Such wind yesterday!
Twas truly a bad hair day, and my greenhouse didn't do so well either.
Part of the structure and its contents kept blowing all over the place. I'd pick up the stuff, put it back only to find another panel lying in the grass several feet from the building.
One time, while standing at the end of my driveway, waiting for a car to pass by, I marveled at the numerous tornado-like swirls of multi-colored leaves floating their way from my yard to the road or even into Taylor's field.
Kinda like a leaf globe put into perpetual motion!
Through all this wind, however, when my eyes weren't avoiding foreign objects pelting them, even under my sunglasses, I could not stop looking at the sky with big billowly clouds and the landscape, alive with brilliant autumn hues.
I managed to get a few things cleaned up, including a whole lot of red maple leaves.
That tree has a few diehards clinging to its limbs, but most of this year's crop have hit the ground and have been ground up and hauled off by the lawnmower.
Lots of work left with the fall/pre-winter preparations, but I did make some headway yesterday, in spite of the big blow.
~~~~~~~~
This morning, for locals, I'm including a portion of a letter I received overnight from the Panhandle Alliance for Education, which I enthusiastically support.
I also enthusiastically support the upcoming indefinite term levy.
Having taught 4,500 students----including many of the present district staff---during my career and having kept in touch with a great percentage of them over the years, I can vouch for the fact that our education system has historically done a remarkable job in preparing young people to face their future.
I'm very proud to be a product of and a longtime educator for Lake Pend Oreille School District 84, formerly known as Bonner County District 82.
It seems like a no-brainer that we should ensure that the necessary funds are always there and that there is a sense of long-term stability for those young people yet to go through our education system.
I think our district provides a healthy variety of opportunities for all types of learners, along with other possibilities for them to leave the system as well-rounded individuals.
Education should be a mix of academics, vocational opportunities, extracurriculars, enhanced social skills and opportunities for community involvement.
Students and the community continuously benefit from the fruits of our public education system.
Lake Pend Oreille School District continues to do a phenomenal job. The district, its staff and its students deserve our ongoing support.
Vote Yes.
Facts about the levy and voting information can be found in the document below.
Twas truly a bad hair day, and my greenhouse didn't do so well either.
Part of the structure and its contents kept blowing all over the place. I'd pick up the stuff, put it back only to find another panel lying in the grass several feet from the building.
One time, while standing at the end of my driveway, waiting for a car to pass by, I marveled at the numerous tornado-like swirls of multi-colored leaves floating their way from my yard to the road or even into Taylor's field.
Kinda like a leaf globe put into perpetual motion!
Through all this wind, however, when my eyes weren't avoiding foreign objects pelting them, even under my sunglasses, I could not stop looking at the sky with big billowly clouds and the landscape, alive with brilliant autumn hues.
I managed to get a few things cleaned up, including a whole lot of red maple leaves.
That tree has a few diehards clinging to its limbs, but most of this year's crop have hit the ground and have been ground up and hauled off by the lawnmower.
Lots of work left with the fall/pre-winter preparations, but I did make some headway yesterday, in spite of the big blow.
~~~~~~~~
This morning, for locals, I'm including a portion of a letter I received overnight from the Panhandle Alliance for Education, which I enthusiastically support.
I also enthusiastically support the upcoming indefinite term levy.
Having taught 4,500 students----including many of the present district staff---during my career and having kept in touch with a great percentage of them over the years, I can vouch for the fact that our education system has historically done a remarkable job in preparing young people to face their future.
I'm very proud to be a product of and a longtime educator for Lake Pend Oreille School District 84, formerly known as Bonner County District 82.
It seems like a no-brainer that we should ensure that the necessary funds are always there and that there is a sense of long-term stability for those young people yet to go through our education system.
I think our district provides a healthy variety of opportunities for all types of learners, along with other possibilities for them to leave the system as well-rounded individuals.
Education should be a mix of academics, vocational opportunities, extracurriculars, enhanced social skills and opportunities for community involvement.
Students and the community continuously benefit from the fruits of our public education system.
Lake Pend Oreille School District continues to do a phenomenal job. The district, its staff and its students deserve our ongoing support.
Vote Yes.
Facts about the levy and voting information can be found in the document below.
Facts on the Upcoming Indefinite Term Supplemental School Levy
The levy asks for voters to continue funding an already approved levy of $12.7 million per year.
The
levy you voted to pass in March is effective from July 1, 2019, until
June 30, 2021, at which time it would go back to the citizens for a
vote.
This creates an environment of uncertainty not only for teachers
and staff but also for our community because it accounts for 35 percent
of the school budget.
In
2019, the supplemental levy was passed for the 20th consecutive year.
(More in a moment on why we have supplemental levies, to begin with.)
This success rate allows our school district to bring an Indefinite Term
Supplemental Levy to the ballot on November 5.
What does it fund?
Why are our rural schools always at risk?
Our
school district is somewhat unique in that we are very spread out
geographically. But we like our rural schools, and the state formula is
set up to fund schools of 700, not 70. The local component of the
funding does fund smaller schools and unequivocally keeps them open.
This is about our local economy, not just our school system.
The
school district is the largest employer in the county. For every job the
district provides, it supports three other service jobs in the
community, such as fire, roads, hospital services, and retail. The
economic impact is much more significant than just the teachers and jobs
at the school district.
The “indefinite term” does not equate to a lack of oversight.
All
budgeting for public entities is done in a public session. LPOSD submits
a budget annually for internal and external audit. All budgets and
expenditures, by law, are posted online for public transparency.
According to LPOSD CFO Lisa Hals, “We do even more than is required by
law. We separate property tax dollars and expenses incurred against
those collections. We can show this is the revenue we received, and
these are the dollars that were spent.”
Our property taxes are already low as it is.
We
live here for the beauty and the lifestyle. Many of us also love it for
the low cost of living. Did you know Bonner County is the sixth
wealthiest property-assessed school district in the state ($5.9
billion)? Because of that, we enjoy a lower tax rate by half compared to
other Idaho taxpayers.
Generally, a taxpayer pays almost a third of
their taxes to support their school district, but in this county, the
school component accounts for 20 percent of the average tax bill, the
lowest in Idaho. If the levy passes, individual tax bills will not
increase. They might even decrease as more parcels come onto the tax
roll.
What if the levy doesn’t pass?
The
supplemental levy will continue to be on the ballot every two years. Our
school leadership and staff will take time out of their regular duties
to make the case to the public.
Taxpayers will cover the $15,000 to
$30,000 cost of each ballot. Every two years, 35 percent of the school’s
budget will be at question.
You can learn more here on how Idaho schools are funded.
And here is a primer on why we have levies:
Note: Since I copied and pasted from the letter, this video is not accessible. I'm sure you can visit the Lake Pend Oreille District 84 website to view it.
http://www.lposd.org/ |
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