Coming Soon to a Telephone Near You--Another Bond Issue

[Value Pack]

The USD 443 budget for 2008/2009 will be $69,692,680.00. That is $2,787.71 for every man, woman and child in Dodge City per year at 25,000 people.

Our school has hired "top guns", given them titles and office space so as to make sure that the money keeps rolling in.

Our school system is working 24/7 to build more and spend more money. According to a letter from the Office of Public Information: "Again, the plan is to approve the survey and move forward at the March 3rd, 2008 meeting... Thanks for your continued help and support in this step of the referendum process."

Here is what you can expect in the next few months on your phone as part of a telephone survey.


"37. Now that I've shared with you some of the ideas being considered by the school district, I want to ask you, again, how would you vote if the election were held today? Would you strongly favor, favor, oppose, or strongly oppose the bond issue?
DO NOT READ "LEAN FAVOR," "LEAN OPPOSE" "DEPENDS ON WHAT'S INCLUDED," "DEPENDS ON THE TAX INCREASE," OR "DON'T KNOW," BUT NOTE IF MENTIONED — UNAIDED — BY RESPONDENTS.
Strongly favor
El Favor
Lean favor (DON'T READ)
El Lean oppose (DON'T READ)
CI Oppose
Strongly oppose
Depends on what's included (DON'T READ)
Depends on the tax increase (DON'T READ) Don't know DON'T READ)

38. What if the proposal resulted in a tax increase of 176 dollars per year, or a little less than 15 dollars per month for the owner of a $100,000 home in the district? Would you strongly favor, favor, oppose, or strongly oppose this bond issue? DO NOT READ "LEAN FAVOR," "LEAN OPPOSE," OR "DON'T KNOW." NOTE IF MENTIONED, UNAIDED.

39. What if the proposal resulted in a tax increase of 132 dollars per year, or about 11 dollars a month for the owner of a $100,000 home in the district? Would you strongly favor, favor, oppose, or strongly oppose this bond issue? DO NOT READ "LEAN FAVOR," "LEAN OPPOSE," OR "DON'T KNOW." NOTE IF MENTIONED, UNAIDED.

40. What if the proposal resulted in a tax increase of 88 dollars per year, or a little more than 7 dollars per month for the owner of a $100,000 home in the district? Would you strongly favor, favor, oppose, or strongly oppose this bond issue? DO NOT READ "LEAN FAVOR," "LEAN OPPOSE," OR "DON'T KNOW.- NOTE IF MENTIONED, UNAIDED.

41. Why, specifically, do you believe you would vote against such a proposal, if the election were held today? PROBE TO — AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE — GET BEYOND "DON'T KNOW" OR "I JUST WOULD VOTE NO."

This telephone survey is 14 pages long. So if you get the call, be prepared to spend some time on the telephone. Here is a poll that is based on a question that is in the survey. Based on how one reads the entire 14 pages, I do believe that the school system is worried about how this may be the straw that breaks the camel's back.

[old timer]

AVERAGE COUNTY LEVIES ON TANGIBLE PROPERTY VALUATIONKansas Dept of Revenue site [.pdf]
http://www.ksrevenue.org/pdf/04-06tableivavglevies.pdf
Year 2004 2005 2006
Finney \ 111.197 \ 107.684 \105.802
Ford \151.181 \ 160.303 \ 160.684

[Value Pack]

Thank you Old Timer. I feel a little better. With 105 Counties in Kansas, we rank at 35 from the top as I read the chart you linked.

Smith County is the highest at $222.167 per each one thousand dollar valuation. Ford County is still higher than Finney, Steward and Gray. As cities go and for our size, if you factor that in, we are the second highest at 170.143 with Pratt first (City size) at 201.738.

Does anyone else read this different?

[Made in the USA]

All I know is that we pay TOO DAMN MUCH TAXES for no more than what we have here!!

[Value Pack]

All I know is that we pay TOO DAMN MUCH TAXES for no more than what we have here!!

If we factor in what USD 443 wants to do at the next election, this will be far higher yet. The school system knows that they are high so that is why they are spending money for a PR program to try to get us ready for the next bond issue.

[Made in the USA]

If they push that through, I will withdraw from the "union" and start my own Country! I might apply to the U.S. for some "foreign aid", then sit on my butt and whine for everything!

[Value Pack]

Interesting article on how many ways our school system is working at getting more money from us. This is not just on a local level but also on a state level.

Tax Funds Being Spent To Push For Kansas Tax Hike

By Karl Peterjohn, Kansas Taxpayers Network. Released September 20, 2007.

Your tax dollars are being used to push for an increase in Kansas income taxes. Do you want your tax money spent on raising your taxes?

This tax hike plan was initially reported by in the Hawver’s Capitol Report (Hawver News Company... covering Kansas politics, government and more.) state capitol newsletter August 27. The Kansas Association of School Boards (KASB) is seeking another statewide income tax hike. This tax hike would be used to provide more state tax dollars to the 296 Kansas public school districts.

What is not clear is how big a tax hike is being sought by the government school spending lobby. KASB is a large organization with over 30 employees operating out of its posh, marble floored offices with a multi-million dollar budget in west Topeka near Wanamaker Road. KASB is funded with tax dollars coming from 295 Kansas public school districts with only one district not having a KASB membership.

In the 2007 legislative session KASB registered 13 lobbyists to push for more spending and additional property tax authority during the 2007 legislative session. In addition to this taxpayer funded lobbying group, many of the KASB member school districts also have their own taxpayer funded lobbyists at the statehouse too.

This tax hike scheme would provide additional tax funds to substantially expand the already budgeted $122 million to pay off the final year of the Kansas Supreme Court’s Montoy school finance lawsuit. That budgeted amount will provide roughly $275 per pupil or over $5,000 more per 20 student classroom next year. For KASB, that is inadequate. The school districts want more money in addition to the increased local property tax increases authorized by the legislature this year for all 296 Kansas public school districts. Your tax dollars are helping raise your property taxes.

This isn’t the only fiscal battle your tax funds are helping finance. There has been a major open records battle trying to get the recalcitrant school districts funding this lawsuit to report how much money has been spent for this litigation.

Kansas taxpayers face automatic tax hikes due to property tax appraisal valuation inflation as well as higher income taxes through inflation generated bracket creep in our state income tax. KASB and other taxpayer funded lobbyists regularly fight any proposals to make it harder to raise state and local taxes in Kansas.

Many Kansans are unhappy about these tax hikes that no elected official has to vote for. More Kansans would be outraged if they knew their tax money is being spent to promote higher taxes as well as more state spending. This year the state’s General Fund budget grew 10.4 percent but that is not enough for these groups.

There are roughly 70 school districts, cities, counties, and other governmental bodies lobbying legislators at the statehouse. Efforts by legislators to stop this abuse have failed often due to the powerful push from these taxpayer funded lobbying organizations.

When the senate’s local government committee chairman Tim Huelskamp, R-Fowler, held hearings on a bill to stop this taxpayer abuse last year the room was filled with tax funded legislators opposing this bill. The bill was killed by bipartisan senate leadership and never even got debated on the senate floor. So taxpayers are left with this question: How much of your tax dollars are the lobbyists spending at the statehouse trying to raise your taxes?

[Value Pack]

(Just got this in the mail today. The campaign has started to increase our taxes again.)

Wednesday, March 5, 2003

Dear Community Members,

As you may already know, in 2005, the USD 443 Board of Education solicited a comprehensive evaluation
of the school district's existing facilities and future facilities needs. Over 70 parents, business owners,
community leaders., and school officials served on the Community Facilities Task Force and presented its
report to the Board of Education in December of 2005.

Many of the highest priority items have come to fruition or are near completion, including a new location
for The Learning Center, an additional elementary school, and improved traffic flow at Bright Beginnings
Early Childhood Center, Tile Learning Center expanded to nearly twice its size, incorporating the latest
technology, meeting space and improved access for the community at large. Ross Elementary is scheduled
to open in the fail of 2008 at the corner of Ross Boulevard and Sixth Avenue. And, this summer; Bright
Beginnings will get a new parking lot. (Could use a good English teacher here.)

These projects were completed as a result of the assessed needs of the district as part of its facilities plans.
Remarkably, though, each of them was completed within our operating budget. No additional taxes were
solicited to fulfill these critical needs, A combination of gift monies, increased funding from the state, and
prudent budgeting efforts by the Board of Education has made this possible.

Still, another item the Task Force determined to be a challenge for the district is the middle school facilities.
The Board has begun looking at the facilities for our community's seventh and eighth graders, This Board is
very committed to seeking public input.

So, the Board of Education is conducting a survey of the community now through the end of March. The
Board respectfully requests input from patrons regarding a potential middle school bond referendum
Pollsters who are contracted by the Board of Education are calling households at random asking volunteers
to complete a telephone survey. The members of the Board offer their thanks to all those who participate.

If you have any questions about the survey, please feel free to contact the Office of Public information at
(620)227-1623

Very truly yours


Alan R Cunningham
Superintendent of Schools

[CRAZY HORSE]

I Got One Of Those Today But Coldn't Read The Back Side
It Was In Some Strange Language That I Couldn't Figure Out So Maybe It Said Something Else

[Tee]

As long as we keep letting them spend, they'll keep asking for more money. Our personal property taxes are way "outa control" right now.

When they call you, tell them to STOP spending so much of our hard earned money. START doing with LESS, like we have had to do in this economy.

SAY "NO" to raising our taxes even more than they are!!