People can't afford more taxes to build new schools
People can't afford more taxes to build new schools
EDITOR:
I wish to talk about my reasons and reasoning to defeat the Niles bond issue.
When I was young and was at the peak in earnings from my employment, my wife and I paid enough total taxes to pay the salary of at least one school teacher. I can say, without a doubt, that my family, from my grandparents to the generation of my daughters, have never failed to pay any taxes levied against us. But, enough is really enough.
Those of you who want us all to contribute to new schools should look at what is happening in this county. There are thousands of names of individuals and some small businesses that do not pay their taxes for months and years. The ones who owe property taxes are the ones that cause all of the honest ones to pay, pay and pay. School board, please get the county department that is responsible for collecting this money to do its job.
Why should we who find it difficult to pay these increases in taxes, have to do so when our pensions do not increase? Why should we retirees have to continue to give for what we already paid for over many decades? And we even have some of our Social Security, along with our pensions, taxed.
I hear people say that the suburbs of Cleveland and Pittsburgh have people living there with high taxes, but that's because people move to where there is employment.
Look in the local papers and in the court news. The foreclosures seem to be at a record high. Why? Because these homeowners cannot afford what once were their dream homes. Where will these people go? Maybe they can live in the new athletic facilities that this bond issue would pay for.
Back when I started my employment, I paid FICA and the IRS. When I spent four years in the Air Force, I paid FICA and the IRS. When I was married in 1963 and bought a home, both my wife and I paid FICA, the IRS and property tax. When the steel mills closed, I was 48 years old. I left LTV and went to work as a high school teacher at the TCTC. I continued to pay all of the previous taxes mentioned, plus I paid for two kids in college.
I kept my cars for at least a dozen years. I scrimped on personal items, but we paid our taxes. Our generation and the few before us hung on to what we had, to allow us to have what we now have.
The new middle school here in Niles is more than modern enough to become the high school. Then, upgrading of the vacated school could be accomplished without putting an additional burden on my generation.
PATRICK M. LISTE
Girard
Devil will be in the details
EDITOR:
I'm sure the intent of the governor's high school curriculum proposal is good, but doubt that it will lead to increased college enrollment in science, engineering and technology.
Having observed college entrants in engineering and technology for over 30 years, it is obvious that the curricular choices are made based on the kind of experience they had in the critical areas in high school. Chemical engineering was always lowest in enrollment, even though starting salaries were highest, apparently because of poor high school chemistry.
The characteristics of successful college students are motivation and ability. Neither, alone, is adequate. Thus, for the proposed program to be successful, it will be necessary for the students to have satisfying experiences in the academic areas of high school, meaning that the teachers must be able to make their subjects come to life. More training and more pay for teachers will be required.
Good luck.
GEORGE E. SUTTON, Ph.D.
Youngstown
The writer is dean emeritus, College of Engineering & amp; Technology at Youngstown State University.