Many will remember not very long ago, when the unions representing teachers and support staff in Bend-La Pine Schools bargained with the district for months to get more support for educators, and for a cost of living increase that would help educators in this costly part of Oregon keep up. With that, it should come as a shock to no one that the district would need more money to fulfill those obligations. The levy on the May ballot will help to preserve some of the positions that are currently on the chopping block at BLPS, as well as expanding some of the programs at the high school level — such as Career and Technical Education programs — that have helped to keep students engaged and prepared for their future through things like certifications and college credits. In a post-pandemic world, where learning loss and behavioral issues continue to be areas of concern, the levy would also expand support systems for students in the district. And while it’s incorrect to think that any arts or cultural programs would be cut completely should the levy not pass, funds from the levy would help to preserve and even expand some of the offerings in music and art. These are not just “bonus” programs; providing a well-rounded education with plenty of extracurriculars and electives helps our kids compete on a world stage, and provides them with socio-emotional tools that are so sorely needed in the world today.
The levy, which would expire after five years, falls on the backs of property taxpayers in the Bend-La Pine Schools district, to the tune of about $240 a year for someone whose home would sell for $740,000 on the market today (assessed values in Oregon can be much lower, so we find it easier to tell you the sticker price of a home).
Public schools play a much wider role in supporting kids these days than they did in the past — offering everything from basic health care to mental health support to individualized education plans that help those with special needs. That is a lot to put on teachers who are struggling with the expense of living in this community. Attracting and retaining great teachers and staff is the key to great education. That is why this levy is our best investment in a brighter future. Vote Yes.
This article appears in Source Weekly May 2nd, 2024.
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Vote “NO” on Measure 9-167! This math is egregiously wrong. $1 per $1,000 of assessed value equals $740 for a $740,000 home. Hot take: The middle class of Deschutes County is already feeling the intense burden of an overpriced housing market. We shouldn’t vote to increase that burden with a “temporary” tax. And I say “temporary” because no time in history has a government, big or small, retracted power once established. With the median home price being $699,000, this pencils out to ~ $3500 tax bill over its lifetime for the average homeowner. And this will not just affect homeowners, it will affect renters as well. It’s no secret that landlords do not bear the burden of increased costs. It’s a business to them and their customer is the tenant. VOTE NO on Measure 9-167!
@Walker88
No house selling for $740k is going to be assessed for nearly that amount. It says right in the article “(assessed values in Oregon can be much lower, so we find it easier to tell you the sticker price of a home)” Maybe passing this levy can help improve reading comprehension in the community.
They won’t stop trying, will they? Hard pass. We would have plenty of money if our city and county politicians would stand up, stop taking handouts from developers and put the burden back on development (it’s out of control as it is) and take more advantage of a HUGE source of tax revenue most cities don’t have………tourism!
To The Editorial Source Team: While I would usually always support education, my vote will be a NO. I believe education is one of the most important tasks of raising a human. I have been an educator for 30 plus years as well as having three children that have or do attend Bend La Pines Schools. And while I have had an extensive conversation with a BLPS board member who supports this levy and I truly respect this board member as this person had very valid points for a yes vote, my vote is still a NO. Here are my reasons.
Your response of supporting this levy followed up with an ending “That is a lot to put on teachers who are struggling with the expense of living in this community.” Do you all realize that this levy will make it even more difficult for teachers who work in Bend to live in Bend?
This levy needs to be looked at in a wholistic way. This is increasing property taxes that gets compounded already every year by 3% not to mention all the bonds already in place and now the transportation tax, the 29% increase Pacific Power that is going to happen in January, and then the 16% that Cascades Gas increased this year. I know of six teachers in BPLS that commute from Redmond and beyond and I don’t know many teachers here. So this is one reason for my no vote. How are elderly/retired folks not going to get pushed out of their homes. And your math is incorrect as the commenter Walker88 made. It’s much more. So, we need to work on educators being able to even live in Bend.
Then your piece states: “The levy on the May ballot will help to preserve some of the positions that are currently on the chopping block at BLPS, as well as expanding some of the programs at the high school level such as Career and Technical Education programs.” I am curious as to how many of you have children who are currently in BLPS? BLPS has a huge problem with their curriculum. They need a huge curriculum reform with a proper foundation starting in Kindergarten if they want to see successful and thriving students. A majority of students in BLPS are not thriving. It’s quite the opposite. Their priority should be to absolutely get rid of IPADS as a primary learning tool/device. The conclusive data is out and is pointing to children being exposed to these devices and to social media which BLPS has on these devices are having devastating affects with behavioral and mental health issues, addiction, eating disorders, processing issues, the need for instant gratification and on and on. The teachers are needing to police these things and to be honest it’s hard to teach children when their students are experiencing these issues. BLPS rolled out these iPads as new shiny technology without doing their due diligence of how this will affect our students which in turn made my children in BLPS along with everyone’s children guinea pigs for this technology. I have three children that attend BLPS and I can honestly say these devices have ruined my children’s love for learning and education. We were fortunate enough to be able to put one in private school and he is flourishing. You want tax levy money here is what I think needs to happen.
Foreign language starting in Kindergarten, not middle school. Language acquisition happens from birth to about 6 or 7 years old. It’s very difficult to learn language after this period unless you’re in a total immersion situation. Handwriting, including cursive writing should be taught for a multitude of educational and brain development reasons. Actual art and music programs for all elementary grades is so important as they are highly correlated to understanding and success in the math and sciences. We need a foundation for our children to be successful and BLPS is on the wrong track. Covid is not to blame for learning loss, it was those iPads. During Covid kids could read books, write, do art etc.. The hard thing about the pandemic was the social situation for our children. Pacific Crest Middle School is currently piloting a diminished use of iPads and they are seeing very positive results from both students and teachers. But why is this a pilot program? Why is this not a district wide implementation. We don’t need anymore evidence of the effects they are having on our students. So our superintendents who inherited this mess from Shay Mikleson have a lot of work to do to get my vote to be a Yes. I am advocating for the iPads to be gone and paper, pens and books to come back into our children’s hands. Imagine the money wasted on these devices and what they could be doing for our district. We probably wouldn’t even be discussing this issue or voting on a Levy.
Typo *Typo Omit Always…..