Rich Stewart in his office
School Levy to be on Ballot in February
The $932,000 M&O Levy for 2009/2010 will replace the current levy passed by voters in 2006. A $50,000 Technology Levy will also be on the ballot.
On December 19th, the Dayton School Board passed a resolution to ask voters in the Dayton School District to approve a two-year Maintenance and Operations (M&O) Levy in February. If approved, the Levy will provide $932,000 for schools in the 2009 tax year, and the same amount, plus a 3% increase, in 2010. This levy would replace the two-year $855,000 M&O levy for 2007- 2008, which was passed by voters in 2006.
Also on the February ballot will be a Technology Levy request of $50,000 per year for four years (2008 – 2011). These funds would allow the district to purchase new computer equipment and to greatly improve technology training for teachers and staff at the schools.
According to Dayton School Superintendent Rich Stewart, the M&O levy, if passed, will provide about 16% of the district's total annual operating budget of roughly $5.3 million.
"When I've discussed the levy funding with the School Board and with other voters, I've been able to show that we're using the current levy money the way we said we would," says Stewart. For the upcoming levy, Stewart and the School Board have drawn up a list of proposed budget areas where the levy money will be used:
• Salaries and benefits for teachers
and staff: $220,000
• Extracurricular support (primarily
coaches salaries and transportation
for athletic and non-athletic
competitions): $220,000
• Reserve fund: $50,000
• Curriculum (mostly new math
materials): $30,000
• Capital improvements: $17,000
• Program Support (for noninstructional
expenses, such as
food service and transportation):
$245,000
• Insurance, utilities, contracts:
$150,000
• Total: $932,000
Columbia County Assessor Chris Miller has calculated that, based on the current total property valuation within the school district, levy passage will result in payment by property owners of $2.34 per thousand dollar valuation per year for 2009 and $2.41 for 2010. With the addition of two new wind projects to the tax rolls in the next two years, it is expected that total valuation within the county will increase significantly. If so, the actual rate per thousand for the schools in those years will be less.
According to Miller, the anticipated tax rate for the current 2007/2008 levy, when presented to voters in 2006, was $2.46 per thousand. However, because of the increase in total valuations in the district, due mostly to the inclusion of the Hopkins Ridge Wind Project on the tax rolls this year, the actual levy rate for 2007 is $2.15. This increased valuation has made it possible for the District to set the current levy request $77,000 per year higher than in 2006, while the tax rate, on a per-thousand-dollar valuation, is significantly below what was advertised in 2006.
The $50,000 per year technology levy is expected to add an additional $0.12 per thousand to annual property tax rates. In the first year of the levy, the School Board has listed the following priorities for technology professional development for teachers and staff:
• Ethical use of media
• Web page design and use
• Use of multimedia presentations
• Training on new hardware and
software
The schools will also purchase nine new computers and provide multimedia equipment (camera, projector, DVD player and screen) for each classroom. "It's vital that our kids have access to the best possible equipment and instruction in using it," says Stewart. "This will be a huge step forward for us in that effort." Stewart stresses that, if approved, 20% of the technology levy money each year will be used for professional development for teachers and staff.
The election date for the school levy will be February 19th. Ballots will be mailed to voters around the first of February. Because of the statewide passage of Resolution 4204 in the November General Election, the upcoming levy will require an over- 50% yes vote to pass. Previous school levy votes have required a super majority – over 60% – to pass. The 2006 levy received 73% yes votes.
"We've been very pleased with the support levies have gotten in recent years," says Stewart. "And I'm hoping we can get over 60% again this time."
When asked what he could highlight as recent successes in the Dayton Schools, Stewart pointed to the Middle and High Schools being listed among the top five-percent of schools in the state in improvement of WASL scores. "Out of 1,700 schools in the state, only 86 of them made that list," says Stewart. "We had two of them, and I'm really proud of that.
"We've put huge emphasis on improving academics in the last four years," continued Stewart. "It's definitely paying off, and I hope people in the district will appreciate that and continue to support us."
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