Bullet Points Vote NO Abilene Career Tech

VOTE NO! Abilene Career Tech High School!
Web address: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/VOTE-NO-Abilene-Career-Tech-High-School/139054847791
Flier:

3 talking points http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?topic=11387&post=60382&uid=139054847791#post60382
Three main reasons for not supporting:
No plan: No precise business plan had been provided and no location has been chosen.
No hope: It is believed that actual vocational students and existing vocatrional workers will suffer lower pay and positions to flooding the job market.
No Trust: 1 A 9 million dollar plan was suggested and rejected
2 bond money from 2004 is not being used for repairing existing middle schools
3 Supporters refuse to debate us. If they had a good plan they would come debate. They have already refused to come to one forum.


Media talkin points: http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?topic=11387&post=60382&uid=139054847791#/topic.php?uid=139054847791&topic=11301
• “The Midland ISD School Board decides it's just too soon to present the public with a $62.3 million bond. …Timing is everything because our local economy today is not in the best of shape," said Board President Jay Isaacs.” (http://cbs7.com/news/details.asp?ID=14589, August 25, 2009)

• “If the bond issue passes, property tax rates will rise…” (Abilene Reporter News, August 24, 2009)

• “The budget gives all staff raises of at least 3 percent and leaves a deficit of nearly $1 million.” (AISD Superintendent David Polnick, Abilene Reporter News, August 24, 2009)

• “AISD taxpayers are still paying off debt from the 2004 bond election for $76.5 million worth of renovations extended to every campus in the district, which are still under way. Those bonds will be paid off in 2025”. (Abilene Reporter News, September 12, 2009)

• “The school board has said it may come back with another bond election as early as next year to build two new schools to replace Fannin, College Heights and Bowie elementary schools. That would require a bond issue of about $11 million. However, school board president Stan Lambert said the next bond issue could also consider more issues, like renovating the old Jefferson campus, new classrooms at Bassetti and Dyess and a permanent location for the recently opened engineering magnet school called New Tech High School.” (Abilene Reporter News, September 12, 2009)

• “In 2004, voters approved $76.5 million in bonds to renovate campuses across the district, and Bowie, Fannin and College Heights elementary schools were last on the list. …Their bond money still sits in the bank, including $3.6 million for Fannin, $1.3 million for College Heights and $3.8 million at Bowie… …However, plans are on hold. (Abilene Reporter News, September 5, 2009)

• “But AISD hasn’t always depended on bond elections to build schools. Craig Middle School was built in 2007 with reserve funds. AISD has about $20 million in reserves right now…” (Abilene Reporter News, September 12, 2009)

• “There has been lots of talk about sites,” Lancaster said. “To my knowledge, no contracts have been signed and a site has not been selected.” (Tim Lancaster, CEO Hendrix Health System. Abilene Reporter News, September 28, 2009)

• “Basic economic theory says it’s bad to raise taxes during tough economic times,” said John Hill, a former Abilene city councilman and economy professor and Hardin-Simmons University. Traditionally, we find ways to cut taxes during an economic downturn,” he said. “It’s up to the voters to determine if now is appropriate.” (Abilene Reporter News, September 12, 2009)


My blog has more detailed arguments:
http://konstantin-for-abilene.blogspot.com/2009/11/responce-to-blogger-in-local-paper.html
http://konstantin-for-abilene.blogspot.com/2009/10/educational-argument-against-tech.html
http://konstantin-for-abilene.blogspot.com/

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