In the Fort Wayne News-Sentinel:
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Nobody likes paying taxes, but many people are willing to pay more if they are confident of getting something of equal or greater value in return.
Simply put, FWCS worked hard to make that case. EACS didn't.
“Go back to (2007), when FWCS wanted $500 million. But they had performance issues with graduation rates, test scores and other things, and the public said 'no,' ” said New Haven Mayor Terry McDonald, a frequent EACS critic. “The board said, 'OK, we'll meet that challenge.”
“In East Allen, it was about building buildings, not educational improvements.”
It's probably true that if the FWCS had asked voters for $500 million this month, it would have been rejected again. Administrators know that, too, which is why they broke the proposed building improvements into smaller, more palatable chunks – more of which will be proposed later. It's also true that if FWCS administrators are serious about spending their newfound tax dollars wisely, they won't reflexively adopt union-level wage rates for the construction work, as they have usually done in the past.
But it's equally true that FWCS' high-profile efforts to improve academics paid political dividends. After all, no one in their right mind wants to improve buildings for the sake of substandard education.
In East Allen, on the other hand, the debate has largely centered on buildings – not entirely surprising, since the district (unlike FWCS) comprises many distinct areas, each with their own unique identities, cultures and allegiances closely aligned with their schools.
That distinction was reflected in the strategy employed by each district. The FWCS referendum was district-wide, giving all voters a reason to care and, perhaps, vote yes. In EACS, on the other hand, tax-supported bonds were approved without need for a referendum to pay for upgrades in the Heritage and Woodlan areas. With their improvements already assured, why should Woodlan and Heritage voters accept higher taxes for the sake of schools in New Haven and the Harding area?
“It didn't help to separate (the projects),” McDonald said.
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See the full story here:
http://www.news-sentinel.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120517/NEWS/120519678/0/SEARCH
