.jpg)
I’m legit!
May 6, 2010 by Sarah Boyum
Filed under Columns, Opinions
Image from http://www.charlottesville.org/modules/showimage.aspx?imageid=3857
Yep, I’m eighteen. And registered. Which means that, as a citizen of the United States of America, I can finally fulfill my patriotic duty and vote. I’m legit.
Yet, I didn’t think it was that big of a deal when I registered back in October. It’s just one vote. No big deal, right?
But on the morning of May 4, the day of local elections AND the first day I could exercise my newly gained right, I was excited. I woke up early and started getting ready at 5:30 – I wanted to beat the lines and vote before going to school. I figured my dad would come with me and vote before he went off to work; he’d be able to show me the ropes. But when I walked downstairs, all ready to go, my dad was sitting at the kitchen table, still in his pajamas.
“I’m going to be late. But you’ll be fine going to vote alone, right?” my dad said, barely looking up from his cappuccino.
“Oh yeah, sure thing Dad.” Um. No!
But I got into my car and headed to the fire station, our designated voting venue. In my supposed rush to beat the lines before school, I pretty much beat everyone. Some business man and I were the only ones at the polling place. I walked in to the station, ID in hand. I marched up to a long table on the other side of the small garage area. A group of people, most likely community volunteers, sat behind the table, staring at me. Various list books and tickets littered the narrow table.
“ID please.”
I handed it over, just as I heard someone mutter from down the table, “Is she even 18?”
I turned and looked at the woman who’d whispered louder than she thought she did, “Yeah, I’m 18. And registered. I think…”
My name was on the list.
“Republican or Democrat?”
I got a red card with a capital ‘R’ on it. Okay, what now? My government teacher brought in a voting machine during a class period last semester. I tried to remember how to use it…
I broke down and confessed my rookie status, “This is my first time voting. What do I do now?”
One of my neighbors, who was working the table, got up and helped me boot up the voting machine.
After pushing a couple of buttons, the machine asked me to confirm my vote. I pushed the big red button and the screen lit up: “Your vote has been cast!” And just like that, my voting experience was complete. It took all of five minutes…
… And yet, I walked out of that fire station feeling a bit more mature than when I walked in just a few minutes before. I felt experienced. It was exciting, I realized, having a vote and a say in the outcome of important decisions. I felt involved, a true citizen of Noblesville, Indiana.
This new experience, for me, is one of many that I’ll encounter in the coming months, especially since I’m a senior, set to graduate in a couple weeks. I’ll be going off to Indiana University in the fall. It’ll be my first time away from home, sharing a room with my friend, doing all my own laundry, feeding myself every night. Experiences that will be both exciting… and really scary, too.
School board seeks support for approved referendum
January 20, 2010 by Hannah Davis
Filed under Latest News, News
School board members, students, and neighbors gathered at the Noblesville Schools administration building annex last Wednesday night, January 19, to move forward on the 1058 motion, a referendum to increase property taxes in an effort to financially support system-wide improvements.
The referendum, which passed unanimously, will appear on the May 4 ballot. The project consists of building a new elementary school to replace Forest Hill, adding over 20 classrooms for elementary schools, upgrading the intermediate school to become a second middle school, and adding additional science labs and health and physical education classrooms at the high school.
However, the improvement will come at a great cost to the administration – over $63 million dollars. Adding further stress, the state education department’s new budget cuts will force 15% of the system’s spending in 2010 to be eliminated.
“I’m not sure [the department of education] had growing school corporations in mind when they crafted these budget cuts,” board member Chris Hamm said.
This year’s new proposed budget, just over $48 million, is notably less than the budget of just three years ago, even with the addition of 1400 students since then.
Per-student spending has been slashed by $428 in those three years, eliminating many after-school and summer activities and all field trips, superintendent Dr. Libbie Conner said.
“We’ve frozen spending everywhere we can freeze it,” Conner said.
Nevertheless, the proposed improvements are necessary to accommodate the educational standards of the community, she said.
Consequently, if the referendum is passed by voters in May, taxes must be imposed.
The board’s financial expert, Randy Ruhl of City Securities, Inc., said that the project’s $63.6 million price tag would be distributed among three different years’ property taxes.
“Staggered payments allow us to stagger tax impacts,” Ruhl said.
But the board feels that the taxes, no matter how great, are necessary.
“To achieve a lesser level of education will cause the community to die,” Hamm said in a passionate explanation of the new taxes.
Before the big vote on May 4, Noblesville residents have the opportunity to review forum dialog, the 2009 Demographic Study, and frequently asked questions on the school district’s website at www.noblesvilleschools.org.
