Sedona AZ (October 17, 2013) – The following is a letter to the SedonaEye.com editor in support of the local school district overrides:
Quality Jobs –Quality Education – Quality of Life – Support Our Schools
Verde Valley Regional Economic Organization (VVREO) believes a vibrant and economically strong region begins with quality education for all children who live in the Verde Valley. We believe we have high quality schools in all of the communities of the Verde Valley. So it is important to insure our schools have the resources necessary to maintain the quality education they provide for our children and grandchildren. Besides excellent teachers and staff, adequate facilities, and a broad based curriculum – it is essential to have sufficient financial resources to maintain the excellent schools we have in the Verde Valley.
This is the main reason VVREO is supporting the school overrides for the Sedona-Oak Creek School District, Cottonwood-Oak Creek School District and Mingus Union High School District.
Quality schools are also important to attracting or expanding businesses that offer high wage jobs into our communities. These businesses look closely at our schools to see if they have the educational programs to prepare a workforce for their business’ future. Businesses also look closely at our schools to see if they have a quality education program for their employee’s families! VVREO supports investing in our schools.
What does this investment cost? For the Cottonwood-Oak School District the average homeowner’s home valued at approximately $100,000, it is about $3.58 a month. For Mingus Union High School District, it is $1.92 a month. And the overrides will not increase your tax rate because the percentages are already reflected in your current tax rate.
For those who live in the Sedona-Oak Creek School District, it is the restoration of 17 years of override funding. The average Sedona homeowner will pay $61.00 a year on an assessed home value of $297,940.
VVREO believes this is a modest investment that will insure smaller class sizes, intervention and enrichment programs, music and the arts, technology to prepare the digital learner for college and career, physical education, fitness, health support and counseling, athletics and electives.
VVREO says YES to quality schools, YES to quality jobs and YES to quality of life in the Verde Valley. When your mail-in ballot arrives at your home VOTE YES – SUPPORT OUR SCHOOLS– Support the School Overrides for Cottonwood-Oak Creek School District, Mingus Union High School District and Sedona-Oak Creek School District.
Mary Chicoine, VVREO Chairman Robyn Prud’homme-Bauer, Past VVREO Chairman
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vvreo – Finding it humorous that the NON PARENTS aka TAXPAYERS are up in arms about SPORTS PROGRAMS. Ask the school coaches how many kids show up for try outs? Each year less and less. Trickled down here to a couple of handfuls and not enough to build teams. The kids aren’t interested in working that hard at practice AND it’s too hot AND other excuses. This is the day of the iphone, computer games, every kid has a car and no job or home restrictions about where he can go. Kids are in to FANTASY FOOTBALL. Get it? No. Guess not if you’re old. Yea give the fools more money fools.
VVREO? And just who do you think died and appointed the bunch of you to be the last voices in giving advice? Were you also out there marching with the little children carrying banners to “Vote yes?” Do you really think that display proves the need for more money to keep the kiddies off the streets and learning that protesting is a best way to have your way? Shameful is what I call it and for the position you have taken I must thank you for having convinced me to VOTE NO!
Dear Find it Humorous,
Find it interesting you that don’t stand behind your convictions with your actual name.
Find it even more interesting that more parents don’t parent-up and sent more responsible, well mannered children into the schools.
Why do our Armed Forces so bravely serve and American citizens aren’t brave enough to state their name?
Gary Chamberlain
Cornville AZ
Vietnam veteran
I’m voting yes. Teachers need more money.
You have to be kidding, Mary & Robyn? Who solicited your letter? Look at who benefits from the asking. You didn’t check with the economic stimulus around here, the businessman and woman who you’re supposedly representing because we’re all voting no.
That Chamber group? Watch who your economic bedfellows are… This news and others get their meal tickets punched by the chambers and advertisers and they are all pro this tax.
Isn’t it interesting the diversity of opinions expressed within your small communities? Lovely reading when voters are engaged. Please accept this subscription request (removed by editor) and keep up the fine election coverage.
they need to improve our kids scores, it makes me angry that we can’t get a basic education for our kids from this school
If you can complain volunteer. If you can’t stop complaining shut up!
I kept waiting and no BP parent said anything but we’ve been talking and here goes it.
Vote no. You won’t get the facts from higher ups but the teachers and staff know the trickle down doesn’t happen here.
We got flyers with the Vote No info. It’s factual.