ELOST-Is it lost in translation?
I am writing you to respond to the preponderance of incorrect information concerning ELOST and LOA. I am speaking only for myself and not for The Greene County Board of Education. Also, I will begin putting out a monthly/bi-monthly email about education issues in Greene. If you would like to sign up, please respond to this email. Please forward this to any new residents of Harbor Club.
1. LOA accepts students who apply. While there is a lottery since class space is limited, it is done by drawing names from a hat. There are NO academic requirements for a student to apply or be enrolled. They can NOT by LAW pick and choose who enters. Any statement that claims LOA students “must meet selective standards for admission and retention” is patently false and irresponsible.
2. I do not accept the premise – propagated by some people – that parents choosing to place their child in LOA are seeking segregation. I believe they are seeking quality.
3. I want ELOST because I am a taxpayer. My family owns several pieces of property and I see benefits to the ELOST as it provides sales tax revenue to fund projects that would otherwise have to be paid for with property tax. A substantial percentage of sales tax comes from visitors to Greene County.
4. While I cannot speak for the Board of Education, I can say with a certain degree of certainty that with the latest addition to the Board, we have enough people on the Board who want to better manage the finances. We have made many cuts since my term began. Even if ELOST passes, I will be recommending other ways to cut our expenses. I will bring my recommendations to the Board and I will ask for a vote. The taxpayers deserve efficiency and accountability from the Board that has been lacking, but it is not sustainable if the voters do not elect the candidates who seek these fundamental positions in all 4 Districts.
5. The plan that LOA leaders and the County Board of Commissioners are working on is for classroom expansion…NOT a new high school. LOA will use the additional classroom space to enroll hundreds of additional students. The demand for LOA supports at least four classes per grade level as opposed to the two classes per grade level currently available. This additional capacity will help grow the community, which in turn grows the property tax base, supports local businesses, generates additional sales taxes, sustains and increases employment opportunities, and strategically positions Greene County as an attractive option for economic and industrial relocation. We will also likely see new small businesses moved to Greene County, in addition to having growth that supports expanded retail and food service options.
6. The Board of Education has been developing a career academy and college preparatory academy dual-track high school concept, which is intended to serve the high school needs for the entire county if implemented appropriately. LOA supports this plan, but until such plan is fully developed and implemented, it is not an option currently available.
7. I do believe Chairman Bullard needs to work in conjunction with the School Board in further developing the economic development plan as the success of any such plan is dependent upon the educational options available in the county and the workforce produced by such options.
8. This current proposal of the Board of Commissioners is totally separate from the Board of Education ELOST. The funding generated from the ELOST is committed for capital projects needed in addition to the LOA expansion project. Any belief that ELOST provides enough funding to “expand LOA as a feeder school,” and “reorganizing the current high school,” is from a position of the uninformed. ELOST is necessary to generate revenue from revenue streams other than property tax, but the projected revenue from ELOST is already committed to other necessary capital needs that must be funded.
9. A belief that the current high school has “plenty of room” is false. The current high school is a very old building that satisfactorily meets current needs. The planned reorganization to develop a career academy will require all of the current space, thus necessitating some accommodation for future growth outside of the current high school. From a more practical view, the curriculum used at LOA is much different than the curriculum used in the other Greene County public schools, not to mention the academic performance levels…you can’t just combine the student population when the curriculum and performance levels are so different.
10. The kids at LOA and the other public schools in Greene County get free lunch due to a federal meal program. This Program is not funded through Title 1 money.
11. The current proposal is to establish a countywide tax to fund this project, not a “new tax to be paid solely by property owners in LOA Zones 1 and 2.”
If you have questions then please email or call me. Even better attend the Board of Education meetings or watch the videos online. For those of you who know me, you know I will tell the truth. It may not be what you want to hear, but I will tell you the facts.
