Wednesday, April 11, 2012

CCSD To Seek Referendum To Build And Repair Schools

From The Las Vegas Sun:  As the Clark County School District contemplates a new, $5.3 billion capital program, four former Nevada first ladies filed paperwork Tuesday to form a political action committee to support the potential ballot initiative.
With the 1998 bond program comes to a close, the School District is likely to seek public approval for a new capital campaign, which may raise property taxes as much as $74 a year on a $100,000 home. The district estimates it will need to issue $5.3 billion in school construction bonds to repair and modernize its aging school buildings over the next decade. Voter approval is needed for the School District to increase its debt limit.
Former first lady Sandy Miller filed paperwork with the Nevada Secretary of State's Office to form a PAC to help get the vote out for the potential school bond program. The paperwork was filed with Secretary of State Ross Miller's School Improvement Committee, which is chaired by the secretary's mother, Sandy Miller.
Sandy Miller will chair the PAC, according to the PAC filing. Other members of the PAC include former first ladies Bonnie Bryan, Dawn Gibbons and Dema Guinn.
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2012/apr/11/billion-dollar-school-bond-proposal-still-works-fo/
I come from Wisconsin where it is not unusual to have schools last 50 years or more.  The school I went to elementary school, McKinley School, in Wauwatosa, WI. was about 50 years old when I went to school there and that was 40 years ago and it is still a functioning school.  This is the norm in Wisconsin, not out of the ordinary.  From what I have seen in school districts around the country, this is also the norm for most of the country.
In Las Vegas, many schools are aging out after only 10 to 20 years of service.  The school I teach at is about 10 years old and is having major structural problems, including when a pipe burst, flooding several classrooms, making them inoperable for 3 months.
If CCSD wants to replace schools under the age of 50 years old, then they are barking up the wrong tree and the referendum should be voted down.  If the referendum is for replacing very old schools and for some major school repairs, then perhaps the referendum may be looked at more closely.
But I have to see how the ballot question is written before I automatically say no. 
However, the referendum has nothing to do with the educating of students, but that is how CCSD and all their supporters will frame the argument.  A building does not improve education.  Competent administrators and teachers make for good education along with students who want to be educated.
So, it will be interesting this Fall when the ballot question is voted on to see how it will fare.  Will the liberals stay at home because they know they will be beaten in the Senate, House and the presidency?  Will conservatives stay home because of the same reasons?   However, Clark county has a very large Mormon population and they will turn out heavily in support of Mitt Romney, so that will not help CCSD.
My inclination is to vote no, but I have not had time to read the ballot question, so I will withhold judgement for now.

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