Sheep!  

This is really just a continuation of the last post.  Basically, in other areas of the country, if a school board and administration were practicing misuse of taxpayer funds, you'd have people packing the school board meetings, administrators being fired or going to jail, and folks marching in front of the building with signs.  I have seen this process, and it works!  

An economist once said there are only 4 ways you can spend money.  

Your money, on yourself.

Someone else's money, on yourself.

Your money, on someone else.

Someone else's money, on someone else.

Let's admit it, if you're spending your money on stuff for you, usually you're going to attempt to be thriftier, than say, you inherited a chunk of change from Uncle Buck, bless his soul, and now you can get the truck you REALLY want!  Your money on someone else?  Yeah, they're not gonna get the top drawer stuff, unless it's really on sale.  But, when you get to spend someone else's money, on other people, something happens.  At that point, all efficiency goes out the window, we're just trying to get the job done, damn the torpedoes and full speed ahead!  And THAT, is government (and school!) spending.

Folks, right now, there in Cleburne, the school is trying to rustle through a tax increase that the paper accidentally misprinted, and the administration admitted was a misprint (oopsie!) of a little over over 2%... when in fact, it is a 12% increase in your property taxes.  What do they want the money for?  Well, first off, whenever you hear someone say, in that simpering tone when trying to elicit an emotional response, "It's FOR the... CHILDREN........."   HOLD.  ON.  TO.   YOUR.   WALLET.    In this case, however, it's for the teachers.  

That's awesome.  Every job I've ever held when working for someone else, I got raises based on productivity.  Cleburne ISD currently has just about the lowest marks for education IN.  THE.  STATE.  and you guys are about to give the teachers a raise.    When I grew up in Cleburne as a kid, it didn't look like the Soviet Union, but apparently that's the direction it's headed in, fiscally anyway.  Oddly enough, I don't think the Soviet Union is in business anymore.  

Oh! almost forgot!  This planned tax increase?  All of the money that it generates won't even stay in the school district!  Apparently a large portion of it is going to go back to the State of Texas as some sort of credit, which means that having a tax increase that size is LUDICROUS because the money won't even stay in the area.  

Really folks, if you live there, and especially if you pay property taxes, you really need to start attending the school board meetings to find out how they are going to A) increase your taxes and B) spend YOUR money.  

For those of you who aren't aware, just because you all voted to pass a bond for the school, doesn't mean you have any say in how the money is spent.  Oh, sure, the school board is there to be provide checks and balances against the administration spending YOUR money willy nilly, but if the school board were doing THEIR job, I wouldn't have too much to write about.  Not to worry, however!  Your school board, and the administration there at the school, have had enough boondoggles throughout their history to keep me busy for quite some time, even if I didn't touch on current events.  But I am going to touch on current events, such as this concession stand being built over at the middle school right now.  

The bond you passed, that included this concession stand, apparently referenced that the concession stand was to be built in the same manner and cost bracket as one already existing in the ISD.  If you ask the administration, they'll tell you, 'Well, the voters approved it!'.  Sure, they approved a concession stand like the one in the ISD at another location.  What they didn't approve was a $277,000 hot dog stand built by an out of town contractor with no local bid options. 

I want you to think about what all can be bought in Cleburne, Texas, for $277,000.  That's a lot of land, or a big house, or a yard full of high end sports cars, or even enough money to keep a marine division operating, in combat, for several hours.   But instead, you're going to get... a hot dog stand.  For $277,000.  Oh yeah, and the school  system already owned the property, so, this is just the building we're talking about.

If it costs $10 per trip to access the bathrooms in this thing, now you know why!