Lehighton Area eyes property tax hike -- Property Tax

Lehighton Area School District residents could be looking at a 1.9-mill increase in their property tax bill.

[PeoplesRepublic of Carbon]

"The school district's technology department budget also is up $129,000, from $331,000 to $460,000. The district needs to hire a technology director and upgrade equipment, and may hire an intern, DeAngelis said."

Wasn't this position recently eliminated with the work farmed out to the IU in order to save money?

[Farm boy]

Just tax us out of our homes. Money mismangement. No one can say no to spending! Give your wish list and you will have it honored! No questions asked!

[Fat]

Farmboy,

Ask that questions to all the teachers that get MULTIPLE budget requests for their classrooms on a yearly basis. Or the athletic coaches that have equipment turned down. You guys have to understand the budget if the previous board from 4 years ago spent their money morewiselt, we would still have a 6 million dollar fund balance to take from. But they did not raise taxes EVEN SLIGHTLY to make themselves look better and took all the money from the fund balance to balance the budget. Oh and then there were those lights we put up. This board has done a great job of managing expenses. Have you seen your taxes go up any more then 1.9 mils since this board has been in. No and guess what they have been operating in a fund deficit situation since they took over since the fund balance was all used. And they have cut and trimmed in all areas to prevent this from happening. Your taxes are now where they should have been at 5 years ago if the previous board would have raised taxes instead of using up all the fund balance which could now be used to supplement these smaller increases.

[I fund your pensions]

I'm glad everyone gets what they want as our taxes fly through the roof. Did anyone take notice a gallon of milk costs almost $5 now? Everything has gone up in price, including the teacher salaries, as the rest of us work to live while they live to work. It must be nice.

[Lehighton Taxpayer]

Fat, you must be a disgruntled board member. If this board has been doing a "great job" than why did you get rid of your business manager? From what I'm told, the previous board did not do as you say to make them look better. They seemed fiscally conservative. Why don't you look into cutting taxes in the district? Now that would be a "great job". Oh yeah... the previous board did that and still had a good sized fund balance. It is also appalling that a majority of the board is related to employees of the district and vote on their contracts without any concerns for the taxpayers. That is where the biggest chunk of taxes go... salaries!
There has to be at least one person on the board with common sense. Step up to the plate and stop raising taxes.

[Darryl]

It's funny, a hundred years ago kids were taught in one room school houses with no air conditioning, computers or gymnasium equipment and test scores were higher.

[Not Again]

I fund your pensions wrote:

I'm glad everyone gets what they want as our taxes fly through the roof. Did anyone take notice a gallon of milk costs almost $5 now? Everything has gone up in price, including the teacher salaries, as the rest of us work to live while they live to work. It must be nice.

Do you not think that teacher's don't buy the $5 gallon of milk like you do? What about paying to fill up their cars with gas that's over $3 a gallon? They have to do it too.

Trust me, many teachers work to live, not live to work. Let me know when you meet a teacher who is a millionaire...then we can talk.

[Tax Payer]

It was my understanding if I voted for gambling in PA our school taxes would go down. Just remember to vote, if they are in vote them out.

[WTF]

Not Again wrote:

<quoted text>
....Trust me, many teachers work to live, not live to work. Let me know when you meet a teacher who is a millionaire...then we can talk....

You're correct no millionaires (yet). But it is difficult to feel bad for a unionized "professional" employee working only 9 months of the year.

[Not Again]

WTF wrote:

<quoted text>
You're correct no millionaires (yet). But it is difficult to feel bad for a unionized "professional" employee working only 9 months of the year.

Once again, WHEN there are millionaires who are teachers, who get PAID for only the 9+ months of work, then we can talk. People who only think about teachers as being union truly make me sick.

[I fund your pensions]

Thank you WTF!

[Not Again]

I fund your pensions wrote:

Thank you WTF!

And I'm sure that wherever you work, somebody funds your salary, so personally, I say deal with it!

There are a lot worse things going on in this world to worry about than about teacher's pensions. If you don't like it, don't pay your taxes and then see where you land! Wait...then we'd be supporting you with our tax dollars and that just wouldn't be fair.

Have a nice day!

[Patriot]

Fed up yet? Go to www.ptcc.us and read the legislation that is in committee to TOTALLY ELIMINATE SCHOOL PROPERTY TAXES. It also puts spending controls on school districts and has plans to equalize educational opportunities for all children all over the state. Call your legislator and tell them to support HB 1275.

[Not Again]

Patriot wrote:

Also, go to www.the-patriot-s-voice.com and read the PSEA survey for any legislative candidates. If these legislators won't walk in lock step with the teacher's union, they won't get any money for their campaign. If they answer the questions the right way, their campaign coffers are stuffed with funds from the PSEA using DOLLARS THAT ARE REMOVED FROM OUR POCKETS THROUGH THEIR BLACKMAIL (STRIKE). If you want to see the salaries of teachers who DO WORK ONLY 9 MONTHS OUT OF A YEAR, HAVE THEIR POST GRADUATE COURSES PAID FOR, THEIR HEALTH BENEFITS FOR THE FULL YEAR, ETC., GO TO www.stopteacherstrikes.org .

AND THEY GET PAID FOR 9 MONTHS OF WORK...what part of that don't you people understand!

I hate to tell you but your site isn't accurate. I've found a few mistakes on there. If you are going to post this information on the Internet, you should at least get it right.

[Fed Up]

Wake up teachers, you have the best of pay, benefits, working conditions, holidays, work days and work hours. Check what the average salary is in your town. Then you complain and refuse to tutor your students after school unless you get paid for it. You have the odasity to be in your car and out of the parking lot before your elementary students are even on there bus. That is pathetic.
You call yourself professionals, but yet you are Unionized. Replace all teachers with replacement workers for a livable wage and benefits and make them work 8 hours a day all year. The students would recieve a better education with some competitive working conditions just like the private sector.
Work till your 65-68 like the rest of us and try to live off of social security. Absoulty the easiest profession with the least responsibility. Teachers should be held accountable.
I am sure there are teachers that do a great job and deserve everything they get plus more, but there is nothing to measure the teachers ability.