Posted: Sept. 2, 2009 |(0) Comments

Public Forum:

A standing-room-only crowd of 56 people attended a meeting of the Brown Deer affiliate of the Citizens for Responsible Government on Aug. 20 at the community room of the Tri City National Bank.

Our group overwhelmingly voted to direct the Brown Deer School Board to implement a zero percent school tax levy this October.

In these tough economic times, the residents of Brown Deer who attended this meeting feel a zero percent tax levy should be adopted even though the board is contemplating a 4 percent increase this year.

The Brown Deer School Board saddled taxpayers in our village with an astounding 12.67 percent school tax levy increase in 2008-2009 and a 5.5 percent tax levy increase in 2007-2008. In just two years, the Brown Deer School District tax levy was increased more than 18 percent. If the School Board adopts the proposed 4 percent increase this year, this means the School Board will have raised the school tax levy by over 22 percent in three short years.

One member of the Brown Deer-Citizens for Responsible Government Board, Joe Klucarich, the first principal of Brown Deer High School, said at the meeting that a zero percent tax levy would not sacrifice the quality of education in our schools.

School Board President Dennis Griffin attended a brief portion of our meeting and answered a number of questions from the audience. Among the questions asked at the meeting were what happened to the $750,000 the School Board borrowed last year, which it didn't pay off even though it promised to do so? Given the "better than expected" report on state aid to Brown Deer, what is the School Board's position on passing a zero percent tax levy?

 

Ron Kundinger

president, Brown Deer affiliate

Citizens for Responsible Government