PIGS GET FAT & HOGS GET SLAUGHTEREDWe warned you that the educrats willl not be pulled away from the feeding trough without a fight. Earlier today we were leaked this "time sensitive" plea for their troops to come out tonight for the school board meeting to DEFEND THE BLOATED SPENDING that mostly will benefit CSO Architects, Cid McNeilly (her hubby is exec at CSO), and their hired gun with a taxpayer funded lavish office and private bath, James Mervilde.
The letter below is a plea for everyone to come out and defend against those mean old tax activists who are threatening "our children". You think we got to them? They think it is distrurbing that the tax activists (you know, those bothersome homeowners who write the checks) have the NERVE to recruit fiscally responsible school board candidates who see value in academics over $2 million dollar locker rooms.
If this school board wants to be controversy free as they claim, may we recommend that someone in your group take a good hard look at Schellinger and CSO Architects and consider the morality of ramming lucrative construction contracts down unwilling homeowner throats!
Let the fireworks begin at 7:00 p.m. tonight.
Let the fireworks begin at 7:00 p.m. tonight.
Dean Evans Community & Education Center
8550 Woodfield Crossing Blvd, Indianapolis
--HFFT editor
HERE'S THEIR EMAIL PLEA FOR BACKUP
(yes, we've got spies with eyes everywhere)
Dear Parent Council Members:
CALL TO ACTION
The TIME IS NOW to make a difference. Please read this
message carefully. I am asking you to attend the
School Board meeting Wednesday night (TONIGHT by the
time most of you read this) in support of the
excellence we all desire for our children's
educational experience and the future of this
district.
BACKGROUND
It seems the Washington Township Concerned Citizens
has a new name---Citizens for Education with Penny
Bigelow as their leader. They have decided to use the
school board meeting for a tax rally with the true
purpose being to "create effective memories in the
form of media footage for May elections. That's when
we throw the bums out of office...just like the
taxpayers did to Bart Peterson." The quote is from
their website.
MY RAMBLINGS
I believe our children's educational experience, the
future of our district, and the future of our
neighborhoods is too important for us to allow these
people to politicize the educational experience of our
children just so they can see themselves on the 11:00
news, perpetuate their anti-tax propaganda, deliver
misinformation, and get coverage for their slated
school board candidates. And even more upsetting is
the fact that they are using the proposed closing of
Harcourt for their political gain. On that subject,
THANK YOU HARCOURT PARENTS for being so optimistic and
positive throughout this process.
Personally, I'm getting a bit weary of people at work
and friends from other districts associating
Washington Township with dissent and controversy
instead of the excellence that our children, teachers,
administrators, and staff achieve each day!
WHAT CAN WE DO? DETAILS BELOW
Place/Time: CEC WED 12/12 @ 7:00 PM
Robin Minturn is at work on a “presence” project for
tomorrow night at the school board meeting. She has
produced some cards that spell out W-E S-U-P-P-O-R-T
M-S-D-W-T. We need 14 people to hold the cards at the
back of the room tomorrow evening. She has also
produced 60 buttons that say, “I SUPPORT MSDWT”.
These can be worn by any parent who supports the
schools, not just a PC member. Way to go
Robin...THANKS!
We are asking that you wear orange at the meeting.
Those who participated in the recent Great North Run
already have an orange shirt. The Foundation has a few
extras that will be available on loan for the evening,
but anything orange (scarves, t-shirts, coats) will
work just as well.
There will also be 20 minutes of public comments
allowed. For fairness, those against the plan and
those for the plan will have equal time to speak. I
encourage you to consider speaking. Simply introduce
yourself, the grade/school of your children, and your
school volunteer activities (with "member of parent
council" being one of those activities). It's
important for the media to see how parental
involvement is the cornerstone of this district. If
you don't feel comfortable speaking, that's
understandable and please know YOUR PRESENCE SPEAKS
VOLUMES!
SCHOOL BOARD ELECTION.
Another disturbing issue is the call for candidates
from this group.
"If you want to run for Washington Township School
Board…The tax advocacy activists will help your
campaign and help you get elected. School board is a
paid position and requires attending 1 – 2 meetings a
month."
While Parent Council has spent 16 months developing
characteristics, an application, and screening
requirements for the important job of being a school
board member, it seems this group's only requirement
is to be a mouthpiece for the "tax advocacy
activists."
While I do not want to perpetuate the propaganda of
this group, being informed is critical. Therefore, the
link to the web site and pertinent text is pasted
below.
THANKS FOR READING THIS LENGTHY EMAIL. I CERTAINLY
APPRECIATE YOUR PARTICIPATION and WANT THE REST OF
INDY TO SEE HOW SPECIAL MSDWT IS!!!
See you tonight!
Maggie
CALL TO ACTION
The TIME IS NOW to make a difference. Please read this
message carefully. I am asking you to attend the
School Board meeting Wednesday night (TONIGHT by the
time most of you read this) in support of the
excellence we all desire for our children's
educational experience and the future of this
district.
BACKGROUND
It seems the Washington Township Concerned Citizens
has a new name---Citizens for Education with Penny
Bigelow as their leader. They have decided to use the
school board meeting for a tax rally with the true
purpose being to "create effective memories in the
form of media footage for May elections. That's when
we throw the bums out of office...just like the
taxpayers did to Bart Peterson." The quote is from
their website.
MY RAMBLINGS
I believe our children's educational experience, the
future of our district, and the future of our
neighborhoods is too important for us to allow these
people to politicize the educational experience of our
children just so they can see themselves on the 11:00
news, perpetuate their anti-tax propaganda, deliver
misinformation, and get coverage for their slated
school board candidates. And even more upsetting is
the fact that they are using the proposed closing of
Harcourt for their political gain. On that subject,
THANK YOU HARCOURT PARENTS for being so optimistic and
positive throughout this process.
Personally, I'm getting a bit weary of people at work
and friends from other districts associating
Washington Township with dissent and controversy
instead of the excellence that our children, teachers,
administrators, and staff achieve each day!
WHAT CAN WE DO? DETAILS BELOW
Place/Time: CEC WED 12/12 @ 7:00 PM
Robin Minturn is at work on a “presence” project for
tomorrow night at the school board meeting. She has
produced some cards that spell out W-E S-U-P-P-O-R-T
M-S-D-W-T. We need 14 people to hold the cards at the
back of the room tomorrow evening. She has also
produced 60 buttons that say, “I SUPPORT MSDWT”.
These can be worn by any parent who supports the
schools, not just a PC member. Way to go
Robin...THANKS!
We are asking that you wear orange at the meeting.
Those who participated in the recent Great North Run
already have an orange shirt. The Foundation has a few
extras that will be available on loan for the evening,
but anything orange (scarves, t-shirts, coats) will
work just as well.
There will also be 20 minutes of public comments
allowed. For fairness, those against the plan and
those for the plan will have equal time to speak. I
encourage you to consider speaking. Simply introduce
yourself, the grade/school of your children, and your
school volunteer activities (with "member of parent
council" being one of those activities). It's
important for the media to see how parental
involvement is the cornerstone of this district. If
you don't feel comfortable speaking, that's
understandable and please know YOUR PRESENCE SPEAKS
VOLUMES!
SCHOOL BOARD ELECTION.
Another disturbing issue is the call for candidates
from this group.
"If you want to run for Washington Township School
Board…The tax advocacy activists will help your
campaign and help you get elected. School board is a
paid position and requires attending 1 – 2 meetings a
month."
While Parent Council has spent 16 months developing
characteristics, an application, and screening
requirements for the important job of being a school
board member, it seems this group's only requirement
is to be a mouthpiece for the "tax advocacy
activists."
While I do not want to perpetuate the propaganda of
this group, being informed is critical. Therefore, the
link to the web site and pertinent text is pasted
below.
THANKS FOR READING THIS LENGTHY EMAIL. I CERTAINLY
APPRECIATE YOUR PARTICIPATION and WANT THE REST OF
INDY TO SEE HOW SPECIAL MSDWT IS!!!
See you tonight!
Maggie
21 comments:
Buttons and orange shirts! Is this activism?
What is their grasp of the issues?
Wish they would spend their time on improving education in the classroom.
I've got your "grasp" right here pal:
And now, the Paul Harvey "Rest of the Story".....
Are you people REALLY this naive? Are you really THIS shallow?
Are you REALLY THIS short-sighted?
Do you even have a SEMBLANCE of a clue when it comes to the method the state distributes school appropriations?
Obviously NOT. Because if you did then you would know exactly why the MSDWT School Board has been faced with the tough decision of closing an elementary school.
Here, let me "school" you (at absolutely NO cost to you btw) on how the state distributes school appropriations:
It's ALL based on one thing- growth. If your school district has non-growing enrollments, your community schools will get LESS money to run them. Period. Do you know the last year Washington Township experienced any sort of meaningful growth? 2 years ago? 5? 10? 15? Hardly. Try over 20 years ago. Since then, it's up or down a couple percent each year.
Now take a wild guess on what the expenses have done in maintaing and running a top notch school district (which is arguably the #1 factor in the suburban property values that you espouse to be SO concerned about when it comes to closing Harcourt btw)? If you guessed the expenses (even without factoring in teacher and administrator salaries) have sky-rocketed, you'd be right. Big surprise. Along with this, you can combine a mature tax base and a scarcity of undeveloped land and what you get is zero organic tax revenue growth.
Like it or not, residents of Washington Township compete for residential housing demand with residents of Carmel, Zionsville, Westfield and other affluent areas. The primary advantage Washington Township has on it's side is it's superior schools and mostly mature infrastructure, no matter how old it may be. To maintain those property values that you covet, the schools MUST be competitive or even superior to those communities it competes with first and foremost if it is to continue to attract young families (and btw, if your community is NOT attracting and keeping young families, your community is headed in one direction only- down).
To "rhs-c", the business owner who can "buy, and sell you over...": My wife and I each own and run successful businesses. In my experience, the surest and easiest way to spot a spineless jellyfish whose 1040 doesn't match his mouth is to listen for the one that trots out his income first. The truly successful business owners talk about HOW they make their money and invest in other people to help them and therefore help themselves, not HOW MUCH they make.
Besides, if you want to impress me and get your eyes opened to what happens to a community that neglects their schools and a community that doesn't, do what I did- for one week a month over four months, substitute teach in a middle school in IPS, then Lawrence, then in Washington Township and Carmel-Clay. You'll see what's coming down the pike. I'll give you a hint: It's not pretty to the east or the south of Washington Township. Sure, I'd heard that before. But let me tell you something my friend, you won't have ANYWHERE near full comprehension until you do this little project that I did. So do it! I mean, you ARE your own boss I presume? You ARE successful, so that means you can be away for a week a month because you've put competent people in key places right? I'll expect your report back here on this blog by this April. Should be interesting.
In order to maintain it's position as the best school district in the state, and therefore maintain high property values, Washington Township cannot rely on the state for additional funds due to it's zero enrollment growth. The solution is to tighten the belt, even if it means closing some schools to get to a "right size" for the current district enrollment. Or would you rather the township ignore efficiency altogether?
Unfortunately, in order to stay competitive, Washington Township must turn inward for more revenue, and that means a tax hike, as distasteful as that is TO ALL OF US. And btw, I've never not voted for the most conservative candidate in ANY of the dozens of elections I've voted in, including when I lived in Chicago. (In fact, I volunteered for Bush I's campaign in Illinois in both '88 and '92).
If there is ONE tax we conservatives should embrace because it PAYS dividends down the road, it is a tax for education and educational facilities. Why? Because with better educated young adults, they grow up to get good jobs (which increase the tax base organically), stay off the streets and out of crime (which conserves our tax dollars), are more likely to buy property in our Township (maintains or increases home values), more likely to open and run businesses in our Township (again, increasing the tax base), and are more likely to maintain good, strong family units due to not being under economic duress. Strong family units mean well-reared children to attend our well-maintained schools, who then get good high paying jobs that generate more organic growth in the tax base.
As a business owner, SURELY you recognize the importance of reinvesting in your enterprise and the dividends it can pay many times over, don't you?
Or would you rather the schools and the quality of education dwindle to sub-mediocrity and property values plummet? That, afterall, would certainly get you a lower property tax bill. You'd just have to pay through the nose when it comes time to sell the house you paid $200,000 for twenty years ago that is now worth $450,000, but in 15 years when you move to the assisted living facility is only worth $180,000 after 35 years. And you know what the response will be from the elder attorney when you ask him why you can't afford the "newer and nicer wing" at the Top Notch Retirement Village? He'll say "... well, Mr. rhs-c, your house didn't keep up with rising overall property values because the schools were neglected. That, and the fact your business closed 10 years ago because all of your demand moved to Hamilton County due to the schools surging ahead of Washington Township 15 years ago. That's why. Sorry. But HEY! You scored some SWEET property tax breaks back in the day! DUDE! GIMME SOME! (you struggle to raise your arm for the requested high-five)".
The bottom line is you are wasting your time protesting in Washington Township tonight or any night.
Finally, to Mr. Angleton: Actually I would find it incredibly REFRESHING if these "idiots" don't realize there is an election in 2008. At least we could say their integrity hasn't been compromised.
AND NOW YOU KNOW....the rest of the story......
Good Day.
Boilere1: "Vote for Summer"
She lost, dude!
And another thing....
No one in Washington Township likes the way the state makes school appropriations.
However, for right now, that is the system and we've got to work within that system (until it is hopefully changed) so we can provide for our children, protect our property values and invest in the community's future.
The short-sighted, ill-informed and narrow minded opinions expressed on this sight astound me.
I'm all for cutting waste out of government, and yes, I agree that any inappropriate relationships and potential conflicts of interest should be eliminated. White River School (I drove by it last week) is an absolute embarrassment and the situation should be rectified BEFORE Christmas, if not sooner.
I am also for lower taxes.
I am NOT for letting our Washington Township schools drift down to Lawrence, Warren and IPS levels. If that happens, our property taxes might be low, but I guarantee the home values will have more to do with that than tax cuts. Guarantee it.
If we can find a more sensible way to generate the necessary tax revenues to keep our schools up to the standard set for Washington Township the last 35 years, then I am all for it.
Until then...we've got to use the system in place.
"pal"
Chip on the shoulder?
This guy is a YOU TUBE waiting to happen!
See how mad they get when their trough is threatened?
Time for the slaughter.
Anonymous said...
>>>>>Boilere1: "Vote for Summer"
She lost, dude!<<<<<
Sorry, 'Dude'. I never made that statement.
You have yet to present even ONE cogent thought or assertion.
I'm waiting for one authored by you.
BTW, I'm still waiting for an intelligent, logical and well-thought reply to my original post.
Another thing:
The saying is NOT "Pigs get fat, and hogs get slaughtered."
The origins are regarding the stock market:
"Bulls win.
Bears win.
Hogs get slaughtered."
But then again, you and your ilk haven't exactly been letting the truth and facts get in the way of this issue and your assertions.
The silence is deafening.
I'm outta here...need to watch the Iowa Republican Debate...coming on now.
somebody get boilere1 a Xanax!
Boilere?
How much is property worth downtown? Aren't there million dollar condos now?
How great are the schools in center township?
Boilere1...
Ranted like a true socialist. Get some fiber in your diet, it might help
Boilere,
I didn't see a single mention of alternate funding methods in your raving.
As to teaching, don't shoot off your mouth before you know that I volunteer my time to that too.
And; I'm financially assisting elderly folks, who want to stay in their homes, but can’t, because they are being taxed out of them. By the likes of you.
Well Boilere1, you my friend have hit the nail on the proverbial head.
Washington Township is in stuggle for it's very life. White flight has decimated it's ranks over the past 30 years and doesn't seem to be abating anytime soon.
The area under IPS has lost 160,000residents since 1970 and nearly 10,000 of the estimated 12,000 abandoned houses in Marion County are located inside the IPS District.
Washington Township should consider itself lucky but time and history may not be on your side.
boilere1 said:
"Here, let me "school" you (at absolutely NO cost to you btw) on how the state distributes school appropriations:
It's ALL based on one thing- growth."
If that were true, schools in Hamilton Southeastern would get a lot more than they do. The last number I recall seeing is that, out of 1,000 students, they get money for 750. That means they have to come up with the money for the other 250.
It is NOT all about growth.
AR
I think Boilere1 is likely Mr. Kite who sits on the the Washington Township School Board.
Last night Max and I joined other activists who went to the meeting. Kite was VERY agitated the entire evening. It was noticable even from the audience and his behavior indicated he was angry and very on edge.
After the meeting Max confronted Kite who allowed one speaker to talk as long as she wanted (she supported his position) and would not allow another speaker who was against his position to talk more than two minutes.
When Max confronted him, he threatened to call security to have Max removed and clearly stated to Max that he "looked menacing".
At that point I clarified with Kite that he said Max looked menacing. Then I showed him the copy of the Sheperd Kernan report and told him that's his future and to get used to it! To which he quipped, "I am a lawyer, I've read it."
The guy has a serious chip on his shoulder and seems very emotionally unbalanced.
At another meeting, Kite's wife had a mental meltdown and caused a scene at the school board meeting when someone confronted her husband.
I took from the evening that at Washington Township School Board meetings you are not allowed to confront members of the board when they do not apply THEIR RULES fairly to everyone.
We are going to do some digging on Kite. That guy is just too irritated and nervous not be hiding something. My bet is that he's getting kickbacks somewhere from someone.
If anyone has information on Kite, please contact us right away and tell us all you know.
Hey Don Kite....er.. Boilere
In Meridian Kessler property owners have expensive homes, high maintenance costs, high property tax and lousy schools!
So on top of the property tax, they pay to send thier kids to private schools.
Don Kite's spending recommendations in Washington Township are out of control and cannot be maintained by the tax base who is paying your bills.
Kids don't need $2million locker rooms and lavish swimming pools.
When we grew up in the 70's we had schools without air conditioning and had to turn the heat down and wear coats to class during the energy crisis. We complained a little, but it did not affect our education.
Don Kite is irresponsible to close Harcourt without first finding a way to return the property asset to the taxpayers. You should be ashamed!
This little tirade on our blog has put Don Kite square in the light activists who will now work to have him removed from his board position.
Further, we didn't appreciate Don Kite's comments at the board meeting to the young man who questioned why the board president would apply rules to some and not to all.
That young man has a right to question you. And you have a RESPONSIBILIY to take his questions seriously. Instead you insulted him.
Don Kite can expect a full account of his wife's meltdown at a board meeting to be the subject of our blog soon. We received emails shortly after it happened. It should take a day or so to dig them out.
Boiler 1, here's a lesson for you, from first-hand experience with that district:
They get enough money to properly educate our kids. They just make stupid choices with the money. Like their headquarters building, built on Dr. White's watch, on very expensive land donated by Gene Glick.
It was over budget, it has thousands of S.F. of wasted space, and it removes the administrators from classroom action.
The architect was the then-board president's husband's firm. Cozy, huh?
I am fully aware that closing some schools is in MSDWT's action plan, and it's needed. They just chose ther wrong school. God forbid they should touch a property on the east side of the township.
The school corporation's history on closing schools is not good. Ask around. They eff it up whenever they get the chance.
Operating efficiencies come from combining schools. It's a hard choice. But this frothing at the mouth, from the parent group, is disgusting. They know so little of which they speak: the Superintendent constantly refers to the lowest debt service tax rate in the county.
Which is true. But the total bill is computed on AV times tax rate. Their AV was among the state's top five for years, and I bet it still is. Suggesting a taxpayer's bill would be among the lowest is disingenuous at best. And deceptive at worst.
And ask the citizens' group, that remonstrated against the original bond issue, how they fele now. They could've forced a public vote, but they compromised, and that compromise was broken when the pool came in over budget. The remonstrators were screwed, plainly and simply.
Woe is the day any incumbent on that baord runs for re-election.
They've forgotten their mission.
We do know that the Indiana Voters League is recruiting for the school board now.
As far as our involvement, we will continue to expose the nepotism, corruption, and bloated budgets of the arrogant educrats such as Mervilde and Kite.
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