Mindset of a School Board Member

This is exactly the kind of mindset that frustrates so many people.

On the night he advanced from a field of seven in a primary election to four for the spring general election on April 6, West Bend School Board member Lynn Corazzi said the remaining candidates were clearly divided between those who support lower property taxes and those who support quality education.

   Corazzi, who was appointed to the School Board in 2009, puts himself and nine-year board veteran Kathy Van Eerden in the latter category and relegated challengers Dave Weigand and Randy Marquardt to the former.

“To say that you are for quality education, that you are for fixing all of the buildings (or) to say that you are for lower taxes or not increasing taxes anymore, those in my mind are mutually exclusive,” Corazzi said.

Let’s dig into that a little, shall we?  Corazzi says (as paraphrased by the reporters):

divided between those who support lower property taxes and those who support quality education

Um, no.  that is not the dividing line.  First of all, nobody is talking about “lower property taxes.”  Some folks are merely talking about not increasing property taxes.  But it’s the second part of his statement that I find downright offensive.  He explains it further when he says:

“To say that you are for quality education, that you are for fixing all of the buildings (or) to say that you are for lower taxes or not increasing taxes anymore, those in my mind are mutually exclusive,”

Corazzi is saying that those of us who think that it is worth considering keeping the property tax levy static for this year do not support actually support quality education.  Really?  Seriously?  What’s the magic number in order for Corazzi to think that we actually care about quality education?  If we spend $100 more per kid?  $1,000 more?  $10,000 more?  Take a look at this:

Take particular note of the per pupil spending.  It is not going down.  It is increasing at a rate far above the rate of inflation.  Yet Corazzi thinks that’s not enough?  He thinks we need to increase spending even more or we don’t care about a quality education for the kids?

Newsflash, Mr. Corazzi… we do care about quality education even if we disagree with you about how to go about it. Your disrespectful attitude toward a large contingent of the people you are supposed to represent and condescending assertion that people who do not support a tax and spending increase are opposed to a quality education for the kids is manifestly offensive.