March 8, 2017 at 6:36 p.m.
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Letters to the Editor
To the editor:
An article in The Commercial Review on Feb. 25 discussed revenue-generation for the financially distressed Jay School Corporation.
The article focused solely on a tax referendum and discussed the uncertainty of getting a referendum passed and the length of time before funds could be realized from a successful referendum. Articles have been shared with school board members that discuss not only cost-cutting measures for schools as submitted by members of the Indiana Association of School Business Officials, but revenue-generation ideas. What is striking to me is that many of the school districts were submitting ideas in 2010 in preparation for the loss of state support; seven years later we are only now getting started and our only revenue-generation idea appears to be that of a tax referendum. Other districts, for example, are getting corporate sponsorship for stadiums and athletic equipment, joining purchasing cooperatives and selling advertising.
I also read a Feb. 23 article in The CR that indicated that the NextEra wind farm is targeting June 1 as its construction date and that there will be four payments of $249,000 to the county for economic development. Knowing that the school corporation has been in dire financial straits for years, when county officials were negotiating economic development concessions, why wasn’t an agreement explored with NextEra to put a smaller turbine at the high school to both decrease utility costs and even possibly allow for the sale of excess power?
Why hasn’t anyone explored solar farms for building roofs, either in conjunction with advertising rights from a solar company or power company? Why isn’t someone from the school corporation approaching the county to ask for a portion of economic development dollars — after all, one of the key drivers of economic development is a solid school system. A tax referendum is not the only revenue-generating idea available to the school corporation.
As taxpayers, we should expect our elected officials to work cooperatively and collaboratively among various government entities for the overall betterment of the county. Closing of schools is not good economic development and tax referendums are not the only form of school corporation revenue generation.
Our school corporation and all county elected officials should understand this and work together to find solutions to the problems faced by the school corporation and other county entities.
Sincerely,
Tammy Hanlin
Pennville
An article in The Commercial Review on Feb. 25 discussed revenue-generation for the financially distressed Jay School Corporation.
The article focused solely on a tax referendum and discussed the uncertainty of getting a referendum passed and the length of time before funds could be realized from a successful referendum. Articles have been shared with school board members that discuss not only cost-cutting measures for schools as submitted by members of the Indiana Association of School Business Officials, but revenue-generation ideas. What is striking to me is that many of the school districts were submitting ideas in 2010 in preparation for the loss of state support; seven years later we are only now getting started and our only revenue-generation idea appears to be that of a tax referendum. Other districts, for example, are getting corporate sponsorship for stadiums and athletic equipment, joining purchasing cooperatives and selling advertising.
I also read a Feb. 23 article in The CR that indicated that the NextEra wind farm is targeting June 1 as its construction date and that there will be four payments of $249,000 to the county for economic development. Knowing that the school corporation has been in dire financial straits for years, when county officials were negotiating economic development concessions, why wasn’t an agreement explored with NextEra to put a smaller turbine at the high school to both decrease utility costs and even possibly allow for the sale of excess power?
Why hasn’t anyone explored solar farms for building roofs, either in conjunction with advertising rights from a solar company or power company? Why isn’t someone from the school corporation approaching the county to ask for a portion of economic development dollars — after all, one of the key drivers of economic development is a solid school system. A tax referendum is not the only revenue-generating idea available to the school corporation.
As taxpayers, we should expect our elected officials to work cooperatively and collaboratively among various government entities for the overall betterment of the county. Closing of schools is not good economic development and tax referendums are not the only form of school corporation revenue generation.
Our school corporation and all county elected officials should understand this and work together to find solutions to the problems faced by the school corporation and other county entities.
Sincerely,
Tammy Hanlin
Pennville
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