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Oldgringo wrote:Are there any exemptions from the annual school taxes for us old folk who have, never had, any offspring in the local ISD schools?

I think the theory is that it's to your benefit to live among an educated citizenry. If it makes you feel any better, I pay school taxes AND pay out of my pocket to educate my kids. Hardly seems fair, but that's life for you.

MotherBear wrote:
Yes, yes and yes. I was homeschooled K - 7th, private school in 8th, home again for 9th, and public for 10th - 12th. For me personally, private was the worst and home was the best. Just about went crazy in 8th grade suddenly having to ask permission to go to the bathroom -- seemed to me by the time you're 12 or 13, you ought to be able to handle that one on your own. Public was ok. I think the hardest thing was learning to be bored and waste time.

That was a transition I remember. I was homeschooled till 1/2 through 4th. I remember when we moved and I had to go to public school I could not get over the waste of time. I would finish my work then have to wait sometimes an hour for everyone else to be done. The hour in which the feral children I was around took to be rude and just plain mean with no check on them whatsoever. Ridiculous.

MotherBear wrote:
I think the theory is that it's to your benefit to live among an educated citizenry. If it makes you feel any better, I pay school taxes AND pay out of my pocket to educate my kids. Hardly seems fair, but that's life for you.

Us too.

SewTexas wrote: and Dori, you threw an disagreement out there, but no solution, that's not playing fair around here, we tend to expect an decent argument, not "that's not the right way".

I think a respectful disagreement is fine... She did have a solution - let the taxpayers decide. Maybe she'll provide more details on how we do that.

Oldgringo wrote:Are there any exemptions from the annual school taxes for us old folk who have, never had, any offspring in the local ISD schools?

Someone funded your education. Before I had kids I just took it as I was paying for the education that I received.
Seriously though, I get it... I understand why those of us who have seen our kids come and go through schools might not want to fork more taxes over so we can expand schools in our community.

mojo84 wrote:How many of our fine upstanding citizens on here survived the complete and utter wasteland of public school? How many were homeschooled? What about private school?

Public school. Very good ones. But my parents moved to get us to those schools. Dad commuted 120 miles/day so we could live there.
Public schools aren't a wasteland, but there is big variety in quality of public school education...

cb1000rider wrote:Give me a voucher and let me choose a school that fit our values.

I have a better idea. How about you pay for your values with your money instead of trying to force me to pay through some repackaged socialist wealth redistribution scam.

Tic Tac wrote:

cb1000rider wrote:Give me a voucher and let me choose a school that fit our values.

I have a better idea. How about you pay for your values with your money instead of trying to force me to pay through some repackaged socialist wealth redistribution scam.

Mmm.. sorry, Tic Tac, I don't get it. Why the attack? Where did I say we should redistribute wealth or suggest any scam?

I don't support the "Robin Hood" means of school funding, if that's what you're talking about. Never have. I thought courts ruled on it anyway?

If by socialism, you mean the fact that everyone pays into public schools, even if they don't have kids.. I'm simply saying that some of your neighbors, who didn't have kids, paid for your education. It's just as unfair for you as it was for someone else back when you were going to school.

And I agree with you, if there are values in public school that I don't like enough to take my kids to private school, I should fit the part of the bill for that personally. I just don't think I should lose all education dollars if I make that choice. BTW, my kids will be going to public school. It's really not a "me" issue - it's just what makes sense to my brain in terms of being fair.

Tic Tac wrote:

cb1000rider wrote:Give me a voucher and let me choose a school that fit our values.

I have a better idea. How about you pay for your values with your money instead of trying to force me to pay through some repackaged socialist wealth redistribution scam.

two things.... abolish the irs and have a straight nationwide sales tax......

Ultra_Solo_Sig_0904 wrote: two things.... abolish the irs and have a straight nationwide sales tax......

I'm down with that.. Or a flat tax. Then again, no one in my house is an accountant that might be out of a job.

If we think things are bad now, just imagine how bad things would be if we left it up to everyone to educate their own kids. I don't think the people that don't care enough to be involved enough to make sure their kids are in school and doing their work now will be any more interested in homeschooling or paying for private school.

Sometimes there's a price to living in society. School taxes are one. Do some or even most schools and school districts need improvement? Yes. Is abolishing them the answer, No.

I know people that live in the NOLA area that work three jobs to keep their kids in private school.

I think home schooling is the way to go, especially if you have a child with special needs.

When I was in high school one of our classmates was killed by a drunk driver. 900 of the 1700 students went to her funeral. The next day a substitute teacher told us about how much money our district lost because we went to her funeral. He got an earful from everybody in the class that day. It seems like all school districts care about nowadays is money, not education.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

LeonCarr wrote:I know people that live in the NOLA area that work three jobs to keep their kids in private school.

I think home schooling is the way to go, especially if you have a child with special needs.

When I was in high school one of our classmates was killed by a drunk driver. 900 of the 1700 students went to her funeral. The next day a substitute teacher told us about how much money our district lost because we went to her funeral. He got an earful from everybody in the class that day. It seems like all school districts care about nowadays is money, not education.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

That's a function of how the State Government chooses to divvy up the state education money. The schools receive a certain amount of money per day per student that is actually in attendance. There are better methods but that is how Texas' government officials choose to do it.

Tic Tac wrote:

cb1000rider wrote:Give me a voucher and let me choose a school that fit our values.

I have a better idea. How about you pay for your values with your money instead of trying to force me to pay through some repackaged socialist wealth redistribution scam.

Sure, do I get to keep my tax dollars and tech my kids the values I want?

What we have now is socialism. I am forced to pay not only for my kids education (which I do so gladly), but also for the indoctrination of my neighbors at the local public school. So money is taken from me and given to others for their benefit (or not) and I have no choice in the matter at all. That is redistribution.

The schools are teaching values too, you cannot educate without teaching values. They are just not the values most people want them to teach. Socialism, anti-capitalism, anti-Americanism, collectivism, are all part of the values system that now exist in public schools.

mamabearCali wrote:

Tic Tac wrote:

cb1000rider wrote:Give me a voucher and let me choose a school that fit our values.

I have a better idea. How about you pay for your values with your money instead of trying to force me to pay through some repackaged socialist wealth redistribution scam.

Sure, do I get to keep my tax dollars and tech my kids the values I want?

What we have now is socialism. I am forced to pay not only for my kids education (which I do so gladly), but also for the indoctrination of my neighbors at the local public school. So money is taken from me and given to others for their benefit (or not) and I have no choice in the matter at all. That is redistribution.

The schools are teaching values too, you cannot educate without teaching values. They are just not the values most people want them to teach. Socialism, anti-capitalism, anti-Americanism, collectivism, are all part of the values system that now exist in public schools.

Facts not anecdotes help to support your statement, else you're just blowing crazy smoke nonsense.
Would you prefer India? They didn't have public education either. In the 19th Century the US was an educational powerhouse and bleeding edge nation in public education. In the 20th century the opening of higher education to all continued that.

If you believe that, thats fine, but you're coming off as ranting. Texas public schools are run by local people and school boards doing the best they can with the resources they have. Some school districts are better than others. Some schools are better than others.

But guess what, government is going to take money from you and spend it on things you may not like. Thats the way the world is.

do a quick twitter search on common core, that will give you an eye full, that's entertaining. you can do a bit of looking a find out what they don't teach in history anymore. There are times I get griped at because I call the public school system "Government School". That's what it is. If you put your children in Catholic school, they will learn that the Catholic religion is great, wonderful and perfect, and everything will be taught from that world view, you would expect that. Same thing would be expected if you put your child in a Baptist school, right? Well, what else would you expect if you put your child in a Government School, they are taught the religion of Government, from the teachers union perspective.

Sure you are going to have some great teachers in your life, I did, we all did, but, they are getting fewer and farther between.

How does the literacy rate of today's USA compare with 1890, 1950 or 1980? How about the subjects being taught. Was calculus and some of the more advanced level subjects being taught in those prior years?

SewTexas wrote:you threw an disagreement out there, but no solution, that's not playing fair around here, we tend to expect an decent argument, not "that's not the right way".

It sounded like there was an implied suggestion that the current system, warts and all, was a better answer than the proposal put forth to hand out vouchers and take more control away from the people paying.