Where Does Your Money Go?
- on 01.31.06
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The Mayor of Round Lake, Bill Gentes, has a great chart on his blog. I am linking it below for to see where your property tax money goes. He also has the original Daily Herald article linked.
Look at this chart and tell me how schools are underfunded. 68% of every taxpayers property tax bill goes to the schools. Yet, this March, many of the schools here in Lake County and across the State are asking for more money. They are already taking more than their fair share. Vote NO on all referendum questions. Stop feeding the bureauracracy so we can start education our children again.
Update: I decided to look at my own taxes. Here is the chart below. I am in Grayslake Elementary and High Districts and as you can see 69% of my property taxes go to the schools.
To further break this down, 51% of the money goes to the Elementary School District. The percentage would be higher except that the High School District has taxed us more than promised after their referendum passage in 2002.
Your logic does not follow.
1) Just because a large overall percentage of a taxpayer’s tax bill goes towards education, it does not mean the education system is funded well or not. A large slice of the pie chart only shows that a large part of your tax bill goes towards education. Nothing else. A small slice going to the Township only means a small part goes to the Township.
2) How do you define ‘fair share’ when you say they are taking more than that? How would you determine ‘fair’ as a percentage of an individual tax bill? Fairness is really based on opinion. Just because you don’t like the amount or percentage you are paying towards education, it does not follow that everyone feels it unfair or that the system in general is unfair.
3) “Your mileage may vary”. This is a nice average across all of Lake County. In the districts represented by my address, the percentage is just below 60%. It this nitpicking? Maybe – but let’s be sure everyone knows that these are likely not thier own numbers.
4) Also good to know that the 68% illustrated above represents three different levels of education – elementary, high school, community college. Your focus has been primarily on elementary and sometimes high school. Let’s be clear that elementary schools are not getting 68% of our taxes across the county.
That’s our boy, Joe. Just vote NO to vote NO. And that’s on ALL referendums now. You don’t need to consider the circumstances; they all have enough.
Joe/Carl, Be glad you don’t live in Grayslake. I pay 69% to the schools and 51% to the elementary school district. Yes, I say vote NO. If you can prove to me there is a District that is spening their money wisely, then I will change my mind. Until that time my research has shown me all school district use the same tactics to try and get the taxpayers to fork over more of their hard earned money without any regard to accountability or improvements.
The sacrifice is all on the part of the taxpayer and not the districts. Fund the child and not the bureaucracy.
and what percentage would be acceptable to fund the child?
If you abolish the school districts, the State would be able to fund the child without any property taxes. Didn’t you read Bruno’s plan? Oh that’s right. The only acceptable plan for you is the plan that forces taxpayers to continually fork over more money to support the bloated education bureaucracy.
BTW Carl, I have been meaning to ask you. Do you have some kind of RSS feed alert to let you know when I post. You seem to be over here very shortly after each post. Just in case you don’t. I have a post scheduled to post at 8 AM. I think you’ll find that one interesting as well.
@3 – I specifically don’t live in the Grayslake school district (although have had a Grayslake address prior) because of the issues with the school distict. Getting a decent education for my children amongst the funding and teacher and school board issues doesn’t seem possible in the short term. Add in rabid anti-tax folks (who don’t have children in the schools) helping to divide the community and it’s just not a situation I would willingly go into. While my specifically not buying a house in the school district doesn’t devalue houses there, enough people paying attention like I have does increase turnaround time and affect home values. I wouldn’t use home value as an arguement in a referendum, but let’s look at it realistically.
I could prove to you that school districts that spend money wisely exist. I’m no fool to discuss details here and let you and your supporters turn their sights our way. That day will likely come when it is our turn to turn to the last resort of referenda. Using phrases like “all school districts” and “any regard to accountability or improvements” really is just consipiracy theory-ism. You focus so much on the bad, but don’t point out the good when it exists. Yes, you’ve uncovered bad in #36 and #127 and that is good. Other than big, new, idealistic models like Bruno’s, why don’t you excentuate some of the smaller, good things in individual districts? Or am I too hopeful with your mantra being “Giving them more money is not the answer, reform is. The system needs an overhaul that is long past due.”?
It’s a tough line. I too would like general reform. But I am realistic. Changing the government is akin to making large ships turn. Does that mean we shouldn’t try? No. But I believe it means we should not abandon the current broken system while trying to create the new system. If we do that, the kids will be left afloat.
I haven’t seen any response to my 4 specific points. I’ve tried to respond without emotion and keeping to the issue at hand. I guess you’ve somewhat responded to 3) and 4) by editting your original post. How about 1) and 2)?
You are correct with number one that just because there is a large percentage does not mean anything. THe larger point is look at your property taxes and see the several thousand dollars that represents and you will quickly see there is a correlation.
Again for #2 look at the actual dollars. Every taxpayer is paying a huge amount to the schools to educate our kids. Every taxpayer is paying a much smaller amount to the other taxing bodies to provide their services. Schools are providing a service to a percentage of the population whereas the others are providing a service to almost the entire taxpaying communty.
#3 and #4 were answered in my update once I ran my numbers.
You must only read the posts you want. I do point out the good things in this and other districts as well. Please review my other posts. Try searching on Basketball, Music and Franklin for starters.