Take A Stand

 I found the flyer to the right in my mailbox. For once, I an not the one originating the literature. It is a good feeling knowing that others are concerned with the same issues.

Those of you who have not examined your tax bills carefully should really do so. The letter that came with my tax bill described all of the things given us. None of these things do I remember us requesting.

My taxes went up significantly per quarter. My homeowners Insurance went up over 400 dollars per year and was based on the way the City assessed the value of my home. The value of my home went up significantly and we all know that I would never be able to get that high amount for it, because of the location. The services in the 4th ward are pitiful. You would not believe the hoops through which we must jump in order to get a visible sign indicating the speed limit on my street. 

Prospective Buyers will laugh at the ridiculous amount when taking into account:
The school district
The Recreation Rental of the pools Situation
The Development of every inch of Open Space in the City
The Density already encroaching upon our homes
The Selling off of Park Land
The EnglewoodONE farce
The serious neglect of my ward
The failure of our Councilman to fight for his constituents 

Municipal taxes being held flat and not increasing is misleading. If services are reduced, that means and increase on taxes for those who use the services. Increases are hidden. School Board tax increases are more up in your face.

We continue to pay to supplement the education of children from other towns while we do not even have a Pre K - 8th grade reading program (a list of books is not a Reading Program). Our home grown Englewood children will never be able to compete with children educated in other towns if we do not teach them to read. YES, TEACH THEM TO READ AND COMPREHEND.

Those of you who are keeping up with the online testing CRAZE called PARCC know that reading instruction must become stronger, otherwise our children will never pass MATH and will continue to lag behind other districts. It is going to get worse.

Yet our taxes continue to increase in both the Municipality and the School District. What will it take to make us ACT TOGETHER? Outside students already place in the highest ranking in our School District. Our children cannot compete. TOO MANY OF THE 2015 GRADUATES barely passed the HSPA. MANY OF THEM STILL HAVE NOT PASSED THE HSPA. They learned what they were taught. STOP trusting and start PUSHING BACK. Right now your taxes are doing a better job of educating children from other towns.