It’s time for a change in Rose Tree Media
To the Times: I never questioned paying school taxes each August. I believed a great education is at the center of a great community and I was proud that our local school district was highly rated. I believed Rose Tree Media school directors were non-partisan, would live up to the promises I voted for, and placed the highest value on providing the best education to all our children.
Watching my taxes rise year after year while my childrens’ school options did not made me consider whether our school board shared my beliefs on fiscal responsibility and quality education, and so I looked into it.
I read the campaign literature that Republican candidates for school board made available to constituents when they ran in 2015. Four years ago, the candidates promised “fiscal responsibility,” “budgetary discipline,” and they pledged to pay close attention to “taxpayers’ concerns.” I also reviewed prior year budgets. My research did not reflect these promises.
I decided to run for a seat on the school board and began attending meetings. These meeting are marked by the casual dismissal of taxpayers concerns, spotty attendance from the directors, and often inappropriate responses to sincere questions. While the board has raised taxes year after year, and depleted the district’s once sizable fund balance, this year our homeowners are looking at one of the largest increases in a decade.
Facing a fiscal wall from years of mismanagement and unchallenged decisions, the board rushed through a series of “community discussions” in an attempt, it seems, to distribute responsibility for program cuts across the same community who’s concerns it had disregarded.
What has happened in our school district? The public has not been given the needed information to truly understand the necessity of these sizable tax increases, nor was it given a full range of choices when asked where concessions could be made. That’s no way to run an organization.
Rose Tree Media School District needs fresh ideas and new ways to address problems, and I strongly advocate for complete transparency in the future.
Establishing great schools with dedicated teachers and innovative programs is not a task to be taken lightly. Our kids can be inspired to great heights, and our community benefits from strong property values and safe neighborhoods. I would bring these beliefs, along with my strong financial and educational experiences, to a seat on the RTM Board of School Directors.