Sedona AZ (May 19, 2013) – Concerned parents of school-aged children in the Sedona Oak Creek Unified School District and community supporters are ready to launch their campaign to save Sedona schools.
According to parent Zach Richardson, the Yes For Sedona Schools Committee hopes to convince the majority of Sedona voters to vote yes in the upcoming November elections on the approval of Budget Increase Override for the district.
While the state and federal governments fund core curriculum such as Math, English and Science, local communities fund the rest — including advanced math, advanced science, music, performing arts and many other programs. A vote to override the state and federal budget with a budget increase is necessary to avoid devastating cuts to the city’s educational system.
Sedona voters have supported these overrides since 1995. The last budget override vote this past November lost by a mere 36 votes of nearly 9,000 votes that were cast. It was a heavy blow to our community.
“With the failure of the Budget Increase Over-ride last November, the loss of that $900,000 funding along with state and federal cuts means that our school district will have lost nearly 30 percent of its budget in the past five years. That will inevitably result in closing a school and severely compromising the education in our community,” Richardson said. “Sedona residents must understand that Sedona needs to restore what has been in place since the school district has been in existence so we can pay our teachers. For Sedona to have the best school facilities in the state without having teachers to teach the children seems like an obvious oversight on the part of our community.”
Richardson said more than 75 volunteers are currently working on this project representing Yes For Sedona Schools Committee. The group began their campaign for this November’s election in January. The election will be a mail out ballot election that should be arriving at Sedona homes mid-October.
According to Richardson, the campaign will be focused for late August, September and early October. The primary focus of the campaign is to educate Sedona Residents on what the Budget Increase Over-ride actually does for our school district and community and the consequences if it is not passed.
“If Sedona has a reputation for having a sub-standard school district, that will have a profound effect on our community,” Richardson said. “Families will not want to move here, thus reducing property values. People who run professional services such as doctors, dentists, accountants, restaurateurs, etc. will not want to move here with their families, so Sedona residents would have go elsewhere for these services.”
He said the community and its school district are interconnected and what benefits the schools benefits everyone.
“Most people do not understand that 50 percent of the residents in our community are related to our school district either as students, parents, parents of graduated students or employees,” Richardson said. “Likewise, 50 percent of the school district’s last construction project created facilities for our community such as a new community pool, a performing arts center, gymnasiums, track and field facilities, multi-purpose rooms, etc. These facilities are constantly utilized by the community.”
He said the Budget Increase Override’s cost to voting homeowners will be less than $50 a year in property taxes that is tax-deductible.
“That’s less than a cup of Starbuck’s Coffee per month,” Richardson said.
For more information or to make a donation for the campaign visit: www.InvestInEducation.info
31 Comments
Thank you so much for sharing this information.
An important thing that the over-ride efforts have taught me is that the funding for teachers, books and academics is separate from the facilities. Many of us admire the beautiful schools we have but don’t realize that without the over-ride funding these are simply that, “beautiful buildings”.
It takes the dedicated teachers and books and supplies to deliver quality education.
This year when we failed to pass the over-ride we had to cut $303,000 from the school’s budget. We lost some PE, counselors, computer teachers, library aide, music, performing arts, sports teams, and custodians. We can not as a community allow any further cuts.
These are our children, grandchildren, neighbors…these are the future citizens of our world. This is not a luxury….this is the basics!
Please support the override and MAIL IN your ballot. Parents if you all vote….this will pass!
We older people of Sedona are being taxed to death. There is no reason for any of us to vote to raise our taxes. The reason the budget override lost last year is because we are fed up having to pay for everything. The state and feds should pay for everything. It’s our money. No need to milk us for any more. Let the kids hold car washes and raffles. Teachers are overpaid anyway
The only comment by Mr. Stevens that is worthy of a reply is “Teachers are overpaid anyway.” The CBPP Budget Analysis that is posted on http://www.InvestInEducation.info shows that Arizona has decreased funding of education 21.8%, the most of any state, thus making Arizona the state that funds education the least per student. So how does one put a value on teaching the future of our nation? If teachers worked in a business environment, we would be paying them 10% of everything we earn as a commission for a job well done. Maybe we should be looking at how well our students are doing compared to the rest of the world? We would find that the number of foreign students admitted to our colleges and universities has increased dramatically as the number of Americans has decreased. If we found the same downward trend with our military, our government would not be asking our soldiers to have a car wash and raffle, instead we would spend billions to bring it back to #1 in the world. What about comparing them to public servants? People often justify paying teachers less than fireman and policemen because teachers do not put their lives on the line like these public servants. That argument went out the window with the heroic stories of teachers during the Newtown School Massacre and the Oklahoma Tornadoes. Unlike fireman who have fire trucks and hoses and policemen who have guns and bullet proof vests, teachers only have their bodies to put between themselves and danger to their children. How are the real Heroes in public service? We need to pay our teachers enough to teach their students to find a solution to the mess our generations have made of the environment, economy, government, and our financial future. How much is that?
I just moved here from Florida to escape from high taxes. The taxes here in Arizona are low. The override budget would cost the average taxpayer less than a cup of coffee a week. That is a great deal when you consider what it provides the youth in our community. The federal and state taxes will not pick up the rest, that is the reason for the override. It’s our duty to provide our youth the same opportunities we were provided as children. I never had to pay to play on school sports teams and never did a carwash for art or music class. The override is the best way to spend local money on local youth for the benefit and future prosperity of our community.
The “State and Feds” money comes from people like me, who’ve paid more in taxes during my career than you ever did…..much of it for “seniors”, like you. And, I have absolutely no complaint about that.
However, I do find fault with small-minded people of your ilk, who want something for yourself, for nothing, but don’t want to pay your fair share for the benefit of the next generation….like your predecessors did for you, and like I am doing for you, right now.
FYI; The Over-ride is important to you, so that people like me move/live/work here…thereby supporting the services that people like you want/ require. I have lived many places, in this country and overseas, over the years; much of it courtesy of Uncle Sam, when I was in the service….did you serve?
Anyway, I can tell you that AZ under-funds education( we rank somewhere between 48th and 50th amongst the States) Our teachers are not over paid, they are UNDERPAID. Further, if you think kids should hold car washes or raffles to fund their education, I’d ask you, is that what you did?
So instead of whining why don’t you pay for your Medicare subsidy/ S.S. check/ local EMS service by holding your own car wash, and people like me will shift our tax money in support of Sedona’s kids
And, please don’t give me that shop-worn, “I worked my whole life” b.s. We all have; you and I cashed that check, already!
Mike, your, “what have you done for me” lately attitude is inexcusable.
It’s just that way of thinking that got our great Nation into this economic crisis.
For the record Mr. Stevens, Arizona is a right to work state. That means non union. It may surprise you to find out that our teachers aren’t tenured, they don’t get earn over time, and they are not earning grossly over inflated annual salaries.
Your anger regarding the teacher’s salary is unwarranted and either stems from naiveté or the fact that you just don’t care. Car washes or raffles would not even put a dent in to funding for teachers salaries, high tech advancement, or the other major budget short falls.
I’m guessing you don’t have kids in the school district here, am I right Mr. Stevens? If you did, you’d be happy to know that a teacher in Sedona, actually had to be qualified to apply for a job. Most applicants have Masters Degrees. Do you know what that is Mike? A Masters Degree typically includes two to six years completion of coursework and examinations beyond a Bachelors. Each teacher is also tested and certified by the state in one or more areas.
Even so, most educators in our county earn less than thirty thousand a year. In my book, that’s not over paid.
To keep their classroom current, many teachers buy supplies at their own expense. Supplies such as Kleenex or band aids. When they have extra cash left in their paychecks some try to buy premium projects supplies or fund an afternoon field trip.
Maybe the bake sales you mentioned could cover those costs.
This is simple. Sedona boasts some 3.5 million tourist per year. Do we want those tourists and the rest of the country to know that Sedona DOES NOT SUPPORT Education?? The future leaders of Sedona may be our kids NOW!!! Please don’t let it out who Sedona really is…. VOTE YES!!!!
3.5 Million is a boast, not a fact, dis-proven back in the early 2000s when we were dealing with the sr179 redo. The chamber would like you to believe that number, and even as high as 4 million. Fallacy.
Children are our future. These children will be our future leaders. Their parents are our friends, neighbors, employees, professoinals, police and fire personnel, managers of the services that we use. Our Arizona teachers are underpaid based on national and regioinal standards and on what we ask of them, to educate our children to be productive members of our society, competent and capable to contribute to the greater good.
As someone who has spent much of the last twenty years opposing the big spending of the Massachusetts education establishment, I have been impressed with how lean the Arizona educational system is. So much so that I find it important as a member of the Sedona Community to support this override. I look at the cost of the override as equivalent to a beer every other week, or four movie tickets over the course of a year. A small price to pay to ensure that our children receive a quality education.
I am a 70 year old Sedona resident. I have lived in this beautiful community for the past 15 years. I could not disagree more with the post from Mike Stevens. The taxes that I pay for teachers and education are for the most important asset this town has, its students and their teachers. They are the future. Just because the Federal government wastes Billions of tax dollars, our schools certainly do not. I pray that the majority of our citizens agree with me, and will support the Budget Increase Override. Please, fellow citizens, vote for the Override to help this community get past this financial crisis. With a well educated community, the future will be bright. I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to everybody that supports the Budget Override, and pray that Mr. Stevens changes his mind and joins this cause.
Even though I have no children in Sedona schools, I am a mother and a grandmother and know how important it is for our kids to receive the best possible education. I totally support the override. It is a shame that our State has cut millions from our education budget these past few years and left Arizona at the bottom of the list when it comes to per student expenditure. Now it is more important than ever that voters in Sedona step up and restore the override budget.
I am shocked that anyone could say that our teachers are overpaid. I have had the privilege to know some of them. We are so fortunate that we have such committed teachers who really care about their students and the standards in our schools, and who receive such LOW salaries for what they do!
If we all pitch in with just a handful of dollars a month (less than $5), we can ensure that the curricula in our schools remain intact, that our students receive a high quality and well-rounded education, and that Sedona can be proud of its school system and quality of education.
could not agree more!
The State and Federal Governments provide only the very minimum funding for our public Schools. It is up to the community to provide anything above this level. This has nothing to do with teacher’s pay. Our kids need an education beyond the least possible, especially in subjects such as Science and Math, if nothing else.
We need well educated children to help contribute to and build our community. If you are retired, remember that its the kids working today who pay your retirement checks! Your government saved nothing for you. Let’s help them succeed by making sure they have more than just a minimum education before they enter the work force. Your decision now effects our communities’ children for the rest of their lives, and your future as well. Vote YES on the over ride. Vote yes to improve our children’s skills and knowledge.
This year when we failed to pass the over-ride we had to cut $303,000 from the school’s budget. We lost some PE, counselors, computer teachers, library aide, music, performing arts, sports teams, and custodians. We can not as a community allow any further cuts.
These are our children, grandchildren, neighbors…these are the future citizens of our world. This is not a luxury….this is the basics!
Please support the override and MAIL IN your ballot. Parents if you all vote….this will pass!
I’m not sure if people really understand the scope of what it would mean to Sedona if this override fails. Never mind cutting back important programs, we will probably be closing a school. If you don’t care about the standard of education, perhaps you will care about your property values. Poor schools equal lower property values. Empty school builings? Hate to think what that would do to a neighborhood!
Please vote yes for the budget override to save our schools!
I did not mean to upset anybody. I don’t want to say how old I am. I have no children or grandchildren living here. I just find it hard to say yes to something that’s going to raise my property tax by 50 bucks, which ain’t much to a lot of people in this town but is a lot to me.
Mike,
Please consider the $50 per year as an investment in the future of this community. I am sure that with great schools (we really do have outstanding teachers) our property values should begin to rise again. Please join us in supporting this cause, as I really believe we all have much to gain.
Thank you,
Jerry & Roxanne Foley
Mr Stevens, Perhaps if you were to get involved at the school, with the students, or with one of the sports teams would help you feel a connection to the students and the schools. I am sure they would love to have a volunteer. Having a bond would make you feel better about contributing, and they could sure use the helping hand.
Please mail in your YES vote in November. An investment of $50 will exceed the return many times over as Sedona Schools produce prepared, well-rounded, balanced, healthy, responsible and educated citizens to the world. Our talented teachers and committed school staff need our support to maintain and operate a progressive educational environment. The future of our community depends on the quality of education today.
Thank you,
Nancy Zielinski
Even though we are retired and have no grandchildren, Dennis and I support the increases for the schools. Children are the US future and we have to remember that!
Part Kangaroo for real? Interesting biologically, if so.
Taxes are the death of America. This School District and it”s principals and head administrators continually sweep bullying under the rug and underreport and could care less about “our children…the future.” They only care about their bloated administrative salaries and their new big buildings which cost millions of dollars. the Performing Arts Center stands dark nearly every night. Just what Sedona needed another performing arts center. The School District spends hundreds of thousands of dollars on a perrenially losing football program and cry they don”t have a few thousand for music instruments and art materials. Bag football, the injuries, concussions and embarrassment of losing and use the money for art and music. We were at the open house for new students and there were dozens and dozens of opportunities for students for extra curricular activities.
Those of us who retired are here to get away from taxes, children and noise. There are no jobs here for Sedona children to come home to after they graduate from College. They will leave Sedona unless they want to wait tables or drive jeeps. Why should we pay for bloated salaries and wasted resources and magnificent buildings which stand empty. Sedona children will just leave and make other communities better because there are no jobs here. I say the school district should zero budget their way to a balanced budget just like the rest of us on a fixed income. Live within your means School District and set priorities just like the real world. NO NEW TAXES! VOTE NO !
I’m sorry you don’t seem to understand what YES for Sedona is trying to accomplish. The over ride is about paying our local teachers salaries, which by the way are some of the lowest in the state. It’s about offering our students the opportunity to participate in art and music, which by the way also helps them learn math and reading skills. It’s NOT about football or bullying, which by the way all our schools teach about but not for long if the over ride doesn’t pass. The over ride allows our children to receive a well rounded education from wonderful dedicated under payed teachers. If you vote no to the over ride because you don’t want to pay $50 more in taxes then I sure hope you never plan to sell your house because it won’t be worth much and neither will mine. Let’s instead take pride in our community and support the needs of our youngest citizens. VOTE YES IN NOVEMBER
Dear Mr. Black-
I am sorry that you are so strongly opposed to children and taxes. I disagree that “taxes are the death of America.” I can think of dozens of more deadly issues in the U.S.A. starting with massive ignorance and apathy surrounding the environmental peril our planet is facing. We actually pay a very small percentage of taxes compared to most countries, and in Arizona we pay much less than almost all the rest of the states.
As far as our school district is concerned, I have been working at West Sedona School for 22 years and have never met an administrator or teacher who didn’t care deeply about the education and well-being of Sedona’s children. There is constant focus on bullying prevention at all the schools. Indeed, I don’t remember ANY anti-bullying programs or even discussions the entire time I was a student growing up in Los Angeles.
While the new buildings may give the appearance of luxury, it is important for the residents of Sedona to understand that NONE of that money for buildings can be used for salaries or programs. We cannot “live within our means” when our means are shrinking tremendously EVERY year. 5 years ago, our district had a budget that was 2 MILLION dollars MORE than next year’s budget. I personally have borne witness to the tremendous cuts; at my school, we have about 1/3 less staff than we had for most of the years I’ve worked at West Sedona School. The teachers’ (and adminstrators’) salaries have been frozen for over 5 years. We are in critical condition, and we MUST pass this budget override.
Finally, Mr. Black, I don’t think you will be able to “get away from children” unless you move to some remote adults-only community. Children are the future of our species, with them rest our hopes, aspirations, dreams, and indeed, the powerful force of life itself. Nurturing, supporting, and loving these children is one of the highest expressions of our humanity. There was a seminal study done recently on what makes us happy, it was reported in TIME magazine and there was also a documentary made, HAPPY. It turns out that not being selfish and helping others is one of the most important things we can do to feel happy. Perhaps you should re-think the $5/month extra tax you may be paying. I think you, as well as our schools, will benefit.
Your statement that you moved here to get away from children and noise, is comical. Funny, but driving into Sedona, I didn’t see a “no kids allowed” sign. If you wanted true senior living, Sun City is the other side of Phoenix.
Holding the children of Sedona at bay, because you have a chip on your shoulder over your fixed income scenario—is short sighted and mean.
Sadly- only your financial planner can help you remedy your budget solutions.
However, you can make a difference for the students tomorrows. Many of “our” Sedona kids go away to college- and some have the dream of coming back to their hometown and “giving back” to the community that supported them. I don’t know if you are aware but when the students are preparing for college, The local clubs such as Rotary, Toastmasters,and other local organizations give out scholarships.Some students feel compelled to return to return the good favor. They value our community.
Some return because of family.
With out doing research, I know of half a dozen from my daughters graduating class, (’03) That have come home to Sedona and the surrounding area after finishing college. One is a practicing dentist, one is a Fireman, one opened a sandwich shop, two others are in the finance /banking . I also know of two teachers. One in Cottonwood and one in Sedona.
They do return the favor. Will you?
The education Mike Stevens had was paid for by a previous generation. The medical advantages he now enjoys was made possible by an older generation who supported education. I am ashamed that my state spends less on education than any other one. As a nation we are not selfish, so it surprises me that anyone could resent having to pay a little more in taxes to provide the sort of education Americans are entitled to. I am an 80 year old naturalized American and I am very proud of the fact that we rally financially to any disaster anywhere in the world so I am surprised at Mike Stevens’ callous and selfish attitude to an urgent need right here in Sedona. Charity begins at home.
Elaine Bosman
A lot of interesting comments. Maybe we should first look at the budget, like who gets paid what i.e. Administration, facilities vs. Teachers. Comparing Arizona to other states that may be upside down in putting dollars toward students instead of amenities and big management salaries is easy to do…if you care little about efficiency.
Then look at the amenities that have nothing to do with education, like a field of solar cells at the high school and other hi tech stuff that may of may not further the education experience. And then look at the student population. What IS the student population in Sedona? I don’t know. I do know that Arizona gained roughly 10% population in the last census, and Sedona LOST 10% in the last census.
$50 may not be much, until you ad $2 a gallon to gas, inflation to all the food stuff we buy, and other inflationary items not to mention skyrocketing health insurance costs. Pretty soon you are talking about real money to those on minimal or fixed income. The “it’s only a few dollars” is getting really OLD.
I find it hard to believe that I was able to attend public grade school, public high school, and had a multitude of choices of band, shop, architectural and mechanical drawing, science, biology and a raft of math and English classes, not to mention geography so I could actually IDENTIFY where countries are and Social Studies (government classes), so I knew the structure of our government, American AND world history. I could go on with the list – and all funded out of the general tax base without the Feds getting involved.
Before you start throwing money at something, which seems to be the way, and crying about the kids education, maybe you need to step back and find out what is wrong with the system as we continuously throw more money at education with decreasing results.
Dear Mr. Schroeder-You have brought up some valid points about budgeting. Our Superintendent has, in fact, scrutinized and made A LOT of cuts to next year’s budget in an effort to try to retain as many employees as possible. I can provide you with a list if you’d like. The only reason I will still have a job next year is because of these cuts and because my principal is not re-hiring after employees leave. Which means West Sedona School will not have a P.E. teacher, a librarian, or a computer teacher next year. The solar panels at the high school did indeed cost money to install but the decision was made based on the LONG-TERM savings the district will gain from using solar energy. I myself applaud this decision as I am in favor of anything that lessens the detrimental impact to the environment.
I am very happy for you that you had a good public school education, so did I. If you visit our website http://www.InvestInEducation.info you may have some of your questions answered. If you grew up in Arizona, back in the ’60’s and ’70’s we were ranked 29th among the states in pupil spending. Now we are 48th, if not lower. And if you grew up in another state, well, undoubtedly there was more spent on education there. LESS money is being “thrown at education,” not more.
This was my first year as a teacher at SRRHS. If anyone thinks that the $4.50 a month is not worth their investment, then that person has no idea of the quality of the students in the Sedona Oak Creek SD.
Please, take the time to visit any of the schools in the district. Sit in on one of the classes. Talk to some of the teachers. Meet the students. Afterward, if you still think that these educators and learners are unworthy of the small investment that is being asked, fair enough.
However, I think you will find, as I did, that SOCSD is a very bright beacon in this town. It was delightful working with the Sedona teens. Over a one year’s period, I had to raise my voice only once…to a student who had just moved here from Chicago!!
Overpaid? I have not noticed anyone asking for a pay increase for teachers. The override is designed so that programs, salary and staff will not need to be decreased from current standards. And, finally, from a personal note, I made more money in 1978 than I do now. Like most teachers, I’m not in it for the money.
I agree that none of us normally want our taxes to be increased. However, in this case, this Budget Increase Override is critical to preserving the quality of our Sedona Educational System.
I took it upon myself to visit the School District’s Superintendent to find out the facts and ramifications concerning this Budget Increase Override. Contrary to what some people believe, this Override does not pay for any new school facilities, nor does it increase the salaries for any teachers. What it does do is fund school programs that will have to be cut from the three Sedona Schools if the Budget Override does not pass. Programs that will be affected are: Music programs, counseling programs, physical education programs, “challenged student” assistance programs, performing arts programs, some high school sports programs, and advanced math, English, and science programs for the high school.
By the way, our Sedona teachers are not overpaid, as one reader expressed. They are dedicated individuals who are willing to teach at reduced salaries because they love to teach and they love kids. Nor do the principals and head administrators receive “bloated administrative salaries” as one naive reader believes. Also, our local high school has wonderful sports programs, and win or lose, life values are taught through these sports, values that help shape the future success of all those who participate in sports.
As a former military veteran of 23 years and combat fighter pilot, and as a former USA Olympic Team member, I love our country! The future of America depends on providing our kids the best education possible. At an average annual cost of approx. $50 per Sedona household, this is a small price to pay to save and preserve these school programs that will otherwise need to be cut. Please join me and so many others with a “Yes” vote for the Budget Increase Override this coming November.
Lew Hoyt