Teachers and school levies are linked together like a glove is to your hand!

Personally, if given a choice, I would rater pay teachers more, and eliminate the wasteful use of levy monies. If teachers could get their higher salaries, why on earth would they want to tax us more with levies?

I don't have any problem paying for public education through our general taxing system, because its fair and everyone pays into it, but I do have a problem when school districts place special property taxes on a person just because they own a home or land.

Why are school districts allowed to use their personal influence in the local churches and senior citizens centers to convince all the "older people" who have already been given "special" tax exemptions that allows them to escape paying school levies if they make less then $30,000, are over 61 years old, and own less then 1 ½ acres of land?

That puts and unfair tax burden on anyone who makes over 30,000 and just happens to own more then 1 ½ acre of land and is not yet 61 years old. Almost no one who is 61 or older who lives in a small town owns that much property, and that places the majority of the tax burden on everyone else who is under 61 and who lives outside the city or town limits.

As just one example, during our last "local" school levy, a chair person for the schools "levy committee" which does all the "promotional crap" that goes on just happens to also be the son of one of the "riches" persons in our county. The levy "chair person" kids all attended our school district and were heavily involved in all the athletic programs that much of the levy monies are usually wasted on.

After checking with the appraisers office, I found out that this same person doesn't even live within the county borders, nor does he pay and special levy assessments tax for our school district either! In fact, he owns 23 acres with a $450,000+ home just outside of the county line. So yea, you might say that I am a little bit "passionate about this topic". It just amazes me who much a person can discover if they are just willing to spend the time and do the research that is needed to get the "real facts" and not just a bunch of BS!

From my own personal experience (and I have plenty) of researching School levies, Levies are full of corruption! Probably not all levies are corrupted, but in my opinion, the majority of them are. The money that is generated from the majority of them only benefits a few of the students who parents are not willing to pay for their kid's college education.

They hope that their kids can excel and achieve in the after school sport programs so that they can get a free "sport" scholarship so that they won't have to cough up the big bucks for their own kids college education! Many of you may think differently, but that's just the way it works in small town communities.

Four years ago when I had scheduled a meeting with our local school superintendent to discuss the results of what my public records requests had revealed, the superintendent unbeknown to me, had also invited one the schools biggest supporters to my meeting. I knew the guy, so it really wasn't going to effect what I was going to say one way or another.

After I had addressed all of my concerns, and I was ready to leave the office, his friend stopped me in the door way. His friend said, "Bob, if you will just support this levy and stop writing letters to the editor, and vote to support this levy, I will pay whatever the difference will be in your property taxes" I couldn't believe that he said it right in front of two office workers and in front of the schools superintendent!

What really bothers me even more is the fact that the superintendent did nothing to stop his friend from doing this illegal act! He just smiled! In this state, rather people know it or not, it is illegal to attempt to bribe a person to sway their vote! This guy was putting me in jeopardy by asking me to sway my vote in favor of what he wanted to happen by paying my levy taxes!

I told the guy that it was wrong, and if I did such a thing, I could not live with my self! I also told him that it may be great for me, but what about the other poor guy who won't be getting there taxes paid. He just smiled and said that they would have to work that one out for themselves!

Two years later, after several factual letters to the editor, the richest guy in our county, sent me a check for $600! He writes on it; for ….property taxes! I will not accept a bribe from any man, so I sent it back to him and told him that he could send it to the school district in both of our names and use it for an educational scholarship because I was not for sell! I also said that the money is not to go to any "sport" related scholarship if he joined my name to the donation. I believe in education, but the cost of sport is up to the parents of the kids who participate in the events!

I don't know what he ever did with his check, but I do know that I still don't have any problems sleeping at nigh!

So yes, I do know more then most do about school levies and teacher's perks and benefit! I always do my homework!

How many times have any of you ever went through a schools finical records to see how much of a levy tax actually went to what it was supposed to be used for? It always goes directly in the schools "general funds" and then they hire "extra teachers" and enhance their sports programs! I see them hiring a cough's assistant for the first year. The next year the assistant becomes a PE trainer, the following year he promoted to PE-heath advisor and the games never ends! The more kids that come to attend their school for the "sports" programs, the more money the district gets for each kid from the state.

Remember, the state gives the matching funds for levies, so whenever they pass a levy, they are almost doubling what a levy was originally run for. And where do you think that all that extra money goes to?

Do the homework, and then come back and tell me were I am wrong!


Cowlitzfisherman