Stell Selby cast the only no vote at last nights Cape board meeting on the question of going to referendum for a tax increase to fund “technology” upgrades.  The vote is now set for February 24.

Now on the morning after, Stell has recieved this e-mail from fellow board member Camila Conlon interecepted by the Super Secret Gaffney Offshore E-mail Hacker Unit:

Dear Stell,

 

I cannot tell you how disappointed I am with your vote this evening on the referendum.  We had citizen’s participation comments, we had a lengthy discussion and a presentation and not once during all that time did you make a comment or elude to any concerns you might have about the referendum.  After five of us voted yes, a vote you knew would carry the referendum, you chose to dissent.  It was quite a blow to the rest of us.  Why didn’t you share your concerns during the discussion?  If you were opposed, why didn’t you try to convince us to delay, defer or vote otherwise?  To remain silent and wait until the vote was confirmed to dissent feels like a sabotage to me.  By your vote, you have undermined the referendum effort.  Everywhere and everytime a presentation is made, someone will say “but the Board President voted against this referendum” .

 

The rest of us will now champion the effort for this referendum.  We will have to overcome your negative vote, which we will do.  However, now that the Board has taken a vote and chosen to go to referendum, I trust you will get behind the decision.  While, as Board members, we are all entitled to our individual opinions at the time of a vote, once the decision is decided, we need to speak as one voice.  I look forward to your earnest support over the next month.

 

camilla

But now we know, the Board President voted against the referendum.

In other news here is the presentation given to the board from concerned parent Sharonn Davis:

Madame President, Dr. Stone, members of the Cape Henlopen School District Board, good evening. I am Sharon Davis. I come to you as as a Cape parent, taxpayer, school and community volunteer, a member of the medical community and a member of the DE Parent Advisory Council. In each of those capacities, I come in contact with many Cape residents, voters, parents and teachers. We ALL have one common priority: educating our youth. We also have one common request of you: honesty and fairness. We don’t feel that is being delivered. I feel  it  necessary to address you prior to making the decision to go to referendum tonight and bring some of the concerns of these varied groups to you.

 

Although the community is told through meetings, presentations and news articles that there is no tax increase, this referendum DOES reflect a tax increase! The debt service analysis survey dated 4/1/08 indicates that the current principal and interest payments will begin to significantly decline in 2010, meaning that the tax rate will decline. IF a referendum allows 7 cents per 100 dollars of property value tax to be transferred to operations, this will be a permanent tax!

 

Following a completed audit of the Cape Henlopen School District on June 30^th, 2008, the DE State Auditor found,

 

“Cape Henlopen School District’s debt service balance as of June 30, 2008 was $4,875,002.11. Principal and interest payments for the first four months of Fiscal Year 2009 (July 1, 2008 through October 31, 2008) total $2,641,783.87 resulting in an excess balance of $2,233,218.24. The balance as of June 30, 2008 is considered excessive, as it provides for 80% of principal and interest payments for Fiscal Year 2009. Although the District has reduced the debt service tax rate for Fiscal Year 2009 by .04, the excessive reserve will only decrease by 7% according to estimated revenues. “

 

Although the previous referendum, requesting the transfer of 8 cents from debt service to operations in June, 2008 was voted down 1257 to 954, the rate was decreased by only 4 cents. Most of the community does not realize this and demands a reason for the entire 8 cents not being returned. This duplicitous act alone, makes most people likely to vote “NO” on a new referendum.

 

The current year budget indicates a “Technology Fund” of $452,778.00 from local money; still more from State and Federal funds. Is this transfer tax referendum income for technology ALONE going to be ADDED to the yearly budgeted fund or merely REPLACE it, freeing up local dollars to be spent on the second turf field that seems to come up again despite the fact that the taxpayer does not want their money spent in that manner? The June 2008 referendum requesting $1.6 million dollars cash from the debt service fund for purchase of the SECOND THERMAL- REGULATED TURF FIELD was voted down 1603 to 603. If you want us to give more of our tax dollars to operations fund for technology, we MUST extract a public promise from you TODAY that the construction of the 2^nd turf field will not, under any circumstances, be considered. This economic climate will not withstand unnecessary spending.

 

Lastly, teachers from all over the school district would rather see a “personnel referendum”. The community would be much more likely to hand over their hard-earned dollars for teachers and paraprofessionals. $775,000 dollars would go a long way every year to add to the strained staff and increasing demands on the teachers.

 

During President Obama’s inaugural address 2 days ago, many wise words stand out to me, but none more than the following, which is so fitting for this administration and Board:

 

“Those of us who manage the public’s dollars will be held to account — to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day — because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.”

 

Thank you and have a good night.

 

This entry was posted on Friday, January 23rd, 2009 at 9:37 am and is filed under Cape Henlopen School District. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.