Today Colonial narrowly passed the referendum. it will probably be contested, but there is enough width in the spread to assume checks were already made and the outcome will not change off any recount….

What I thought was far more newsworthy, was a comment I heard on WDEL news hour with Allan Loudell, where a spokeperson for the Colonial Board, mentioned this year was their first operating referendum in 20 years…. (1993)

Why now, with the Federal Government funneling money into Delaware’s educational system through RTTT are we having the first referendum in 20 years…  Or better put, what was going right the past 20 years that isn’t going right now?

Since 2008 the State of Delaware has cut funding to public education and has only partially restored some funding in 2013 with the Education Sustainment Fund.

This years budget (2013) has a deficit of $6.6 million which will be met by the district’s reserve funds…

The property owners now  have to kick in that difference if they want their children to continue having the quality education to which they are accustomed.  Unfortunately their prime zip code (19720), has the highest foreclosure rate in Delaware.

Their operating cost rises $3.5 million primarily through the increase in the state mandated pension rate,   Some salary increases were mandated as well.

For 2012 the State portion of funding came in under that predicted by the budget, by $1.3 million under estimate. Due to the economy the local assessed amount came in $3.1 million under budget as well.

It was necessary for voters to raise taxes because the governor cut taxes….. Pure and Simple.  In 2012, the actual state supplement of Colonial’s educational costs had dropped $17 million since the budget of 2010. ( 86,045,700 (2010 budget) versus $68,996,976 (2012 actual)….

The tax rate on those earning over $60,000 dropped by 0.125% of a percent.  All other tax rates stayed the same.

Point is… whenever someone talks about cutting the tax rates for those at the top…  it is going to cost YOU more money…  To cost you LESS money, you should have voted for those chomping at the bit to raise the rates higher on those at the top of the food chain… When they get taxed a lot, you don’t… Cut their taxes, you make up the difference…

Lesson learned.