Research facts before voting
If your home was unhealthy for your family due to particulate matter, plumbing, electrical, structural and ventilation problems and it cost too much to appropriately repair everything what would you do? You would find a new, safe home to keep your family safe/healthy.
This is why we need to vote Yes on Measure 24-369 to pass the school bond! Our children and future generations deserve a safe, healthy place to learn.
I keep hearing the following as reasons people oppose the bond:
In the beginning, we are paying interest only and therefore it’s not a sound financial move. Yes, the interest part is true but how is this any different than your mortgage in which the first several years are applied mainly to interest? That’s how finance works. It was done this way to keep the bond affordable, which is what the community members repeatedly said was necessary to pass a bond. This bond is 33 percent lower than the one originally requested and it benefits all students and schools.
Another argument has been it’s all about the “city schools” while the “rural schools” are getting shafted. Not true. Every school benefits from this bond in the form of safety and technology upgrades which are definitely needed.
Then there is the issue of the increase in property tax and just how much is it really? Some people would have the voters believe you’ll be paying almost $6 per $1,000. This is NOT true! You will be paying a total, capped amount of $3 per $1,000 of assessed value. Here it is straight from the Silver Falls School District website: “If passed by voters, property owners in the Silver Falls School District would be expected to pay a combined rate of $3 or less per $1,000 of assessed property value over the 17-year life of the bond (including interest and existing bond issues that funded the completion of Silverton High School).” So ultimately, your property taxes will be going up $0.64 per $1,000. This amounts to $128 annually or $10.67 monthly on a home with an assessed value at $200,000.
Voting YES and passing Measure 24-369 will do so much good in our extended community!
Removal of the condemned part of Schlador Street Campus (the core brick portion) will allow for us to give the middle school students a facility that they can thrive in.
Getting the students out of Eugene Field by utilizing Mark Twain and Robert Frost for the elementary grades will give them a safe, healthy space to learn and grow in.
Updating safety and technology at all schools in our district is crucial especially in this day and age. We hear too many horror stories concerning schools these days. We owe it to the kids to implement new safety and security measures.
We are a unified district and I hope we can vote as such.
PLEASE VOTE YES on Measure 24-369!
Leslie Martin
Silverton
Board members avoid voters
The current school bond measure is troublesome. It is unacceptable for any elected board member responsible for spending our tax dollars to refuse open honest and candid dialogue with the voters in public meetings. In an email received from school superintendant Andy Bellando, he states, “Training and advice from the Oregon School Boards Association cautions board members from having dialogue with the public during board meetings.”
I thought we elected the board members because they were self-thinkers. Has the School Boards Association also designed the current bond measure before voters?
I urge voters to be aware of possible hidden interest charges that might show up on your tax bills.
Without the opportunity for open discussion in public meetings where board members will answer our questions candidly what else is there to believe?
Steve Kaser
Silverton
