This referendum was quite different than last time. Last time we had to decide yes or no to spend sixty two and a half million dollars to correct the problems at the school. There is no argument about the need to correct the problems and get rid of the trailers. This time we had to agree not only to pay the same amount of money, but to do it through uncertain revenue sources. A consulting group seems to think that we can get as much as twenty million dollars donated through a capital campaign. That would be great, but we can't spend that money before we get it. Have they ever raised money for a public school before? Are there really corporations out there that are eager to donate to the most affluent school district in the state of Pennsylvania? I sure hope so. There are a lot of needs among our schools but only a limited amount of money available. The schools are largely responsible for our high property values but if taxes go too high it may have a negative effect. We know that more money will be available in the next few years when we start paying off debt for all the elementary schools. But at the same time the district is growing. Even though all four elementary schools are relatively new now, we made need to expand them soon. The middle school needs work soon. We knew about the needs for the high school years ago but we are just acting now when things have reached a crisis. The middle school will also reach a crisis if we don't act promptly. Schools are not built overnight. It takes years of planning. We need to save some money for the middle school or at least plan for it. Having high school kids going outside of a locked school building to take classes in trailers is a very bad situation. Having middle school students do that is much worse - they are young kids. The public has spoken. Intelligent people who understand the financing needs believe that it is a very dangerous financial plan to fund this 'under the cap'. The cost of living is going up. Diesel fuel is over four dollars a gallon. Our transportation costs will surely increase and we can't cut back on that. We can't drive only some of the students to school. We also can't cut back on salaries or on debt service. there just isn't enough money to pay for everything we want right now. We should do what we have to do to keep the school safe and comply with government mandates and educate our children properly. Things that are not essential can wait. Mr. Murray says that if the roof on your house is leaking you should fix it right away because it will cost more later. I agree with him but also think that if you need to put on a new roof maybe you should wait to build that patio that you want.

The 62.5 million dollar plan has many flaws and it a sacred cow that apparently cannot be touched. We do not need astroturf (especially in view of the two schools in New Jersey who have found high lead levels in the astroturf material). We do not need a greenhouse or a second gym. We need to fix the floor of the original gym. We do not need a weight room or whirlpool spas for the athletes. The road that goes through by the school is going to have to be crossed by the kids everyday and is a safety hazard. We do not need a yoga room. Why can't these kids go to the YMCA? Why should taxpayers provide everything. Is the astroturf, etc. really so important that it means that it torpedos the entire project in the minds of the voters? The education of our children is being jeopardized by the inflexible school board who refuses to change any aspect of the plan because they are so convinced they are right. Please note that Timotha Trigg is the exception. She voted against putting this last referendum out to the voters. If we want modifications to the plan, we are not uninformed or stupid. We are as concerned as the people who voted yes.

I voted for the referendum the first time and against it the second time. There are several issues that concern me. Under the cap finance options do not seem viable without cuts to the 13% of the budget which has any flexibility because the remainder of the budget represents fixed costs. Energy costs, salaries, healthcare and transportation will all increase. This means that the types of things that could be cut are curriculum programs, the number of teachers and paraprofessionals, textbooks, technology and routine maintenance. We do not want our children to be in a situation where bricks and mortar are done at the expense of the quality of the education the students receive in the building. Under the cap finance options tie the hands of future school boards for 25 years. It disturbed me greatly that the School Board did not show how much the program would cost with interest. Anybody who buys a car or a house understands that interest charges are significant and that the cost is not simply 62.5 million interest free. Spreadsheets being circulated by the yes people described debt service calculations without any regard to the actual costs of the project. One cannot do calculations on 62.5 million (with 32.5 under the cap) without giving consideration to interest payments. They also intend to borrow money to pay interest charges which seems financially unstable.

Additionally, I am concerned about the polarizing environment this has brought to the community. People are afraid to say how they voted because they don't want to be labeled. No voters get negatively characterized as cheap, uncaring about education, people who don't love their children, people who don't care about the community, too dumb or too lazy to tour the school or unconcerned about our children's safety. None of this is true. The negativity that has come seems, at least in my view, to have come from the Yes PAC and School Board itself (with the exception of Timotha Trigg). Nasty cartoons have circulated portraying no voters as hillbilly hicks, etc. When I worked for the plan the first time, I was shunned when I tried to tell them that the plan was going to fail because of mistakes they were making. Nobody had a problem when the Pocopson Democrats went through their rules and procedures to endorse the plan. However, when we did exactly the same process to recommend a no vote, then the nasty rumor mill stuff started about how we did something illegal and dishonest. E-mails from the yes people have circulated that "the bad guys won" and none of this is true. Nobody won because we don't have the school fixed. We have to stop this name calling and get the school fixed. We have to get the Board to convene a group of all different points of view to look at the plans and differentiate between wants and needs. We have to make some cuts to the plan. Is anybody going to be less educated if they don't get a new extremities water bath in the athletic area? What about starting from scratch and building a new high school at a different and less congested location? New construction is always cheaper than retrofitting old construction. We need less name calling and labeling and more thinking out of the box problem solving. We need it now!

It is extemely disappointing and frustrating to see the referendum voted down yet again. This not only prolongs the time until much needed updating is done at our high school, but further pushes back improvements needed at the Middle School as well.
Seems to me that those who have voted NO fall in to several general categories- those who are un or misinformed about the needs, those who are retired or have no children and don't want to pay for increased taxes when they feel they get no direct benefit, those who will simply vote against ANYTHING that involves raising taxes, those who through a NO vote demonstrate their unwillingness to recognize that change has actually come to our area ( increased population means increased need for services such as schools) and finally those who are simply short sighted and prefer bandaid solutions to problems.
In my mind education should be a priority not only for the individual, but for society at large.There is no question that the conditions at our high school are negatively impacting our students and teachers. As time goes by, if we are unable to come up with a solution the problems only grow as further progress in the way of more homes/students enter the area. We have seen first hand the results of completing work that is short sighted and sub standard ie. the air conditioning at the high school which cost several times more when completed post renovations.
We are so very fortunate to live an an area of great wealth filled with creative and educated citizens. That is why I find it so difficult to understand how we cannot recognize that we have the means to do this project the RIGHT WAY. The children of our district are affected daily by our community's inability to do the right thing wisely and well-

Hi, I am a ten year old boy that goes to a school in the UCFSD and I want everyone who sees this to eventually VOTE YES! :)
You will make the school better and something we can all be proud of. AND, if you are in the area and selling your house at some point, it could possibly make your house value go up. I really have no idea how much it would increase, but everybody could use a little extra money... I know we could, so pleas vote yes :)

From,
will t.

VOTE YES