6 Strategies to Successfully Pass a School Bond

6 Strategies to Successfully Pass a School Bond A school bond provides a financial avenue for school districts to meet an immediate specified need. These specified needs can range from a new school, classroom building, gymnasium, or cafeteria to repairing an existing building, new buses, upgrades in classroom technology or security, etc. A school bond issue must be voted on by the members of the community in which the school is located. Most states require a three-fifths (60%) super-majority vote to pass a bond. If the school bond passes, property owners in the community will foot the bill for the bond issue through increased property taxes. This can create a dilemma for voters in the community and is why many proposed bond issues do not receive enough â€Å"yes† votes to pass. It takes a lot of dedication, time, and hard work to pass a bond issue. When it passes it was well worth it, but when it fails it can be extremely disappointing. There is no exact science for passing a bond issue. However, there are strategies that when implemented can help improve the chances that the bond issue will pass. Build a Foundation The district superintendent and the school board are often the driving forces behind a school bond issue. They are also responsible for getting out into the community, building relationships, and keeping people informed about what is happening with the district. It is vital to have good standing relationships with powerful civic groups and key business owners within a community if you want your bond to be passed. This process should be continuous and ongoing over time. It should not happen just because you’re trying to pass a bond. A strong superintendent will make their school the focal point of the community. They will work hard to forge those relationships that will pay off in times of need. They will make community involvement a priority inviting members into the school not only see what is going on but to become a part of the process themselves. Potentially passing a bond issue is just one of the many rewards that come with this holistic approach to community involvement. Organize and Plan Perhaps the most crucial aspect of passing a school bond is to be well organized and to have a solid plan in place. This begins with forming a committee that is as dedicated to seeing the bond passed as you are. It is necessary to note that most states prohibit schools from using their own resources or time to lobby on behalf of a bond issue. If teachers or administrators are to participate on the committee, it must be on their own time. A strong committee will consist of school board members, administrators, teachers, advisory councils, business leaders, parents, and students. The committee should be kept as small as possible so that a consensus can be reached easier. The committee should discuss and create a detailed plan on all aspects of the bond including timing, finances, and campaigning. A specific task should be given to each committee member to carry out according to their individual strengths. A school bond campaign should start approximately two months before the vote is scheduled to occur. Everything occurring in those two months should be well thought out and planned in advance. No two bond campaigns are the same. It is likely that parts of the plan will have to be abandoned or changed after realizing that the approach is not working. Establish a Need It is essential to establish a real need in your bond campaign. Most districts have a list of projects that they believe need to be completed. When deciding what you are going to put in the bond it is vital to look at two factors: immediate need and investment in your student body. In other words, put projects on the ballot that will resonate with voters who understand the value of education and show them there is a need. Make those connections apart of your campaign and bundle things where appropriate. If you are trying to build a new gymnasium, package it as a multipurpose facility that will not only serve as a gymnasium but as a community center and auditorium so that it can be used by all students and not just a select few. If you are trying to pass a bond for new buses, be prepared to explain how much money you are currently spending to maintain your bus fleet that is outdated and run down. You can even use a deteriorated bus in your campaign by parking it in front of the school with information about the bond. Be Honest It is essential to be honest with the constituents in your district. Property owners want to know how much their taxes are going to go up if the bond issue is passed. You should not skirt around this issue. Be direct and honest with them and always use the opportunity to explain to them what their investment will do for students in the district. If you are not honest with them, you may pass the first bond issue, but it will be more difficult when you try to pass the next one. Campaign! Campaign! Campaign! When campaigning begins it is beneficial to keep the message simple. Be specific with your message including the voting date, how much the bond is for, and some simple highlights of what it will be used for. If a voter asks for more information, then be prepared with more details. Campaigning efforts should be holistic with a goal of getting the word out to every registered voter in the district. Campaigning occurs in many different forms, and each form may reach a different subset of constituents. Some of the most popular forms of campaigning include: Build a Website – Create a website that gives voters detailed information about the bond issue.Campaign Signs/Posters – Put campaign signs in supporters’ yards and posters in high traffic locations such as the post office.Speaking Engagements – Schedule speaking engagements with civic groups in the community such as the Senior Citizen Center, Masonic Lodge, etc.Organize a Voter Registration Drive – A voter registration drive allows you to recruit newcomers and potential supporters who might not vote otherwise.Door to Door Canvassing – Simple word of mouth campaigning may make the difference especially in reminding voters to get to the polls.Telephone Committee – A simple way to poll voters in the community as well as to inform them about the bond issue and to remind them to vote.Direct Mail – Send flyers highlighting the bond issue out a few days before the vote.Media – Use the media to get the message out when possible. Focus on Uncertainty There are some constituents that have their minds made up on a bond issue before you even decide to do it. Some people always vote yes, and some people always vote no. Do not waste time on trying to convince the â€Å"no† votes that they should vote â€Å"yes†. Instead, focus on getting those â€Å"yes† votes to the polls. However, it is most valuable to invest your time and effort on those in the community that have not decided. Visit with those on the fence 3-4 times throughout the campaign to try and sway them to vote â€Å"yes†. They are the people who will ultimately decide whether the bond passes or fails.

Peter Berger's heretical imperative Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Peter Berger's heretical imperative - Essay Example According to Berger, pluralism presents the crisis into which modernity has exposed religion (Woodhead Heelas & Martin, 2001). Berger focuses on modernity and its implications on religion. The contemporary society is characterized by plurality of institutions, consciousness and choices, which yield uncertainty. According to Berger, pluralism is â€Å"a situation in which there is competition in the institutional ordering of comprehensive meanings of everyday life† (Oldmeadow, 2010, p.33). Because of uncertainty, there are unsteady, inconsistent and erratic plausibility structures, particularly those of religion. Berger argues that religion becomes a matter of choice, which he best refers to as a â€Å"heretical imperative† (heresy). According to Peter Berger, there are three contemporary responses to the crisis that modernity thrusts religion into, which include deduction, reduction as well as induction. Berger denounces deduction, which entails the reaffirmation of inf luence of a sacred ritual against secular authority (Esposito, Fasching & Lewis, 2011). He also rejects reductionism, which reinterprets a sacred ritual on the basis of secular authority. In rejecting the two responses, Berger supports the third approach, which is induction. His belief is that the crisis facing religion is a product of the sterile antithesis of neo-orthodoxy and secularism (Woodhead Heelas & Martin, 2001). He believes that by shunning both deductive and reductive approaches and adopting inductive approach, the crisis can be triumphed. Berger explores the relationship between human religion and world-building. The society is presented as dialectic because it is considered as a human invention. Man cannot exist without society and without man, society cannot exist. This exhibits the dialectic nature of the society. Berger argues that pluralism undermines stable belief (Berger, 1979). Pluralism is the cause of secularisation. According to Berger, the basic dialectic pr ocess of society entails three steps. These include externalisation, objectivation as well as internalisation. The three moments are crucial for effective comprehension of empirical dimension society. Externalisation refers to â€Å"the ongoing outpouring of human being into the world, both in the physical and the mental activity of men† (Berger, 1979, p. 4). Objectivation refers to the achievement by the products of man’s activity of an authenticity that faces its initial makers. Internalisation on the other hand, refers to men’s manipulation of reality, in which they change the reality into structures of objective and subjective consciousness. Externalisation is a prerequisite for anthropology. It deals with the biological development of man, where he interacts with extra-organic surrounding of both physical human worlds. Human being must create his own world. As such, the world-building activity does not qualify as a biological superfluous occurrence, but a d irect product of man’s biological composure. Man creates his own world through biological means. This human world is characterized by uncertainty unlike animals’ world. Because humanly established structures tend to be unstable, man creates culture to ensure stable structure that cannot be attained biologically. However, culture needs to be progressively changed by man. The instability of cultural structures posses a significant challenge to man’

HISTORY Bachelor Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

HISTORY Bachelor - Essay Example As far as Goldhagen's infamous chapter eight, "Police Battalion 101: Assessing the men's motives," the main point of argument with this chapter has to do with the accusation that many ordinary Germans had motivation to participate in the Holocaust, and had several motives for doing so. Many people have felt that the book's lacking cannot defend the attacks against it or, on the other hand, that the book's accomplishments do not explain its successful sales. However, this consideration of the book is shortsighted; focusing on Goldhagen tacks attention away from his important claims, and to examine the central points of the book itself. The book's thesis is quite familiar; its central claim reflects on a refutation of fifty years examination and research regarding the Holocaust. The important focus of chapter eight's concepts actually argues against the idea that the mass genocide of the Jewish people happened based on logic and the upper echelons of government. The mass murder of the Jewish people would have presented the Nazis with several difficult problems when planning how to approach the killings (Hilberg). However, the government planning was extremely complex, as well as the killing, which was very critical to the initial success of the extermination. The process by which the genocide was organized removed everyday individuals psychologically and morally from the actions of the government. This would mean that either the everyday individuals who took part in German society were unaware of the genocide, or may have even perhaps had some kind of resistance to the entire concept. However, Goldhagen does not ag ree with this concept; he feels that even ordinary Germans possessed anti-Semitic beliefs that allows them to somehow participate in, or overlook, the actions of the government. Goldhagen states that it was the "cognitive and value structures" of ordinary Germans--namely their virulently anti-Semitic beliefs--that constituted the "central causal agent of the Holocaust" (67-68). When first examining this concept, it really seems that Goldhagen's claim is perhaps more obvious than most would want to accept. If the everyday citizens of Germany were opposed to the mass extermination of the Jews, why would the Nazis have attempted so flawlessly to kill the millions they did murder Wouldn't the everyday German citizens make more attempts, personally and publicly, to assist the Jews The Anti-Semitism in Germany, therefore, was not an offshoot of the Nazis' own personal vendetta, but part of the social construct of all citizens of Germany. Therefore, Goldhagen feels that the Nazis cannot be blamed solely for the extermination of the Jews; the entire German people should be considered, as this seemed to have been more of a nationwide attempt. Hitler's leadership and conquering of Europe may have opened the door to mass killing; however, the media depiction of the Jews as subhuman and Hitler's control of the German people were not enough to undertake such a large pr oject of genocide. Instead, Goldhagen feels that the hating of the Jewish people by the German people came far before this, and predated Hitler's control of Germany. Rather, it seems to have been a part of the German culture for quite some time. Goldenhangen's proof comes not on the focus of the extermination camps present in Germany and

Best Day Essay Example for Free

Best Day Essay Have you ever felt the emotion when you are going to see your favorite band or singer alive in a concert. This happened to me when I went to Sofia last year to see one of my favorite singers Enrique Iglesias. It was fantastic experience that I will never forget. The day was near, it was ten days befor the concert, and every day I asked my father for permission and money. One day he finally said â€Å"yes†, and he gave me the money. He told me that it was the gift for my birthday. I was so happy and immediately called my friend to tell her about the news. The next day we bought our tickets and we were waiting for the big day.We couldn’t believe that we would be in the most waited concert on September 29th , we never thought that in few hours, we would sing all the song of our favorite singer. When we arrived,we sat in the chairs, and we were waiting for Enrique. The lights turned off and all the auditory screamed like they were crazy. The orchestra began to play one of my favorite songs. The best singer appeared in the scene. That moment was so awesome and exciting for me, and everyone was all of the songs. In conclusion, I will tell tha, the concert was a big experience for me and I was so happy. At the end, we bought some souvenirs from the concert, like a shirt, some posters and a cup. The concert finished at 12 p.m. and we came back to our town with an experience that I will never forget. I will remember this moment as if it had been yesterday.

Modern Turkey :: essays research papers

THE REPUBLIC PERIOD Modern Turkish Period (1923-Present) 1923 Establishment of the Turkish Republic with Ataturk as its first president 1924 Abolition of Caliphate 1925-38 Ataturk's program of reforms to modernize Turkey 1938 Death of Ataturk; Ismet Inonu becomes the Republic's second president 1939-45 Despite the alliance with Britain and France, Turkey remains neutral during World War II 1946 Turkey becomes a charter member of United Nations 1950 Turkey enters Korean War as a part of United Nations force; change from a single-party to a multi-party system 1952 Joins the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) The attempt of the victorious Allies to control the Anatolian territory led to the Turkish War of Independence (1918-23). Following the occupation of Istanbul in 1920 by the British, Italian and French, a Greek army advanced from Izmir deep into Anatolia. While the sultan offered no resistance, under the leadership of Kemal Ataturk, the Turkish Nationalists overturned the postwar settlement embodied in the Treaty of Sà ©vres (1920) and established the Republic of Turkey, formally recognized by the Treaty of Lausanne in 1923. Mustafa Kemal retired his military uniform and inspired the people to an even greater task: Transformation of the country into the democratic, secular Republic of Turkey. Mustafa Kemal Ataturk 1881 Birth of Mustafa in Salonika 1893 Enters Military Secondary School where he is given the name of Kema 1899 Enters War College in Constantinople 1902 Graduates as lieutenant 1905 Posted to 5th Army in Damascus 1907 Posted to 3rd Army in Salonika 1908 "Young Turk" Revolution in Salonika 1911 Posted to General Staff in Constantinople; goes to Tobruk and Derna with Turkish Forces, promoted to Major 1912 Balkan War; severe defeat, returns home 1913 Appointed Military Attachà © in Sofia 1914 Promoted Lieutenant-Colonel; Turkey signs secret alliance with Germany; Russia, Britain and France declare war on Turkey 1915 Appointed to reorganize 9th Division, in Thrace; unsuccessful allied naval attack on Dardanelles; allied military landing at Ariburnu (Anzac); promoted to colonel; appointed to command 16th Army Corps 1916 Allied evacuation of Gallipoli Peninsula; transferred to Caucasus front; promoted to General and Pasa 1917 Returns to Constantinople 1919 Appointed Inspector-General in Anatolia; lands in Samsun; issues "Declaration of Independence" at Amasya; ordered by Government to return; resigns from the army; Nationalist Congress at Sivas and Erzurum; National Pact; new parliament elected; headquarters at Angora 1920 (April 23) First Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA) at Ankara 1921 Consecutive battles against different enemies; given title of Gazi and rank of Marshal by TGNA

Deception in the Twelfth Night Essay

Deception is seen widely throughout the play Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare. Many characters are very clear about who they are and what their motives are, while some are more manipulative. Deception is shown through the clearness of Orsino’s character and the way Viola (Cesario) deceives people to play a man. Orsino is a character in the Twelfth Night that is considered much understood. He is very upfront about his actions and motives. This is portrayed in the way that Orsino loves Olivia and the way he will do anything it takes to get her to be with him. He makes it very clear that there is only one thing that he wants: to be with Olivia. As Orsino states his love in the play, â€Å"Oh, when mine eyes did see Olivia first, methought she purged the air of pestilence. That instant was I turned into a hart, and my desires, like fell and cruel hounds, e’er since pursue me† (1. 1. 20-24). He is very upfront about who he is; as the count, he is better than the people around him and gets what he wants. The way that Olivia thinks so highly of him as a Duke, demonstrates how he is better than the people around him: â€Å"Yet I suppose him virtuous, know him noble, of great estate, of fresh and stainless youth. In voices well divulged, free, learned, and valiant; and in dimension and the shape of nature, a gracious person† (1. 5. 260-64). Orsino is a noteable character who is straightforward and determined to get what he wants. Viola (Cesario), on the other hand, is completely deceptive of who she is. Although she deceptively dresses as a man, Viola does it so that she can stay alive in Illyria. The Captain is the only one who really knows what Viola is doing. As the Captain says, â€Å"Be you his eununch, and mute I’ll be. When my tongue blabs, then let mine eyes not see,† (1. 3. 65-66) which he also knows the reasons of doing. Throughout the entire play, Viola has to lie about who she is, but hints about her secret occasionally, like when she speaks with Orsino: â€Å"I am all the daughters of my father’s house, and all the brothers, too—and yet I know not†.   Viola is a main example of a character that is deceptive by their appearance in the Twelfth Night. Deception is being deceived or mislead by false appearances or statements. There are different kinds of deception in the Twelfth Night, by appearance or by Shakespeare’s word choice. Deception by appearance is an easily seen trait throughout different characters in the play. Orsino is a great example of someone who is the opposite of deceptive, whereas Viola is one of the most deceptive by her appearance and can be seen throughout the play the Twelfth Night.

English Is My Second Language - 931 Words

English, is my second language, is a big challenge for me because I didn’t know how to say any English when I came to U.S. The only sentence I knew which is how are you doing. People usually are very powerful when they understand English because a lot of professional documents are written by English. In this quarter, I have learned how to write an essay in efficiently and professionally, and I have become more advanced than previous. By moving to next level this is ESL 5, I will keep my English learning attitude and patient to develop and practicing my writing skill. In ESL 273 class, I learned about write a powerful conclusion paragraphs and a smooth organizing skill, and I also noticed I need to continue improving to make a strong topic sentences, and then explain the topic clearly. For those reasons, I should keep to the next level of education on my second language, and the level is ESL 5. I believe I have the eligibility for ESL 5 because of my strength in writing a concl usion paragraphs. The conclusion paragraphs are very important parts to restates the main idea of my essay, and it also can help reader to recall the writer’s main idea for whole essay. This is a good skill for me to move on to ESL 5. When I write a conclusion paragraphs, I always read my essay again to make sure my ideas is clear. For example, in â€Å"The benefits of internet filter†, I wrote that the internet filter has multiple advantages which help the libraries manage the public computer usage, andShow MoreRelatedGraduation Speech : An International Student, English Is My Second Language865 Words   |  4 PagesDescribe that format you have struggled with in the past. One of the format that I have struggled with in the past is essay writing. There are two main reason for that. First of all, as an international student, English is my second language. 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