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| Post Number: 11
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TameThaTane 
Group: Members
Posts: 6300
Joined: May 2005
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Posted on: Aug. 21 2007,12:01 pm |
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| Quote | Education drops in town, much like security, and you have a major problem with perception.
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LOL HUH?  What the hell does that even mean and since when does not voting for more taxes translate into "dropping education"?
What the hell does THAT even mean.
It's geniuses like scorenix that wreck it for everybody.
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My choice is what I choose to do,
And if I'm causing no harm, it shouldn't bother you.
Your choice is who you choose to be,
And if you're causin' no harm, then you're alright with me.
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| Post Number: 12
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jimhanson
Group: Moderator
Posts: 8491
Joined: Aug. 2003
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Posted on: Aug. 21 2007,12:10 pm |
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| Quote | And you have people like Jim Hanson (and I am not attacking him as you will read) who say the state shouldn't send education money to towns like Albert Lea, the decisions should all be local. So taxes go up whether it's the state or local. Unless you want education to fall further back.
Do you want to invest in education? Look at our county and city. Taxes are going to soar there, and you will have little input. Why? Because we've elected people who generally cannot balance their own checkbooks (as one county commissioner expressly stated). Education does not have the luxury of increasing taxes as they see fit.
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Thank you for accurately stating my position. It makes no sense for us to send money to St. Paul, then beg to get it back--after some has been taken off the top for State administration.
Actually, if we kept the money here, we DO have "the luxury of increasing taxes as they see fit." Rather than just pouring money into a pot, we could have the kind of school system we want or need. If we thought the "Three R's" were paramount, we could have that system. If we thought sports was important, we could have that system. If we thought Vo-tech was important, we could do that. We would have LOCAL control--and funded the way WE want it. We could have the schools WE WANT TO PAY FOR. It would be true "truth in taxation."
It's delusional to think that "somebody, somewhere ELSE is going to pay" for our schools. 
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"If you want to anger a Conservative, tell him a lie. If you want to anger a LIBERAL, tell him the TRUTH!"
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| Post Number: 13
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hockeyplayer
Group: Members
Posts: 28
Joined: Sep. 2006
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Posted on: Aug. 21 2007,10:23 pm |
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Go ahead, vote no. Watch students that want to do well in life move to owattonna, rochester, etc. Sometimes we have to look at these students as future leaders. Personally, I think that this is the best way to spend our money. Don't blame the school board for the courthouse. We DID need a new High School. That old place was going on 100 years. The new high school is a state of the art facility and a spot for Albert Lea to start growing.
I think that cutting sports would be an awful thing for everyone. Not only would kids not be able to play but what would the many people do on Friday nights in the fall? What would people do on Tuesday and Thursday nights in the winter without hockey games?
Crime rate would also skyrocket. Sports are the things that hold many of these student athletes together. Without sports, they'd have nothing and it is proven that drugs and alcohol would become more widely used.
Hearing all of this conversation about not being able to fund our schools really tells people where we are at as a community.
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| Post Number: 14
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busybee
Group: Members
Posts: 2510
Joined: May 2004
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Posted on: Aug. 22 2007,12:33 am |
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| Quote | | Hearing all of this conversation about not being able to fund our schools really tells people where we are at as a community. |
Yeah...we're going for broke. 
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| Post Number: 15
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busybee
Group: Members
Posts: 2510
Joined: May 2004
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Posted on: Aug. 22 2007,12:51 am |
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| Quote | | We would have LOCAL control--and funded the way WE want it. We could have the schools WE WANT TO PAY FOR. It would be true "truth in taxation." |
Do you think that could be accomplished through chartering our public schools or are you thinking more on the lines of private schools?
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| Post Number: 16
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busybee
Group: Members
Posts: 2510
Joined: May 2004
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Posted on: Aug. 22 2007,1:21 am |
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| Quote | These are "public" schools. Why are we trying to make them out to be world class private school wanna bees?
The teachers complain about not getting enough pay. Go to the private sector and see if you can make it there if you think your skills are over and above the public school system.
From what I can tell, the kids are "below" average according to news reports and statistics. Are many of the teachers saying that if they get their raise they will do better? Somehow this extra money in their pockets will encourage them to actually teach our children?
Shame, shame, shame
I say we take back our public school systems ... |
 Awesome post!
I wish more people were concerned about EDUCATION and less about things like sports and the "extra's." It doesn't matter how much money we put into the public education system locally to keep every opportunity available to students, there is no evidence that giving students more options, more to do in & out of school, equals a quality education. This is just a "trend" in the public education system.
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| Post Number: 17
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irisheyes
Group: Super Administrators
Posts: 3040
Joined: Oct. 2003
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Posted on: Aug. 22 2007,2:12 am |
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| Quote (hockeyplayer @ Aug. 21 2007,10:23pm) | | Go ahead, vote no. Watch students that want to do well in life move to owattonna, rochester, etc. |
Did you just move here? They've already been doing that for a long time now. Your future projections are yesterdays news!
| Quote | | We DID need a new High School. That old place was going on 100 years. |
Wow, a hundred years old! 
The house I live in is over a hundred years old, and nobody is talking about tearing it down anytime soon. How many buildings do you think we'd have left in this town if we tore them down at that age? I'm wasn't even totally against a new high school, I just think you're logic is ridiculous.
| Quote | | I think that cutting sports would be an awful thing for everyone. Not only would kids not be able to play but what would the many people do on Friday nights in the fall? What would people do on Tuesday and Thursday nights in the winter without hockey games? |
Why, they would smoke crack and get drunk, of course. Or at least that's what the rest of your post seems to imply pretty strongly.
| Quote | | Crime rate would also skyrocket. Sports are the things that hold many of these student athletes together. Without sports, they'd have nothing and it is proven that drugs and alcohol would become more widely used. |
Little Johnny has two choices, Hockey, or cocaine. Any questions?
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You know it's going to be a bad day when you cross thread the cap on the toothpaste.
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| Post Number: 18
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scorenix
Group: Members
Posts: 1147
Joined: Dec. 2004
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Posted on: Aug. 22 2007,3:08 am |
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In the next few weeks, you're going to hear Freeborn County ask to increase the tax levy by $1 million. Yeah, $1 million more this year than last year to support county government. Then the city will come along and boost the levy. Both will blame high gas, higher salaries, escalating expenditures, when what it really comes down to is the inability to handle a budget.
But when the school board, unable to increase taxes like the city and county, comes calling, people complain about administrative salaries, teacher salaries and "worth". Well, how about this, is District 241 out of whack with Big Nine districts in terms of pay? No. But at the county level, you hit the "gravy" train if you get a job.
What is the purpose, locally, of an education? Do you want to see education geared toward graduating and staying in Albert Lea to work an $8 an hour job the rest of your life, or do you want to see kids further their education? I'm not in favor of cutting sports, I'm not in favor of cutting the arts and music education, and I wish they expanded foreign languages.
It's kind of like the person who says, "yep, don't know why I ever took Algebra, I mean, I never use it anyway." How many of you qualify?
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"Here is something for those who think I have not done much on my own to think about. I must then be one of the luckiest people around, and I think I am, I should then be able to keep that same luck going for the benefit of our area." - New ALEDA Executive Director Dan Dorman.
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| Post Number: 19
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Whiskero
Group: Members
Posts: 1195
Joined: Mar. 2005
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Posted on: Aug. 22 2007,8:29 am |
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I will repeat--We had to have a new high school and a new government center--the two essential things to bring in all these new businesses and people to help make A. Lea grow and help on taxes, etc. IT HAS NOT HAPPENED!! Now, we needed to put up lights to bring people in--IT HAS NOT HAPPENED!!
When will this town come up with ideas to bring people in that doesn't cost us an arm and a leg??
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| Post Number: 20
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dinomac
Group: Members
Posts: 51
Joined: Sep. 2006
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Posted on: Aug. 22 2007,8:50 am |
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Of course... I will vote YES. There is no other choice. A "No Vote" is a vote against Albert Lea. A "Yes Vote" is FOR Albert Lea. I'm not like all the negative Nellies that want to penalize the school district for Federal and State regulations and budgets that have killed the local school districts. I want Albert Lea to grow, not die! Why are doctors leaving Albert Lea and why are doctors not coming? One of the reasons is the referendum. Why are big businesses (that Albert Lea needs to recruit) not coming to Albert Lea? One of the reasons is the referendum not passing. We need to make a choice of whether we want Albert Lea to grow or die.... what do you want it to do? ???
And don't go on about how the school district wastes money and they need to make cuts like everyone else. And yes, we have an aging community that can't afford more taxes... WE CAN'T AFFORD not to pass it. We need more businesses and a bigger tax base to help pay for the schools and the county and city, or otherwise, everyone's taxes are going to go up and up and up BECAUSE WE DON'T pass it!
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