It's like deja-vu, all over again.
Yogi Berra
The Mehlville School District lost another tax levy election. And they lost it by almost a 2-1 margin. That stinks. For many people today, it’s a time to second-guess or to blame others for the loss. Some will celebrate, having stood by their low tax principles or just showing off their power to control events.
For me, I’ll just try to get over my sense of deja-vu for it was five years ago that the district went before the voters with a tax levy. It was soundly defeated. I remember shortly after the loss, Tom Diehl speaking during the open comment portion of the school board meeting. He admonished the board for even attempting the levy request in a poor economy. He told us the almost 2 to 1 vote against it was a rebuke of the board for our arrogance and poor decisions. Tom was wrong then and he should apologize.
The reason the district loses an election like this are many, but you can’t just blame our school board. You can’t just blame the Call Newspapers. You have to take a long look at those who criticize the district for their own benefit. It’s a shame, but this has been going on for a very long time and until we recognize this fact and deal with these people who hurt our schools and our children, it will continue.
