Mervilde and Kite lobby for property tax status quo, no referendums, and no property tax caps

According to the State of Indiana Lobbyists records, we have 882 registered lobbists in our state.
One of those registered lobbyist is the Metropolitan School District of Washington Township. We were unable to locate any other school district in Marion county that was registered as a lobbyist.

Both Superintendent Mervilde and Board President Don Kite recently visited the legislature and lobbyied on behalf of the MSDWT to continue the current property tax situation and encouraged legislatures to defeat any measures that would allow a voter the opportunity to vote in a referendum on construction projects. Obviously, their efforts were funded by taxpayer property tax dollars and, and in the opinion of many, do not reflect the overwhelming majority of taxpayers and voters in Washington Township.

Further, the Executive Director of the Indiana School Board Association, Frank A. Bush, is a registered lobbyist. He spends the majority of his time at the legislature when it is in session lobbying for school board members and the superintendent's organization. His efforts favor the continuation of the current property tax regulations and are against any caps, elimination or referendums. We am unaware of any alternatives that he may have set forth. We also understand that he was the architect of the pro property tax rally recently held at the state house. These folks use our children and grandchildren as human shields against property tax reform.

Since Mr. Bush's salary is paid by ISBA membership dues, and since ISBA membership dues is paid by each member school board member using property tqx dollars, the tax payers find themselves (again) in the position of having their own tax dollars used against their efforts to fix a broken and un-just system. We are encouraging other school board members to end any financial support of such efforts, and for taxpayers in other communities to contact school board members in order to blunt this practice. If necessary, they may discontinue ISBA membership.

In our opinion, the educational lobby folks are general insensitive to the needs of the property taxpayer and their lobbying efforts just happen further their presonal self interests.