“Just getting home after my long stay in Denmark,  trying to catch up on everything I missed as quickly as possible.  Being a Realtor, I have so many calls lately it is hard to keep my voice mail box empty!  The Obama team finally came up with a “finance plan” that seems to make Wall Street and Main Street happy so business is booming…”

Being a mother and active community leader, I was stunned to hear my teenage son complain that he wishes we could move so he could play high school football, as soon as I got home!

“What are you talking about?” I asked my son Jeffrey?

“Everyone is talking about the budget cuts. Lake County Schools are running out of money so they have to fire a bunch of teachers and taking away JV football! It totally sucks here…let’s move!” My son heard parts of reports in his political science class & on the news regarding budget cuts.  He was truly upset so I told him I would check it out and see what I could do to help.

What I discovered shocked me.  Due to the foreclosure crisis, schools across the nation are facing critical budget cuts.  Less homeowners paying taxes = less tax $ for our children & schools.

“Lake County School District is facing a mega slash in their budget, amounting to around $30 million for the budget of the 09-’10 school year which begins on July 1, 2009.The massive budget cut puts more than 110 school employees at risk for losing their jobs, that includes 62 teachers.

The cuts are coming from many areas, including state cuts, a decline in property tax collections, as well as rising utility costs. School workers met Monday as at session to discuss the pending cuts.

“It pains me to sit here and talk about what could be reduced,” said superintendent Susan Moxley. “It’s a sad day in Florida.

In addition to the 62 potential teacher layoffs, 55 administrative and support staff face receiving the axe- which includes assistant principals, teacher assistants, guidance counselors, and food service workers.

Other options of cutting costs were discussed, such as reducing the summer school week from five days to four,  taking money from athletics and bands, cutting overtime, and charging for transportation for field trips and athletics.

These cuts have the potential to save the district $27.5 million, which would still leave the district a $2.5 gap to be filled.”

“What can a single mother &

Florida Realtor do to help?”

“What can any of us do when faced by

budget cuts that affect our children?”

TAKE A STAND: Make you voice heard by the Lake County School Board…e-mail, call or write them to know that the program or teacher you love may be cut and you want to know how to stop it!  Beware, the answer may not be what you want to hear. You will be able to better understand the challenges we are facing and may help us solve these problems!  None of us has all the answers but “it takes a community to raise a child!”  If we all work together we can make things happen.

Invest in your community.  If you have a stable job, buy a home now!  Home prices & interest rates are at historic lows…why pay someone else’s mortgage by renting?  Home ownership comes bundled with voting rights & privileges.  Paying property taxes helps support your lifestyle and your children’s future.

Don’t stop there.  Become a good neighbor by taking an active roll in your community! Attend city or county commission meetings to hear about how your local government runs.  Join civic organizations that support causes that interest you; Elks Lodge, Kiwanis, Chamber of Commerce, Women\’s Council of Realtors, Rotary International etc.

“The American Dream is alive in well…we just each need to play our part in this the land of Fairy tales.”

Anyone can sit back and complain about how bad things are getting.  I’ve always believed, “you’re either part of the problem or part of the solution.” I chose to be an agent of change!  Join me and help make America great again.

We can do it, Yes we can!

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