Corunna School Bond Fails - Thank The Legislature
May 9th, 2007 | by christine |ABC News 12 has reported that the Corunna School Bond has failed 78%-22%. The bond would have provided $11 million for an 800 seat performing arts auditorium to be located on Corunna Ave.
Can’t say that I’m surprised or disappointed by this. It’s not that I didn’t want the extra tax … the bond would’ve cost me about $10/mo, which I’m willing to pay. And it’s not that I’m opposed to a new auditorium … I think it would be great if they had one. It’s a matter of this being the wrong time.
We’re in the middle of a state budget crisis and we just can’t support spending this kind of money until we know what our state budget is going to be. Even the promise of economic development, which always comes along with a new building, isn’t enough to overcome our concerns about the state budget.
A few days ago, someone mentioned to me that the left appears to have no sense of urgency about things. I thought his comment was interesting because he really put his finger on something that has been frustrating me. A few months ago, the Governor sent the budget to the legislature, and they acted like they had all the time in the world to toy with it and craft something to their (supporters’) liking. I don’t expect anything out of Republican Mike Bishop … he’s demonstrated what kind of a pig he is. But Democratic House Speaker Andy Dillon should have jumped at the opportunity to help resolve the budget problem. Instead, he’s acted like he’s perfectly comfortable with his deadline.
That is totally unfair to the people, and I am really disappointed in his “leadership”.
People are looking for jobs, which in many areas are available, but employers can’t make decisions because they don’t know what they’re tax liabilities will be. Employers like mine, who do considerable work for public organizations (schools, state gov) are really screwed because their clients don’t know if they’ll be in business next year. And people like me who 1) support the performing arts, 2) support raising taxes, and 3) want the economic development in the area, end up voting against an $11 million performing arts bond.
I understand that their ‘deadline’ is June 1. News flash: we have deadlines too. We might not like holding elections in the middle of a state budget crisis, but that’s a simple deadline to meet. We don’t even have to make a decision until we get to the polls. But other deadlines are more difficult. Have you seen Shiawassee’s foreclosure rate lately? A lot of good people are missing their deadlines for their mortgage payments.
If you have been watching the state government lately, it looks like Governor Granholm and Senate Minority Leader Mark Schauer are the only ones who know that our deadlines are important too. They’re the only ones who even appear to care about the rest of us.
I’m not sure this performing arts bond would have passed under the best of circumstances, but it had no hope in this environment. If you supported this bond, you can thank both the Republicans and the Democrats in the state legislature, who have been a little too comfortable with their deadline.
2 Responses to “Corunna School Bond Fails - Thank The Legislature”
By Tina J on May 9, 2007 | Reply
I heard a lot of opposition to this bond proposal, none of which, unfortunately looked in depth to what you are addressing.
Here are some of the things I heard which prompted 78% of the voters to vote no:
1.) Language in the bond which stated land acquisition - now this was scary for most people because they were told all along that the property was already owned by the Schoold District. What was the land acquisition necessary for this construction or was there something else up their sleeves?
2.) School of Choice - While it does bring dollars into a school, it is for a finite time. While the millage was also for a set number of years, then there is the maintenance of the building, repairs ultimately needed, grounds upkeep, cleaning etc…. Pros and Cons for School of Choice which can be debated later.
3.) Seemingly stupidity of a free-standing building which created logisitical issues for transporting students to this building instead making it a part of a current campus location, like the high school.
4.) Promises of many years ago when the high school was built that all the land at the high school was needed for a future auditorium, administration building, etc - now the administration building is in the old bank building in downtown Corunna (another land acquisition) and the fairly new weight room where the auditorium was supposed to go.
5.) Lack of confidence in the current Superintendent.
6.) Lack of confidence in the current Cirriculum Director - i.e., when the Faculty performed Wizard of Oz, rumors that permission was never attained to use the rights to the title for advertising; kind of elementary when putting on a production. Plus many seats in the front row were “Reserved” for family and friends of the Cirriculum Director. How does that garner support from the general public when this perk was afforded to the Cirriculum Director?
7.) The same Cirriculum Director who was the point person for this proposal doesn’t even live in the School District, and has no risk of a property tax increase.
8.) Paid employees, teachers, administration etc, who live outside the School District, draw salaries but do not pay into the system via property taxes.
9.) Going from ‘it’s desperately needed for our kids’ to ‘we can rent it out to other area schools or the OCP, etc’. This created a problem for some, because how available was it really going to be for the students? For example, if it was rented out to OCP for a production, many weeks go into blocking scenes, set construction and rehearsals. As far as rehearsals and blocking scenes, those could be done at night, but set construction obviously needs to stay in place and would the OCP really want their sets being moved or pushed aside for students while they are paying to rent the facility? I think not, and they would be right in feeling that way.
These are just a few of the things I heard. As you can see, many factors contributed to the defeat of this bond proposal. All of which seem perfectly legitimate.
Tina
By wizardkitten on May 10, 2007 | Reply
Lansing will have the budget wrapped up soon- they have a another vacation coming up.
There are deadlines, and then there are real deadlines….