*** Racine Taxpayers Association ***

George Meyers, Racine Taxpayers Association

by George Meyers

At its September 10, 2009 Board Meet­ing the Racine Taxpayers Associa­tion on a unanimous vote proposed to consider supporting the belea­guered Racine Unified School Dis­trict request for an increase in taxes, beyond the levy limit, pro­vided all employees of the District agreed to a wage, salary and bene­fits package freeze.

RUSD spends a quarter of a bil­lion dollars every year in the pro­cess of teaching children in the dis­trict. Some are not enthralled with the results of its efforts. (Some res­idents of the Village of Caledonia are even circulating petitions that would allow village residents to vote to secede from RUSD.)

The state of Wisconsin saw fit to reduce state funds to school dis­tricts around the state. Many school districts felt they needed those funds, if not more. Now what are they to do?

RUSD Liaison, Jim Morrison, felt district taxpayers should make up the shortfall and has recommended support for a district wide tax increase.
 

Board Member George Meyers felt differently. "It is well known' that RUSD unions and employees contributed money to the campaigns and voted at the ballot boxes for those very same state representa­tives who proposed the state fund­ing cuts," Meyers said. "Why should the taxpayers rescue them?"

That is certainly a political consid­eration, but it turns the RUSD stu­dent body into a sort of "political football." What about education?

According to RUSD Superinten­dent Jim Shaw and RUSD Finance Director Dave Hazen, education in the district will suffer greatly with­out those funds.

But when the local economy is considered (Racine has the second highest unemployment in the State of Wisconsin) and the fact that RUSD employees were in fact in­strumental in getting the legislators elected that perpetrated the cut, why should Taxpayers be handed the bill?

Is there none of that quarter of a billion dollars that can be found to be less than essential?

The RTA Board has taken the middle ground: Let's at least de­mand a wage freeze; have RUSD employees participate in the belt tightening.

Then let's look at the RUSD budget.

Then, if it is still necessary, go to the taxpayers.