I believe he is onto something here with practical application of education, vice sitting in a classroom setting reading a book (something that really isnt as efficient as real-world application not only for education, but to answer the question "will we ever even USE this in real life?").
Its times like these that we get the ability to assess our operations and modernize.
The vote has happened, so we gotta move forward, regardless of how little actual thought was given into most of the no votes.
(2.67 cents per dollar of assessed by my math, which equates to reducing your cigarette intake by one pack per month, or drink one less case of soda per month...I like intelligent people, not couch potatoes)
Now, we have to move forward..another beautiful thing of our political system.
Its not a game, there are no teams. Someone convinced more people that a no vote (regardless if those people for or against were NOT doing their civic duty and educating themselves with facts) is more desirable.
In theory, it ends there (sans a few of the folks on the other side of the vote (like me) stating what they perceive as hard unconsidered fact)and you compromise ("win" or "lose") and find a way.
I apologize that I didn't get more involved in this, my neighbor worked his ass off to get boots on the ground..and I assumed there was NO WAY that people would be against this in this sort of majority.
Regardless, time to move forward.
And we have to find better ways for public school.
1) Teacher salary is NOT an option for discussion, imho. You have to PAY talent to RETAIN and ATTRACT talent. We dont "shop at Dollar Tree for teachers".
2) A Parental "bill of understanding" that gives them "skin in the game" in educating their kids (meaning shitty parents can't tie a teacher's hands).
3) Yearly, REALISTIC, performance evaluations tied to advancement, retention, and salary (increase/decrease).
4) A MODERN, useful union (I am NOT a union buster, but I am a union in its current corrupt state buster).
5) A recognition that were not going to get the business capital that other towns get, and if we want our kids to have a quality education...we may have to increase our property taxes 3 cents on every dollar of ASSESSED property value (you know, property TAX that renters DO..NOT..PAY) in order to meet the budget gap...
...but do we not owe that to our community? Not only the current crop of kids (a lot of them our own), but the future crop of kids that we will have to deal with when ours are grown and were rummaging round town. You know, the ones that will inhabit our community in the future and make or break it?
My personal opine is that we need to think about that future scenario, instead of only seeing what is right in front of our faces.
on April 9, 2015, 9:40 am