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November 8, 2004 |
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About Town Dave Uphoff |
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Help fund extracurricular activities at Fieldcrest
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Last week voters defeated the Fieldcrest referendum by a 2 to 1 margin. I was not surprised at the outcome but
I was surprised at the margin. The result was similar to results throughout the state. Thirty out of 38 referendums
for a tax increase for education funds were defeated. I don't know if these results are normal but I think it
does imply that people in the State of Illinois are finally starting to rebel against the way education is
funded in this state.
Fieldcrest Superintendent Dr. Michael Stagliano stated that the results reflect the poor state of the economy.Replica Watches I will agree to that but I also feel that in Fieldcrest's case, the rebuking of the proposed tax was due also to the policies of the Fieldcrest Board of Education. The board's refusal to truly consolidate the school district by combining classes into attendance centers turned a lot of people off because it was a way to not only cut costs, it also would improve the quality of education. Secondly, the board's refusal to make any attempt to get the City of Wenona to change its TIF district so as to cut the drain of tax dollars from the district really has people upset. I don't think the board realizes the extent of the animosity this situation creates. People are not going to approve a tax hike as long as they feel they are subsidizing the City of Wenona. However, I think the message that all communities are sending to the boys in Springfield is this: You guys had better start coming up with a better plan to fund education because we are not going to stand for further increases in our property tax. I think there are other dynamics at work also that contributed to the rebuff of a tax increase. People sense that the economy is going to turn around and farmland values will eventually come back up. This means more money in the coffer for schools, especially rural districts like Fieldcrest. In addition, there is a possibiity that the State of Illinois may actually come up with a better plan to fund our schools through HB 750. Therefore, many voters may have decided to wait it out rather than committing to another irreversible tax increase that may not be needed later but, nevetheless, will surely be spent. So we are in a waiting game hoping that things will get better so that our schools can return to a better cash flow. In the meantime, Fieldcrest students will still have to continue paying an activity fee of $200 plus additional fees for participation in sports. Families with students at Fieldcrest are really caught in a bind. It is their bad luck to have children in school during these hard times.
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I have received notes from several alumni who were asking where they could contribute money to help fund
extracurriculars at Fieldcrest. Suddenly, a light bulb went on and I thought how many other alumni would
be willing to donate to a fund if they knew about it and if they knew where to send their money.
Fieldcrest organized a Citizens Advisory Committee last year to provide suggestions to the Board on what extracurriculars are to be kept and how they might be funded. The CAC has established a fund for collecting money to help fund extracurricular activities. I think that now is the time for we as a community to contribute to this fund so that Fieldcrest students can have the same opportunities that we had when we were in school. There are many reasons I feel strongly about doing this. First of all, by donating money to extracurricular activities you are earmarking your donation for a particular expense. This is preferable to having the state taking our money and funneling it through its bureaucracy so that we have no way of knowing how our money was spent. Secondly, we can give what we can afford rather than having to give what we can't afford if mandated by the state via a tax increase. Thirdly, our donations can be given as they are needed. If next year things turn around, we need not contribute. Our donation is not eternal like taxes. Lastly, we as a community are telling the school district what we will support. We are not being told by the state what we need to support. We are exercising local control. For those of you who feel guilty about voting against the tax referedum, now is an opportunity to not only assuage your guilt but also to be able to make a difference in a student's life. If we can support extracurriculars and eliminate unfair activity fees entirely through contributions from locals and alumni, we will stand tall among the rest of the communities. I am sending a check for $100 to the CAC as my contribution to help fund extracurricular activities at Fieldcrest. I urge everyone to give what they feel they can afford. If you have any questions, you can email Mary Palmore at palmore@maxiis.com. Make your check payable to the Citizens Advisory Committee and send it to the following address:
CAC
By donating towards the extracurricular fund, we can possibly put off the need for another tax referendum while waiting for better times to return and for a better way to fund education. |
