When are Sharon taxpayers going to take a lead from the movie �Network� and stick their heads out their windows and yell: �I�m mad as hell and I�m not going to take it anymore!�
This might be a good time to do it and then show up at the next Sharon School Board meeting and scream the same thing.
The board last week announced its decision to build a new elementary school on the site of the current Case Avenue school, after tearing down the current building. The board considered two sites: the current school location or the the former Hadley School property.
Either decision was wrong. Wrong and very costly.
Sharon Middle/High School has undergone millions of dollars in renovations the last few years. The same with Farrell High School. It�s time to take advantage of the facilities that taxpayers have already funded.
Sharon school directors� decision should have been to meet with Farrell School Board and combine the two districts. All high school and junior high students from both districts should be moved into the current Sharon building with all elementary students going to Farrell.
The cost of busing students would be minimal, compared to constructing and maintaining a new school building.
The biggest expense for every taxpayer is the school district. And the level of taxes and sewer bills for Sharon residents is already outrageous.
Board members indicated that they can only spend $20 million on the project.
ONLY?
Where are they going to get that kind of money? When you float a bond for construction, somebody has to pay for it. How much will that increase taxes of Sharon residents who already pay the highest taxes in the county?
Sharon�s population and its number of businesses have steadily declined the last few decades. Houses are for sale on just about every street. But it�s difficult to sell a property at this time anywhere, especially in an area where taxes are so high.
Let�s be realistic. With fewer jobs available in western Pennsylvania, there will not be any influx of new taxpayers into Sharon or Farrell.
It is also difficult to attract more businesses, let alone keep the ones that are here. Every time there is a boost in taxes, every business has to consider its bottom line. If profits drop, it may be time to move.
The enrollment in both districts is a fraction of what it was decades ago. Sharon graduates fewer than half as many seniors as it once did.
Also consider that as jobs get scarce here, younger parents will need to move their families elsewhere to support them so enrollments will probably continue to decline.
Now is the time to pull the word �consolidation� from the dreaded �wish list� and move it to the realistic �need list.� But taxpayers have to show up at the next board meeting and make their needs known.
Combining Sharon and Farrell school districts right now makes sense and cents.
Opinion
OUR VIEW: Taxpayers should demand best use of school buildings
- Opinion
-
-
Juicy tips will be far fewer without ‘Scoop’ on the phone
I enjoyed calling him Scoop. I was the newspaper guy, but for more years than I can remember, Gary Douglas was at the other end of phone calls on a regular basis.
“Did you hear about this? Did you hear about that? Did you hear about so-and-so? Better check this out. I’ll bet you haven’t heard about this.”
That usually was the flow of the conversation. Most of the time he was right. Some of the tips turned into stories that were fit to print, and others not so much.
-
The only thing we have to fear is fear-mongering
To hear some folks tell it, it’s no longer morning in America, it’s five minutes to midnight. They say the United States, once the greatest nation on Earth, is today on a glide path to the ash heap of history.
-
Super Bowl Sunday brings a super boost for the local economy
The game is more than a glitzy international event. It serves as a one-day boon to local economies like ours here at home.
-
Punxsutawney Phil, Mitt and a litany of bad GOP hopefuls
Here are some thoughts from a guy who doesn’t put a whole lot of stock in rascally rodents that make weather forecasts.
-
In Ed Likovich’s yard, apples don’t fall very far from the tree
Adage tells us that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. It really applies to the Likovich family of Hermitage, specifically Ed the father and teacher and Ed the son and student.
-
A smaller state legislature? Don’t hold your breath
Don't tell me that our state General Assembly is finally going to do what should have been done many years ago – cut the size of the Legislature.
-
A sad end to life: History will determine JoePa’s legacy
I had the privilege, yes privilege and honor, of meeting Joe Paterno several times in my life, both as a student at Penn State and in my role as editor of The Herald. It was with a heavy heart when I learned that he was near death during the Mercer County Hall of Fame’s annual dinner at the Park Inn by Radisson Saturday, and that he had died Sunday.
-
OUR VIEW: Dearth of candidate interest defies worth of legislative races
In case you hadn’t noticed, this is an election year. Actually every year is, but this is one of the big ones. Sure, there’s some sort of presidential race going on, but that’s just a sideshow to where the real action in this year’s election is – or at least should be.
Voters across the country will be electing every member of the U.S. House of Representatives, and here in Mercer County voters will help decide who represents three state House districts. -
Hall of Fame weekend stirs memories of ‘good old days’
Is there anything better than reminiscing about the “good old days”? That’s why I love the Mercer County Hall of Fame’s annual induction weekend.
-
We couldn’t fool anyone - the neighborhood always snitched
An old African proverb tells us that it takes a village to raise a child. At least two books drawing lessons from the proverb have been written, including the most famous in 1996 by Hilary Clinton, “It Takes A Village: And Other Lessons Children Teach Us.”
- More Opinion Headlines
-
