By: Diane Benjamin
WGLT employee RC McBride chaired the Vote YES for Unit 5 group that failed to get the referendum passed in November. That should convince you WGLT actively tried to convince you to vote YES, RC is the General Manager.
On January 19th WGLT did a story detailing draconian cuts that would happen if the referendum fails again this April. Unit 5 supposedly has an $11 million deficit but the referendum would raise $20 million. (What? 😲)
This is the WGLT story: https://www.wglt.org/local-news/2023-01-19/unit-5-board-discusses-possible-cuts-if-voters-reject-referendum-a-2nd-time-in-april
Next WGLT used tax dollars to promote their story on Facebook:
Not that any prosecutors exist, but how about the law on spending taxpayers money. WGLT is PUBLIC RADIO:
WGLT will probably claim they were “disseminating” factual information. The only information in the article is about cuts to items parents and kids both want. There is nothing about cutting staff and administrators. Did WGLT ask?
Review this story from last October: https://blnnews.com/2022/10/05/unit-5-vote-yes-group-using-fuzzy-math/
35% need remedial Community College after graduating. That’s 35% of those planning to go to college. The WGLT article doesn’t mention the quality of the education Unit 5 provides.
You should know what you are paying for. Below is page one from OpenTheBooks.com, there is an entire second page with all salaries over $89,000. 35% need remedial education after 4 years of this, that is 102 people earning more that $94,000. Just on the first 2 pages are 204 people earning more than $89,000.
Taxpayers deserve better results than 35% needing remedial Community College! Obviously Unit 5 if failing students. Handing the same people more money will get you the same results.
How high are salaries going to be in another 5 years?
Is Unit 5 failing their students or are students failing Unit 5? This is the question that needs an answer because the answer should determine how and where to dumb money and where to make the necessary cuts. WGLT and others seem to believe the myth that spending more money will yield better results. I agree 35% of our students needing remedial education is unacceptable, but is a tax referendum the answer? What about the 65% who don’t? Many of these students are scoring very high test scores and going to top universities upon graduation. Why does it work for some and not for others? Unfortunately, Unit 5 is more and more moving in the direction of answering this question with the woke agenda of systemic racism, but that most definitely does not justify a tax increase. More money is not the answer to addressing these problems. I was a no on the last referendum and I’m still a no.
You are correct that it’s a problem that extends beyond the schools, but fixing them is an obvious step in the right direction. And more money is not the solution, it’s a guarantee that things will get worse.
Spread the word, volunteer, and donate towards getting the new management we need rather than the new taxes we don’t.
Wglt. Has no journalistic integrity or ethics. They are left wing activists pretending to be news media.
I am sure that if it was all their money they would find someone that new how budget and remove unnecessary costs. Run it as if it was your business