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CITIZENS
LETTERS REGARDING THE SCHOOL OVER-RIDE ELECTION
To: AJUSD Taxpayers in Pinal
county
This is why I am voting
“NO” on the school over ride on May 15, 2007. First, I think that the over ride
was necessary for the school districts when; times were lean, and tough. Now
the times are good, and assessed values have increased and average of over
twenty (20%) percent per year. The need for this 10% over ride is not necessary
at this time. Let me give you a few reasons why:
1.
Home evaluations have gone up over 20%. I think this increase is enough
to keep the school district with a buffer, already built in, which is enough to
keep the schools operating. In his reasoning Dr. Wyman indicates the
necessity to cut educational programs and janitors if the over-ride is not
passed, however fails to address the number of employees and the salaries of the
inflated administration department. Do your homework folks. Check the number of
employees and the total administrative salary packages of the school districts
with similar student enrollment.
2.
A good example :a estimated $81.00 per house valued at approximately
$124,000.00 in the Apache Junction school district, multiplied by 10,000 homes
in the school district would produce $840,000.00 from the over ride. We know
that houses in the Apache Junction school district go for more than double the
$124,000.00 amount, and some even triple that amount. We are looking at a true
Minimum Budget Increase of approximately $2.5 million dollars.
3.
In 2004 we gave the school district the bond that they wanted for capital
improvements. This was to take care of the buildings they needed. So where is
the need for all this extra money? Dr Wyman (during his address to the ADOBE
group in Gold Canyon) indicated the Gold Canyon High School was not justified at
this time. Why, then did the AJUSD allocate over $15 million in bond money to
build the school and WHAT HAPPENED TO THOSE FUNDS?
In closing, I
believe the school district
already has enough money, and should be held to their budget , and not bleed the
tax payers to add more money. Based on the escalating county taxes, we are
already “over taxed.”
Todd House - Apache
Junction
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--Original Message- - From:
henrythkatz@aol.com - To:
ajeditor@newszap.com - Sent: Tue, 1
May 2007 11:45 AM
Subject: letter to editor
April 27, 2007 - EDITOR
Are your taxes too high? Do you look
around and think maybe you’re not getting your money’s worth out of them? Has
the county assessor recently skyrocketed your assessed value into the
stratosphere? Do you wish your taxes were lower? Well here’s your chance.
Let’s talk about saving some money. How would you like to save yourself
anywhere from $90.00 to $500.00 a year for the next seven to ten years? All
you need to do is vote NO on the Apache Junction School System bond over ride on
May 15. The figures submitted by bond supporters claim that if the override
passes the tax on a $124,000 house would be about $81.95. But who lives in a
$100,000 house anymore? Almost no one, if you pay attention to the county
assessor’s new assessed valuations. We need to see through this minimal
estimate and look at the real figures. If you live in a $250,000 house you
would save about $170 a year and those who live in homes assessed even higher,
think Gold Canyon and Superstition Foothills, could save around $500 per year.
What we are talking about here is a reduction in taxes that we can do ourselves.
(a “do it yourself” type move) All we have to do is vote NO on the bond issue
and defeat it May 15th and save money for years to come.
Henry Katz - Apache Junction
We also support a NO vote May 15th on the AJUSD bond override:
Tony D'Alessio - Superstition Foothills Ron Reinagel -
Gold Canyon
M. Mette - Superstition Foothills Dr. M.
Briggs - Gold Canyon
Jim Slomski - Gold Canyon David &
Deborah Mellado - Superstition Foothills
Art & Anne Fester-Butts - Superstition Foothills Grady & Wendy
McEachern - Superstition Foothills
Craig & Carol Fornelius - Superstition Foothills Mark & Patricia
Perby - Superstition Foothills
D. Mutch - Superstition Foothills Kenny J.
Baker - Apache Junction
Kenny & Irene Baker - Apache Junction
Todd & Tuni House - Superstition Foothills
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(Received and Published April 30,
2007)
Got the "Folleto Informativo" in the mail the other day, done up in
english and spanish of course... and was all set to toss it in the recycle bin
when I happened to have a moment of curiosity and opened the damned thing, and
here's what I found:
AJ School district will be holding a special election on May 15 to continue
the District's existing 10% budget override.
The cost will be totally born by those of us fortunate enough to be able to
afford homes. "The average cost to an owner of a home with a full cash value of
$124,160 would be approximately $81.95 per year."
Sorry, but the pamphlet holds many more insults than I can't elaborate on
without having a seizure...
So the cost to the average Foothills resident will be what??? Is your home
valued at $124,000... not unless you live in a trailer. The average one acre
property value here in the foothills is $124,000. Most of the home values that
I've checked on line are nearer to $500,000, so y'all can count on a tax of $330
per year for the next 7 to 10 years. Put that in your pipe and smoke it... Not a
lot??? Maybe, but here's what it pays for:
Counselors at elementary schools... (Career counselors? Psychiatric
counselors? Fashion counselors?) At ELEMENTARY schools?
District wide summer school and tutoring programs (no doubt for English
learners)
Music, band and extra curricular athletic programs (what happened to Little
league, Pop Warner and AYSO where the parents pay the costs?)
Suggest you all rescue the "Folleto" from the trash bin and read it. There's
lots more in there to make you want to visit your own counselor, not the least
of which is on page 6:
"ARGUMENTS AGAINST "
"None filed"
"None filed" indeed. More like none solicited...
Frankly, if K-12 schools are going to be financed almost entirely by taxes from
property owners, we ought to at least have a say in what we are funding. I don't
recall a need for counselors in my elementary school. If the new kids didn't
speak English (most foreign students at the time we're Hungarian or east
European refugees) they sure picked it up quickly because they wanted to
assimilate. Kid's got problems? Take him or her to a shrink at your own expense.
Want your kid to play sports? Sure, but don't ask me to pay for the uniform! Or
the travel! Or the coaching! That's what parents are for.
Yes folks, we the property owners are now footing the bill for ancillary and
secondary programs that have gradually evolved into and merged with basic
education. The Three R's have been expanded by a myriad of popular programs
deemed to improve the educational "experience".
And all of this is paid for by persons fortunate to be living the American
Dream... owning one's home!!! (or is it a nightmare?)
Tony D'Alessio - Home: 480-982-7229
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Sent: Friday, April 27, 2007 11:20 AM
To: ron@gold-canyon.com
Subject: bond issue
EDITOR - What is
the position of the Republican candidate for Pinal County supervisor in district
2 regarding the Apache Junction school district override bond? And why don't I
know it?
Henry Katz - Apache Junction
Mr.
Katz;
Thank You for
your inquiry. While there are no official candidates for the position that you
mentioned, two parties have identified themselves as planning to secure the
Republican nomination in the 2008 primary.
Neither has
submitted a position paper to the GCWS regarding the AJ School District
over-ride election. The E-Mail addresses of both of the parties proposing to
secure the nomination are listed below for your convenience in contacting them
directly.
Thank You for
including the Gold Canyon Website in your Internet surfing activities.
Mr. Todd House
THouse8591@aol.com
Mr. Bryan
Martyn
martynbs@hotmail.com
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(Note: This letter was received on April 29, 2007. It is a reply fr4om Mr.
Martyn to Mr. Katz)
Mr. Katz,
Thanks for your interest in the AJUSD Override. As an individual considering
running for County Supervisor in 2008, I think it's important to have an
understanding of the expenditures of the agencies within the Supervisory
district. The override election represents a significant amount of taxpayer
revenue. The 10% override of M&O funds is very common throughout the state.
Over 95% of the school districts in Maricopa and Pinal counties operate on
overrides.
What happens if we don't allow the override? Dr. Wyman, Superintendent of AJUSD,
has presented a list of current positions and programs ranging from Teachers to
Counselors to Custodians to Librarians to NJROTC that could be cut if the
override fails. Those positions and programs are surely important to the almost
6,000 students in the district.
My major concern of the entire proposal is a lack of detail as to where the 10%
override will go. I don't believe Dr. Wyman has done a good job of explaining
what he will do with the excess monies generated. Remember, the increased
revenues generated on the increased assessed values of property surely outweigh
the cost of living increase. Dr. Wyman lists the jobs and programs that will be
lost if the override doesn't pass. If the override does pass, the AJUSD will
have quite a bit more money than the funds required to keep the jobs and
programs that would be lost if the override fails. What is he going to buy? I
remember a recent bond election that was supposed to primarily fund a Gold
Canyon High School. The population numbers ultimately didn't support the
building of the school. Those bond funds were then spent elsewhere in the
district.
Bottom line, I support the override based on the necessity of funding within the
school district. However, I don't know that 10% is required. Dr. Wyman owes
the taxpayer a more comprehensive shopping list.
My very humble opinion...
Sincerely,
Bryan - 480-202-5555 cell
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(Note: This response from Henry Katz was received on April 30, 2007)
This
is so interesting i could not help but provide it for your information. you
will note that Mr. Martyn (candidate for sup dist 2) speaks from both sides of
his mouth. He is for the override and he is against it. But in the final
analysis, even though it's too much money, the expenditures are not well
defined, and you can't trust the school district to spend the money where they
say they will (his own a opinion) he still supports the bond override. Is this
the kind of money spender we need as a supervisor? If the override fails, and I
hope it does, the AJUSD can always come back and try again with a lower
itemized price tag. Did anybody else notice how this whole proposal was kept
well below the radar so we didn't even know until the last minute that a vote
was imminent?
Henry Katz
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Original Message----- From:
Fornelius@msn.com - To: henrythkatz@aol.com
Sent: Sun, 29 Apr 2007 4:44 PM - Subject: Re: response to letter
I was shocked at Brian Martyn's comments. I realize the
school district needs money to educate the students in Apache Junction,
unfortunately just exactly how do you squeeze blood out of a turnip or where do
we go to purchase the money tree we all need to plant in our yards to support
governmental spending? When many of the property owners of Pinal County are
being taxed out of their homes because of the predatory property taxes foisted
upon the residents of Gold Canyon and the Superstition Foothills by the three
Board of Supervisors how exactly do you pile on additional taxes to support
override spending by the educational system. Maybe if Brian could explain that
to some of us perhaps we could give his opinions more credence. How exactly do
you pay for bonds, and taxes, and governmental salaries and benefits, and
investigations of fraudulent conduct by the County Manager, and Prisons and
non-collection of impact fees when there IS NO MONEY IN THE PROPERTY OWNERS'
BANK ACCOUNTS TO PAY FOR THESE THINGS. Gold Canyon, and the Superstition
Foothills have been overtaxed to offset the many towns throughout the
county where the residents live at poverty level because the mines were shut
down. Since the Board of Supervisors have robbed from Peter to pay Paul, and
Paul is now broke, who do the supervisors rob now? Perhaps Major Martyn needs
to re-think his position to run for supervisor, since he doesn't have a grasp on
the fact that THERE IS NO MONEY TREE and THERE IS NO MONEY in which to pay for
this Override and for all the other outlandish spending by the three Pinal
County Supervisors.
I have a solution, let's cut Pinal County's payroll in
half, and let's do away with all their retirement and health care benefits the
tax payers are supporting. Let's also cut out all retirement and health care
benefits for everyone employed in the educational system that the tax payers are
supporting, and then maybe there will be money to pay for the student's
education.
BY THE WAY, WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO THE STATE TRUST FUND
MONIES THAT IS SUPPOSED TO HELP WITH THE NEEDS OF THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEMS IN THE
STATE?
Carol Fornelius
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