Imagine: Our school board acts as fiscal stewards of our taxpayer dollars?
The school board oath reads: “I shall respect the taxpayer interests by serving as a faithful protector of the school district's assets.
Performance of this task allows the board of education to provide a high-quality education for our kids.
In an April 3, 2009 Daily Herald article, board members Rich Bokor and Peggy Babcock said there's no way they'd support a tax increase referendum in this economic climate.
Fast forward to March 2010 and this promise was forgotten. At the March 10, 2010 meeting, the board majority narrowly passed a resolution borrowing $27 million.
The board's fiscal shenanigans drove petition circulators to collect 7,508 signatures, seeking voter approval for a tax increase, during the worst recession in 70 years.
This is a cruel request of a community that stands firmly in support of education. Many are unemployed, yet our board of education is seeking to balance the budget on the backs of the struggling taxpayer instead of making the hard choices necessary to control runaway spending.
The Nov. 2, 2010 ballot asks: Shall this community borrow $27 million in working cash bonds? This is essentially a taxpayer deposit into the school district slush fund. There are no restrictions about how this money “should be spent.
The “imaginary capital projects list is riddled with problems and was never voted on by the board. This bond resolution demonstrates how out of touch with the community this board majority is.
Why will this $27 million be spent more wisely than other tax dollars? What has this board done to assure us that borrowing $27 million for working cash will be enough?
Is this a “faithful protector of the taxpayer assets?
Vote NO on Nov. 2, 2010, to District 15 borrowing $27 million in working cash bonds.
Lisa Cadwallader Neal
Rolling Meadows
