Reflecting on the foreign teacher issue
Editor, The Sun:
Reviewing the Wakulla Sun’s Year in Review for 2023, I was bemused by the reprint of the school board voting against H-1B bias teachers (foreigners) recruitment.
I would imagine the public’s negative view was emotional and void of facts while the opposing school board members (knuckle-draggers) failed to engage in critical-thinking, thus allowing emotions to sway their vote. Gee, thanks for nothing.
As a property taxpayer, I find little advocacy on local boards, particularly school boards. However, this proposal made sense. As Americans, we have a dearth of teachers in the sciences and math. These are universal disciplines. 12 x 11 has the same result in the Philippines as it does in Jacksonville. Water boils at the same temperature in Djibouti (yes, its a real country) as it does in Wakulla County. So, what’s the issue?
Oh, yes. Of course. I can just hear it “These would-be teachers are not Americans and they don’t know anything about our system of governance or what its like to be an American.” Allow me to point out that most Americans don’t know U.S. geography unless there is a sports team associated with the area. Most Americans have little to zero appreciation of civics and know more about Taylor Swift than the illegal immigration disaster. In my travels, I find most not-Americans know more about the U.S. than most of our countrymen. In fact, most Americans’ foreign exposure is little more than some all-inclusive resort in Cancun and rarely leave the property. C’mon now, can I get an amen?
Property taxpayers are in desperate need of advocacy and yearn for good ideas to be efficient with our precious resources. Having guest teachers, excelling at universal disciplines, seems to be a step in that direction to fill the void.
Mr. Brown (current school board member), thank you for attempting an innovative approach and not being a knuckle-dragger.
Robert Franco
Ochlockonee Bay
No shortfall with impact fees
Editor, The Sun:
The juxtaposition of the two articles (side by side) on the front page of The Wakulla Sun is at once, curious and ironic. The first article “$2.4M shortfall eyed” opines on the fiscal dilemma thrust upon our helpless county administration by means of an error by our intrepid Tax Appraiser and how the largest impact will be absorbed by our safety departments. The second article “Record number of permits, COs issued in 2023” lays out the building bonanza we all are suffering through. Now, think back to how many times our builder friendly BOCC rejected the impact fee proposals put forth by citizens and Commissioner Hess. The last of many, many excuses from my recollection was that it would not be effective due to the limited ways impact fee revenues could be spent. Then (and this is the real clincher) they expounded on examples of acceptable expenditures being POLICE & FIRE departments! If there were even a modest impact fee assessment on new development based on square footage this entire “shortfall” would be covered.
It seems like this entire matter of the “budget error” is being manipulated to justify a large tax increase upon the citizens of Wakulla County. Impact fees are way overdue and would serve a great purpose in lessening the IMPACT of development (including raised taxes) on the citizens of the county. We deserve better from our elected officials and the county administration.
Tim Caldwell
Panacea
