The Federal deficit is reaching critical mass, the State cannot balance their budget and now the Porterville Unified School District is asking each and every homeowner within their reach to pay a new and additional TAX for an upwards of $100 million dollar bond issue on the November ballot. Have they lost their minds? The absolute arrogance of the PUSD governing board members and superintendent really knows no bounds.
Make no mistake about this bond, it is a new TAX on every homeowner whether you have a child in the district or not. And this TAX will continue on for years to come.
Dr. Snavely states "the beauty of the concept is that the sale of the bond can be controlled depending on the market. It puts us in a pretty good position." Translation; this issue allows the district to control when the bonds are issued in an effort to soak the highest possible amount of TAX dollars from the hard working tax paying citizens with no real oversight.
Do we really want to give this already questionable character group of individuals control over our wallets? Tax payers should cringe when an individual who has his pay tied to the public purse strings says words like "beauty" & "control". That typically is politician speak for the tax paying citizens getting screwed.
The district is placing this bond on the November ballot because they claim to have received a favorable survey that thought the time was right to TAX people again. Who exactly did they survey? Board members and their families? Individuals who will benefit personally from the money generated from the bond? I certainly was not asked my opinion of the merits of trusting this self-serving board with upwards of $100 million dollars, were you?
John Snavely says that the district will appoint a "transparent oversight committee" to build a project list to determine how the funds generated by the additional TAX will be spent. Really, Dr. Snavely? You expect the public to trust you and a board that has continued to put the needs of the governing board members ahead of each and every student in the district to make sound fiscal decisions? You really believe the public thinks that you will appoint a truly transparent committee when you have operated in the shadows for years?
Remember, these board members are the exact same "leaders" who cut student programs, fire teachers yet continue to provide themselves lavish health & welfare benefits without a penny of reduction. Every one that I speak with is looking at the November elections a much different way. We cannot wait to vote OUT every board member up for reelection and replace them with honest individuals who will truly put the needs of the students and teachers first ahead of their own selfish and greedy personal money grab.
Again, make no mistake about this bond issue; it is another TAX for years to come on the backs of every homeowner within PUSD's reach. A TAX that is controlled by the most dysfunctional school district we have witnessed in years.
The public is taxed enough already enough via federal taxes, state taxes (not to mention sales tax, property tax, gas tax, utility tax, etc) and now our local school district wants authority to add another layer of TAX? This is a dangerous precedent.
We all understand the value of schools but this arrogant group of self-serving so called leaders have proven over and over they have NOT earned an ounce of our trust, let alone a colossal new and additional amount of our TAX dollars.
John S. Hardin -- Trying to "Make it Right"
