By Doubting Thomas

May 11, 2008 9:18 AM | Link to this

Quite the mandate on this ridiculously audacious school bond - 14 vote margin of victory. Tells me that at least 49.6% of the voters who bothered to go to the polls could see right through the holes in this proposal. Shame on the thousands of other home owners who assured themselves higher taxes for years to come. Gasoline prices-rising to the stratosphere. Food prices-up and away. Local tax assessors-robbing us blind with yearly increases in the appraised value of our properties and showing what a complete fraud the state legislature was in passing statewide property tax relief. Oh yeah, likely Democrat controlled White House and Congress by Jan 2009 all but guaranteeing higher federal income taxes. Yes, passing yesterday's bond was brilliant, just brilliant. I am certain that the even higher tax rate will lead to hundreds of new home buyers flocking to neighborhoods in the LISD - NOT!

Hey, do extra metal detectors, armed guards, and a guarantee that everything in life mirrors the regurgitated TAKS facts come with this bond? Ah, that is a different subject for a different day.

By JT

May 11, 2008 7:34 AM | Link to this

Anyone ready to take bets the bond package won't cover the cost before this is over and they will be back for more?

By Alice

May 9, 2008 10:40 AM | Link to this

I will Watchovau. Also I would like to add that this is not the best time to ask the taxpayers to put their necks on the line. We are already facing higher prices at the pumps. As we all know higher prices at the pumps have already turned into higher prices at the grocery store. It's costing more to get to work and put food on the table, yet our pay isn't increasing. But the elitists in Longview have no problem proposing a bond that would hike our taxes. Most of us live paycheck to paycheck. I know let's talk about our poor planning, you know the have and the have nots thing all over again. Thatıs always a good subject at the BScene partyıs right?
But let's move on, as one Board member puts it when it comes to Longview ISD's poor planning for our children.
And why exactly was the administration building built first???????????????
Please answer that Mr. Satterwhite!

By watchovau

May 8, 2008 6:20 PM | Link to this

The LNJ reports that appraisals are up 5%; keep this 5% increase in your tax payment in mind as you consider whether or not you wish to vote yourselves a 37.5 cent tax increase. The 5% you probably can't do anything about --- but you can vote AGAINST the 37.5 cent increase!

By bill

May 7, 2008 10:17 PM | Link to this

the dollar amount of the merchandise determines if it is a felony or not. Also you have to be convicted for it to count. just my 37 1/2 cents

By Carole

May 7, 2008 5:48 PM | Link to this

What do you call it when someone shoplifts from a department store in the mall and is arrested? Then has their mug shot in the Gregg county website? Last time I checked,shoplifting was a felony.

By Sam Satterwhite

May 7, 2008 5:23 PM | Link to this

It is almost comical how rumors, innuendo, fabrications, and half-truths can become fact when spread under a pen name! First, I nor anyone I have heard has mentioned "37 cents a day" for the cost of the proposed bond. If one would read or listen to our presentations, the TAX RATE will increase a MAXIMUM of 37 1/2 cents over the next 3 years-12 1/2 cents per year, which equates to $26.56 per month for a home valued at $100,000.

Second, I am not aware of any employee convicted of a felony working for LISD. I checked this afternoon with LISD Human Resources to verify this and was told that if this were true, a felon would be terminated.

Next, we all have made mistakes and have all exercised poor judgement, both personally and collectively. After years of fighting, the school board has learned that we cannot change the past, so let it go and work together for the kids entrusted to us. I could fight old battles all day and it would accomplish nothing except to waste time and reopen wounds that are healing nicely. The board is focused, we have a great supt. leading LISD, and there is a tremendous amount of work to do, starting with getting the bond passed this Saturday. As I have written before, if there are issues so great you would throw rocks at those who work for good of the district, please call me at 663-1729 tomorrow and let's talk about it. However, if you are too afraid to use your own name, then don't waste both of our time. I look forward to hearing from you.

By SusanB

May 7, 2008 3:52 PM | Link to this

I'd like to see LISD reach into it's deep pockets and fund it's own buildings myself. The taxpayers shouldn't have to foot this one, since they have put the cart before the horse so many times.Let them pay for it themselves. Mean while put some of those kids in the new admin. building and have the administration do business in one of the old schools, if it's really that important!
Remember VOTE NO!!!!!!!!!!

By watchovau

May 7, 2008 11:21 AM | Link to this

If Satterwhite said the tax increase would be 37 cents per day, I do not understand his math. 37 cents per day is $135 per year. For your tax increase to be this low, your house value would be $36,000. Most of us do not live in a $36,000 house. For a $100,000 house, the tax increase would be $375 per year, or $1.02 per day, or $10,500 over the life of the bonds.

By SusanB

May 7, 2008 9:41 AM | Link to this

I recently recieved a letter from Sam satterwhite about the bond proposal. He stated that supporting it would only cost tax payers approx. .37 cents a day.
The cost of a cup of coffee. Well Sammy I don't drink coffee nor do I have children that attend LISD schools. I do however remember working for the school district at one time or another. I remember that LISD built an Administration building before they ever thought about building any new facilities or repairing a bulding for a child. DOes that mena that it thinks more of it's administration than it's children? Maybe! Let's face it LISD is BIG business. When these schools are built the district that has fallen to a 4A will attract more students gain more revenue and bump back up to a 5A. This will happen all at the cost of the tax payer. It's not about the education if it were LISD would have done this before the Administration building was built, and before the football field was made so wonderful for all it's millions. By the way where is all that revenue we were suppose to see from that football field?
Not to mention the Administrators LISD continues to pay that have commited felony offenses that have been aired on local television stations with the LISD Color US Proud logo behind their mug shot. LISD is notorious for sweeping the crimes of their administrators under the rug and allowing them to keep their jobs.If an educator had commited a felony while working for LISD they would have been terminated immediatley as it says in the employee handbook.
I thought that applied to ALL employees, but evidently Administrators are above the rules and regulations that govern LISD. This administrator is working at LHS amongst your children passing on his/her morals and ethics to them. That has to make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside Longview.
From someone who knows, Vote NO!