Volusia to levy local school tax; Seminole may do the same

If they consider it , it will happen. The gov signed a bill to cut clecks of the courts , good job ! cut this fat out too! Lay them off too. 10 percent and climbing unemployment, how many are government workers , how many are regular people?

School districts dodged a bullet with stimulus money. Instead of adjusting their budgets appropriatley it is business as usual. They are just hoping and waiting for a rebound in the economy so it is business as usual. Isn't it convienent that the taxes are mandatory for 2 years before taxpayers can vote. Some democracy. The largest portion of property taxes go to the schools which are a blackhole.

It's disgusting that the Seminole School District will impose this tax just to fancy up school records at the same time that they're wasting $2 million on a swimmin pool for Lake Mary High school. I live in Lake Mary and I haven't noticed my neighbors kids suffering because they have to travel a short distance for their swim team to use a pool at another school. But I have noticed all the empty condo units near me that used to have families in them.

Raising school taxes will help sell these units? Not. Building a pool at the high school won't do it, either. Disgusting.

swatto wrote:

If they consider it , it will happen. The gov signed a bill to cut clecks of the courts , good job ! cut this fat out too! Lay them off too. 10 percent and climbing unemployment, how many are government workers , how many are regular people?

I don't know how many teachers have been laid off in Seminole County. There are about 300 on the chopping block in Broward County in S. Florida; some of those jobs might be saved temporarily by the stimulus funds from the feds.

Seminole County itself laid off between 60 and 70 employees this year so far; others may follow. These people are secretaries, clerks, engineers, computer programmers. They are real people.
Your hatred of people because their paycheck is signed by an elected official makes as much sense as hating someone because of the color of their skin.

If you want to argue that government should have no workers, get ready to put out your own fires, arrest your own muggers, process your own rezonings, design your own street repairs, and homeschool your kids.
In between all those jobs, you won't have time or energy to hate anybody.

You think government here is so bad? Seen anything about Iran lately?

This IsBS wrote:

School districts dodged a bullet with stimulus money. Instead of adjusting their budgets appropriatley it is business as usual. They are just hoping and waiting for a rebound in the economy so it is business as usual. Isn't it convienent that the taxes are mandatory for 2 years before taxpayers can vote. Some democracy. The largest portion of property taxes go to the schools which are a blackhole.

You are so correct. Only government can miss-manage money and then demand more from the taxpayer. Vogel, you are a great disappointment.

Not sure where the writer lives. I live in a 200,000 house in Seminole County and pay close to 3000.00 in property taxes.

Unbelievable! More taxes at a time when people are losing their jobs and their houses. We need a new superintendent in Seminole County. Bill Vogel is an overpaid hack who really wants the school board to increase are taxes so that he can get another raise on his $250 K salary. How about making some cuts. By the way- Orange County's School Board voted against raising the taxes.

Any board member who votes to approve a tax increase given the state of our economy should be ridden out on a rail. God, I wish they would get rid of Vogel once and for all.

Wow. It is hard to believe that a so-called conservative school board in a conservative county would approve a tax increase. Maybe they aren't really that conservative.

I just love the fact that all these new taxes are being sold to us "to save jobs". That sounds a lot like a threat and if you do not think socialism is a alive and well in this country...you are nuts. If government run schools were the least bit efficient, they would not need taxpayer bailout time after time. And now government wants to run healthcare? Get ready for the ride folks because you can be assured that your taxes will continue to climb to take care of another poorly managed system by our government forces.

Alexander wrote:

Not sure where the writer lives. I live in a 200,000 house in Seminole County and pay close to 3000.00 in property taxes.

I was thinking the same thing. Although, really, what is an extra $50 or so?

I just e-mailed this article to the entire Seminole County School Board! Just last week on the news was a story about asking the school board to take a pay cut. Why isn't that mentioned and why should they keep their 6-figure incomes while teachers and administrative staff are losing their jobs, the unemployment rate is rising and people are losing their homes?! Granted, and extra $50 or so may not be much, but when taxes go up, the mortgage payment goes up and that $50 may make all the difference in the world.

what's the difference, it will never be enough.

let me explain something real easy for everybody.

everytime you give any form of government more money to fix a "problem" they say they have...it MAKES THE 'PROBLEM' WORSE

this occurs 100% of the time.

OK...time for the 'IT'S ALL FOR THE CHILDREN' mantra.

the only thing this money will go to is to keep the army of incompetent, overpaid, lazy, double dipping, thieves and parasites, who have their jobs because of rampant and uncontrolled nepotism, living in the stlye they are accustomed to.

The teachers and other people who actually do the heavy lifting will get the same handful of s--t the always get, just like we always do.

It just keeps costing more fu--ing money for that same handful of s--t.

lesson over.

The School Board did take a pay cut (about 5%)- the administrators and leadership staff- including the superintendent who makes over $200K a year have not taken any reduction. Boardmember Diane Bauer asked for information on what a 3% pay cut for all leadership staff would save the district last week. But good luck getting the rest of the board to agree to it.

I am a teacher and I am just happy to have a job! Would I love a pay increase? Of course (my husband is out of work). However, I do not think raising taxes is the answer. While raising property taxes may give the school system temporary capital, it will not address the long term problems of declining enrollment and decreased revenues from the state. I know two of the members of the school board and do not believe that they will vote to increase property taxes. Personally, I feel that by taking a pay raise at this point I would be increasing the possibility of me and/ or many of my colleagues being laid off a year or two down the road. The bottom line is that I am happy to have a job and do not want the citizens of Seminole County to be burdened with a tax increase so that I can get a raise.

I just got an e-mail from a friend about this and I am going to be at the school board meeting next week to speak out against a tax hike. What are these people smoking??????

You guys can forget fighting this because it is going through. The school board only has two fiscal conservatives- Diane Bauer and Sylvia Pond. The three other members of the board, Sandra Robinson, Jeanne Morris and Dede Schaffner are all liberals. Do the math 3-2 in favor of a tax increase. Done Deal.

Very Popular wrote:

what's the difference, it will never be enough.
let me explain something real easy for everybody.
everytime you give any form of government more money to fix a "problem" they say they have...it MAKES THE 'PROBLEM' WORSE
this occurs 100% of the time.
OK...time for the 'IT'S ALL FOR THE CHILDREN' mantra.
the only thing this money will go to is to keep the army of incompetent, overpaid, lazy, double dipping, thieves and parasites, who have their jobs because of rampant and uncontrolled nepotism, living in the stlye they are accustomed to.
The teachers and other people who actually do the heavy lifting will get the same handful of s--t the always get, just like we always do.
It just keeps costing more fu--ing money for that same handful of s--t.
lesson over.

Hmm, your comments can be applied to single payor government healthcare too.

Why can't government look first at cutting costs (even if it is very difficult)? The first thing that bureacrats at every level do is try to raise revenue with taxes. I thought Seminole County was supposed to be a conservative county. It is amazing that the people in charge are using the same arguments that are being used in Washington: "It is not that much money to ask for" "It won't impact the average citizen that much"- etc etc etc. We deserve what we voted for both in Washington and at the local level

Jerry wrote:

Unbelievable! More taxes at a time when people are losing their jobs and their houses. We need a new superintendent in Seminole County. Bill Vogel is an overpaid hack who really wants the school board to increase are taxes so that he can get another raise on his $250 K salary. How about making some cuts. By the way- Orange County's School Board voted against raising the taxes.

Really Jerry? Over $45? Really? This is hard on someone who owns a $200K house? Really?
You anti-tax people are just cheap and do not care about a decent society. And then you gussy it all up in some noble concept of "liberty". You are just cheap.