Letter to the Editor – Tipp Schools Levy

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Dear Editor,

“As the schools go, so goes the community”. I am a staunch fiscal conservative. Suffice it to say, I haven’t always been a strong proponent of school tax levies. If I see any waste and poor decision-making in my children’s school, then I can’t justify tightening the family budget to pay higher taxes. However, this time is different. Our state has dramatically cut school funding. I also think the Administration has “cut away the fat”. They have streamlined processes, reduced personnel, cut expenses, and consolidated resources as much as they could to reduce costs while continuing to meet educational needs. Tipp schools are now at a tipping point, beyond which I think there will begin a decline. If the levy does not pass, the District will be starved of funding needed for advanced classes, sports programs, and extracurricular activities. These are an integral part of a student’s education and can help a student pay for college.
My husband and I have seven children, ages 9 to 21. For many years we have had children in four of the five Tipp schools. I have both positive and negative things to say about our experiences, with more being positive. In the past I’ve been reluctant to vote for tax levies because I run a very tight financial budget at home. I am a stay-at-home mom and two of our children are now in college. I am always saying to my kids, “I don’t want to clip coupons, shop yard sales, and wash out sandwich bags to reuse, only to have our schools wasting money!” If we, as taxpaying households, are making daily sacrifices….we EXPECT our schools to be doing the same! But now our school district desperately needs this money to bridge the gap between the loss of state dollars and the rising costs and increased federally mandated expectations the District is required to meet. Compared to other districts, Tipp is very efficient—getting more done for less.
Sacrifices have been made, the budget is streamlined. With that said, I’d like to encourage our community to VOTE “YES” for the Tipp City School levy this May 7th. Our schools, our community, and our future depend on it!
Tami Kueterman