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Kenn Gividen, Jr., Chair
Libertarian Party of Bartholomew County
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BCSC "Warm Body" Enrollment Drops Nearly 5% Since 1997-98 School Year
See BCSC enrollment statistics [HERE].
The notion that a burgeoning public school population requires an urgent and immeditate plan of action is, well, silly. Statistics provided by the Indiana Department of Education reveal that BCSC's enrollment has declined dramatically in recent years. Furthermore, the agency predicts the decline will continue. How much so? Nearly 8% over an eight year span.
The BCSC "warm body" enrollment (not the same as ADM) has dropped since the 1997-98 school year. The Indiana Department of Education expects the corporation's enrollment to drop further.
The agency reveals the following enrollment data:
1997-98 - 11,080
1998-99 - 11,194
1999-00 - 10,532*
2000-01 - 10,465
2001-02 - 10,532
The average attendance over the five year span is 10,760.6.
Projected enrollments are also expected to drop with an anticipated 3.07% decline from the current school year.
2002-03 - 10,405
2003-04 - 10,362
2004-05 - 10,266
2005-06 - 10,208
The decrease from the 1997-98 school year to the 2005-06 school year represents a 7.87 decline in enrollments, or a loss of 872 students.
Projected over the life of the $252-million building project payback, BCSC could lose 1/3 of its student body. The expansive building initiative may go down in Indiana history as one of the state's greastest faux pas.
The thought of mega-million dollar structures sitting empty at taxpayer expense is not impossbile. In fact, it will be poetic justice that the destiny of the very children we intend to educate will be saddled with the burden of paying taxes for those halls of ivy ... and cob webs.
An advertisement, published on page eight of The Republic's Wednesday edition, suggested the enrollment was increasing. The chart failed, however, to give definitive numbers, nor did it provide a source for its information. Furthermore, the chart relied heavily on someone's concocted projections. The chart contradicts facts provided by the Indiana Department of Education.
See BCSC enrollment statistics [HERE].
*Enrollment statistics provided by the BCSC web site are different.
Note also that the Indiana Department of Education indicated that BCSC may have over estimated their enrollment by 1,000. If true, this could skew the calcuation, but the principle would remain the same. LPBC respectfully requests that BCSC release their enrollment records for the past 20 years.
After taking the poll,
you may now take this brief
10 question quiz [HERE]
Here Are the
Real Objective Facts
from the
Indiana Department of Education
0365 -- School Corporation Statistics
School Corporation Statistics
Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation
PDF Files
Official 2001 Performance Report
Data Explanations for Performance Report
HTML Files
Corporation Statistical Profile
ISTEP Scores
ISTEP Results Cross Tabulated
Summary of Receipts and Expenditures
SAT Scores
General Info, School Board, Indiana Legislature
Superintendent, Director,
Central Office Certified List
Substitute Teacher List
Expenditures per Pupil
Population Characteristics
Enrollment Projection
Top 10 Corporations
Local Businesses Oppose Building Project
An informal poll of over one hundred local business people found that 90% oppose the BCSC building project. Furthermore, most of those questioned agreed to sign blue petitions.
Those interviewed believed the project will hurt bottom lines. Higher property taxes and mismanaged building projects will steer new investors to other communities. Business owners were also concerned that higher property taxes will cut into their profit margins.
One business owner mistrusted BCSC's cost calculations. He pointed to unverified enrollment figures as a typical example of "disingenious and misleading" information. "We're just not that stupid," he added.
Simple math will dispel the myth that the BCSC building program will only marginally affect property taxes.
Consider the following:
The payback on the BSCS plan is $252-million*. That's over $10-million per year, or $27,630.14 per day every day for 25 years (average).
This plan will cost $325 per year, per average taxable property. Divide the annual payback - $10-million - by the estimated number of taxable properties - 31,000.
Proponents of the project suggest the cost per taxable property would be only $27 per year. Do the math. $27 x 31,000 properties = $837,000. That falls short of the $10,085,000 annual payback by 91.7%.
$27 per property will generate $20,925,000 over twenty-five years. That's only 8.3% of the $252-million payback.
The Libertarian Party of Bartholomew County has posted our calculations. We challenge the BCSC to do the same.
*Multiply the $10,085,000 annual payback by 25 years.
The plan will affect the community.
Retired people on fixed incomes cannot afford additional taxes. The prospect of adding $325 to the average annual tax bill will be devastating.
Young families desiring to buy new homes may be locked out of the housing market if property taxes approach $1,000 per year. Furthermore, they will lose considerably if forced to defer investing in home ownership. Instead, they will continue to make rental payments. Is there good news in this scenario? Possibly. But only for propsective home.buyers. Expect increased property taxes to depress property value. Depressed housing costs could offset the cost of property taxes.
Though locked out of the housing market, renters may still absorb the brunt of the hefty property taxes through increased rent
as landlords pass the property tax to the renter.
Mayor Armstrong has considered hiring a full-time agent to be responsible for attracting new businesses to Columbus. His efforts will be greatly hampered if prospective business owners and employees are confronted with excessive property taxes.
Increased property tax on local business properties will hurt their bottom line and, consequently, the city/county's economy.
The plan favors wealthy residents who can afford the increase. It discriminates against blacks and hispanics who comprise a disproportionately large segment of working familes.
Farmers, typically owners of large parcels, can expect to face compounded losses.
Increased property taxes tend to depreciate property value. Property owners will lose twice. First, in the tax itself and, second, in decreased property value. Home, buyers will seek housing in areas outside the BCSC school district.
Putting it in perspective
The Republic estimated that Cummins Engine Company will earn $40-million in 2002. It would take every dime of Cummins' annual profit, for a period of six years and three months to cover the cost of paying back the $252,125,000.
Or consider this: Menards is expected to invest $11 million in construction, according the The Republic. This is perhaps the most ambitious single retail project in the history of Bartholomew County. The BSCS building project, by comparison, will cost the equivalent of nearly 10 1/2 new Menards stores.
Another point of comparison is the proposed ArvinMentor building which is projected to have a price tag of $8.5-million
Beautiful new buildings make nice attractions on bus tours. But what makes good education? The Libertarian Party can point to educational programs that have been proven effective in dramatically improving education (see list to the right).
If you are serious about improving the education of our children, you may begin YOUR education by reading the imformation below.
*It's the Children, Stupid
Imagine a telephone call from your preschooler's teacher saying your child was found on the playground trying to inflate a used condom she'd mistaken for a party balloon. For the parents of three Washington children, this gross reality struck [continue]
Demand for alternatives to state-run schools has swelled over the past decade, as witnessed by rising poll numbers favoring increased choice and by the creation of new charter schools, voucher programs, education tax credits, home-schools, and private scholarship funds. Despite mounting demand, however, [continue]
Public schools are supposed to provide a good education for our children. More often than not, they don't. Each year public schools graduate more and more students who are unable to read, write, or do basic arithmetic. Our children's talents are wasted because we continue to trust politicians to do this [continue]
Would
you
like
more
information
about
the
Libertarian
Party?
Please call the LPBC Chair, Kenn Gividen, for free newspaper and other informative materials.
375-1492
"Thank You" to Fairoaks Mall
The Libertarian Pary of Bartholomew County (LPBC) wishes to express its sincerest appreciation to the management of Fairoaks Mall. The shopping center graciously allowed us to distribute Libertarian Party literature and bumperstickers while offering patrons the opportunity to sign petitions.
94.73% Support Blue Petitions
In perhaps the most unscientific poll imaginable, we learned signers of blue petitions out-number those signing yellow petitions by 94.73%. A shopper, sitting at a near-by bench, counted patrons signing yellow petitions and those signing blue petitions. He reported that for every yellow petition signed, eighteen patrons signed blue petitions. Or, viewed by percentage, 94.73% signed blue petitions and 5.55% signed yellow petitions. (Percentages are rounded to nearest 1/100).
The electronic poll at www.1492.ws is still inconclusive. You may view it [here].
A recent poll at The Republic indicated the opposition to be about 66%. You can view The Republic's poll [here].
As of December 1, the Libertarian Party alone was responsible for gathering over *** signatures.
BCSE Exceeds State Property Tax Levy Per ADM
The BCSC property tax levey is listed as $4.285 per ADM, exceding the Indiana average of $3.382 by 26.70%
BCSC cost per pupil is slightly higher than the state average, as is the average teacher's salary. More statistics can be viewed [here].
The cost per pupil in 1989 was $5,381. Adjusted at 1989 dollars, the cost in 1999-2000 was $6,090 (or $8,118 in real dollars). That reflects an increase of 13.18%. Teacher's salaries, meantime, grew from $1,984 per student to $1,993 in 1989 dollars. That reflects an increase of less than one half of one percent.
Indiana Dept of Education Supports Charter Schools
The Indiana Department of Education announced that it has received a grant totaling $11.8 million to support the establishment of Indiana's charter schools. The grant money is to be awarded and disseminated over the course of a three-year period.
Beginning in the 2002-2003 school year, a maximum of 10 grants of approximately $150,000 will be awarded for charter school planning and implementation. Approximately $25,000 of each individual grant is intended to support planning prior to the start of the school year with the remaining amount made readily available to support personnel, curriculum, instruction, and equipment needed in the respective charter school's first year of operation.
The Department of Education will make available an application packet on January 7, 2002, with a submission deadline of April 1, 2002. Grants will be approved on or about May 1, 2002, and the appropriate personnel notified on or about May 8, 2002. Planning monies will be distributed on or about June 3, 2002, with implementation monies following on or about July 15, 2002.
An emphasis will be placed on applications intended to serve a diverse population representative of the community in which the charter school is located. Other goals will be to promote long-term viability and the attainment of academic performance objectives.
Grants for a second or third year will be available by application for those receiving the initial funding under this grant provision. Additional start-up funding will be available to as many as fifteen charter schools in both the second and third years of the grant.
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PR Faux Pas Contributed to Proponents Demise
Proponents of BCSC's $252-million building program payback are, for the most part, intelligent community leaders who have a passion for the local educational system. In spite of their excellent personal and professional qualities, the proverbial "yellow team" made a few public relations blunders which may have contributed to their loss.
How significant were these errors? It's hard to tell. The widespread opposition by property owners would likely have defeated even the best orchestrated campaign. Below are two of several errors.
While yellow shirts, hats and buttons provided a sense of comaraderie, it may have contributed to the loss of those advocating the $252-million building project payback. Already perceived by some to be a social clique, the bright yellow apparel disassociated the group from the public in general.
The decision by opponents of the measure against wearing exclusive clothing or insignias, allowed them to identify with property owners rather than each other.
Proponents also fell short by allowing their opposition to define the issues. Finding themselves in the unfavorable position of having to answer objections, the "yellow team" failed to present themselves as community leaders. Blue petitioners managed to successfully feed three waves of criticism: the first week proponents were faced with questions concerning property tax increases - a theme which continued throughout the campaign, followed by concerns over building maintenance, cost overruns and added insurance. In the final week, proponents were sent scouring for answers when broadsided by enrollment statics provided by the Indiana Department of Education.
The greatest contributing factor to the opposition's success, however, was this simple fact: most property owners are against the measure.
K-12 School Data
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Articles
Unions vs. Education: Teachers
Unions Beat the Latest Reform Initiative, National Review
Online, November 20, 2001, by David Boaz
School-Choice Alternatives,
National Review Online, September 6, 2001, by Dan Lips
Arizona School-Choice Plan Provides
Model, USA Today, August 22, 2001, by Carrie Lips
Mandatory Preschool Another Power
Grab, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, August 2, 2001,
by Darcy Olsen
Congress Trashes Local Control of Schools,
June 23, 2001, by David Boaz
Teachers Deserve Merit Pay, Not Special Interests, The Cincinatti Enquirer, June 1, 2001, by Darcy Olsen
Reagan's ABCs, National
Review Online, May 22, 2001, by Dan Lips
Up from Mediocrity, National Review Online, May 15, 2001, by Darcy Olsen, Carrie Lips, and Dan Lips
Unlocking Parent Power, National Review Online, May 14, 2001, by Sheldon Richman
Put Parents in Control,
USA Today, May 10, 2001, by Darcy Olsen
Education Tax Credits Can Give NH Parents and Students More Choice, The Union Leader, April 26, 2001, by Darcy Olsen and Dan Lips
It's the Children, Stupid,
The Washington Times, February 19, 2001, by Darcy Olsen
and Dan Lips
Vouching for Bush, National Review Online, January 25, 2001, by Darcy Olsen
Give Parents the Reins, USA Today, January 24, 2001, by Darcy Olsen
Another Path to School Choice, Washington Times, December 13, 2000, by Darcy Olsen and Matthew J. Brouillette
Ready to Learn? Facts & Questions About a Universal Early Childhood Program for Pennsylvania, Family First Alliance, December, 2000, by Darcy Olsen
For-profit Schools Catching On, Atlanta Journal Constitution, December 20, 2000, by Carrie Lips
Empowering Parents Through Choice, October 20, 2000, by Phil Vassallo
Gore Federalizes Early Childhood, National Review Online, September 13, 2000, by Darcy Olsen
It's Time
to Stop Head Start, Human Events, September 1, 2000, by
Darcy Olsen
Credits
for the Deserving; Vouchers Would Let Families Opt Out of Failing
Public Schools, The Arizona Republic, August 23, 2000,
by Darcy Olsen and Dan Lips
Gore
on the Wrong Side of History, St. Louis Post-Dispatch,
August 23, 2000, by Casey J. Lartigue Jr.
Dems
of Cheney's School, The New York Post, August 22, 2000,
by Casey J. Lartigue Jr.
Canceling
Summer Vacation, June 20, 2000, by Darcy Olsen
The
Department of Education: An Anti-Celebration , May 4, 2000,
by Darcy Olsen
You'll
Never Guess What South Korea Frowns Upon, The Washington
Post, May 28, 2000 by Casey Lartigue
Home
Schooling and Histrionics, Los Angeles Daily Journal, June
29, 2000, by Isabel Lyman
A
New Twist on Parental Choice, March 1, 2000, by Tom Palmer
Two
Opposing Libertarian Arguments in the Custody Case of Elian Gonzalez,
February 5, 2000, by Tom Palmer and Derrick Max
Preschool
is not the answer, USA Today, December 28, 1999, by
Darcy Olsen
Home
schoolers face barriers in Oklahoma, The Dallas Morning
News, December 13, 1999, by Isabel Lyman
Who
should decide what Amy should eat? Arizona Republic,
October 2, 1999, by Darcy Olsen
When
schools already get so much money, do they need more?, Los
Angeles Times, October 29, 1999, by Benjamin Zycher
Politicizing
class size, Education Week, September 29, 1999, by
Casey J. Lartigue
Benefits
of preschool don’t last, The Atlanta Journal, August
10, 1999, by Darcy Olsen
Preschool
in the nanny state, The Weekly Standard,
August 9, 1999, by Darcy Olsen
Head
Start ought to be ended, The Atlanta Journal, March
16, 1999, by Darcy Olsen and Eric Olsen
Let
the children go, The Washington Times, March 10, 1999,
by David Boaz
Just
another buzzword, The Korea Times, February 4, 1999,
by Casey J. Lartigue
Illiteracy…bad
news and good, The Washington Times, January 22, 1999,
by David Boaz
Child-care
crisis? Not for parents, Philadelphia Inquirer, May
29, 1998, by Darcy Olsen
America's
most costly educational failure, April 29, 1998, by Paul Ciotti
Homeschooling:
The best education reform, March 24, 1998, by Isabel Lyman
Republican
senators play follow the leader, Gaston Gazette, February
8, 1998, by Darcy Ann Olsen
Give
parents what they need: tax cuts, Atlanta Journal,
January 14, 1998, by Darcy Olsen
Parents
vs. school officials: who decides?, Washington Times,
October 1996, by David Boaz
A
right to safer schools, The Washington Post, February
26, 1995, by David Boaz
Studies
"The
Arizona Scholarship Tax Credit: Giving Parents Choices, Saving Taxpayers
Money,"
Cato Institute Policy Analysis, September 17, 2001, by Carrie Lips and Jennifer Jacoby.
"Lessons from Maine:
Education Vouchers for Students since 1873," Cato Institutte
Briefing Paper, September
10, 2001, by Frank Heller.
"Lessons from Vermont:
132-Year-Old Voucher Program Rebuts Critics," Cato Institute
Briefing Paper, September
10, 2001, by Libby Sternberg.
Fiscal Analysis of a $500 Federal Education: Tax Credit to Help Millions, Save Billions,
May 1, 2001, by Darcy Ann Olsen, Carrie Lips, and Dan Lips.
Parent Power:
Why National Standards Won't Improve Education, April 26, 2001, by Sheldon Richman.
Toward Market Education: Are Vouchers or Tax Credits the Better Path? February 22, 2001, by Andrew J. Coulson.
Reclaiming Our Schools: Increasing Parental Control of Education through the Universal Education Credit,
December 6, 2000, by Darcy Olsen
and Matthew J. Brouillette.
Edupreneurs:
A Survey of For-Profit Education, November 20, 2000, by Carrie Lips.
More
than Grades: How Choice Boosts Parental Involvement and Benefits
Children, 0ctober 26, 2000, by Philip Vassallo.
A
12-Hour School Day? Why Government Should Leave After-School Arrangements
to Parents, June 7, 2000, by Darcy Ann Olsen
Universal
Preschool Is No Golden Ticket: Why Government Should Not Enter
the Preschool Business, February 9, 1999, by Darcy Ann Olsen
Money
and School Performance: Lessons from the Kansas City School Desegregation
Experiment, March 16, 1998, by Paul Ciotti
Homeschooling:
Back to the Future?, January 7, 1998, by Isabel Lyman
The
Advancing Nanny State: Why the Government Should Stay Out of Child
Care, October 23, 1997, by Darcy Olsen
The
Threat to Independent Education: Public Subsidies and
Private Colleges, August 15, 1997, by Gary Wolfram
Vouchers
and Educational Freedom: A Debate, March 12, 1997, featuring
Joseph L. Bast and David Harmer versus Douglas Dewey
What
Would a School Voucher Buy?, March 26, 1996, by David
Boaz and Morris Barrett
Public
Schools: Make Them Private, June 23, 1995, by Milton Friedman
size="4">Books
Department
of Education, 1999, by David Boaz, The Cato Handbook for
Congress: Policy Recommendations for the 106th Congress
Child
Care, 1999, by Darcy Ann Olsen, The Cato Handbook for Congress:
Policy Recommendations for the 106th Congress
 Why
Schools Fail, 1996, by Bruce Goldberg. Goldberg, a professor
of philosophy at the University of Maryland, argues that there
is no such thing as educational science. Educators and psychologists
still don't really know how children learn and how schools
can help them. In particular, educational theory fails to
take fully into account children's individuality. The idea
that everyone must follow some general plan is at the core
of the failure of the schools. This provocative essay criticizes
educational theorists from Horace Mann to Jean Piaget to Ernest
Boyer and offers a reform plan based on choice and individualism. |
 Educational
Freedom in Eastern Europe, 1995, by Charles L. Glenn.
One of the great triumphs of post-Communist Eastern Europe
is the reform of statist school systems. Not only have the
schools thrown off Communist dogma and attempted to remake
themselves in a Western style, many of the formerly Communist
countries have given parents a choice in schools. In fact,
in Poland, Russia, and the Czech Republic, parents now have
more freedom to choose the schools their children will attend
than American parents do. This book was commissioned by the
U.S. Department of Education, delayed by the Clinton administration,
and finally published in an edition of only 100 copies. Cato's
publication is the first generally available edition of this
important book. |
 School
Choice: Why You Need It--How You Get It, 1994, by David
Harmer. Harmer explains why the public schools no longer work,
why they resist reform, and why choice is the reform that
will work. He also gives us the inside story of California's
pioneering 1993 Parental Choice in Education initiative and
the education establishment's successful $16 million campaign
to defeat it. Harmer explains how other states can adapt the
initiative to their needs and what lessons can be learned
from its defeat. His annotated description of the California
initiative is required reading for anyone seeking to write
a strong school choice law. |
 Liberating
Schools: Education in the Inner City, 1990, by David Boaz.
In this thought-provoking book, eleven scholars and educators
discuss the decline in the quality of urban education and
offer alternative strategies for teaching America's youth.
David Boaz's comprehensive introduction has been hailed as
the best available argument for educational choice. William
A. Niskanen speaks out against repeated government excuses
for failed education reform programs. Journalist Bonita Brodt
and teacher Ben Peterson report from the front lines. Schools
should be accountable to students, parents, and teachers,
not to bureaucrats, politicians, and interest groups, argue
John E. Chubb and Terry M. Moe in an encyclopedic set of questions
and answers about choice programs. The goal of every essay
in this volume is to return quality education to American
classrooms. |
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©
2000 The Cato Institute |
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