I pasted a pile of percentages in the previous post (nice consonance, aye?) so that folks can see, contrary to what some have said, that district #241 is not a top heavy district and they do not eat up a disproportionate amount of local funding. That said, statistics are just that, statistics. And as we get closer to voting day I’m sure we’ll see a lot more telling us to vote either for or against district #241′s referendum.

In the last few weeks, I’ve attempted to keep track of the arguments for and against the referendum. A good place to study arguments against the referendum is the forum at www.albertlea.com. Folks have criticized members of that forum for being overly negative. And while I must admit some discussions are saturated with overtones of anger and frustration, there are a few posts that consist of carefully reasoned arguments and I enjoy reading them.

Among the many arguments I’ve heard, two are fairly common: 1) Property taxes are too high, and 2) The district is using scare tactics to try and get people to vote for the referendum.

I’ll address point #1 first. It is true, at least from what I’ve gathered here and there, that property taxes have increased noticeably over the last few years. In my assessment as a newcomer to Albert Lea, this is a necessary part of what has had to happen as Albert Lea transitions from years of growth in industry to a change in demographic and a reduction in younger populations. This is a change that is happening all over outstate Minnesota.

Some suggest that higher property taxes are the direct result of mismanagement among the leaders and decision makers of this town. I really, really, don’t believe that Albert Lea suffers from gross mismanagement.

I think what has stifled this town more than anything is a tendency to blame the other guy if things aren’t going as planned. Establishment folks blame the anti-establishment folks and anti-establishment folks blame the establishment folks. And, of course, most folks fit in neither category…we’re just residents of Albert Lea who want what is best for our town, so we’re spinning our heads trying to figure out who has the best argument for who we ought to blame.

Sure, there is always a way to manage taxes and revenue in a more efficient and effective way, but by and large leaders in Albert Lea are doing what they can to meet the needs of this community in a way that helps as many people as possible. I don’t think we’re suffering from a property tax crisis, though I do agree that taxing property is an archaic, regressive way to tax people. Unfortunately, the state has left the school district in a position where they’re having to raise property taxes just to cover basic operating costs.

That is not to say, however, that we shouldn’t hold decision makers accountable, or that we should simply say “yes” whenever a new tax initiative comes along. If you have questions, present them to the board. Not asking the board these questions and then saying that you’re going to vote “no” because no one answered your questions is not an effective way to make your voice heard.

If you don’t like decisions the school board is making then vote for different school board members. But that’s what they are there for, to make these kinds of decisions. Personally, I think they???ve done a fantastic job, and they all deserve our trust. They’ve looked at the budget and decided that the best way to move forward is to raise property taxes to bring more money into the district. I’m certain no one on the board is excited about raising property taxes, but they’ve weighed all options and made the choice that made the most sense given the district’s financial status and the availability of money from the state.

Some feel that the board has overlooked options; that the board has simply offered this referendum because it was an easy way out. In fact, the board opened the a forum of discussion, allowed people to offer suggestions, and considered these suggestions carefully. In the end, they arrived at a carefully crafted budget; a budget that is neither extravagant nor requiring the district to make more cuts.

Moving on to point #2. Some suggest referendum campaign organizers are using scare tactics to get people to vote for the referendum. I appreciate that concern. And in some respects it does appear that not being entirely clear about what is getting cut…is a tactic. As I’ve recently learned, last year the district was perfectly clear…and then folks complained that this was a threat. This year the district is speaking in more broad terms and now some people are saying they are casting a wide net to scare as many people as possible.

I honestly don’t think the intention of TEAM folks and those who are organizing the referendum is to intentionally frighten anyone; if they come of as scaring people, this is a mistake. And maybe informing people of consequences is scary, but that doesn’t make it a scare tactic. TEAM is simply forming, to the best of their knowledge and ability, arguments for why citizens of Albert Lea ought to vote “yes” for the referendum.

The district is not made up of professional referendum campaigners. Their job isn’t to come up with a spotless PR campaign every time a referendum comes around. Their primarily responsibility is to oversee an essential task, to educate and enrich Albert Lea’s kids so they can capitalize on life’s opportunities and make the best of its challenges.

Some have told me that TEAM should invest in the services of a PR consulting firm. For one, each year at the start of this process, TEAM doesn’t know how much money they’re going to have at their disposal. It is all donated. So landing a quality firm in this short amount of time is next to impossible, especially since TEAM is only made up of hard-working volunteers who are not paid for their work. Furthermore, taking bids from consulting firms and going through the process of finding firms in the first place is a time consuming process. TEAM has all it can do to organize all the right TV, radio and newspaper ads that don’t scare people, or accidentally offend someone who planned on voting “no” for the referendum.

Perhaps the most important message throughout this ongoing debate is this: we are all human. If you’ve been offended or scared by the actions of TEAM, or if you think the administration is trying to pull a fast one on you by bringing this referendum to the community for a vote, remember that all of us, (those who plan to vote “yes”, those who plan to vote “no” and those who don’t have a clue how to vote), want what is best for Albert Lea. Most of Albert Lea is made up of good, ordinary people who are making decisions to the best of their ability. If you’ve done your research and asked your questions and come to the conclusion that you will vote “no”, great. On the other hand, if you’ve gone through the same steps, asked the same questions and decided you will vote “yes,” wonderful.

It is my opinion that a “yes, yes” vote for the district #241 referendum is the right vote on election day. Voting “yes” for this referendum is necessary step toward helping district #241 better educate and enrich Albert Lea’s kids.