Reading Mr. Skolnik’s article on the RB public forum on the upcoming tax referendum (“Tax hike gets cold shoulder at RB forum,” Dec. 15) brings up some interesting points and questions.
Our new principal complains our books are eight years old. Why haven’t they been updated sooner? It would have been cheaper to update them a little at a time rather than one fell swoop. She must remember this is no the Hinsdale school district. This is Riverside, with a one-school district and a lot smaller tax base.
It would be a good idea for the RBHS board to realize this fact also. It’s more than histrionics or threats, it’s more like highway robbery or blackmail, even theft. Reducing teachers and class sizes will not adversely affect the support or personal attention to students.
Both RBHS and District 96 must learn to live within their means just the same way we taxpayers have had to do.
Let’s take a look at how other school districts operate. Take Lyons Township District 204. They use zero-based budgeting, justifying every expense, not spending what you don’t have. It’s been so long since they have had to ask for a referendum, no one can remember the last time. This is what we need on the RBHS board, someone who cares about fiscal responsibility and looks out for the taxpayer. But, then again, LTHS is a two-school district with a larger area to draw from.
We taxpayers have to ban together to defeat this referendum for RBHS. We can no longer afford these large tax increases. We must demand accountability and management, not what we have now – threats and blackmail.
Frank Vlazny
Riverside
