By: Diane Benjamin
I will refrain from writing what I really think about Unit 5’s inability to live within their means. That would include comments about citizens who don’t vote in local elections or run for office.
No, I didn’t watch the last meeting.
I suggest people in the Unit 5 district take their survey: https://www.unit5enrollmentplanning.com/
I also suggest creating an email address which can’t be linked back to you. That’s not easy to do, but an email address is required. I can’t imagine why. 😎
A reader told me Option 1, which closes the Carlock school, is more fiscally responsible than Option 2. I don’t have an opinion since I don’t plan on watching the meeting. Video: https://vimeo.com/event/5178313
Either way, public schools never have enough money. Just wait for your 2026 property tax bills.
Ellsworth used to have a school decades ago. Now they don’t. Somehow they survived.
Well I think a lot of Carlock folks are pissed because in April 2023, after the property tax hike failed the first time (Nov 2022), the school board somehow snuck it on the municipal election 5 months later, and unit 5 sold the tax hike as the only way to keep Carlock open. So of course, the fear mongering worked and a tiny amount of folks voted to successfully hike the taxes (much less than voted No in Nov 2022).
Then unit 5 illegally passed the school sales tax last year by using taxpayer funds and coordinated with a PAC to urge a yes vote.
And now they want to close Carlock, after 2 tax hikes and all that EAV taxable value increases.
I favor them closing carlock, since unit 5 enrollment is down 1,000 kids since 2019 (less kids means they need fewer teachers, fewer administrators, fewer school buildings, lower spending, etc), but I understand why parents who fought so hard to raise taxes to keep the school open, are now upset that the district is threatening with a school closure again.
They likely need more money to pay for psychiatric help for the students that they’ve damaged with their:
gender fluidity
Race centering
social activism
racial quota disciplinary system
oppressor/victim – social Marxism failed experiment.
When the state uses students as their political pawns, bad, costly things happen.
Oh, I included my own email. Bring it, Unit 5. My kids don’t go there, but I live in the district.