South Range schools seek reduced levy

By Denise Dick | October 3, 2014 at 12:02a.m.

Last year, South Range School District voters rejected a 4.8-mill operating levy for the schools.

This time, the district scaled it back to 3.9 mills, an amount that is projected to generate $707,560 annually for 10 years. The levy would cost the owner of a $100,000 home $136.50 annually.

Jackson-Milton Schools is seeking renewal of a 1.8-mill levy on the ballot to continue to raise $383,088 annually. The levy, which would continue for an additional five years, costs the owner of a $100,000 home $55 per year. It originally was approved in 1990.

In Springfield, school- district voters are being asked to renew the 1-percent income tax originally passed in 1992. The tax raises about $2 million annually.

South Range Superintendent Dennis Dunham said the millage reduction in that district is due to a series of consolidations, pay freezes and other measures taken by the district.

Without the additional funds, the district will be in the red by fiscal year 2017 by about $700,000. Since 2010, the district has been able to stave off deficit spending through a series of cutbacks.

“We didn’t go out for new money because of the tough economic times,” he said.

Though the district built a new campus five years ago, that project was funded with capital, not operating money, the superintendent pointed out.

Cutbacks have included layoffs, position consolidations and a freeze on staff base pay, Dunham said.

He said the district tried to make cuts that would least affect academics.

It changed from a two-route to a one-route transportation system, meaning all children are picked up and dropped off at the same time, as a way to reduce fuel costs. Though the new school complex costs more to heat and cool because it’s much larger than the old building, Dunham said the systems are more efficient.

The district also adopted open enrollment two years ago as a way to deal with its budget constraints brought on by a cut in state funding.

This year, the district has 200 open-enrollment students who bring with them the state per-pupil dollar amount, roughly $5,800 each, from their home school district.

“We have students from every school district that borders us,” Dunham said.

That has helped.

“Without the open-enrollment students, we’d be asking for a double-digit levy,” he said.

This school year, the district implemented a transportation and activity fee to help with costs. The amount depends on the activity, from $100 per student per year for sports to $20 per student for drama.

If the levy passes, that fee will be eliminated next year, Dunham said. He also wants to upgrade building security. Visitors must be buzzed into school buildings, but improved security would allow the Raptor software. The driver’s license of a person entering a school building is scanned to determine if the visitor is a registered sex offender.

If it fails, it will be up to the school board to determine where cuts will be made, the superintendent said.