With apologizes to the Blaxploitation movie SuperFly can someone explain Superintendent Kennedy's recent statement in the Mason County Press?

http://www.masoncountypress.com/2018/09/20/ludington-area-school-di...

“Ludington schools has a taxable value of about $1.3 billion,” Kennedy said...  What makes our tax base unique is that the 38.96% of our tax base is paid by the top 10 taxpayers, with a large percentage of that being Consumers Energy. Consumers just invested $890 million into the pumped storage facility and plans on investing $10 million to $50 million annually into the facility, which drives up the taxable value of our district.
“What this means is that a mill in the Ludington Area School District will generate almost $100 million.”

What is he talking about?

Is Kennedy talking about a mill over 100 years?

Was he misquoted?

Is he talking about some kind of class envy?

Does he require additional math tutoring?

Or am I interpreting this wrong?

And while we are at it can he extrapolate what additional taxes will do to the falling population count.

And what will happen to the abandoned schools if we construct a new elementary complex in the school forest property?

Will they be converted to house the future indigent homeless taxpayers?

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Okay, according to the 2018/2019 Budget figures for LASD, the amount of revenue the LASD from local sources per year receives is $20.253 million, which comes from "A LEVY OF 18.0 MILLS ON ALL NON-HOMESTEAD PROPERTY AND A STATE LEVY OF 6.0 MILLS ON ALL PROPERTY OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICT IN THE TOWNSHIPS OF AMBER, HAMLIN, PERE MARQUETTE, RIVERTON AND SUMMIT, ANDTHE CITY OF LUDINGTON"

Adding a mill onto both millages will add roughly $1.5 million per year, which will pay for the most expensive project in about 120 years, gaining Kennedy's hundred million in about 70 years.  I hope this was just misreporting by the MCP, otherwise Kennedy does have some math facts to review before tomorrow evenings presentation.

I also noticed that Kennedy stated that the current LSAD debt won't disappear until the 2022-2023 school year. That means the current debt won't be paid for at least 4-5 years now. And they still want more millage now, before they pay this off? And the school forest has a deed restriction from State of Michigan that disallows any construction there, ever. Electric utilities is now $25-30K per month? I think a smart businessman could reduce many of these problem expenses with some thinking and doing new things. And where are the estimates from for work? Outside downstate expensive contractors? The LASD has to be more ship-shape, and start thinking more clear, and down to earth, not extravagantly, and not improving kids learning abilities just for newer bldgs. and bigger classrooms.

I think I failed to mention that if the price tag was just under $200 million and we received a very favorable interest rate of just above 2.5 %, the yearly interest on the loan would be around $5 million, or around three times what the district would generate from both millage rates being raised by one.  This all seems a bit fuzzy.

If the prevailing attitude taken by Ludington's educators were credible then most of Ludington's structures should be replaced.  Replacing buildings because they have reached a particular age is just plain idiotic or should it be classified as just plain ignorant. What message does this send to students. If your not happy with what you have because of it's age then just go in debt and replace it without a good reason.

Didn't we have a previous thread about Kennedy last year? And wasn't it exposed that he doesn't even live in Ludington, but Blue Lake, down by Muskegon yet, where he did similar work before being hired here? Also, I see he referenced the Foster school as being 100 years old now. Well, perhaps a small part of it is, but the majority of that school has been added brand new not so long ago, so that appears very misleading info. imho.

Here's an update on that, Jason Kennedy has purchased a property in the LASD (PM Twp) effectively on July 25 and has it as his homestead.  He now has some skin in the game, and this move also shows more of a commitment to the area.

Yup, Kennedy now has 2 months of skin in the game, vs. me, with over 35 years, what a joke. Plus his house is only appraised at $99K, built in 2007, pretty new, and big, 1736 sq. ft., how did he get that deal?

Kinda like the twisted Tykoski deal? Where a parcel worthy about $375K was re-evaluated at $175K due to reappraisals by the COL appraisal people in charge, and now too. Great heh?

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