Opinion Answers on local option

The local option campaign has generated questions regarding the levy, the uses of the dollars produced, and school funding.

Why do we need the local option--I thought the State funded education? The local option allows the district to preserve programs -- music, art, drama, and co-curricular activities -- that other districts have eliminated because of reductions in state funding.

It pays for additional teachers, which keeps class sizes smaller than they would be without these teachers. It funds textbooks, technology, and instructional supplies. The district will receive about $400,000 less in state funding this year compared to last year. Without the local option, funding for these programs, staff, and instructional materials would have been substantially reduced.

What is the local option tax rate and how much money will it generate? The tax rate is 75 cents per $1,000 of assessed value -- the same tax rate voters approved four years ago. The local option will generate about $800,000 each school year.

Will the local option increase my taxes? The local option is calculated using the assessed value of your property. The assessed value is allowed to increase 3 percent per year. So while the tax rate doesn't go up, the amount you pay will increase slightly each year by about $2.25 to $2.30 per $100,000 of assessed value. At the same time, the district's bond tax rate is declining, so the overall increase could be less or non-existent.

How has the district used the funds generated by the local option? For the first three years the district used local option funds to: Restore five teaching positions that had been cut in the 2000-01 school year as well as increase staff time for special programs (42 percent); hire additional custodial staff, perform deferred maintenance, and to fund operations (36 percent); and purchase textbooks, software, supplies, and equipment (22 percent). Because of the significant decrease in state funding, local option funds were used to preserve positions and programs for the current year.

We just built a new high school, why does the district need more money? Bond funds were used for construction of the new high school. Bond funds can only be used for building new or updating old schools. Local option dollars are used for operations -- staff, programs, supplies, utilities, etc. An easy way to remember this is that the "B's" and "O's" go together and can't be mixed -- Bonds are for Buildings and Options are for Operations.

How much money does the district get per student -- I have heard numbers as low as $4,500 and as high as $10,000? The base number in the state formula is $4,500 per student. This amount is adjusted by numerous factors to arrive at the "general purpose" grant. The state then adds a transportation grant calculated at 70 percent of the actual cost of home-to-school transportation. The result is known as the "Total Formula Revenue." For Sisters schools, this is estimated at $5,013 for the current year. The local option adds about $595 per student.

What will the district do if the local option does not pass? The district will begin the process of identifying about $800,000 in cuts (about 9 percent of the current budget) as the starting point for building next years budget.

The district will consider submitting the local option levy to voters again in March. At that time, the impact of the state revenue shortfall on K-12 funding and projected increases for insurance and PERS, will allow the district to develop an accurate picture of necessary reductions.

Is the district paying for the cost of the local option campaign? No! All of the money comes from individual donations. In addition, none of the district employees are allowed to spend any time on the campaign while on the job. We don't use district phones or paper for the campaign.

It is very important to the Committee for Sisters School Children that voters have the answers needed to make an informed decision regarding the Local Option (Measure 9-30).

Approval of the local option is critical to continuing the tradition of excellence for which the district and the community are known.

Please call or email me if you have additional questions: Ted Thonstad, Superintendent 549-8521 or [email protected]