Do you think your property taxes are too low?

Bob Gough, Lee Summit, Jackson County Taxpayers Association

Write your comments to:  Editor@lstribune.net

Comments

1. Joe Smith says:
   December 30th, 2010 at 16:27
   Hi Bob,
   Do you have any idea what these "fat cat" administrator do? Or, why they are asking for an increase? Do you realize that our kids may have to pay to play sports, pay to take extra curricular classes and electives, and that teachers will be subjected to layoffs? I have 3 kids in school, and I expect the city of Lee's Summit to pass these increases, so that we continue the forward progress of our school district and we don't fall to the wayside like other prospering suburbs have proven to do in the past when community's stop passing school levy's.
   Joe
2. Kevin Knapp says:
   January 1st, 2011 at 07:47
   Maybe if our highly compensated R7 administrators put some real skin in the game and took a modest pay decrease, I would feel better about them asking all of us for more money. R7 administrators, this is a "teaching moment" for your students and your tax payers. Which of you have the courage to lead by example here?!?!
3. Brian says:
   January 4th, 2011 at 17:20
   That is from the same type of taxpayer-advocate who says we should not tax corporations whose executives easily make over 10 times those salaries, not counting stock options.
   Those salaries would not seem so large in light of the budget and in light of what the free market is paying executives of similar sized organizations who live in Lees Summit.
   Where is the context? What about the trade-offs?
4. Thomas Huffington says:
   January 5th, 2011 at 20:29
   I am a Lee's Summit tax payer. I am also an educator outside the Lee's Summit School District. Every single study ever done on education will tell you that the most important factor in having quality schools is having quality educators running them. For example, the 2010 Missouri State Teacher of the Year, Susanne Mitko, and the 2009 Missouri State Assistant Principal of the Year, Jeffery Meisenheimer. You won't get those type of people applying for those positions without adequate compensation. These administrator salaries are not out of line with other districts in the state of similar size, demographics and assessed values. You get what you pay for. If you want a great city to live in, which Lee's Summit is, you need great people living there. You want great people living there you better have great schools. You want great schools you need great educators in them.
   This increase will go to keep quality teachers in the classroom and top level programs in place for the benefit of students. Administrator's pay is not part of the tax increase. Even the teachers, who's salaries have been frozen for 2 years along with administrators, would revolt if programs were cut and administrators took a pay raise. In fact in the last several years, as the district budget has been reduced, administrators have taken the largest hit.
   Of the approximately more than 100 positions eliminated over the past few years, totals by category include:
   8.2 percent of the administrative staff
   3.9 percent of classroom teachers
   7.6 percent classified as "other certified" staff
   2.7 percent of support staff.
   Six positions alone have been eliminated at the district level at the Stansberry Leadership Center.
   I agree, this is a teachable moment. People will vote yes on tax increase to update Kaufmann and Arrowhead Stadiums but vote no to keep Lee's Summit Schools at the forefront of education? What priority do we put on our quality of schools? For the price of two people eating out once a month, the tax payers of this great city can maintain the high standards and excellent reputation that Lee's Summit deserves and has earned.
5. History Coach says:
   January 6th, 2011 at 14:17
   You aren't seeing the big picture. The levy is not to just give administrators and teachers a raise. In fact, there has not been a decision on raises yet. The levy is designed to give our children (i.e., our future) a better education. Avoid having to fire teachers, smaller class sizes, adequately funded enrichment opportunities, etc. I know I will feel okay increasing my taxes aby $400 per year if it means not having to tell a teacher making $35,000 that she does not have a job anymore.
6. JL Johnson says:
   January 6th, 2011 at 22:25
   While a fiscal conservative I fully support high local taxes, it keeps land values high and funds our excellent schools and city programs. High taxes and land values also help keep out the fringe.
7. In the middle says:
   January 7th, 2011 at 16:59
   Lee's Summit School District employs 2,500 people. It is the largest employer in the city. If you were to compare these salaries to those of CEO's of companies of similar size in the "private sector", what do you think you they would earn? Probably much more than these salaries. It is absurd to expect people to earn less simply because they are in public education. These people are college educated and have earned their positions. They deserve to be compinsated.
8. J.S. Upton says:
   January 8th, 2011 at 01:45
   Thomas Huffington couldn't have said it better.
   For example: Our family has a 5th grader and a Freshman in the district and they are both experiencing increasing classroom enrollments. There are 31 students in my son's elementary class. Thirty-one. This is as a result of staff reductions without replacement - not from an unanticipated outside enrollment swell. How effective can any teacher be at the elementary or secondary level if they have 30+ students in a class?
   Without this tax increase approval, it will only get worse.
   See the big picture and get the facts at http://www.leesummit.k1...tinfo/election2011.html
   In parting, if you want to talk about salaries, consider any organization that asks its upper management to supervise hundreds/thousands of employees/students. Ask yourself if in the private sector what comparable high level executives earn. The salaries above are not out of line. Of course it may be higher than what you or I earn, but compare your salary to one of the hundreds of teachers in our district. That is a more reasonable comparison.
   Our school administrators provide the highest education level financially possible and work hard to challenge all students. They deserve our support in February.
9. James says:
   January 8th, 2011 at 16:07
   Holy smokes, we're paying the head lunch lady $141,029!
   When people choose to go into public service with public tax payer's money they have also chosen to be modestly compensated. Virtually all R7 spending is funded by our private sector pay checks (that have been frozen and cut over the past couple years).
   The system that has given us the BIG money list above is broken and has crossed the line! How many "Director of", "Administrator of", "Assistant to", "Executive of" 6 figure salaries does it take to teach children?
   The literally $200,000,000 R7 budget is enough. Please earn your BIG salaries and make it work without reaching even deeper into my wallet!
10. Robert says:
    January 9th, 2011 at 15:41
    I have been in public service for over 32 years and find one thing to be true-raising taxes in order to offset lost revenue isn't always the answer. Taxpayers, especially those who are out of work, are tired of always having to pick up the tab. Make use of the revenue that is coming in, cut where cuts can be made. If salaries and benefit packages at the administrative level can be cut to help reduce expenses then do it. Mr. Huffington, you make a good argument for the tax levy and you couldn't be more on target. But, we are in an economic downturn that doesn't support raising taxes. I for one have seen taxpayers have to make a decision between paying taxes or keeping food, heat and electicity on at home. The agency I work for has cut back on staffing, salary increases and benefits. I don't have the luxury of telling taxpayers: vote for and pay higher taxes; I can't work through salary freezes; I won't work for the department because I am not being compensated enough-I am worth more; since the department has less staffing-I will do less not more. I feel as a public servant-I have a responsibility to the taxpayer to do more with less. Eventually things will turn around, but until then I am voting against the tax levy for Lees Summit School District.
11. R7soccermom says:
    January 10th, 2011 at 04:57
    I agree with Robert. The tax levy should not be increased until our economy turns around. Social Security hasn't had an increase for 2 years, Missouri State employees have had their salaries frozen for 3 years and now the federal government employees have a salary freeze along with unemployment at an all time high and the school board thinks this is a time to increase taxes. Possibly our athletic teams and bands shouldn't travel to competition more than 2 hours away. (except for State playoffs,etc) I've read recently where athletic teams have traveled to St. Louis & Springfield to compete which has required an overnight stay. Don't we have enough competition in the Metro area and over the state line until the economy improves? My child had 30 children in her classroom 6 years ago in a elementary school in Lee's Summit. Why is that not okay now? Schools across the state and the nation are having to deal with the same problems that the Lee's Summit School District is dealing with now. I read in the KC Star yesterday that Springfield, Mo. has the largest enrollment of students in the state, what is their tax levee? Citizens are struggling to keep their homes, this is not the right time to raise our taxes.
12. John says:
    January 10th, 2011 at 21:02
    This is a *permanent* increase of almost 15% in response to what many see as a temporary drop in revenues. This is not like the "no tax increase" bonds, that are voted on for renewal on a regular basis. The Superintendent is on record as indicated that he saw this fiscal crisis developing, yet went ahead with the bond issuance instead of replacing it with this property tax increase. Blue Springs has roughly equivalent schools and test scores. Lee's Summit might wind up losing additional growth to Blue Springs because of these proposed increases.
13. Paul Zainea says:
    January 13th, 2011 at 06:01
    Sad to say that Bob Gough raised a good question, and confused it by his chart: I truly don’t care what the School Administrators earn; so long as the truly earn it. Lee’s Summit has one of the best schools in the nation. That seems to suggest that they may be doing their jobs and earning their pay. I’d venture a guess that there are many school districts that spend more than we do, and do less with their money than we do. So lets keep things in the right perspective.
    Having said that, I can say that I’m not sure I’m going to vote for the increase simply because when times are tough, belt tightening has to be done by all. The increase appears to suggest, and I’ve seen nothing to the contrary, that no effort has been made to find ways to do more with less, to cut costs without sacrificing quality.
    The old mantra of over crowded classrooms is just that, a mantra: until all other options have been explored to the fullest. I have not seen evidence of that in the request for more funding.
    What alternatives have been explored? What are their costs, and their consequences and let the voters decide what we are willing to pay for. Is there an alternative? Right now on the ballot there is only one set of choices: Yes or No.
    I know that the schools operating budget and the physical budget (buildings, property and equipment) are separate; but I keep asking myself do we truly need a state of the art football field, or could that money have gone to the maintenance budget of the buildings?
    Once we spend money needlessly – and pride in the football program does not produce better students – then everything else the school system spends money on is in question; and in a deep and prolonged recession this was not the time to spend money foolishly.
    I think I’ll vote NO! (Too bad they won’t let me put the exclamation point on the ballot.)
14. GetPerspective says:
    January 13th, 2011 at 14:10
    Bob Gough wrote:
    The following is a list of the top 25 R-7 administrative positions and their compensation. How does their compensation compare to yours?
    Great question Bob. I hope you come out with these very facts in your next Opinion article. I really cannot wait to see how comparable the salaries are of people atop multi-thousand person organizations and corporations to those in our school district. This will be a wonderful article and a very telling one at that. When will you be publishing this comparison? I know since you have done your homework on one side, you would surely do it on the other to make an informed decision...right? There is a reason Lee's Summit is one of the highest rated school districts in the state. There is a reason Lee's Summit has seen the growth in the district the past 20 years.
    Looking forward to your comparison article.
15. rick says:
    January 13th, 2011 at 23:12
    Well? Many/ most people making 80k a year and higher are salary and must put in more than a 40 hr. week. A teaching degree is not a difficult achievement.
    LOOK! --Here is a job many would love to do and is rewarding.
    A job where it is somewhat difficult to get fired.
    A job with a ton of sick pay that rolls over in most cases.
    A lot of vacation days, health insurance, free wellness visits to the message place, free "training workshop vacations"
    Child care.
    Discounts at a lot of places etc.
    and OH, BY THE WAY TAKE....
    1) A WINTER BREAK
    2) SPRING BREAK AND
    3) THE SUMMER OFF TOO!
    Apples to apples, these jobs pay much, much more than most people think.
    I really appreciate a good teacher but, I feel they should not whine about pay no matter how many awards they have.
    Please stop asking for more. Taxes are high enough.
16. Supportive Citizen says:
    January 15th, 2011 at 19:59
    In response to the sentiment that the school district should just tighten their belts, and has made no efforts to cut costs, you should know that the district has already cut $19.5 million from their budget, and the fact that taxpayers have not felt those cuts in my opinion speaks highly to the quality of the educators who have continued to produce wonderful results with fewer resources. Unfortunately, we have reached a point where there is no more room to cut without it beginning to affect the children and the services they receive. This is why the Citizens Advisory Committee (not the school district administrators, but a group of community members) decided that the issue needed to be placed on the ballot. Please visit the school district's website www.leesummit.k12.mo.us to find out more about what cuts will happen without the increase. Also keep in mind that the increase is not to just add on top of the revenue that has been coming in over the past several years; it is mostly to replace the loss in revenue that has happened as property values have decreased and the state has cut more and more funding at that level.
17. Todd McMickell says:
    January 16th, 2011 at 14:49
    I will be voting no. It seems to me that those listed need to be reeled in and take pay cuts. These salaries seem excessive and bloated. Why are these salaries still so high given the fact that the Lee's Summit School system has been hit with demanding budget cuts?
18. History Coach says:
    January 18th, 2011 at 13:49
    Rick....before you start spouting off baseless comments, please get all of your facts straight. As a teacher I do NOT get free childcare (I pay $1000 a month for 2 kid), I do NOT get a "ton of sick days"....unless you consider 8 days a "ton." Those 8 days have to be used for my sick days, my 2 kids' sick days, family personal days, etc. I don't get a discount at any place in LS (that I know of). I've never been to a restaurant and said, "Can I have the teacher discount?" And don't even get me started on the 40-hour work week. Try 60 or more hours when you include grading, lesson planning, after-school supervision, etc. You know what I did this weekend? I graded 145 tests. If a teaching degree is so easy to get and we have it made in the shade as you seem to indicate, then head on back to college, get your degree, and come join our wonderful profession. All that being said...we are not asking for a pay raise. The levy is NOT about raising our pay. It is about making sure the quality education our kids have been getting is continued. Class sizes are going to skyrocket and quality teachers are going to be fired. Now...will a pay raise be part of that levy? Possibly. Is it bad to give the people who take care of your children (for 8-10 a day, 185 days a year) a pay raise after 3 years of being frozen?
19. Robert says:
    January 18th, 2011 at 18:43
    History Coach & Supportive Citizen-What did the School District pay Jackson County to put this on the ballot for February? Somehow it seems the District has money to spend. The District still needs to continue cost contaiment efforts in order to offset lost revenue. As for History Coach-I do applaud you for the work you do, but until the economy turns around-you'll just have to make the best of it. There are quite a few people in the Lees Summit area who have gone through pay cuts and job losses. Do you want to ask them to pay for an increase in their property taxes? Do you think making a decision to buy groceries or pay property taxes is an easy decision for a parent to make? Think about it.......
20. History Coach says:
    January 19th, 2011 at 14:52
    Robert....again this is NOT about raising my pay! This is about keeping the quality of education in the LS Schools. I would guess that many parents moved to LS for the quality schools. I have never met a single person in LS who told me they moved here for the low taxes. When I moved to LS, I knew I was going to pay a lot more in taxes than when I lived in Cass County. However, that was the sacrifice I was willing to make for the quality of education that I want my little girls to have. I know times are tough for a lot of people, but from a selfish standpoint, I want my little girls to have the best possible education. There are other nearby cities where people can live with lower taxes (and lesser educational quality) if they desire. I choose to pay higher taxes and give my daughters every possible advantage in society. As for the district continuing "Cost Containment"....that is no longer an option. If the levy does not pass, we will move into a situation called "Cost Reduction." That means teachers will be fired, class sizes will go up, programs/activities will be cut, more elementary combo classrooms, etc. Containment and Reduction are two totally different things. Containment is over if the levy does not pass. If the levy does pass, we will be able to continue Containment and avoid Reduction.
21. Science Coach says:
    January 19th, 2011 at 17:58
    In response to "rick", voting based on your own situation is understandable but to degrade the teaching profession as part of your argument is ridiculous. I would ask that if this is truly how you feel, then would you say that your children, assuming you have them, would receive the same quality education in one of our more urban/inner city school districts? If you believe so, then I challenge you to experiment with that and let us know how that works. Your assumption that completing a degree in education is easy only confirms your lack of understanding of the profession. Most of the educators in this district not only have undergraduate degrees in the profession, but graduate degrees as well. (Something that most people making 80k+ a year can't claim.) There is an old saying that comes to mind as I read your response. Better to remain quiet and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.
22. Robert says:
    January 20th, 2011 at 06:03
    History Coach-Passing a levy now would take a toll on those families in the district that can't afford the increase. Do we tell them to leave Lees Summit because they can't afford to pay the increase through no fault of their own? They stay here because the quality of life here is better than most cities in the metro area. The quality of the school district lies with the individual teachers who know the reality that some families are facing. They don't teach less, but do more. I know several teachers that are making do with available resources and will continue to do more if the levy doesn't pass. On the same note, in the Metro area some of the local agencies that provide service to citizens have cut back on staffing because of the loss in tax revenue. Those public servants have found they have to do more with less. They have to do more for the same rate of pay and in some cases for less pay. I worked for a large metropolitan police agency-we worked for four years without pay increases, provided the same level of service if not more, suffered a reduction in sworn officers, went through a reduction in equipment purchases, etc. I, like many of the officers I worked with wanted salary increases-but the money wasn't there. Raising taxes to increase the number of sworn personnel and increase salaries was voted down a number of times by the citizens, who wanted the same level of service for less. In spite of that, I still put my life on the line day in and day out. During that time, we tightened our belts and made sacrifices-I think you should think about continuing to do the same. Eventually things will turn around.
23. History Coach says:
    January 20th, 2011 at 14:56
    Valid response, Robert. Although I feel like you helped me make my point when you said that your police force asked for additional funds several times through taxes. I would imagine not many of the police officers thought it was a good idea to fire officers, reduce equipment, etc. I am sure most of the officers on your force (especially those who lost their jobs) were in favor of raising taxes to keep the police force as strong as possible. I applaud you for tightening your belts and making sacrifices in the name of public safety, but the fact that you asked for a tax hike several times indicates that the police force did not want to tighten its belts and make sacrifices. The district is trying to do the same thing. It would be irresponsible, in my opinion, for the district to not try to keep the quality of education at the level it is. Our district does not want to lose quality teachers or quality resources for the children. That is why we have to put this levy to a vote.
24. In the middle says:
    January 20th, 2011 at 15:22
    It certainly does no good to use opinions about whether it's "easy" to be a teacher as a reason for one's position on the levy. I would say that many of us could make a list of jobs we think might be easier than our own or more difficult. The truth is, we don't know how difficult a job is until we have done it. For the record, the teachers in the district DO NOT get child care. They pay for before and after school care like other Lee's Summit parents (Including Kids Country). Rick mentions these benefits and vacations as why teaching is easy, but fails to mention the actual job of being an educator. I'm sure there are many adults in our community that would tell you that those vacations aren't worth the frustrations of dealing with a classroom full of pubescent teenagers that would rather be anywhere else at that moment. On the flips side, there may be others would leave their jobs in a second, because they feel they missed their "calling". Either way, it doesn't really apply to the levy.
    School districts everywhere are making cuts, tightening belts and (in some cases getting rid of teachers and programs). The levy gives the people of Lee's Summit a chance to vote and decided whether they are comfortable with some of these tough decisions or whether they're willing to pay more money to avoid them. Ultimately, I would hope a decision to vote on the levy would be decided on whether you believe larger classroom size are or are not a issue... whether a classroom that combines your 3rd grade student with some 4th grade students is something you're okay with or not... or, whether your family can or cannot find that extra money the levy would require. (Keep in mind... some families have already cut that "eating out" out of their budgets. They may have no more room to make a cut.) However, I don't think the decision should be based on whether you think teaching is too easy or if teachers are over paid. Unless you've been a teacher, you might be making a decision without all the facts.
25. rick says:
    January 21st, 2011 at 17:21
    Coaches...never even wrote the word "easy" as you repeated in quotations. It is my opinion that some degrees are more difficult than others to achieve. I apologize if that sounded like that. I never said "free child care"
    As far as discount go, the following is from the LS R-7 website. (If you are a district employee you can log in and get further info)
    "The Lee's Summit R-7 School District has a rich heritage with the local business community and wishes to provide them an opportunity to share with R-7 employees various offers and discounts available to staff. In an effort to streamline the methods of communication utilized by various businesses and organizations and to more effectively provide timely information to staff, the following guidelines have been established."
    Also, I believe you do receive "staff development"
    Education assistance of $40 per credit hr. toward grad degrees for full time staff and many other things.
    Over all, I think we take better care of our teachers and administrative staff in Lee's Summit than most districts. (Do you agree with that?)
    In my opinion, LS R-7 does a good job with their students. All of the staff should be proud. I really do appreciate the ALL OF THE STAFF we have including teachers, band instructors, nurses, health clerks, library aids, DARE officers,athletic coaches, lunch staff, all the volunteers, para pros, resource aids, substitutes (who work on little or no notice for little pay), occupational therapist, secretaries, janitors, all of the maintenance staff, speech pathologists and on and on. But to ask for what I consider a HUGE tax increase at this time is just WRONG. Especially when so many are losing their jobs or have been out of work already or are self employed and things are slow.I don't think the school district will capitulate down if this does not pass. Come on, stop the threats!
    In my opinion, We already have a good reputation for our schools. If this city continues to get a increased reputation for high taxes, we will loose much more than many may think. I have always supported our school in the past many ways. I'm not for this one. Not at this time.
26. Science Coach says:
    January 21st, 2011 at 18:54
    Rick... Unless you have completed a degree in education, I have a hard time believing you have any idea about the difficulty of completing the degree. Having gone to college with many people currently working in the private sector, I can assure you their degree program was no more rigorous than mine. In my own situation, I have nearly the same number of undergraduate hours in Biology as a person with a Bachelors in Biology. If financial beliefs drives your opinion, so be it. But to paint a picture that teachers skirted through simple degree programs and are pampered (discounts that nearly anyone in the community with access to online coupons and "massage" visits to the chiropractor offered by the insurance companies) is inaccurate and unfair.
    I will say that we do agree on one thing. If the levy should happen to fail, programs and positions will be cut, class sizes will increase. But you are right, the district won't fall apart or capitulate. The quality of education we provide our students will continue. The teachers in this district will ensure that. We have worked too hard in this profession to let that happen.
27. rick says:
    January 22nd, 2011 at 01:03
    Hey "science coach" Do you put words in your students mouths as well as you have done with me? (Hope not with my kids). In my opinion, you sound less than professional. Have all of the teachers in the district suffered through all of the biology classes you have taken? NO. Pat yourself on the back you may be the exception.( I have taken several at UMKC while getting my undergrad)
    Why do few people ever recognize that the parents/children in Lee's Summit are a major ingredient in the success of this district? An above average nexus with parents and school curriculum ...a kind of symbiosis?
    As you point out, many families have based their decision to live here with great emphasis on education right? (although we moved for low crime rate 1st and 2nd location, though schools were a factor)
    As far as your epitome about me placing my kids in an "inner/urban district"
    Do you think you could achieve the same test scores in a "inner/urban district" that LS R-7 has scored with all else being equal? (funding,staff,administration etc.)?..... I'll bet not. It has a lot to do with dedication from parents and students as well. I believe there are many educators in those "inner/urban areas who work just as hard as you, that would take great exception with your view on that.
    Coach, I have no more time to blog during work hrs. with an 60 hr. work week and what not.
    A big Thank You to all of you teachers who are truly dedicated. You make a difference.
    This operating levy is asking for a HUGE TAX INCREASE. BAD TIMING.
    I am voting NO this time around.
28. Science Coach says:
    January 22nd, 2011 at 02:40
    rick... I apologize if you felt as if I was putting words in your mouth. I just hope that you understand how your comments could be received. So much of our status in society is based on the careers we choose. Think about how often the question, "What do you do for a living?" is brought up in casual conversation. When you said, "A teaching degree is not a difficult achievement", many, myself included, perceived that negatively. We may agree to disagree but I do respect your decision to vote no based on your belief that it is bad timing.
    I would also like to say that you are absolutely correct that the parents' involvement and the students themselves are a major ingredient in the success of our district. I do believe that all teachers recognize this, unfortunately maybe we don't give them the thanks they deserve often enough. So to the students, the parents and all those working outside the schools to make this district successful, thank you.
29. Robert says:
    January 22nd, 2011 at 15:34
    History Coach & Science Coach-The Department I worked for did not lay officers off, but froze wages, benefits and cut back on expenses. Our overtime budget cast eliminated. The Department as a whole went through some severe belt tightening in order to stay within budget. We lost officers through attrition. Often leaving us for a department that paid a higher wage. Tax initiatives on the ballots would go down in flames. We put our detectives in uniform to alternate between their investigative duties and patrol. We did more with less. The reason why we worked so hard-the citizen. The person on the other end of a 911 call who needed us. With or without praise from them, we still put the citizen first. Not an easy task. Now today, for the levy, I am voting no because we have families here in Lees Summit that have serious financial challenges. I am not asking for the teachers or administration to do anything I as a public servant wouldn't do. The city I work for today has tasked the remainder of our department with providing citizens with the same level of service as if we were fully staffed. This is a very difficult undertaking, especially when citizens come in to our office expecting us to handle problems in their neighborhoods. I don't have the luxury of saying that, due to budget cuts, we are short staffed and have a backlog, we can't help you- I tell them "we will take care of it" and handle the problem(s) until resolved. My current bosses expect no less. Challenges met by teachers are too many to list and I applaud them for what they do. I see the results of their work every day with my kids. I applaud the District for being, as one teacher put it "very picky and demanding." All very good things-but the fact remains-a levy to increase taxes is going to be a serious burden to the families that have financial hardships. I think of them and of the daily sacrifices they have to make. I know the teachers in this district see this first hand. That's why I am voting no on the levy.

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