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I have read with some interest the articles regarding the upcoming election for SPLOST. As a retiree on a fixed income and no children in school, I have had mixed feelings about the issue, as my wife and I are retired and living on a fixed income while our expenses continue to rise year after year.
I was leaning toward voting for the continuation of the tax until Sunday's article contained the comment that if SPLOST doesn't pass, we're likely to see a 2-mill increase in our property taxes.
I just don't take kindly to threats, nor do I wish to continue to support public schools that seem to have no accountability for how their funds are spent.
I have watched with great interest how administrative positions in the public school arena have continued to increase at much greater expense with no, or little, accountability for results in their respective positions.
We have "specialist" administrators for curriculum, counseling, building maintenance, deans, ad nauseam. How do we demonstrate whether the contributions of any of these specialists have improved our schools or the number of children who have completed school and are actually literate? What percentage of the students our counselors have "counseled" actually finished school?
Are our buildings any better off having a building maintenance specialist reviewing our needs than having principals with the assistance of outside contractors doing so? Are we able to demonstrate in real dollar amounts what value our "specialists" add to the eduction of our children?
What percentage of our teachers have been laid off because of lack of funding versus the percentage of administrators?
I support education and we obviously need to pay for education in some way. But until I see evidence of real efforts to cut back on wasteful and unnecessary spending, and more emphasis on spending money for classroom instruction rather than administration, I cannot vote for continuing SPLOST.
Steve Wentz
Flowery Branch