Enough is enough: no new school taxes!

Enough is enough:no new school taxes!

Proposed tax increase: • 7.4 mils • 10 years • Cost to $100,000 homeowner/occupant = $226.63/yr. (Auditor)

2010 U.S. Census: FAIRBORN: State: Poverty 14.2% Homeowners 69.2% Median Income $47,358 Median House Value $136,400 • Poverty 20.7% • Homeowners 48.8% • Median Income • $39,303 • Median House Value • $111,800

2010 U.S. Census • Between 2000 and 2010, the number of businesses in Fairborn decreased by 20%.

Housing Issues • Foreclosure rates rising (FDH, 2012): • 2010: 168 • 2011: 183 • Fairborn has 22% of the county’s population but 40% of its Section 8 housing (city’s 2010-2012 Draft Consolidated Plan).

Fairborn is Struggling • It’s time for our city and schools to wake up to the reality of Fairborn’s dire economic situation!

Schools to City • FCS out-tax the city government about 3 to 1. • The city collects 2 levies on property – the schools have 7.

School tax rate • Fairborn had a 2011 rate of taxation for schools at 52.65 (Auditor’s office). The only higher rates in the county are Yellow Springs and Bellbrook/Sugarcreek, two much wealthier communities. • Beavercreek = 48.90 • Xenia = 43.90

Property Taxes climbing • From 2001 to 2011, school funding from property taxes has gone up by 33.5% and school funding from all tax sources has increased 16.7%. • (OpportunityOhio.org )

Property Values Declining • The Dayton Daily News reported in September 2011 that Fairborn home values had dropped 8.92%, the biggest drop in Greene County.

School District income tax • According to the Department of Taxation, only 182 of 611 school districts in Ohio collect an income tax. Fairborn does. The city also collects an income tax.

IS Fairborn fair? • Are we doing enough?

LOCAL EFFORT? • The ODE’s “local effort index” is designed to “reflect the extent of the effort residents...make in supporting...schools.” • State Average 1.0 • Similar Districts 1.0567 • Fairborn 1.2476

COSTS per pupil: • FCS spend $10,127 per pupil per year, much more than annual in-state tuition at Wright State University ($8354.00)! • 2010 = $10,053.16 • 2009 = $ 9,592.00 • 2008 = $ 9,457.99

$ = quality? • At least two of the top ten districts in Ohio spend LESS per pupil: • Marion Local $9,143 • Minster Local $9,346 • Oakwood spends $11,237, but has an average income of $115,347! • Beavercreek spends $10,391 with an average income of $71,551.

Why the Budget Squeeze? • 78.47% of the school’s entire budget is spent on salaries and benefits (ODE).

“SelectIve” cuts • They threatened to cut everything from busing to gifted and special education programs. What DIDN’T they threaten to cut? Teacher and administrator salaries, of course!

Salary Comparison -OH Dept. of education: • Average Fairborn resident = $42,038* • Average Fairborn teacher = $56, 249 • Average Fairborn school administrator = $82,529

Nice work if you can get it….. • For fewer than 185 days of work, teachers on average already make $56,249. If they worked a full 260-day year like most Ohioans, their current hourly rate would equate to a median salary of $82,054.

Out of control spending: • As household income grew by just 6.5% and inflation increased by 24.4% since 2001, teacher pay jumped 34.3% and total spending rose by 14.3% with current and future compensation costs swallowing (over) 77% of all spending. • www.opportunityohio.org

Superintendent Salary: • 2011 – ODE and Buckeye Institute • CityEnrollmentSalary • B’creek 7,875 $118,400 • Fairborn 4,752 $145,147* • Dayton 14,174 $145,384 • *Highest -paid in Greene County!

Other High FCS salaries • In 2011, 4 other FCS employees earned more than $100,000 (Buckeye Institute) in salary alone.

The myth of the “underpaid teacher” • Sampled 54 Primary school teachers meeting the following criteria: • Identified as a teacher on the staff directory, working 7.5 hours/day for 181 days of the year; • 2011 Salary available via Buckeye Institute: • 34 of the 54 made $60,000 or more; 12 of those made $70,000 or more • This is salary ONLY and does not include benefits such as healthcare, education, etc.

The Myth of the “Pay Freeze” • 44 of the original 54 sampled had salary info available for all three years of 2009, 2010 and 2011. Of those 44, only 17 had one year or more at the same pay level. ALL others had pay increases each of those three years!

Local Support • We were told that some communities “pay more than 80%” of all school costs locally. • There are four. Here is how they compare with Fairborn:

Fairborn vs. Beavercreek • We were also told that Beavercreek pays much more of their school costs locally. According to the ODE, their average income is $71,551. • Beavercreek does NOT meet the average (1.0) local effort index, coming in at only .06446. • Fairborn residents are giving more with less to give.

Scare tactics? • We were told that after the state took over the Little Miami School District, the community had to pay about three times more than they would have if they passed the district’s levy requests. That is FALSE.

The Truth: • Dayton Daily News: Little Miami Schools had sought levies as high as 16.95 mils before the state took over. Afterward, they eventually passed a 13.95 mil levy – a much LOWER amount. • Another detail left out of this story was the fact that the Little Miami Schools were considered one of the worst local funders of schools in the state – not a generous community like Fairborn!

FIX the funding! • Over the past 15 years, the Ohio Supreme Court has ruled that the state’s system of funding schools is unconstitutional. Instead of all endless lobbying for more levies, let’s see the schools make some efforts to get this system fixed!

Can we afford it? • Based on the current financial status of Fairborn – another levy of any kind simply isn’t feasible. • If the state has to come in and force the district to make cuts, then so be it. • Enough is Enough!

Questions?For more info: • www.fairbornspeaks.com • For more info about the levy and other city issues.

Enough is enough: no new school taxes!