Campaign to distort school millage renewal continues on

Some folks just don’t get the message.
Or perhaps, worse, they are deliberately distorting the issue of the school millage renewal.
Recently, voters turned down a school millage renewal that is vitally needed by the public school district.
It appears some voters believed a last-minute campaign to defeat the millage. Someone illegally distributed a flier that said by voting against the millage voters would save $500 a year.
That flier was illegal because the person or political committee responsible for it did not put their name on it, which is a requirement by state election law.
There is simply no truth to the claim that voters who reject the school millage will save $500 a year. And here’s another truth: There is no Easter bunny.
Nor is it true, as some insist, that it is a tax increase.
The school millage would be a renewal of a tax that has been in place for 20 years. The millage brings in $1.88 million a year for the district, and without it, the district would have to make severe cuts.
The biggest losers here would be students.
There is also confusion – or should we say, made up confusion — over who pays the tax.
The millage is paid only by those folks who own commercial buildings and those who own rental dwellings.
The average homeowner does not pay this tax. We’ll say that again: Most homeowners do not pay this tax nor will they receive a tax savings if the millage is defeated.
It’s as simple as that, but there are those out there determined to sabotage the tax by spreading false information.
It is also thought that by defeating the tax renters will see a break in their monthly rent because the assumption is if landlords no longer have to pay this tax they will pass on the savings to their renters.
Seriously, folks, do you really believe your landlord will pass on that savings?
If you were a landlord is that what you would do? Highly unlikely. Instead, landlords will pocket the savings and renters will continue to pay the same rent.
Again, the losers here are our kids.
It’s thought by some in the community that those who operate charter schools are behind the campaign to defeat the tax because charter school building owners must pay this tax.
By forcing a financial crisis on the public school district, these charter school operators think they can siphon off more students. We don’t have proof of this scheme, but it’s possible.
Of course there have been dirty campaigns before and there will continue to be more sleazy tactics when it comes to elections.
It’s up to voters to educate themselves and do the right thing. Weakening our public schools is not something that should be done for any reason – especially for one that isn’t true.