Why vote YES?
In these uncertain times, the best investment you can make is in a child’s future. Our children and grandchildren need a superior education to get 21st century jobs. They’ll require a strong elementary and high school education to compete, no matter if they go on to a university, community college or technical school. And, if our public schools stay strong, jobs will be here for our kids—because companies locate in areas with excellent school systems.
Our kids can’t wait for the state to fix our problems. It’s up to us. We can invest in their education and all the money—100% of it—will stay here in our schools to benefit our kids. We may never have a better chance to preserve the quality of education for our children and grandchildren.
Vote “YES for our KIDS” on Tuesday, November 3, 2009.
Why vote YES? [originally posted on AnnArbor.com]
… Good schools make our community strong today and prepare our kids for the jobs of tomorrow. Good schools bring jobs and better property values. Good schools will make it easier for our kids to get good jobs in the economy we're going to build in Michigan. If we dismantle our schools now, it will take years to build them up again. We all want our community and our state to recover; does it make any sense to pull the rug out from under one of our best tools to spark a recovery?
Why vote YES? [originally posted on AnnArbor.com]
Strong schools attract quality employers seeking a well-educated work force. … Strong jobs attract dedicated workers and build strong communities. If we are to educate our students for the 21st century and maintain the quality of State funding for schools has remained flat or decreased for years now, Prop A means the schools are getting much less money from taxes… I know for a fact that the schools have been working like crazy to reduce spending and cut costs year after year. But they are at a point of no fat. There is no way to continue to cut our way out of this deficit -- especially as it represents a structural problem in regards to school funding. … We cannot afford to let our schools fail. They've done their job in cost cutting. Now we have to do ours in supporting them. It's not their fault they are so under-funded right now.
The millage is an economic investment rather than merely a personal cost. Any
investment has two parts: the initial investment and the return on the investment. When considering the return, the factors are amount and time.
Time: Overwhelming data points to the economic benefits of investment in education, both immediate (healthy schools attract new business, create jobs) and long term (children equipped to participate in the global economy).
Amount: Harder to quantify depending on the time frame, but as one example, every $1 invested in early childhood education eventually creates a return of $7 to the economy... if I could find a stock to yield that return, even over the span of a decade, I'd buy it yesterday. … The reality is that schools long ago cut the fat out of their systems. … Like it or not, we are now forced to consider whether we will keep our schools afloat in the absence of an adequate state structure. We are heading for a state-sponsored funding cliff in 09/10 and 11/12; the millage is nothing more than the question of whether to strap on a
parachute before we get there. The millage is our chance to regain some degree of local control. Money raised in Washtenaw County will stay in Washtenaw County, and our children deserve (need!) the best education we can provide. We can't afford to vote no.
Why Vote YES? [originally posted on AnnArbor.com]
Why Vote YES? [originally posted on AnnArbor.com]
education, allowing for electives, teacher creativity, and remediation for those who need it, we must pass this millage. … We want people to continue to move here for the excellent schools, to bring our housing prices back up, to allow our students to get the best possible education….I will vote for it because I want my children to enjoy the electives, the smaller class sizes, the support staff like special ed teachers, school nurses, social workers, counselors, and others that help create a strong community for our students. We need not only help those students who are struggling, but also the talented students who bring our schools honor through academic excellence and athletic excellence and music excellence.
Why Vote YES? [originally posted on AnnArbor.com]
Please vote YES on Proposal I on November 3.
I want the best education possible for my kids, for your kids, for everyone’s kids.
To me, that education includes being taught by a combination of highly-educated veteran and newer teachers, all of whom are well-trained in the latest educational methods.
It includes attending school in a setting that hosts a diverse population, whether the diversity is based on racial, socioeconomic, or special needs factors.
It includes providing enrichment opportunities which inspire students and engage the community, such as music, art, drama, and sports.
It includes offering extracurricular activities which prepare students to become better citizens, whether in student government, journalism, or service groups.
It includes providing academic challenges appropriate to each student’s ability, such as AP classes in high school or multi-age classrooms in elementary school.
Are these elements essential to the public schools? That point will always be debated. The fact is, these elements have become practically synonymous with the public school experience.
Yet, bit by bit, many of these components are being watered-down, eliminated, or priced out of the reach of many students. What will remain? One-size-fits-all, bare-bones education, which is likely to contribute to even more children being “left behind.”
Is public school supposed to be like this?
I want our children learning in a positive environment, experiencing the joy of learning
about the world around them, challenging themselves and being challenged.
The State of Michigan has locked schools into increased academic requirements without providing adequate funding for the implementation of them. Public school budgets are at the mercy of the state’s economy, the priorities of its legislators, and laws which dictate such things as retirement costs.
Public schools have few options available to them for increasing revenue. But voters in the Washtenaw County area have the opportunity to help. By passing Proposal I, the Regional Enhancement Millage, the 2 mills collected over each of the next 5 years would be divided equally among the number of students in the area. Each of the 10 public school districts would use that money to help fill the budgetary gaps in its general fund.
While this money will not solve the tremendous budgetary challenges that all Michigan public schools are facing, it will help. It will help preserve the programs that make each district special. It will help ward off receivership, and allow districts to retain local control.
It will help show businesses that education is important to us here—and that is something that both keeps businesses around and attracts new ones.
Most of all, it will help provide the best education possible for all our kids.
Please vote YES for Proposal I on November 3. --Amy Doyle