District 203 doesn't need a tax hike

In an effort to grease the skids for District 203's second referendum in just six short years, a recent Fence Post letter went to great lengths to point out what some of the other school districts are spending per student. It was a sleight-of-hand attempt to make taxpayers forget about the astronomical increase in their property taxes over the past five years by comparing us to the proverbial Joneses.

It's precisely because so many school districts in Illinois are being led by boards who manage according to this "keeping up with the Joneses" mindset, that the majority of them are now operating with deficits. If district "A" is doling out 6 percent to 7 percent increases in teacher contracts, then of course District 203 has to follow. Never mind the fact that revenue is coming in at 4 percent and 5 percent and a deficit will eventually occur. This explains why a district like 203 has doubled its spending over a very short period of time when student enrollment remained flat. (This information can be confirmed through a Freedom of Information Act request).

Consider the enormity of your tax bill increases over the past five years. Common sense alone suggests there should be more than enough to adequately maintain District 203 facilities . So where has the tens of millions of taxpayer's money gone? To District 203 apologists, the answer doesn't matter. It's all about what the Joneses are doing.

Mike Davitt

Naperville