"We need to be responsible with that money," Martucci said. "We need to learn to live within a budget."
Martucci said the district needs to rebuild its fund balances and come up with a solid plan for doing so "and not keep borrowing money on top of borrowed money."
The candidate's comments come only a few hours before the Board is scheduled to approve taking out a $29 million loan to pay off building contractors and to pay off a portion of the $37 million loan it took in August 2014.
Coming up with a plan to rebuild the fund balance will "restore the faith of the taxpayers," Martucci said, adding that any kind of tax levy proposal should not be a first option.
Martucci came out strongly against Common Core. "The problem with Common Core is our teachers don't seem to have the freedom to teach the kids the way that they should be taught." She does not like the mandate coming from the federal government about what to teach and said that education should remain local.
"Teachers have the best gauge on what's right for our kids need and that needs to stay within our district and empower our teachers and give them the freedom in the classroom to be able to teach our kids what they need to learn."
In response to a question about the high teacher turnover in the district, Martucci said that teachers need to "be able to advocate for themselves," so that they will want to stay in the district.
Martucci is one of three candidates running for the one-year position on the board, a spot that is currently held by Shawn McGrew, who did not file. The other candidates are Bright Futures USA Chairman and former campaign treasurer for McGrew and Joplin City Councilman Mike Woolston Nancy Good and Melinda Campbell.
I am almost 100% sure is is illegal to borrow money to pay back a loan. That is why you cannot use a credit card to pay a mortgage or car payment. This needs to be researched.
ReplyDeleteWhy do they have board meetings at 1 30 in the afternoon?
ReplyDeleteIt's not illegal. People and businesses often take out a loan to consolidate other loans to achieve a lower monthly payment. Credit card companies frequently offer to transfer your high-interest card balances to a different lower-interest card. Those type of loans sometimes make sense. Then one has to stop spending beyond their means so they don't end up in a worse situation than where they started. That's obviously something Joplin R-8 doesn't comprehend.
ReplyDeleteThis is a smart lady with a background in education. She has common sense, integrity, and backbone. We really need that for R8 right now. She has my vote, as well as Jeff Koch and Lane Roberts. Things won't change until the board is changed, that is one thing we know for sure.
ReplyDeleteShe's got my vote. I'm on board with everything she said.
ReplyDeleteMartucci will raise the bar for the school district. She presents a rare opportunity for voters to say NO to the STATUS QUO.
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