Yes, most people refer to education as an expense they have to pay in the form of a tax, and many complain that they should not have to pay it if they don't have kids. This ignores the investment aspect of education and how all of us benefit from having an educated population. Money spent on education reduces medical costs (shared by all of us in the form of insurance, etc) reduces crime rates and the related cost of law enforcement and our penal system, improves productivity and government tax revenues, etc, etc, etc.

Education is a wise investment. That does not mean that we should just throw money at it, I am convinced that there is enormous waste in our education system and a lot of that waste could be reduced.

TRIM (Truth in Millage)

All tax increases are the recommendations of elected officials

That's because they're working at home.


I know from watching my teacher friends work at home.

You obviously have never spent much time around a teacher. My wife was one for 40 years and I assure you that you are dead wrong.

and who else gets summers off? Public schools in money sinkhole.

Wellll......after school clubs, sports games at school and away, choir, week long school trips. Mark papers, homework, assignments, prepare curriculum and day plan by the hour for every day, prepare weekly plan, monthly plan. For each group of children by their level of reading, and their level of maths considering their skills and interests. Prepare for special needs, how to integrate them effectively socially and academically. Just a tiny bit of a teacher’s day. Teachers cannot “wing it” and every class, every group of children have different needs.

I also had English as a Second Language children, some not speaking a word of English but heads and shoulders above the rest in math and science. I went to Cantonese classes with my students after school too to see what they were learning. Home visits, parent teacher interviews, professional development meetings, weekly school meetings. Etc etc. order class supplies, equipment, prepare hands on activities by level. Often classroom budget is not enough I use my own money to supplement, most teachers do. There is so much more. The children need your attention when they are there. When do you suppose the teachers do these things?

Ahhh, someone who never lived with (or was) a teacher. You have no idea. Spend 30+ years in an urban school system and you just might change your attitude. I DARE YOU. ;)

Edit: Make that ONE year.

The topic of this thread is the Sumter Country TRIM notices. If you wish to discuss teacher pay/responsibilities please start a thread on that topic. Further off topic posts will be removed.

Moderator

I think the two, TRIM or levees, and teacher salary schedules (which have multiple columns, are actually interrelated), not separate issues. Just to clarify a bit, no offense.

I hear all these complaints. Has anyone said petition by September 17th and fight your tax assessment. The Trim notices on my street and the villages is all over the place and not consistent included market value and assessed values. the trim notices are done by a mass appraisal algorithm's that isn't close to being accurate for everyone. Do your homework folks its all on the internet. The Petition is only 15.00 .Also they are suppose to visit the neighborhoods every 5 years per the statute for a fair assessment, which never happens.
Stop complaining and go fight at a hearing and they will get the message, they can't deny everyone.
Going to the board meeting will get you no where and it will be business as usual. JMHO

It is interesting to see just how much home values have gone up here in the last ten years. Just type in your address and see what Zillow, etc. has to say.

Increase Explanation
 

If you read the response the Commissioner provided regarding the proposed 25.6% Sumter County Tax increase as reported
in the newspaper you were being taken to the troth again. There is no mention as to why there wasn't /isn't a "Reserve Fund" that would compensate for being hit with 25% increase in one shot! Do you remember when the Paradise Rec Center was falling apart and when asked to fix it the Developer allegedly said there was no money available as no reserve fund was in place. 4 hero's of the POA stepped in, put their individual personal money at risk, sued the Developer and won $40M. The court, in a fine and wonderful decision awarded each of the 4 $50KPP for taking the risk to protect the resident's. Here we are again..No funds put aside by year to prepare for these normal infrastructure future expenses. Only this time the Commissioner's are trying to get the Residents to pay for their failure's. They make mention in the reporting how fortunate the residents were that for the past 20 years taxes have been low.That's an insult to every resident as these Public Servants used a false sense of balance to get reelected each year. If these same individuals are elected, I think 3 are coming up this year and 2 next then we deserve what we get. They also point out the increases are only in the area of $300+. That, for some fixed income residents is a lot of money and to mention how little it is provides an insight as to the depth of understanding each has for the citizens of The Villages. I have heard that some of the Commissioners don't live in the Villages, Have not seen any with a strong "Financial Background" and at least in one case a Commissioner would not even document his qualifications in the State published statement in the internet? I know there will be a lot of arrow's aimed at this note but so be it! Does anybody need more of an incentive to vote??:ohdear::ohdear:

My first year of Sumter County property tax was 2015. Each year since, until this year, my taxes decreased. Comparing this year's proposed tax to my 2015 tax, I will pay about $47 more than in 2015. I don’t think that’s too bad.

I didn’t hear anyone complaining about the decreases on the basis that they should be building a reserve.

Nobody likes an increase in their expenses, be they groceries, amenity fees, property taxes, insurance premiums, etc., but they will all rise in the long term. So I’m just glad the property taxes didn’t go up any more than they did.

How do people who are not there till later find out what their taxes are? This will be my first year.