I Just Watched a Video of Paulette Braddock\'s Town Hall Meeting

[Foxmeister]

Now I know why she didn't want to debate during the election. She is one of the worst public speakers I have ever listened to. PM me if you want to watch it. I voted for her in the general election. I hope a qualified candidate runs against her in the next primary.

 

[newsjunky]

Now I know why she didn't want to debate during the election. She is one of the worst public speakers I have ever listened to. PM me if you want to watch it. I voted for her in the general election. I hope a qualified candidate runs against her in the next primary.

I was there Fox. You should have come and asked some questions. What did you think about the questions the two ladies had on the subject of keeping all funds in the Public School System? I think there is a bill out there to allow kids who are not part of the system to play sports and join other activities.

 

[lotstodo]

Now I know why she didn't want to debate during the election. She is one of the worst public speakers I have ever listened to. PM me if you want to watch it. I voted for her in the general election. I hope a qualified candidate runs against her in the next primary.

I was there Fox. You should have come and asked some questions. What did you think about the questions the two ladies had on the subject of keeping all funds in the Public School System? I think there is a bill out there to allow kids who are not part of the system to play sports and join other activities.

I didn't see it, but if you are talking about homeschool kids, remember that their parents pay the same school taxes as everyone else in the state and county. Why shouldn't their kids be allowed to participate in sports?

 

[unionmom]

I have a little trouble with the argument about them paying the same taxes because there are tons of residents that have no kids in the system that also pay those same taxes. Should we allow them to use some of the school facilities, too? Stretching the argument I know but where does the line need get drawn? If a family opts out of the school system, should it be an all or nothing? Aren't there sometimes things that happen during the school day that involve the athletes? How would you reconcile the homeschoolers in those situations? (I admit that my experience with athlete activities during the school day are limited to remembering my school days in a different school system.)

 

[newsjunky]

Now I know why she didn't want to debate during the election. She is one of the worst public speakers I have ever listened to. PM me if you want to watch it. I voted for her in the general election. I hope a qualified candidate runs against her in the next primary.

I was there Fox. You should have come and asked some questions. What did you think about the questions the two ladies had on the subject of keeping all funds in the Public School System? I think there is a bill out there to allow kids who are not part of the system to play sports and join other activities.

I didn't see it, but if you are talking about homeschool kids, remember that their parents pay the same school taxes as everyone else in the state and county. Why shouldn't their kids be allowed to participate in sports?

I actually wondered while they were talking what it would do to the system if all home school kids, private school kids, and Virtual School kids showed up in the public schools at one time. The system would not be able to handle it on any level. : They should let those kids be involved in extracurricular activities and be glad the system isn't footing the bill for their education even though their parents are paying for the education of other children. JMO

 

[newsjunky]

Now I know why she didn't want to debate during the election. She is one of the worst public speakers I have ever listened to. PM me if you want to watch it. I voted for her in the general election. I hope a qualified candidate runs against her in the next primary.

I was there Fox. You should have come and asked some questions. What did you think about the questions the two ladies had on the subject of keeping all funds in the Public School System? I think there is a bill out there to allow kids who are not part of the system to play sports and join other activities.

I didn't see it, but if you are talking about homeschool kids, remember that their parents pay the same school taxes as everyone else in the state and county. Why shouldn't their kids be allowed to participate in sports?

I think it extends to Charter School kids who have changed schools and do not have sports, band, and other activities at the new school. Those schools can be geared to focus on math, science, and other special areas. Good for children who have abilities in those areas that need to be developed more.

 

[Foxmeister]

Now I know why she didn't want to debate during the election. She is one of the worst public speakers I have ever listened to. PM me if you want to watch it. I voted for her in the general election. I hope a qualified candidate runs against her in the next primary.

I was there Fox. You should have come and asked some questions. What did you think about the questions the two ladies had on the subject of keeping all funds in the Public School System? I think there is a bill out there to allow kids who are not part of the system to play sports and join other activities.

I had a family obligation that prevented me from attending. I believe any Paulding county student who is attending a charter school or is being home schooled should be able to participate in public school sports as their parents who are property owners are paying property taxes that go to that public school system.

Now if we had a voucher system that allowed the money to follow where the children are home schooled or attend a private school; then I would be opposed to these students participating in public school sports as their parents are not financially contributing to the operations of the public schools.

Charter schools receive public money (tax dollars). Charter school students should be able to participate in public school sports if their parents are paying property taxes.

 

[unionmom]

Their tax dollars are paying for para-pros, counselors, and graduation coaches, too. Do we provide them access to those public school "privileges" as well? I know my opinion is not very popular and I can accept that but if you opt your child out of the public school system your child should be out of the public school system in its entirety. Just my two cents.

 

[newsjunky]

Their tax dollars are paying for para-pros, counselors, and graduation coaches, too. Do we provide them access to those public school "privileges" as well? I know my opinion is not very popular and I can accept that but if you opt your child out of the public school system your child should be out of the public school system in its entirety. Just my two cents.

I agree with Fox that the money should follow the child. The system is broken and I think it would force it to be better. The bill that is being discussed came about because of charter schools and the lack of extra curricular activities in them. Kids have to decide to give those up if they choose to focus on academics in a specialized way. I also agree with Fox that if the kids get vouchers they should not get to take part in public school activities. Fox I forgot to tell you that I thought Paulette did a great job on this question. She said that whatever method of teaching works for the child should be used "period" and the money should go with the child.

 

[Whoa Willie]

I dont think I would want somebody on my schools team that didnt go to my school.

 

[Foxmeister]

I'm a firm believer that competition creates better products regardless of what the product is. Statistics show that when schools have to compete for enrollment in order to get more money, SAT and ACT scores greatly improve. The states need to give control of curriculum to local school boards and at the same time implement the voucher system.

Unionmom, do you think the parents who home school their children or send them to private school should be given back the money they pay in property taxes that support public schools?

 

[Whoa Willie]

Unionmom, do you think the parents who home school their children or send them to private school should be given back the money they pay in property taxes that support public schools?

Im not her, but I will answer: No, cause plenty of people pay the tax and dont have kids. Also have a good school system helps the value of your house, doesnt it?

 

[newsjunky]

Unionmom, do you think the parents who home school their children or send them to private school should be given back the money they pay in property taxes that support public schools?

Im not her, but I will answer: No, cause plenty of people pay the tax and dont have kids. Also have a good school system helps the value of your house, doesnt it?

If it is a really good one. Don't think we have won any awards lately. Several in Cobb have. Walton and Sprayberry among them. I wonder who has better home values?

 

[Foxmeister]

Unionmom, do you think the parents who home school their children or send them to private school should be given back the money they pay in property taxes that support public schools?

Im not her, but I will answer: No, cause plenty of people pay the tax and dont have kids. Also have a good school system helps the value of your house, doesnt it?

Are Paulding County schools peforming that well? The real way to see if a school system is successful or not is how well their students do on the SAT. SAT score average for GA for those taking the SATs in 2009 was 1460. Here are the results for each of our high schools:

EPHS - 1402
HHS - 1387
PCHS - 1383
SPHS -1381

The average score for each of our county high schools peformed well BELOW the state average. We should be demanding our school board provide our students with a curriculum that will provide our children a better education; one that will not only better prepare them for college, but for the workplace after high school as well.

Now tell me how Paudling County schools are going to get me more value for my home when our students are scoring below the state average on the SATs?

BTW, I'm a firm believer if you don't have kids attending public school, you should be exempt from the school portion of property taxes.

 

[unionmom]

Unionmom, do you think the parents who home school their children or send them to private school should be given back the money they pay in property taxes that support public schools?

No. There are all kinds of services that a government provides to its citizens with the tax dollars that are collected. Some of those services are more easily chosen or opted out of. There are plenty of folks who will never step foot in a county library yet they will not and should not see any of that money back.

When deciding between public school or one of the other options there are a lot of aspects to the decision. There are pros and cons throughout the decision and there are some things lost in order to achieve the net gains.

 

[Foxmeister]

Unionmom, do you think the parents who home school their children or send them to private school should be given back the money they pay in property taxes that support public schools?

No. There are all kinds of services that a government provides to its citizens with the tax dollars that are collected. Some of those services are more easily chosen or opted out of. There are plenty of folks who will never step foot in a county library yet they will not and should not see any of that money back.

When deciding between public school or one of the other options there are a lot of aspects to the decision. There are pros and cons throughout the decision and there are some things lost in order to achieve the net gains.

Here's where I'll have to disagree with you. Public libraries are not mandated by the state's constitution, but education is. Libraries can be shut down, but a school system cannot. I've lived in this county now for almost ten years and have never stepped foot into any of its libraries, but I can still use the facilities any time I want during their business hours now can't I?

I have two children still in high school. One graduates next year and the other in two years. My children, just like yours deserve a good education. Both my children also participate in school sports. I believe academics should be a priority over sports, but I also believe sports are important as well because it does develop social skills in working with others; team work that carries over after school.

Since I have children in our public schools and I do pay property taxes, I expect our schools to provide every opportunity to prepare our children for college and the work place. Paulding County schools is not doing that well at all. Our county high school SAT scores are well below the state average. There are several young people in my neighborhood who graduated from college within the last two years who have had to take remedial math classes during their freshmen year of college.

If parents wanted to pull their children out of Paulding schools and home school them because they were dissatisfied with the performance of our schools, I think it's only right they should be able to keep the school fund portion of their property tax to help pay for it as the state is not living up to its obligation to provide our children the education we expect and what we are paying for in our property taxes. Since we don't have a voucher system that allows this, I would expect it to be permissable to allow charter school students (which are funded by our tax dollars) and home school students to participate in public school sports. Afterall, these property owners should see some type of return on money that's being taken away from them to also pay for public school sports.

Do you like it when people choose not to work, but instead abuse government programs the taxpayers are paying for?

 

[Blazing Saddles]

So if we decide to find better education avenues for our children, all of our tax money should still be taken but our voice should be silenced? There is a reason why the word "public" is used. That means all citizens can take advantage of the service. If those who homeschool or choose private school can't use the facilities, then they shouldn't pay for it. Find out how much of the taxes that are paid for each service and refund the homeowner their share if you are going to take it away. If they gov't schools were run more like a business, we wouldn't have these problems but since we have more takers than givers, I guess they will keep on taking and we will keep on giving.

 

[Foxmeister]

So if we decide to find better education avenues for our children, all of our tax money should still be taken but our voice should be silenced? There is a reason why the word "public" is used. That means all citizens can take advantage of the service. If those who homeschool or choose private school can't use the facilities, then they shouldn't pay for it. Find out how much of the taxes that are paid for each service and refund the homeowner their share if you are going to take it away. If they gov't schools were run more like a business, we wouldn't have these problems but since we have more takers than givers, I guess they will keep on taking and we will keep on giving.

Well said.

 

[unionmom]

Fair point with the difference between libraries and schools but you forget that the sports programs or other activities are not guaranteed in the constitution.

As for taking the taxes as well as your voice ... you still have a voice. How does your child not participating in the extra activities equal you not having a voice? That one confuses me. You absolutely can still advocate for improvements in the education available in the public schools. You still vote for the public offices involved in the school system.

You simply will not get me on the "if they aren't using it they should get the money back, if they're paying they should have full access" argument because there are lots of folks that live in any jurisdiction that never use the school system where they live but they still have to pay those taxes.

When parents make the choice to remove their child from public schools they are making the choice to remove their child from all of it, in my opinion.


All of this may very well end up being moot in the very near future if our schools have to keep tightening their belts. The "extras" are going to be on the chopping block before too much longer.

 

[Foxmeister]

Fair point with the difference between libraries and schools but you forget that the sports programs or other activities are not guaranteed in the constitution.

As for taking the taxes as well as your voice ... you still have a voice. How does your child not participating in the extra activities equal you not having a voice? That one confuses me. You absolutely can still advocate for improvements in the education available in the public schools. You still vote for the public offices involved in the school system.

You simply will not get me on the "if they aren't using it they should get the money back, if they're paying they should have full access" argument because there are lots of folks that live in any jurisdiction that never use the school system where they live but they still have to pay those taxes.

When parents make the choice to remove their child from public schools they are making the choice to remove their child from all of it, in my opinion.


All of this may very well end up being moot in the very near future if our schools have to keep tightening their belts. The "extras" are going to be on the chopping block before too much longer.

You're absolutely correct; sports in schools are not mandated by the constitution. Then why should tax dollars pay for sports period? Why not instead, have funraisers and the parents of participating students pay the total costs associated with playing?

When you go to a restaurant to eat and the service and the food does not meet your satisfaction; do you go there again? Maybe it was a bad night, so you return and give it a try and again the food and service does not meet your satiisfaction. Are you going to continue giving them your business in return for a poor product? I wouldn't. In fact, I would give another restuarant the opportunity to earn my money. They key word is earn.

BS is absolutely correct that public schools should be run like a business. Private schools are. They need to be in order to keep their classrooms full to stay in business. In order for them to stay in business, they ensure they have a curriculum that better prepares their students for college. If they don't, the parents pull their kids and send them elswhere and they are no longer earning that family's buisness. The more students they lose because their curriculum is not satisfactory, they more money they lose and if they don't make the necessary changes, that school won't be open very much longer.

Why shouldn't we be able to do the same thing with our public schools? If our public schools are not adequately preparing our children for college or the work place, then why should we continue to give them our money? What incentive do they have to fix the problem? They don't. All they give us are excuses. If we were allowed to take the money from what we pay into school and use it for a private school or home school program that has proven to be successful, the public schools will have no choice but to make the necessary changes to improve. If we continue to give them money, they're not going to fix anything.

A perfect example is the math curriculum. It's a failure. Our state school superintendent even said it was a failure, but what is he going to do about it? Nothing, absolutely nothing. Now tell me why I should be forced to continue to give public schools money when it's obvious they don't want to fix the problems they know to exist?