Who's With Us? Put Your Name on a List that will Really Make a Difference

I can hear it now: There go those Beaverton Free people; sending yet another blog post about how a sinking fund is better than a bond extension in our situation here at Beaverton Rural Schools. 

Indulge us again once more, friends and neighbors.

Beaverton One is a great idea - get together and talk about ways to improve the school. But so far, the only focus has been on passing a bond extension, and misleadingly giving the impression that  it won't cost taxpayers anything.

Perhaps taxes will go down - but not like they would if the bond was allowed to expire.

Even if a sinking fund was for a higher millage to gain the funds necessary for larger repairs, it should really be viewed as a responsible option that actually saves tax payers money over longer term bond sales. The shorter duration of the sinking fund and 100 pennies on a dollar transferred directly to school funding is a practical and easy solution to sell as a method of protecting the community investment of our school district without passing the costs of today onto our students. 

The bond, if passed, will become a legacy cost to our children in their adult years. Is anyone for leaving THAT to our next generation?

"But a sinking fund won't cover buses or technology...."

Maybe not right now, but what if we told you there's legislation out there RIGHT NOW that will allow sinking fund money to be used for technology and buses?

Because there is. 

HB 4483 would allow sinking fund dollars to be used on technology, while HB 4515 would allow them to be used for transportation. Both bills were introduced in 2013, and currently sit in the Committee for Education.

We say, scrap the idea of a bond extension which saddles our children with our debt.

Instead, let's invest in an interest-free sinking fund millage to repair the roofs and parking lots, and in the meantime start melting the phone lines to our lawmakers voicing our support for HB 4483 and HB 4515.

Contact State Rep. Joel Johnson and State Sen. John Moolenaar and tell them that you support using sinking fund dollars for technology and transportation. 

Here is their contact information:

 

Or click here to email him:
http://www.senatorjohnmoolenaar.com/contact-me/

Beaverton One Committee members are all about getting people's names on their web site, and we appreciate the gesture; we understand that those names lend a perception of support or "being in this all together" - but very frankly, it appears to us to have about the same impact as the guest list to a swanky country club.

It brings Supertramp's Roger Hodgson's prophetic "The Logical Song" into greater focus. 

Listen Here:  THE LOGICAL SONG

"........ I said now, watch what you say, now we're calling you a radical, a 

liberal, 

fanatical, criminal......

Won't you sign up your name, we'd like to feel you're acceptable, respectable, 

presentable, a vegetable..... "

Sign your name or lend your voice to a list that really WILL make a difference! Call your legislators and tell them you support the use of sinking fund dollars for technology and buses.