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Are local taxpayers being taxed fairly?

I don’t eat asparagus. Why should I have to support farm subsidies to any farm that produces that nasty vegetable?

I don’t live in a flood zone. Why should I have to forfeit my money to rebuild homes for those who do?

Do you sense a pattern here?

I’m sick of paying for everyone else’s kids to go to school.

Why can’t older home owners without children pay smaller amounts of school tax than younger homeowners with children?At some point aging home owners have to say, “Enough!”

Every single time we have an election, unqualified school board members will ask, no, demand more of our money.

When asked ‘Why throw money at problems?’ their response is, “That is what money is for.”

Take a look at the financial committee that the administration/school board has assembled.

Do you see any wealth managers or certified public accountants or banking officers or investment advisers or anyone with experience managing a multi-million dollar budget?

How about anyone with an MBA?

While it has high emotional value, the probability of a gunman taking over our school is extremely low. For those concerned, instead of spending tens of thousands of dollars on unnecessary new doors, or more armed guards, let’s do something much more practical, like spending $200 putting a sign out front saying, “Our teachers are ARMED. Make our day, punk!”

Finally, increasing teacher salaries is just downright unfair to the rest of us. Not only do teachers already make more money that the average wage earner in West Virginia, they only work nine months of the year, they get paid holidays, paid vacation, paid sick leave, they get a fat pension to boot when they retire and now they want free health care.

This idea, that sprinkling more dollars over troubled schools will magically improve test scores or graduation rates, is no longer valid. In the next few months, everyone should ask: What difference can more of our dollars make in our schools? Or better yet, is money really pixie dust?

When your child comes home from school, most likely you ask them: “How was school today?” However, it might be wise to start asking them: How were the school restrooms today? Chances are, their responses will range from OK, to nasty, disgusting or gross.

Money isn’t pixie dust. More funding is no guarantee of better student outcomes or cleaner restrooms.

It’s not surprising to hear that students in run-down school buildings tend to have lower test scores and higher rates of absenteeism compared to students with access to better facilities.

A new or renovated facility is no guarantee that students will have clean restrooms to use.

Look at your current property tax bill and see what percentage you currently are paying to fund your county school system.

Just a little research revealed that West Virginia’s biggest expense in FY 2019 will be, as it was in every other year, for public education. Forty-four percent of the nearly $4.4 billion dollar budget will go toward K-12.

This is not about the dollars, it’s about where and how all those dollars have been spent over the last many years.

Say no to any levy for Randolph or any West Virginia County School District.

Please, vote no on the tax levy increase!

Good day!

Robert Ware

French Creek

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