District 39 Taxpayers Should Have Their Own "Tea Party"

The recent and widespread "tea party" protests have given me the idea that the District 39 property tax payers should stage a tea party of their own.

And there couldn't be a group of taxpayers who have more right to doing such a protest. Property taxes in the District 39 area are OUTRAGEOUS!!! And insult is added to injury when you realize that it is being used to support an OUTDATED and INEFFICIENT school system. A school system that only serves to support the vanity and selfishness of a small clique of "willful" people--people who are either stuck in the world of fifty years ago, or are selfishly determined to have a "local" school for "their" kids. Regardless of the tremendous population changes that are steadily reducing the school age population to nothing.

I mean, for cryin' out loud! There were only FOURTEEN students graduated last year?

And now, with the sinking economy, how can it be further justified to support such a BURDENSOME and EXPENSIVE property tax bill for people who are struggling to make ends meet.

Dr. Ehlers' concise and devastating report CLEARLY DEMONSTRATED the SIGNIFICANT cost savings of school consolidation! I know the "school in Leigh at any cost" crowd was probably squirming in their seats when the report was read, but the conclusions were undeniable.

So let's have all the people in District 39 who are FED-UP with the unjustifiable and OUTRAGEOUS property taxes to support an outdated school system have their own "tea party"!

Protest Dist. 39 school taxes and you're an evil person

What gets me about the "school in Leigh at any cost" crowd is their tendency to demonize those who dare question the wisdom of keeping a school in Leigh, regardless of the tax burden on District 39 property tax payers. If you should dare suggest that you subscribe to the heresy that it is time to consider school consolidation and other measures to reduce taxes, then you are obviously an evil miserly monster who "hates kids" or "doesn't care about the kids".

Well--to that I reply "Isn't it time we start to care about the taxpayers a little?" And to which I would also like to add a warning: that sooner or later people are going to realize that these pro-school and "pro-kids" people are looking out more for themselves and their own selfish interests. Because there are more people in the Leigh district who do NOT have kids in the school then those that do.

bad economy requires sacrifice from schools

With the worst economy in 30 years, everyone--both individuals and businesses--realize that it can no longer be business as usual. Everyone is making sacrifices and adjustments. Unnecessary expenses are being cut out, and everyone is trying to make due with less.

However, I still have yet to see any real movement to reducing the awful property tax burden imposed on the taxpayers of Leigh District 39. The small clique in Leigh who want "a school at any cost" simply refuse to see the changing economic climate.

The recent resignation of the Leigh Superintendent, together with the election of certain persons to the Leigh School Board, indicates a strong re-trenchment against consolidation. The recent consolidation movements seriously frightened certain people, and they are determined to not hear any such nonsense about school consolidation again!

However, despite how much they may hate it, we now must add a declining economy to the declining population of school age persons in this district. Additionally, the certain consolidation of the Clarkson and Howells districts puts Leigh in an exceedingly difficult position.

I urge everyone concerned about the high property tax burden in the Leigh District to let the school board members know that IMMEDIATE and DEFINITE reductions of the real estate tax burden need to be the first priority.

some people in Leigh need to get out of la la land--consolidation is inevitable!

I swear some people in Leigh seemed to be cut-off from the outside world. They live in this little town and do nothing outside of it. They seem intentionally ignorant of the trends and what is happening in the world beyond the flyspeck-on-the-map called Leigh Nebraska.

We are going to lose the high school. Please get over it and move on, will ya?

This is no longer the 1950's. Those days are gone and are not coming back.

The population and economic trends are not going to change. As farming gets larger it will become increasingly hard for the "family farmer" with kids to remain in the industry.

There are no jobs in these little towns. Nothing to keep people of child bearing age in the community or to encourage young people to stay.

Clarkson and Howells are going to consolidate. This really puts the heat on the Leigh District to do something. We have no other allies, since to the west of us there are no other schools to join with. And there are none to the north or south until you get to Norfolk or Columbus.

Property and real estate taxes are outrageous, and 80% of it goes to support this dinosaur of a school in Leigh. Please do not force hard-pressed landowners to pay for your dreams of nostalgia and your "warm and fuzzy" feeling you get knowing there is still a school in Leigh.

School consolidation needs to be pushed forward relentlessly and with determination. And the primary consideration in any action plan should be to drastically reduce real estate and property tax burdens.

cut the crap! REDUCE TAXES!!!!!

Attending the consolidation meeting Jan 5 at the palatial grade school in Leigh, I was struck by two things:

the ahem-ing and ahaw-ing about moving forward with school consolidation

and--

the elaborate and extravagent new grade school facility--which we are already worried about keeping open!

Let me comment on the grade school first. As I was walking out, I noticed that there is a very conspicuous and self-congratulatory plaque by the front door, honoring the superintendent and the school board members and the architect who brought us the new grade school. I couldn't help thinking that they left some important names off of this--specifically the Leigh District 39 property tax payers who for the last 10 years have been hurting and continue to smart from the property tax burden this uneccessary facility has cost them.

As for the meeting itself--I find a lot of the people in this community have no sense of the reality of the situation. And that situation is that THERE CAN BE NO MORE JUSTIFICATION FOR A SCHOOL IN LEIGH!!!

"Why do we need to consolidate?" I heard lots of stuff from the superintendent about "being in the game" and "having an eventual say" if Clarkson and Howells consolidate. My only answer is "TO REDUCE TAXES"

worrying about "the identity of the first graduating class from the new school district". WHO CARES?!! REDUCE TAXES!!!

"Have we considered Lakeview?" "Have we talked to Stanton?" WHO CARES?!! REDUCE TAXES!!!"

"Will there be a grade school in Leigh and Howells?" "Will we have a high school in Clarkson and Secondary in Dodge?" "What is the situation with Creston?" WHO CARES?!!! REDUCE TAXES!!!!

"What kind of busing situation will we have? yada, yada...." "WHO CARES?!! REDUCE TAXES!!!

There is only ONE strategy! There is only ONE option!

REDUCE TAXES!!!!