School districts gets $684,000 -- with strings attached

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

A student in Robin Walker's fourth grade class glances over her new textbooks as the teacher goes over her classroom rules during the first day of classes Aug. 17 at West Elementary School. Photo by Brian S. Orban

The Mountain Home School District will receive $684,170 as part of the state's $51 million share of the new federal Education Jobs Fund.

"My first thought, when I heard we were going to get this money," said Supt. Tim McMurtrey, "was to use it to lower the levy."

He was referring to the supplemental levy passed by the voters this spring to make up for shortfalls in state funding for education. The state had cut $76 million from the education budget, forcing school districts all around the state to seek the special supplemental property tax levies to make up for the funding loss.

For the full story, pick up a copy of the Mountain Home News or click on this link to subscribe to the newspaper's online edition.

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So, will this money be spent on the levy? If someone, that has access to the full article, could please fill in it would be greatly appreciated.

-- Posted by CuriousParents on Wed, Sep 1, 2010, at 12:38 PM

Response by Brenda Fincher Bus. Mgr. MHN:
You can pick up a copy of the 1 Sept Mountain Home News at our office or many dealer vendors around town that sell our publication to have access to full articles. Thank you.
just like MHN, force you to pay for their paper, the Idaho Statesman posts full articles.

-- Posted by idahogeek52 on Wed, Sep 1, 2010, at 3:16 PM
The problem with a once weekly newspaper is once you get it, the news is already old. In todays digital world if we are not happy with the result of a link, we just click a new one...

-- Posted by jdvann on Wed, Sep 1, 2010, at 4:35 PM
Did any of you use a rest stop or an out house in the mountains this summer? This is kind of a piddly issue, but I noticed that both of these facilities can afford a much higher quality of toilet paper than our local schools. I find it ludicrous that the state provides enough funding to rebuild these fancy toilets and provide the tourists and travelers with luxury, not to mention paying the staff to maintain the grounds and janitorial services. Our schools are not funded enough to pay for writing paper. They have had to cut back on educators, janitorial and outdoor maintenance etc......

What is wrong with this priority?

-- Posted by Amused MtnHomey on Wed, Sep 1, 2010, at 6:45 PM
I don't know what hat you pull your figures out of, but I can assure you that the hard working individuals who keep the school buildings clean and care for the grounds don't earn anywhere near those figures.

I expect a sad day in Mountain Home a few years down the road from now. How many college educated , experienced employees will be leaving the field of education because the wages don't compare with the general business world? How many CEO's in charge of a Corporation the size of Mountain Home School District would be willing to work for school administrator wages? What a thankless job! Wake up Mountain Home, you get what you pay for. These public servants are not going to turn the other cheek forever.

Your ignorance is showing through when you make such outlandish insinuations about a strangers integrity and uninformed statements about public funds. Your shallow statement just reminded me why I stopped reading this column last year.

-- Posted by Amused MtnHomey on Wed, Sep 1, 2010, at 10:07 PM
Yeah, police in MH are really risking their lives righting tickets, we are like Mayberry compared to other small towns. I have lived here for over 10 years and have never seen or heard of drive by shootings or gang warfare. Our police get paid plenty for being ticket chasers.

-- Posted by idahogeek52 on Thu, Sep 2, 2010, at 7:07 AM
desertsurfer49

The reason we don't have gangs or drive by shootings here is because we have a police force that does their job well...

They certainly deserve more pay then what they are getting. Did you know our Chief of Police makes less money then the Principal of the High School?

Here's a few examples of what people working for the school district get paid compared to what the Chief of police gets paid

Chief of Police $70,704.00

School District Payroll

Junior High Library Media Specialist $68,474.00

Administration Building Director-other $98,579.00

Junior High Principal $86,184.00

Senior High Assistant Principal $68,932.00

Senior High Fitness/Conditioning $66,018.00

Senior High Principal $84,799.00

Senior High Physical Education $62,345.00

Technology Assistance-sec $67,016.00

Superintendent $100,147.00

-- Posted by MsMarylin on Thu, Sep 2, 2010, at 9:07 AM
Are MH police required to have bachelors degrees? Because everyone on your list is required to have a bachelors degree or higher.

-- Posted by idahogeek52 on Thu, Sep 2, 2010, at 11:43 AM
So, due to health issues, I still have not been out to look at the newspaper. Will this money be available to offset the levy?

-- Posted by CuriousParents on Thu, Sep 2, 2010, at 2:21 PM
I was comparing the Chief of Police Salary to the list of people not the patrolmen or detectives. To me his job is just as important as those that teach.... He manages a city, not just one school or the school district. The school district and the schools sit in his town...

This is what I found out after doing some research

Chief of Police typically requires a minimum of bachelor's degree in criminal justice (MPA or similar advanced degree often is required) and at least 10 years of law enforcement experience. Typically reports to an elected official.

Here's a link if your thinking of becoming a police officer. Its full of information

http://education-portal.com/how_to_become_a_police_officer.html

-- Posted by MsMarylin on Thu, Sep 2, 2010, at 2:42 PM
No Curiousparents, the money is for teachers pay and to hire back any that got layed off or days of teaching cut. No money is to be used as part of the levy for Admin, books, grounds etc.

-- Posted by Eagle_eye on Thu, Sep 2, 2010, at 4:33 PM
Thank you, Eagle_eye.

-- Posted by CuriousParents on Thu, Sep 2, 2010, at 5:29 PM
Starting salary for a teacher in Mountain Home is similar to that of a police officer.

Both have important jobs, but are not comparable when gauging who should be paid more.

Apples to apples, once again please.

-- Posted by lilmissmelmo on Thu, Sep 2, 2010, at 8:05 PM

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