Sunday, September 28, 2008

Advocates For Germantown’s School Referendum Engage In New Math

If you buy this line, I have a bridge to sell you. 

Germantown - A School Board member says voters can approve a $22.5 million school referendum without seeing an increase in property taxes - and a pro-referendum committee goes even further, saying a successful referendum could actually lower property tax bills.

[...]

The argument that the new school can be built without a property tax increase has been advanced by School Board member Bruce Warnimont. According to his calculations, the new school would boost enrollment enough - mostly by bringing back full-day kindergarten - to attract an additional $1.46 million per year in state aid.

Warnimont said there are 154 students in full-day kindergarten this year. He estimates that the new school would add 76 more students. Because the district recently voted to eliminate full-day kindergarten next year, the reduction in enrollment will mean the district’s state aid will be $12.7 million, Warnimont said. With the projected 230 full-day kindergartners if the new school is built, he estimates state aid would rise to $14.2 million.

The difference is about what district property-tax payers would pay on the debt - an estimated $1.48 million - for the new school, at least for the first year. Over the 20 years of the debt, the annual payments are estimated by the school district to fluctuate between $1.18 million and $1.98 million.

[...]

The Web site for United for a Better Germantown, a committee formed to support the Nov. 4 referendums, says the committee is finding that “many of the people who voted against the measure in April did not fully understand that this building will actually result in a tax cut for them overall.”

Remember that the board cut full day kindergarten last month and gave up some state aid.  By adding full day kindergarten back in, they will be back to the same level of state funding that they had before, but they will now have a $22.5 million loan to pay off.  None of this adds up to a tax neutral - much less a tax cut - decision.

Not to mention that this is the same school board who put a referendum on the ballot in April which was defeated, so they are coming back in November with an even more expensive option.  The odds of this board holding the line on taxes if the voters pass the referendum are not statistically distinguishable from zero. 

Furthermore, once again, we see this same game being played with state aid.  Newsflash: state aid is not comprised from money printed in Madison.  It is comprised of money that was first taken from taxpayers.  Germantown’s increase in state aid is West Bend’s tax increase.  West Bend’s increase in state aid is Germantown’s tax increase.  The notion that state aid is “free money” is part of the reason that our taxes are so high.

(9) Comments
Posted by Owen at 1128 hrs
Politics + Politics - Wisconsin

  1. Just how STUPID does the school board think we are?

    I guess we have our answer…..

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on September 28, 2008 at 1346 hrs


  2. Owen…you’re good at this grass roots stuff.  How can go about getting a State constitutional amendment to limit school districts to one new building referendum every two years and make it during the November elections to coincide with Federal House races so that they don’t get buried during obscure times of the year. 

    This is just ridiculous the way these school boards are coming at us taxpayers in waves every 4-6 months.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on September 28, 2008 at 1856 hrs


  3. I read this in the J/S today.  Unbelievable arrogance.  But, Germantown elected them.  Come to Mequon.  We don’t let that stuff happen here.

    Posted by Steve on September 28, 2008 at 1954 hrs


  4. Were you for the bridge before you were against it like the Governor of Alaska?

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on September 28, 2008 at 2147 hrs


  5. It’s the new math done by the same old crowd.  Any new debt means more money must be raised to pay it off, plus interest.  The GT school board has voted to raise the budget by almost 6% for the coming year and wants to have the voters approve more borrowing and permission to exceed spending limits in coming years.  This all means more taxes for the schools.  Home owners, renters and property owners will pay more for this, unless they vote NO on the referendum.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on September 28, 2008 at 2245 hrs


  6. “How can go about getting a State constitutional amendment to limit school districts to one new building referendum every two years and make it during the November elections to coincide with Federal House races so that they don’t get buried during obscure times of the year.”

    It will have to be an amendment, since there is no way that WEAC loving Doyle would ever support such a thing.

    From the Wisconsin Constitution:
    Constitutional amendments. SECTION 1. Any amendment
    or amendments to this constitution may be proposed in
    either house of the legislature, and if the same shall be agreed to by a majority of the members elected to each of the two houses, such proposed amendment or amendments shall be entered on their journals, with the yeas and nays taken thereon, and referred to the legislature to be chosen at the next general election, and shall be published for three months previous to the time of holding such election; and if, in the legislature so next chosen, such proposed amendment or amendments shall be agreed to by a majority of all the members elected to each house, then it shall be the duty of the legislature to submit such proposed amendment or amendments to the people in such manner and at such time as the legislature shall prescribe; and if the people shall approve and ratify such amendment or amendments by a majority of the electors voting thereon, such amendment or amendments shall become part of the constitution; provided, that if more than one amendment be submitted, they shall be submitted in such manner that the people may vote for or against such amendments separately.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on September 29, 2008 at 0749 hrs


  7. I would have laughed at the sheer audacity while reading that article if I didn’t have the cold creeping fear that there might be some idiots in Germantown who actually buy that.

    Has anyone noticed that we have been having a bit of trouble in the economy lately?  I wonder if that could have an impact on new construction and thus future enrollment?  Hmm . . .

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on September 29, 2008 at 1025 hrs


  8. Has anyone noticed that we have been having a bit of trouble in the economy lately?  I wonder if that could have an impact on new construction and thus future enrollment?

    We had wondered out loud about the impact due to the uncertain economy in response to Owen’s post about his Daily News column last week, and my contention in reference to West Bend (& Germantown) was that because of that turmoil, the referenda questions should be taken off of the table until a future date, so we know what the future economy will look like.

    You raise a good point about future enrollments - I wasn’t sure (in the case of West Bend, at least) how much of the stated need is based on future enrollments, and if anyone has taken a look to see if those numbers are realistic now.  The majority of West Bend’s workforce commutes - I would think with high gas prices & maybe a lack of new employment anywhere, West Bend’s growth might slow down.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on September 29, 2008 at 1101 hrs


  9. I have $100,000 on my mortgage. I’m going to lower my cost by taking out a home equity loan for another $100,000.

    The School Board told me this would work.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on September 29, 2008 at 1222 hrs


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