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Tax $$$; Proposal A
Topic Started: Jan 18 2006, 10:53 AM (232 Views)
fyi
Principal
Posted by GR1:
Quote:
 
:
Mr. Teacher:

(I would like to quote you, but I can't figure out how to get that feature to work for me!)
You mentioned that students whose parents lease apartments should be bused around the city because they do not pay Livonia taxes. Well, their landlord does, I'm sure that it is figured into their lease payment. I'm also sure that the SEV of that apartment complex is far higher than your single family home.

In addition, none of us pay property taxes toward our school district anymore. Remember Proposal A? (Headlee Ammendment) The increase of our sales tax from 4% to 6% was the vehicle by which we were promised our schools would be funded. We no longer have local control over how our dollars for operating expenses for our school district are raised. The only bond issue we could vote to attach to our property taxes is one that would provide for capital improvments.

I would like to shout it now, so maybe people will hear.

OUR PROPERTY TAXES DO NOT FUND LIVONIA PUBLIC SCHOOLS.


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I do not believe that your information is completely accurate. Last time I checked
my tax bill, I saw a listing on there for public schools. While LPS does not receive my tax money directly, they do receive the money that I am contributing through
my tax $$$. The difference here is the State gives the $$$ to the schools via the
per pupil amount. They get my tax $$$ indirectly.

It is my understanding that Proposal A does not allow school districts to hold milliages for additional funds for the schools. The increase in sales tax was supposed to supplement the schools for that reason. Is it doing what's it intended
to do? It's debateable for a lot of reasons. Proposal A was enacted during a good
economy. People are not spending as much these days, which results in less
revenue generated by the sales tax.

I'm beginning to think that, if schools managed their per pupil funding better, that they could survive on what the State gives them. It's all priorities. Do you want your money to go toward classroom instruction or non-instructional services? We all could buy a lot more with more money. Is additional money the answer to
the educational crisis? It's not how much $$$ is spent, but HOW the money is spent. Research shows that school performance is not necessarily governed by the per pupil amount. There are schools that survive on less per pupil $$$, but
achieve higher test scores. The difference lies in how the money is spent. Where is the money going?

A direct way that Livonia gets our tax $$$ is through the so-called "sinking fund."
A fund that was supposedly set up to maintain current LPS buildings. That $$$
is now being used to "fund" the LI. THE BIG LIE OF THE LI.
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Momforone
Principal
Oh Yea!!!!!
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gr1
Principal
FYI - yes you are correct, and in re-reading my post I could see that what I left out would cause a misunderstanding.

The point I was trying to make is that we cannot simply vote to raise our taxes in order to keep our schools status quo and like you cleared up, that small portion of our tax dollars does no go directly toward LPS. Which was the part of the reason for administration lowering that portion of the millage we voted on in February. I'm going to dig up my tax bills and see exactly how much it is - I don't even know.

Now whether or not the current foundation grant can do that if managed differently is another matter. There were many school board candidates who felt the same way, too bad no one showed up to vote for them. Hopefully that won't happen again.

I was also very frustrated in that thread because the person I was responding to made some sort of comment about him paying property taxes and apartment residents not. There was also talk about Westland residents not paying Livonia taxes, they don't pay city taxes, but they do pay the school tax/sinking fund.
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Grant1
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We have just begun to fight!
I believe what you will find regarding school tax when you look on your tax bill is 3 things
1) taxes for things like schoolcraft college
2) taxes for wayne county colleges
3) taxes for millages that were voted on by the people living within the school district
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gr1
Principal
Thanks Grant1, I wanted to see what the breakdown for each was - I'm not sure what percentage goes where.

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fyi
Principal
On my tax bill, listed under public schools is:

State education tax

Supplemental tax (is that the sinking fund?)

Debt Retirement

County Intermediate Schools (what's this?)

plus Schoolcraft College

I don't know about everyone else but it adds up to a lot on my property tax bill.
That's just the summer bill. If fact, this makes up 87% of my summer bill.
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Grant1
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We have just begun to fight!
fyi
Jan 18 2006, 01:02 PM
On my tax bill, listed under public schools is:

State education tax

Supplemental tax (is that the sinking fund?)

Debt Retirement

County Intermediate Schools (what's this?)

plus Schoolcraft College

I don't know about everyone else but it adds up to a lot on my property tax bill.
That's just the summer bill. If fact, this makes up 87% of my summer bill.

Time to research those tax bills and find out exactly what those terms are covering.
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gr1
Principal
County Intermediate is Wayne RESA - I know they cover some special education programs, vision/hearing tests but I'm not sure what else. As far as I know, this money goes directly to the county.

I don't know what Debt Retirement is
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Grant1
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We have just begun to fight!
"I don't know what Debt Retirement is"

It sure sounds like something I would like to be able to do!
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fyi
Principal
http://www.harborlightnews.com/News/2005/0...t_Page/003.html

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