And where is the telivisied school board meetings. We got duped by the board to vote for the levy, it’s back to the same old, same old.

Who will go to a meeting? Will they be televised? will agendas be available online early ?

It seems like the board is back to business as usual.
or is that just me?

There it is llgem, you got me. My hidden agenda is that I don’t want to ultimately be taxed out of my home in old age just to pay for the educations of the children of people who have no long term commitment to Aurora.

What makes people bad neighbors is only considering what they want for themselves and their families and not how it might negatively impact others. What makes people bad neighbors is not seperating a levy into it’s two actual parts so that people have a real choice and aren’t forced to accept only what you offer as the solution. What makes people bad neighbors is asking for more money than you need so you can fund non-essential programs that MANY people don’t agree with.

If you aren’t happy with the choices that the board makes – go to meetings and voice your displeasure or here is a novel approach – run for office! Be willing to put your neck out for you believe in.

And regarding how good the kids have it – I graduated from high school 30 years ago and the school I attended had its own version of AP coursework, uniforms taken care of by the athletic department and foreign languages – in fact, we had a better selection than Aurora does now. The problem with today, kids are competing against kids across the world instead of the other side of the country. The decline in jobs is going to make it difficult for these kids to have the future that many of us have been able to have. And let’s not forget the fact that when all of us baby boomers retire – it falls on this generation to help support our retirements through Social Security.

We moved to Aurora 11 years ago because of the schools. We looked at other communities in the area and felt our children would receive the best possible education here. We moved onto the family farm – a farm that has been in my husband’s family since 1813. And sbpar, we were the first family to live here in over 70 years. That means in that period of time, the property taxes on the property were used to educate other people’s children.

I’m not happy with the thought of increased taxes and to be honest, I would have preferred the board deciding to split the levy into two items – one for operations and one for additions – but that isn’t the choice. But I feel strongly that the education of a child is the greatest gift we can give. Therefore, I will vote yes for the levy and hope others will do so as well.

I have posted about this several times. I am not affiliated with the schools. I AM IN FAVOR OF THE SCHOOL LEVY, I feel that they have illustrated the needs, and my own knowledge of the schools firsthand thru my children reinforces this. The truth and the support and the is STRONGER than the criticisms.

If you look on Oliveaurora i think there is a more broad support of the levy and more individuals who support it. The ones against it are the same ones over and over. I would hope they go to the meeting and get the info straight from the horses mouth. But I don’t think they want answers, they just want the levy to fail, and will say anything to that end.
This blog existed a year and a half before the levy. There are other topics here too. I really think people ought to look at the City Master Plan which is up for a vote, and other community/city issues too.

I also do not understand how it is that nearly everyone on this forum supports the levy but it failed in November.

What I KNOW is that we have a manipulative administration and school board who, in my opinion, have manufactured a supposed crisis through negligence and/or incompetence.

If you want to support those types of people that’s up to you. I want no part of them. I don’t believe them and I don’t trust them to spend my money appropriately. They are already asking for more than they need and everyone knows it. That alone speaks to their credibility, or lack therof. Trying to push through a PERMANENT levy is the icing on the cake.

I DON’T live in a “newer” neighborhood and we are the youngest family on my street, surrounded by the parents of kids I went to school with…some who live right down the road from their parents in these older homes. These senior parents are also people who will be effected by a tax increase, yet they support the levy. So I AM one of your neighbors of not only 20, but about 35 years, with kids in the system.

There is no one who is excited about having a tax increase, no matter where you live or how well off you are. This tax increase is going to be a strain on my family as well, however, it is worth it, and I don’t see the mils being asked for being put to frivolous spending. We invested in a home here as part of our long term investment in our children’s future.

The crown jewel to living in Aurora are the schools, so for someone so who seems so engrossed in the details of the system, I would think you could appreciate all of the GOOD that has been done for 15 years without an increase and without effecting your taxes. The schools were good when I attended, but now they are state of the art excellent, and all of this was accomplished without a tax increase since then. If you don’t agree with the IB program or other issues where you feel money is not being spent properly, take it up with the board at a meeting, or when they run for re-election, but don’t penalize our kids for it. Support the levy on March 4th – as the long time resident you claim you are, you KNOW why this is important.

The big deal is that I have a lot of seniors that live near me who can’t afford any increase. Folks that I have known for 20 years and who I prefer to continue to have as neighbors. Job transfers are probably a way of life for you, get transferred and move. Simple. The people I’m talking about don’t move for job transfers, they are here for the rest of their lives. You could move tomorrow and it wouldn’t affect you however your support for what in essence is a permanent levy will affect those of us who choose to stay here for the rest of our lives.

You are a transient to Aurora. You are not here for life, if a better opportunity presents itself to your family you’re on the next plane out. You may not think it matters how long you have lived here but it sure as hell matters how long you are committed to staying.

Now if you want to put in writing that you are committed to staying here for the duration of the levy do so and your opinion will actually have some credibility.

My guess, however, is that you aren’t willing to do so.

I know that there are many seniors in this community who do continue to support our schools and our community’s children. It is definitely each individual’s right to decide their position on any voting issue, and I respect that right.

Please don’t assume that you have any more right to your vote or opinion than anyone else. It shouldn’t matter how long you have lived here, we are all living here together right now. I am not a “transient”, but have lived in Northeast Ohio most of my life. In fact, as an adult I lived in Aurora for 5 years before moving to Arizona because of a job transfer. When we came back to Ohio 3 1/2 years ago, we looked at many communities before once again deciding on Aurora to raise our family. Our taxes are quite a bit lower than surrounding communities, while our schools are still very competitive.

To Olive: Check their EFFECTIVE millage rates, in other words what actually winds up applying to homeowners. It has nothing to do with attacking me, she’s attacking people I know by insisting we support her childrens edcation to the extreme detriment of our seniors on fixed incomes. It’s unnacceptable and outrageous to even conceive that seniors on fixed incomes having to sell their homes because they can no longer afford the taxes is somehow justified for a new weight room, uniforms, to support IB or worst of all so the school can have a surplus in the millions laying around. It’s sickening and appalling.

FYI Read before you write. Then take a breath and calm down. Those other cities have HIGHER TAXES than Aurora and all except Kenston and Orange have more industry. Aurora taxes are lower, even though we have less industry.

And let’s not get into a 562 vs 995 fight. She didn’t attack you.

Yippeee!

You moved here three years ago, you don’t know how well managed the system was before you got here. The former treasurer was the reason they haven’t had to ask for new operating money. They run him out of his job and low and behold we now need a new operating levy. They are absolutely doing a poor job of controlling spending and the evidence is in the sudden increase in “replacement” levies and this new operating levy.

Those things aside the school board is misleading the public and the proof is all over the Advocate editorials from last night. “will generate…over 28 years” No mention, NONE of the fact that 2/3’s of that levy is a PERMANENT levy. In addition no mention of the fact that they don’t actually need all 4 mil of the operating portion they are asking for. They only NEED 2 mil of it. Asking for the 4 mil allows them to have a surplus of something like 2.5 million in just 3-5 years. That is an absolute outrage, asking for money they don’t need in times like this.

I would have supported a combined levy of 2 mil for building lasting 28 years and another 2 mil for operating not exceeding 7 years but I will not support ANY permanent levy and I will not support any levy that gives them more than what they need.

I don’t want to hear about how you sympathize with our seniors, you absolutely don’t. You only care about your kids and if some senior has to sell their home to fund your kids education then so be it. Short timers like you make me sick. You move here for the schools and nothing more. I’m disgusted by people like you moving to Aurora and telling us we have to support your childrens education to the detriment of our neighbors of 20 years.

You are not good neighbors, you are nothing more than transient opportunists.