Common Sense Accountability?

Common Sense Accountability. That is the slogan for David Holden and David Zimmer as they run for the Saline School Board. After reading a number of articles about their views of Holden and Zimmer I fail to understand how their slogan fits with their rhetoric.

Just what are the common sense solutions they have presented? In a Saline Reporter article they suggest they want to address structural deficits, keep class sizes low, keep out of pocket health care costs for teachers at a minimum, and have the school district eliminate fees for parking, athletics, and activities.

My common sense thinks this agenda costs a lot of money to achieve. What is absent from their comments is how they plan to cover the costs of their goals. The cost cutting measures they do mention are the teacher's Health Care Coverage and the upcoming union contract.

What they fail the talk about is the union offer to cut health care costs, saving the district $1,000,000. A proposal that was soundly rejected. They are happy to point out where Saline teachers pay ranks yet never discuss that Scott Graden is the 3rd highest paid Superintendent in county. They claim that we have a spending problem not a revenue problem yet ignore the fact that after inflation, per pupil spending has actually gone down in Saline since the 2005-2006 school year.

In a Q&A session with students Holden said "Facts are stubborn things." yet Zimmer publicly commented "Have you seen the most recent market data comparing the average salary of a public sector employee to the private sector? Have you seen the most recent data that compares the public sector benefit package to those of the private sector?". The implication being that public employees are overcompensated. Those stubborn facts however disagree. According to Jeffery Keefe from Rutgers University "For the most part (public employees are) paid at market or slightly below market."

I guess the common sense Holden and Zimmer have in mind is misrepresenting facts and attacking teachers while taking a free pass for themselves. The city of Saline has seen a steady decrease in property tax revenue over the past few years. Corporate profits have reached record highs benefiting businessmen like Holden and Zimmer. As a matter of fact the company that Mr. Holden works for gave out a $1.171 million bonus to it's top official last year. So here we have two guys who by all accounts are bringing home and keeping more of their money than ever yet the shared sacrifice they are fighting for only includes cuts for teachers. They love their school district so much they are willing to cut someone else's wages and keep the difference for themselves.

The reality is that Holden and Zimmer have an agenda which is most similar to that of Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker who has an approval rating of 37% and also happens to think his agenda is nothing but good old common sense.