Manatee County school board hasn't earned public confidence for sales tax

On school board's non-performance, plans to raise taxes are forthcoming!

The school board's functions are:

1. Educate the children.

2. Protect the children.

3. Fiscal responsibility.

My concerns with educating the children are:

1. The state of Florida has dumb-downed the testing so the scores look better than what they really are.

2. 33 percent drop-out rate; 27 percent of those are destined to go on welfare, so of the 48,000 students, 4,320 may go on welfare.

3. 25 percent of Manatee students enter a college or university, 50 percent of the 25 percent drop out the first year.

4. Third-grade students are testing below their required reading level.

5. "F" schools are allowed to remain open.

My concerns for protecting the children are:

1. Fortunately, we have not had a disastrous shooting incident like we see across the nation, but Manatee County grade schools are left unprotected. Other "stuff" takes priority in what budget they have.

My concerns for fiscal responsibility are:

1. Budget increases from 2013 to 2015 are up 547 percent.

2. Before 2013, $55 million still is unaccounted for. The forensic audit was not forensic, nor was it an audit in any dictionary sense of the word.

3. Misappropriation of school board bond monies has been documented and they refuse to audit the other bonds.

4. The last high school built in 2005 was Braden River, costing some $50 million, $38 million to build and $11.9 million to buy the site. We are now told a new high school would cost $80-$100 million. With historical increases of school construction over the last 10-11 years, this cost should be $48-$53 million.

How would you grade the school board's performance? Do you think they deserve an increase in impact fees and a half percent sales tax? I don't.

David Cohen

Myakka City

This story was originally published May 8, 2016 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Manatee County school board hasn't earned public confidence for sales tax ."