Baldwin Co. Schools Superintendent Pushes for Sales Tax

vote no on the tax, as the economy improved and the bp money came in they should have been banking the excess in anticipation of the tax expiring. they hoodwinked us into passing the tax, its past time for all of us to tighten our belts and suck it up, its not like the schools are good stewards of our money anyway. and they try and scare us into passing the tax.

2 billion + in the school trust and we have to pay more in taxes (or extend the tax) to cover the short fall. Why isn't this money being used for the schools and why are we having to pay more in taxes because the state is hording money that they claim is for schools but only try to touch the money when the state want to spend it on other things.

If the schools will be closed if the tax is not passed, why not go ahead and close them now and use that money for the other schools. It doesn't make sense to keep them open if the penny tax is passed and if it's not they will be closed. Also I drive highway 98 east toward Lillian twice a day and I see five or six school buses just in Lillian. Is it that many school kids in Lillian ? I pay school taxes and don't even have kids in school. Why not charge the parents a monthly fee for their kids to go to school ? Nothing else is free. Just saying.

As an educator in Baldwin County, I cannot express to you, how important your YES vote is for renewing this one cent sales tax. It is not a new tax but an extension of the one that we have all been paying since 2008. Our school system and most importantly, our students, deserve the right to have all available resources, including sports and band, to ensure that they each have the best possible chance of success in this country. Without this penny sales tax renewal there are 5 local elementary schools slated for closure and approximately 350 jobs identified as reduction in force. I work hand in hand everyday with some of the finest faculty and staff members of this county who truly care about your children. I cannot imagine a future where our classrooms are packed with 40-60 students per classroom and no opportunity for these students to participate in athletics and / or band. Please DO NOT mistake this for SCARE TACTICS by the Board of Education. This is the reality of what we face without this penny sales tax. If this tax is defeated I am surely afraid of the repercussions that we face as a community and a county. The drop-out rate for students will surely skyrocket and educational enthusiasm will be a luxury of the past. The failure to pass this tax will result in a ripple effect across this county which will rival that of hurricane devastation and the likes of the BP Oil Spill financial losses. Make no mistake, it is the children that will suffer and it will not be short term suffering, it will be long lasting and devastating to the hopes and dreams of every child in this county. As educators and professionals, if this does not pass, I assure you that we will push on with the resources we have and provide the best we can for our students. We teach NOT for the money but for the love of our students and the satisfaction they bring us and themselves with each of their successes in and out of the classroom. Please vote YES to local amendment two on Nov.6th.

Please vote to renew this 1 cent tax, that we have been paying for several years. It isn't a new or added tax, but extends an existing tax. Without this renewal ALL Sports and band will end, Schools will close, and transportation will be cut, which means you will need to get your child to school and back. We have some of the lowest taxes in the Nation and I believe 1 cent for the children of our community is not a hardship. You would barely notice the reduction should this fail and the tax was rolled back. Please, for Our Kids! Vote to extend the tax.