District mulls levy option
Published 12:00 am Monday, July 28, 2003
The Austin school board will discuss the possibility of a referendum Monday at its special meeting.
Superintendent Corrine Johnson and Finance Director Lori Volz will present the pros and cons of the issue with board members.
The district is hiring a consulting group for a phone survey to ascertain public feelings on the issue of a tax levy as well as other issues in the district. That information will be a factor in the board's eventual decision about whether to have a referendum and if so, how much money.
The last referendum the district passed was in November 2001. That was a 10-year levy that takes in about $1 million a year, bringing the total levy to about $1.4 million. In the 2002-2003 school year, the district started taking in revenue from the last levy. However, even with that money, they had to cut about $247,000 for this next year.
If a referendum is passed in November, the district would start receiving funds from it in the 2004-2005 school year. That year the district expects $1 million to $1.5 million in new cuts.
While the district is not losing much money from the state, they are not getting any increases to cover inflation, Volz said. The $1 million to $1.5 million in cuts is based on expected inflation increases.
Also on the agenda:
n Austin High School Student Council members will ask the board to implement Channel One. Channel One News is a 12-minute daily newscast broadcast over televisions supplied by the company. There is no cost to schools to implement the program because two minutes of commercials during the broadcast cover the cost.
n YMCA Director Mark Bjorlie will present a new after- school program to the board for third, fourth and fifth graders. Attendance will be limited and transportation is not provided, but students can ride their bus to the high school and transfer to a bus to the YMCA.
Matt Merritt can be reached at 434-2214 or by e-mail at :matt.merritt@austindailyherald.com