- Jenny Carlson, board member, Salem
Elementary District #111
- My name is Jenny Carlson
and I am on the Board of Education for the Salem Elementary District
#111. Thank you for this opportunity to come before you this afternoon
with a few opinions that our district would like to make known.
- In establishing the
new funding formula, please calculate the proper foundation level needed
to bring equality to downstate schools. The foundation level of
$4,425 needs to be raised
to promote equity. The annual increase of $100 needs to be raised.
- The average daily attendance
figured in the funding formula needs to go back to a three-year average.
The fluctuations in enrollment need to be cushioned to help school districts.
- The calculation rate
for elementary schools needs to be lowered from 2.30 to 2.10 in the
funding formula. Representative Tom Holbrook introduced HB2944 last
spring to help balance the formula for elementary school districts.
Our hope is to bring elementary districts more into line with the rate
the elementary districts in a unit district receive.
- Salem Elementary is
one of many schools who are experiencing tax caps,
which has a "double whammy effect" on our district.
The state funding formula
assumes that we can manipulate our local tax revenues in order to
maintain our district at a viable level. But tax caps no longer
allow this to happen in any kind of significant
manner. Our local EAV has increased approximately
$3 million per year. This growth in EAV is wonderful but tax
caps eliminate any of the benefits we would receive. Last
year, our CPI was l.6% we received about $55,000
in new money from our extension. This doesn't begin to cover the
increases in salaries, our continuing ed. programs for our teachers,
transportation costs increases, etc. In the last two years we
have been forced to eliminate 6 teachers,
1 building principal, 2 buses, and the shop program
in order to keep a balanced budget. We are asking if some way
could be found to mitigate the effects of tax caps on school
districts. The time has come to shift school
funding from local property taxes to some other source
of funding, perhaps to personal income tax. Eliminate property
tax. We are the biggest taxing body on our local tax bill.
When people have the rare opportunity to vote on taxes we always get
a "no" vote.
Thank you for your time
and for allowing us to have input in this process.
Total ed. rate 2.40
75% state funded
$5,000 per pupil cost
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