for Pie in the Sky

Normally, odd number years in Vermont do not have November elections. However, on November 3 we will have two very important school bond issues to vote on. These bonds provide funding to repair fundamental structural problems and to provide a new heating system using biofuel, i.e. wood chips, instead of oil. Details of the repairs and the heating system have appeared in previous issues of this newspaper and probably appear elsewhere in this one, too.

Obviously, the effect that the bond issues will have on our tax bills will be a concern for many of us.  Admittedly, our school tax bills jumped considerably this year, even though the school budget was level-funded last March. Hopefully, the income sensitivity provision of the property tax rebate system offers a level of protection for people on limited incomes. Our school board has demonstrated over the years that it acts thoughtfully and conservatively when it comes to the cost of educating our children, and I have full confidence in its decision to bring these bond votes before us taxpayers. Voting for the repair bond is estimated to add 3 cents to the school tax rate if federal stimulus money is used and 5 cents if a commercial loan is used. The heating system bond would add 2 cents or 3 cents respectively.  Each cent on the tax rate raises the annual tax bill on a $100,000 home by $10.

There are several reasons to vote for the bonds.  First, there is necessity. We need to address the deteriorating condition of parts of the school. The school belongs to all of us and it is a shared responsibility. If the “bare necessity” approach to the problems that the CCS Board is proposing does not pass, the problems will just continue to get worse and will cost more in the long run. 

Second, if the bonds are approved on November 3, they should qualify for zero-interest bonds as a result of the federal stimulus program. 

Third, this is a good market for obtaining bids for the work. Waiting for a “better deal” or ignoring the deterioration altogether will invite a catastrophic failure at worst and increased cost at best when repairs are impossible to avoid.
No one likes taxes. But I hate my phone bill, my fuel bill, my daughter’s college tuition payments, my car insurance bill, etc., too. Life today is expensive and money is tight. 

One of our responsibilities as a society, however, is to educate subsequent generations. I think our school board has been very responsible in managing costs to best of its ability. It is not looking for pie in the sky or icing on the cake. Let’s approve those bonds for our own good, to avoid greater expenses in the future.

Mike Yantachka

 

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