Call Nov.

Wednesday, September 01, 1999

Call Nov. 2 "D" Day, call it levy day, call it what you will, but whatever it is called it is abundantly clear this community has a lot riding on the events of that day.

On Nov. 2 residents will be asked to endorse a $1.67 million levy override annually for 10 years for the Austin School District. It is a levy override that is an absolute must for the children of Austin.

The override levy will replace a current five-year levy override that expires in 2000.

Why is the levy override needed? Well, there are several reasons. One is to continue the reduction in class sizes that has taken place. New Superintendent Dr. James Hess believes this year’s class size could be as low as 20 students per teacher. Another reason is to continue to offer a wide-range of educational programs.

Besides what the override will provide the school district, approving the override is simply a sound financial decision by the community of Austin.

You see the state of Minnesota refunds 68 percent of the district’s levy override – meaning for every $1 of the override, the residents of Austin are only responsible for 32 cents. The levy override will mean a mere one-tenth percent increase in taxes for the average taxpayer. That’s a small price to pay to keep our schools and educational opportunities at the high level they currently are at.

What happens if the levy override doesn’t pass? Nothing good, that’s for sure. Failure to pass the levy override will result in the district having to cut $1.67 million from its budget. Where those cuts would come from is anyone’s guess, but suffice to say they would be noticeable and would have an impact.

For just mere pennies we can keep our schools moving in a positive direction, but only if we begin the process of campaigning for the Nov. 2 levy override now.

Austin needs a resounding "yes" to the Nov. 2 levy override referendum and now is the time to begin spreading the word. Get out and vote for our kids and the future of Austin on Nov. 2. Vote yes.