Howell TRUTH mission statement

TRUTH - Townspeople Rooting out Unnecessary Tax Hikes

WHO WE ARE - Like you who are visiting here today, we are taxpayers and we are parents who reside in Howell. We are proud of our town and our schools and we want to continue to reside in this community. We also want to see more families come to enjoy the quality of life we have found in Howell.

WHAT WE BELIEVE: TRUTH believes that the best interests of our children come first and that our children are best served by a quality educational system. In turn, this quality education serves the community well by drawing in families who value education and who, then, come to live, work, shop and volunteer in our community. We believe a well-run, fiscally responsible school district is the foundation upon which a thriving community is based.

WHY WE FORMED TRUTH: TRUTH was born out of our current global economic crisis. Howell has seen its fair share of foreclosures and families being forced to relocate because of escalating taxes and dwindling financial resources. We have come together to, first, educate ourselves on the school budget process so that we can share what we have learned with others.

OUR GOAL: The ultimate goal of TRUTH is to foster and promote fiscal responsibility and accountability within our school district. Our goal is to partner with the board, the community and other public service providers to cut costs where appropriate and necessary so that we all can continue to afford to reside within Howell and to attract new residents to our community. We are guided first by the best interests of the children and then by the interests of the taxpayers. Sometimes these interests coincide, sometimes they are at odds. Our ultimate goal is to strike a balance between the two.

TRUTH recognizes that many of the cost-saving or revenue creating suggestions we will advance will be unpopular. We hope that they will all generate discussion and debate as people become better equipped to meaningfully participate in the school budget process and, ultimately, the operation of our school district.

TRUTH attempts to take a holistic approach to the economic crisis as it impacts our school system and welcomes respectful discussions and input from all who visit this site. We thank you for your participation in this process.