Sunday, January 27, 2008

Property Tax relief package--school impact

And if that title didn't put you to sleep, good for you!

Seriously, though, the legislation making its way through the process in Indianapolis may have a large impact on public schools as well as property owners. According to Friday's Indianapolis Star, "the plan [approved by the house] would transfer the 15 percent of remaining school general fund and transportation spending ... to the state."

The original plan also proposed that every public spending project (including schools) over $7 million would have to be approved by a local referendum. The version of the bill that came out of the house altered this so that only "recreational" projects like pools and football stadiums would have to be passed by referendum. We'll see what the bill looks like when it comes out of the senate and goes to the governor for his signature. If you'd like to track the bill, check www.indystar.com/politics.

School finance is serious business, and it's terribly complicated. My husband Steve, who's an educator, has heard someone say that only 10 people in the state understand school funding, and when the 11th person learns, they change it. Looks like that's about to happen, and school boards and administrators will have to keep abreast of the changes.

Lebanon has been spared bitter battles over school building projects, and that's probably because the administration and board have been pretty sensible about the projects they have proposed.

Do you think there are any building projects the LCSC will need in the near future? What do you think of the condition of the LCSC facilities? Drop me an e-mail and let me know.

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Lebanon schools a "Best Buy"

Each year the Indiana Chamber of Commerce publishes a report of the "Best Buys" among the roughly 400 school corporations in the state. Their method for doing this seems pretty comprehensive, and is explained at the beginning of the report. They take into account the tax rate, school corporation debt, spending per pupil, and several measures of student achievement including test scores, graduation rates and the percent of graduates going on to college.

The 2007 report, published in December and available to download at this link: http://www.indianachamber.com/bestbuys/, includes Lebanon among the 136 "Best Buy" school corporations.

I know there's work to be done in the Lebanon schools, and we face challenges of student achievement and getting the most from our budget. But it's good when we are recognized for achieving well with what we have and giving our students, staff and citizens "bang for the buck." You might find the report interesting to look over, but I wouldn't print it unless you have plenty of paper and ink in your printer!

What do you think are the most pressing issues facing the Lebanon schools? Drop me an e-mail and let me know. Thank you for reading.

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

It's official

This morning I filed my candidacy papers!

If you're confused about the composition of the Lebanon school board, which seats are open, etc., here's how I understand it:

There are five seats on the board, and members serve four-year terms. Two seats are for the city of Lebanon, one is for Center Township not including Lebanon (this includes Ulen and the parts of Center outside city limits), and one each for Perry and Worth townships.

This year, voters will be electing members for the two city seats, currently held by Ron Morelock and Roger Neal, and the Perry Township seat currently held by John Rice.

In the LCSC, everyone votes for each of the school board seats, e.g., if you live in Perry Twp., you can still vote for the city and other township seats.

I saw my blog mentioned on the Lebanon Chatter community bulletin board. Thank you to whomever posted that link, and welcome to any Chatter readers who have found this blog.