Eugene Mayor Kitty Piercy concerned about the recent school closers in the 4-J school district is looking for new ways to fund money for the schools.
"Eugene voters already support Eugene School District 4J through a local option levy renewed two years ago. "
Her proposal would call for a new sales or income tax.
" What I am trying to do is provide a forum for people to understand how we got in the situation we are in, for them to understand the impact that a good education system has on our community, and to look at some local funding options, such as a local income or sales tax,” Piercy said Monday "
A sales tax!!! Oh my god... she is got to be kidding to even suggest that!
Measure 66 & 57 was supposed to be the "cure all" to the school's financial problems however, the fly in the ointment was that there was not enough "tax base" to generate the estimated income that they predicted.
Why is that? Because of high unemployment and people and businesses leaving the state.
1 am getting very sick and tired that they never seem to have enough money for schools yet we can come up with money for the EmX which people especially in West Eugene do not want and LTD has yet to explain why it needs special buses for that run, the construction of a very expensive bike bridge over the Delta highway (although it does look unique with its glowing red highlights above and below the bridge) and other low priority investments in a high recession era.
I would also site just how out of touch the mayor is when you can't drive down almost any Eugene downtown street anymore (and some in Springfield too) without seeing somebody begging for money.
As to the mayor's comments about "to provide a forum for people to understand how we got in the situation we are in..." I can tell you exactly how they are in that problem and it's called... spending more than you have.
Even if we were not in a recession I would not personally vote for any increases in any school budgets until the school districts conduct a serious audit and publish the results.
and finally, take a clue from the comments posted on both the register guard's and KVAL's website about the story were the majority the people pretty much feel the same way I do.
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