You get what you pay for

I wonder if the taxpayers in Community Unit District 300 have heard of the old saying, “You get what you pay for.”

I have lived in this district for many years. My five children attended school here. For the majority of those years, whenever the school district asked for a tax increase to support the financial needs of the district, the voters said no.

The teachers in this district are among the worst paid in the state. The parents keep asking for more and more services to be provided for their children. The state and federal governments keep adding unfunded mandates that the district must conform with. How do the parents of this district think these things will be funded? The teachers are talking about striking. The school board is saying we can’t afford to pay for the things that will, without question, improve the education for our students.

The parents might be concerned, but they apparently are not concerned enough to pay for the things that will improve the learning environment for the children. The primary one is smaller class sizes. We are all concerned about our test scores. How can our students compete on a level playing field if they are measured against students from other districts who receive more individual attention and special programs that our students do not have available to them?

Parents of District 300 students, do not blame the teachers or the administrators for the situation that we are in. You need to realize that you are getting what you paid for.

Dennis Garber

Carpentersville