The school bullies who are threatening to take away student programs and text books unless  District 6 taxpayers pony up more money are whining.  Apparently some members of the campaign want “equal time” on KFKA because I am helping to organize the opposition to 3A, their massive tax increase.  

What the bullies don’t realize is that the equal time rule pertains only to candidates, not issues. 

My question: why aren’t the series of daily op-eds and a plethora of completely bias “news” articles in the Greeley Tribune enough?  Are they that worried about our new committee Citizens Against School Bullies?  They should be.

While taxpayers have to decide whether or not to approve a massive property tax increase, 3A MLO,  for District 6, the school board and teachers’ union are locked in a battle over the teachers’ master contract agreement. (I’ve actually read the entire document.)  The teachers’ union originally asked for a 10.25% total compensation increase.  According to a recent District press release the school board is offering:

• Fully pay the increased cost of teachers’ contribution to their retirement (PERA).
• Fully pay the increased cost of teachers’ health, dental and vision insurance.
• Continue to pay teachers for advancing their own education.
• Increase per-hour pay for non-contract work to $25 per hour from the current $18.

The teachers union will make a decision to accept or reject by October 6. 

How much do teachers make right now for their 184 day contract?  Roger Fiedler, Communications Director, provided me with the following information in an email:

There are 1,285 teachers in District 6. Of these teachers, 926 receive a total compensation package of at least $40,000. The only teachers whose total compensation package is less than $40,000 are part-time teachers or partial-year teachers (those who will work less than a full contract year because they were hired after the start of school).

• Number of teachers whose total compensation package (salary and benefits) is $40,000–$60,000 per year: 421
• Number of teachers whose total compensation package (salary and benefits) is $60,000–$75,000 per year: 229
• Number of teachers whose total compensation package (salary and benefits) is $75,000–$90,000 per year: 170
• Number of teachers whose total compensation package (salary and benefits) is more than $90,000 per year: 106

To put these figures into context, the median household income in Greeley is $39,438 according to the census.  When the Greeley Education Association embraces performance-based pay, I’ll support pay raises.  Right now, we endure below average graduation rates, below average standardize test scores and above average teacher salaries. 

I’m still waiting for specifics on pay for District 6 administrators.

3A is a massive 16 mils property tax increase for Greeley Evans District 6.  District voters will be asked to decide the tax increase with an all mail-in election.   Ballot will be mailed the week of October 12.  Ballot must be returned no later than 7 pm on November 3, to the Weld County Clerk and Recorders office.

 Below, readers will find some facts about the District and the tax increase. Following is the full text of 3A.

• Greeley Evans District 6 funding per pupil:  $9049 for 2007-2008 according to the Colorado Department of Education.
• Total funding from all sources — local, state and federal: $158.8 million according to CDE.
• District says it spends 87 percent of its budget on personnel costs.  According to MLO supporters the District cannot reduce personnel funding.
• District graduation rate for 2008: 65.75%  State: 73.9%
• District composite ACT: 18.2  State: 19.6
• Additional tax per $100,000 of residential property:  $127.36
• Additional tax per $100,000 of commercial property: $464.64
• Accountability: District says it will create a citizen’s advisory board to “monitor and report” how the additional tax dollars are spent.  This board has no authority.   School Board member Bob Stack testified at the state capitol against transparency.

3A full text courtesy of the District Web site.

BALLOT ISSUE NO. 3A:
SHALL WELD COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT 6 TAXES BE INCREASED $16,000,000 ANNUALLY, BEGINNING IN TAX COLLECTION YEAR 2010, AND THEREAFTER BY WHATEVER AMOUNTS AS MAY BE COLLECTED ANNUALLY IN EACH FISCAL YEAR FROM A MILL LEVY INCREASE OF NOT TO EXCEED 16 MILLS, TO BE DEPOSITED IN THE GENERAL FUND OF THE DISTRICT AND EXPENDED FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES, INCLUDING:
• PURCHASE TEXTBOOKS, COMPUTERS AND OTHER INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCES REQUIRED BY STUDENTS AND TEACHERS FOR HIGHLY EFFECTIVE, HIGH-QUALITY ACADEMIC INSTRUCTION;

• SUPPORT COLLEGE, ACADEMIC, CAREER AND VOCATIONAL PROGRAMS TO PREPARE STUDENTS IN THE BEST POSSIBLE WAY FOR THE FUTURE;

• ENHANCE THE SAFETY AND SECURITY OF STUDENTS, STAFF AND SCHOOL PROPERTY;

• ACQUIRE, OPERATE AND MAINTAIN BUSES TO IMPROVE STUDENT TRANSPORTATION;

AND SHALL SUCH TAX INCREASE BE AN ADDITIONAL PROPERTY TAX MILL LEVY IN EXCESS OF THE LEVY AUTHORIZED FOR THE DISTRICT’S GENERAL FUND, PURSUANT TO AND IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 22-54-108, C.R.S.; AND SHALL THE DISTRICT BE AUTHORIZED TO COLLECT, RETAIN, AND SPEND ALL REVENUES FROM SUCH TAXES AND THE EARNINGS FROM THE INVESTMENT OF SUCH REVENUES AS A VOTER APPROVED REVENUE CHANGE AND AN EXCEPTION TO THE LIMITS THAT WOULD OTHERWISE APPLY UNDER ARTICLE X, SECTION 20 OF THE COLORADO CONSTITUTION?

Who cares if Denver is facing a $120 budget shortfall.  They must have fine art — to the tune of $4 million.  Cut law enforcement.  Cut city services.  But hands off their art!   My colleague at the Independence Institute Todd Shepherd just exposed the real problem with how Denver funds art projects:

Eric Brown, spokesman for Mayor Hickenlooper, says the money slated for art projects can’t be re-routed or postponed because that funding is not discretionary and is not part of the general fund. “The public art program is set by ordinance from capital projects funding and would require City Council action to change the funding,” Brown said in an email. “Even if the art funding was eliminated, that money would remain in the construction budget for capital improvements and would not go back into the general fund.”

Greeley has the same type of requirement.  One percent of taxpayer-funded, capitol construction projects must go toward art — even at the expense of vital services.

As I have done for the previous four years, my Independence Day started  with a  broadcast of the Greeley Stampede Independence Day Parade.    I do this each year with  George Gray from AM Colorado on News Talk 1310 KFKA.  As usual, I have a couple of observations about the parade.

First, it’s boring.  There are very few “floats.”  Most are entries that include people riding in an classic car or a truck pulling a flat bed trailer full of people or people walking with a banner.  That’s it.  It’s tough to call a boring parade.  It’s even harder to make it sound exciting for listeners.

The parade participants can’t throw candy or give out literature.  It’s one dimensional with almost no interaction between parade participants and the audience.  Stop with the nannyism.  The Stampede needs to bring back the fun.  Bring back candy and water gun fights. 

The other observation involves our Congresswoman Betsy Markey.  First, her carbon footprint for July 4th was much larger than mine because I rode my bike while she rode in a very cool but not very eco-friendly corvette.  Also, when she went by there was awkward silence.  No booing. No cheering.  Nothing.  The street sweepers got more reaction.   I don’t know how she did along the rest of the parade route but when she passed my position in front of Cache Bank and Trust, she got  no response what so ever.   It seems that she has not connected with Weld County.

Markey has to win Weld County to win re-election in 2010.  She beat incumbent Republican Congresswoman Marilyn Musgrave in Weld County by a margin of 53-47 percent but a look at the vote totals tells an interesting story.  Weld County didn’t suddenly shift to the left. 

According to the Denver Post,  in Weld County Markey received 44,790 votes to Musgrave’s 39,056.  Obama and Udall both got more votes than Markey (46,644 and 44,948 respectively) but lost the county.  John McCain received 55,913 votes.  Do the math.  That means 16,857 McCain voters did not vote for Musgrave and 11,123 didn’t vote for Markey.  If the next GOP contender wins those nearly 17,000 votes back and makes a slightly better showing in Larimer County where Markey got almost 61 percent of the vote, then the GOP candidate can win.  The other counties in the 4th CD all favored Musgrave by large percentages, and I don’t see that changing.  I realize this sounds like a very big “if” but from someone who lives in the 4th CD, it’s really not.

Congressional Quarterly  reports that Markey votes with her party a mere 92 percent of the time and with the President 88 percent.  I guess that is supposed to indicate Markey’s “independent” streak.  Problem is she votes with her party and Obama  when it’s important to them despite the wishes of her constiuents.  Markey’s yes vote on cap and trade proves that.

Below average graduation rates.  Below average CSAP scores.  Above average pay for teachers.  And Greeley Evans District 6 school board wants a mill levy override to raise an additional $16 million in taxpayer dollars.  They are supported by a citizens committee and the Greeley Tribune.

Neither group demands to see where or how the school district is spending the money it has right now.  If Greeley Evans District 6 wants more cash, then it should have the common decency to show taxpayers/stakeholders how their money is spent. 

That won’t happen.  In fact, District 6 school board member Bob Stack  was part of the massive K-12 education lobby that testified against SB 57 Public School Financial Transparency Act.

Colorado Spending Transparency (COST), another blog to which I contribute, has the perfect motto for this campaign: No taxation without information!

This just in from my source close to the Greeley City Council: Ward IV Councilwoman Pam Shaddock has resigned.  She is going to work for Senator Mark Udall.  I wish her well.  But I can’t lie, I won’t miss her political philosophy.  Way too left of center for my taste!

Now the Council must assign someone to fill her position until the November election.  This is the perfect time to get a fiscal conservative on the Council who will then have the advantage of being an incumbent.  Know a fiscal conservative from Ward 4 who might want to sit on the City Council?  Have him/her apply!