Heart Sick

I apologize to my 2 followers for this post...it's going to be a downer, so just skip it.

While I truly appreciate the freedoms we enjoy, and the fact that we get to vote, I am just sick about our local school bond that was voted down for the third time in a row. This time by a landslide. I don't know what is more disappointing... the fact that it was shot down and nobody seems to care about our future and our struggling community, or the fact that only 3500 people voted at all. My friends, the Johnsons, who were VERY involved in campaigning and educating our dismal community on the importance of it passing, said that 1400 NO votes were counted in early ballots. Canadians told them how disgusted they are with our education system in the U.S. even before we knew the results.

Here's a little info I found tonight at the US Census Bureau. Our population in 2000 was 1,040. Our population in 2010...any guesses?  43,482! That's a 999.9% increase. The other demographics were very interesting as well, if you'd like to see for your self, check it out on their website.

Do you think a 999.9% increase in population justifies a tax increase for our public schools? Ten years ago there was one elementary school, middle school and high school. Now there are six

elementaries, two middle schools, and one high school.The raise in property taxes would have been an

average of $10-15 a month for a $90K home, which few of them are even valued at that much now. My home is worth less than that, and we purchased it for around $250K six years ago.

Meanwhile, my son's first grade class is at 33. His kindergarten class was half that. He has half

the specials he had last year, PE & Music once a week for 30 minutes. His school is just now able to hire a librarian, because the teachers chose to turn down a very small raise, so the elective type teachers could be re-hired full time.The art program is taught by parent volunteers which I am coordinating at his school.  It wouldn't happen at all if I hadn't stepped up, found awesome parent volunteers, begged for money from the PTO, and donated tax credit money. 

Kaleb attends the only excelling school in the entire county. Pima Butte recently earned an A grade from the state of Arizona, against all odds. I feel like he is in a good place, despite the realities of the situation in our community. I'm in hate with the COPA right now.

IMO, and since this is my by invitation only, "private blog" here's the rant & rave session you may want to skip over. I don't care if you home school, you're retired, you don't have kids, your kids attend a charter school, or commute to a school "in town."I don't care if you are flat broke and on a fixed income. If you care about our kids, the future, and the community you live in, you should support your local schools. Even if that means forking out more money.

There is something that members of our church strive to live called the law of consecration. I think it could be applicable here. It's something along the lines of dedicating our lives, time, talents, and means to building up the Kingdom of God. In other words, taking care of His children.

Today I was heart sick. And so I held my kids, told them I loved them, and we made cookies. Lots of 'em. An entire pound of butter, and a delivery of cookies & milk to the staff of Pima Butte Elementary later, and I feel better. I hope the teachers that dedicate their lives, time, talents, and means for their classes, our children, feel a little better, too.