TWI reporter to get lump of coal

The Woodstock Independent reporter Elizabeth Harmon will no doubt find a lump of coal on Christmas morning in her stocking hung by the chimney with care; i.e., if anyone from District 200 is delivering presents. Her article on page 10 of the Nov. 30-Dec. 6 edition should be a must-read for every Woodstock School District 200 taxpayer.

She is kind and gentle to D200 in her first paragraph, where she writes that D200 is "considering" a 2011 tax levy that will "likely" bring a tax increase for 2012.

How much of an increase? If you own a $250,000 house within District 200  boundaries, how about $499???
That's $500, folks. Do you want the D200 portion of your tax bill to go up $500 in one year?

If not, you'd better gather up your neighbors and friends and be at the School Board meeting on Tuesday, December 13 at 7:00PM. The Board meets at Clay Academy (the former Clay Street School).

Have you ever read, and tried to understand, the dreaded black-boxed advertisements of school districts and other taxing districts? Do you know what the word "abatement" means? It means postponed, delayed, put off ... until another day? Kind of like skipping the payment on your credit card in December (so that you have more money to spend and run up the outstanding balance even higher).

The smoke-and-mirrors, confusing to most taxpayers, continues with the article's information that property values have declined 9.93% in the D200 district and "the homeowner will see a school tax increase of $22."

Huh? Which is it? $499 or $22?

The School District will most likely have a PowerPoint presentation to dazzle any taxpayers brave enough to show up and admit that they are ignorant in tax levy matters. Many probably still think that a levy is what keeps the Mississippi River out of backyards.

One of the reasons that D200 has such a huge budget may be the number of teachers holding advanced degrees. Does the District encourage teachers to get Masters and Doctorate degrees? Does it provide tuition assistance for them to get those degrees, and then have to pay them more because they have added more initials behind their names?

Do you really need a Ph.D. to teach elementary school? Or middle school? Or even high school? Does a teacher really learn how to teach better?

Maybe you saw the recent article about the cost of the drop-out rate at MCC?

So, Elizabeth, better bar the front door on Christmas Eve to keep the Grinch away. You deserve candy canes and gifts for this article, not a lump of coal. And the article should have been on Page 1, not back on Page 10.