Why Every Parent Should Vote Yes on March 16
Why Every Parent Should Vote Yes on March 16
by Lisa Daily
Over the last month, I have become Referendum Girl, or maybe Super Referendum Girl. I’ve flown around Sarasota with a trunk full of informational flyers, decked out in a fluorescent green VOTE YES shirt, putting vanity aside and wearing a dorky red hat with an apple on it. Maybe you’ve seen me.
I’m just a parent, like a lot of you. I’m also a homeowner like a lot of you. And like you, I’m pretty grateful for the schools that we have in Sarasota County. (And not only because good schools mean higher property values, better medical care and more businesses moving into the area.) I’m also grateful that my kids are getting the fantastic education they’re getting, without me having to write a $17,000 tuition check every year for each kid. I’m really (really) grateful about that part.
Having lived in other parts of the state, I’m also acutely aware of how lucky we are to have the Sarasota County school district. After all, Florida schools are generally ranked among the worst in the nation. According to the Miami Herald, Florida is 47th (or 39th , depending on which measure you use) in the country in terms of school funding, and Education Week Magazine gave Florida an “F” in terms of our students' college readiness.
Add to that the fact that a think tank at Johns Hopkins found that Florida was among a few states whose low high school graduation rates put Florida in a "crisis category". And according to a Northeastern University study, Florida has among the most pathetic high school drop- out rates in the nation (1 in 5) or 20.1%. It gets even worse: Less than 44% our state's tenth graders are reading at grade level.
But not in Sarasota County. Since the 1 mill tax passed eight years ago, we’ve seen record graduation rates of 86%. Our drop-out rate is just 2.1%. 95% of our elementary schools and 86% of our middle schools are rated “A”. In fact, 84% of all the schools in our district are rated “A” or “B”. Our FCAT scores were in the top 10 in the state, and our FCAT essay writing scores were in the top 3 in the state. (Not to mention the fact that we’ve had a 30-point elementary school gain since the referendum passed in 2001.) And the cherry on top: our SAT scores have increased by 19 points in reading and 23 points in math.
Even with the 1 mill tax we’ve been paying for the last 8 years, (which works out to about $12.25 per month for the average family – about the cost of a Starbucks coffee once a week), we still pay lower taxes in Sarasota County than 51 of Florida’s 67 counties – including Manatee.
But if you, our parents and community members don’t get out and vote, and our mill tax isn’t renewed, the district will lose $38 million, which equals 500 teachers. With 55 schools in our district, that kind of cut would be absolutely devastating. A disaster.
78% of the referendum money pays for our teacher salaries (we’re still paying in the bottom 25% nationally). And thanks to the mill tax, we’ve been able to hire and retain the best teachers – 63% have a Master’s degree or higher, while the state average is just 39%. The rest of the money goes to fund things like guidance counselors, data & literacy coaches, art and music at our elementary schools, sports, and science teachers (since when is science optional?), plus the extra 30 minutes of class time each day.
by Lisa Daily
We pay less, and we get more. (This, thanks to the Sarasota County School District -- a lean, mean, educating machine whose admin costs are just 4%, among the lowest in the state.) I’m sure it’s no coincidence that Superintendent Lori White is a Sarasota County school district grad herself.
If we want more for our kids than the bottom of the nation, stripped- down, average Florida education, we have to pay for it and make it happen for ourselves.
This is why I’m wearing a bright green VOTE YES shirt and a funny hat until voting day on March 16. In fact, it’s why lots of parents, grandparents and property owners will be wearing bright green VOTE YES shirts until voting day. We’ll be asking everyone we see to vote. We’ll explain to our neighbors that this is not a new tax, or a tax increase. We’ll be writing letters to the editor of the local newspapers. We’ll be calling our friends and telling them why this matters so much.
We know how good we’ve got it here in Sarasota County. And more than that, we only need to look around the state to see just how bad it can get without the mill tax.
Vote today. Wave signs. Call other voters, and talk to your neighbors. But most of all, show the kids in this community that their future is worth a lot more to you than the price of a few cups of coffee.
-- Lisa Daily
syndicated columnist, author, media personality
How to Date Like a Grown-Up
Fifteen Minutes of Shame
Stop Getting Dumped!
Dating Coach on the hit nationally-syndicated TV show, DAYTIME
As seen in/on The New York Times, USA Today and HITCH: On The Set
www.lisadaily.com *** 941.894.6837
by Lisa Daily
Over the last month, I have become Referendum Girl, or maybe Super Referendum Girl. I’ve flown around Sarasota with a trunk full of informational flyers, decked out in a fluorescent green VOTE YES shirt, putting vanity aside and wearing a dorky red hat with an apple on it. Maybe you’ve seen me.
I’m just a parent, like a lot of you. I’m also a homeowner like a lot of you. And like you, I’m pretty grateful for the schools that we have in Sarasota County. (And not only because good schools mean higher property values, better medical care and more businesses moving into the area.) I’m also grateful that my kids are getting the fantastic education they’re getting, without me having to write a $17,000 tuition check every year for each kid. I’m really (really) grateful about that part.
Having lived in other parts of the state, I’m also acutely aware of how lucky we are to have the Sarasota County school district. After all, Florida schools are generally ranked among the worst in the nation. According to the Miami Herald, Florida is 47th (or 39th , depending on which measure you use) in the country in terms of school funding, and Education Week Magazine gave Florida an “F” in terms of our students' college readiness.
Add to that the fact that a think tank at Johns Hopkins found that Florida was among a few states whose low high school graduation rates put Florida in a "crisis category". And according to a Northeastern University study, Florida has among the most pathetic high school drop- out rates in the nation (1 in 5) or 20.1%. It gets even worse: Less than 44% our state's tenth graders are reading at grade level.
But not in Sarasota County. Since the 1 mill tax passed eight years ago, we’ve seen record graduation rates of 86%. Our drop-out rate is just 2.1%. 95% of our elementary schools and 86% of our middle schools are rated “A”. In fact, 84% of all the schools in our district are rated “A” or “B”. Our FCAT scores were in the top 10 in the state, and our FCAT essay writing scores were in the top 3 in the state. (Not to mention the fact that we’ve had a 30-point elementary school gain since the referendum passed in 2001.) And the cherry on top: our SAT scores have increased by 19 points in reading and 23 points in math.
Even with the 1 mill tax we’ve been paying for the last 8 years, (which works out to about $12.25 per month for the average family – about the cost of a Starbucks coffee once a week), we still pay lower taxes in Sarasota County than 51 of Florida’s 67 counties – including Manatee.
But if you, our parents and community members don’t get out and vote, and our mill tax isn’t renewed, the district will lose $38 million, which equals 500 teachers. With 55 schools in our district, that kind of cut would be absolutely devastating. A disaster.
78% of the referendum money pays for our teacher salaries (we’re still paying in the bottom 25% nationally). And thanks to the mill tax, we’ve been able to hire and retain the best teachers – 63% have a Master’s degree or higher, while the state average is just 39%. The rest of the money goes to fund things like guidance counselors, data & literacy coaches, art and music at our elementary schools, sports, and science teachers (since when is science optional?), plus the extra 30 minutes of class time each day.
by Lisa Daily
We pay less, and we get more. (This, thanks to the Sarasota County School District -- a lean, mean, educating machine whose admin costs are just 4%, among the lowest in the state.) I’m sure it’s no coincidence that Superintendent Lori White is a Sarasota County school district grad herself.
If we want more for our kids than the bottom of the nation, stripped- down, average Florida education, we have to pay for it and make it happen for ourselves.
This is why I’m wearing a bright green VOTE YES shirt and a funny hat until voting day on March 16. In fact, it’s why lots of parents, grandparents and property owners will be wearing bright green VOTE YES shirts until voting day. We’ll be asking everyone we see to vote. We’ll explain to our neighbors that this is not a new tax, or a tax increase. We’ll be writing letters to the editor of the local newspapers. We’ll be calling our friends and telling them why this matters so much.
We know how good we’ve got it here in Sarasota County. And more than that, we only need to look around the state to see just how bad it can get without the mill tax.
Vote today. Wave signs. Call other voters, and talk to your neighbors. But most of all, show the kids in this community that their future is worth a lot more to you than the price of a few cups of coffee.
-- Lisa Daily
syndicated columnist, author, media personality
How to Date Like a Grown-Up
Fifteen Minutes of Shame
Stop Getting Dumped!
Dating Coach on the hit nationally-syndicated TV show, DAYTIME
As seen in/on The New York Times, USA Today and HITCH: On The Set
www.lisadaily.com *** 941.894.6837
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