News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon

Schools launch local option campaign

Last updated Jan 15, 2013 12:0pm0
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Since the 2000 election residents in the Sisters School District have supported a tax override of 75 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation to provide supplemental financial support to the local schools. This tax override is called a "local option." The local option is up for renewal through the ballot on March 12.

A committee of local citizens has been formed to support the continuation of the local option. They met their first deadline last week by submitting the explanatory statement for the voter's pamphlet to the Deschutes County Clerk.

The wording, tone, and length of the explanatory statement are carefully controlled and regulated by the Deschutes County Clerk. The explanatory statement must be impartial. Pro and con statements are submitted at a later date.

Sisters schools are acknowledged as a key component for economic development by the Sisters City Council, the economic development manager (past and present), local business owners and the real estate community. The statewide reputation for excellence in Sisters schools has been cited numerous times as a primary factor in bringing families and businesses to Sisters.

Superintendent Jim Golden frequently cites the local option as a key factor in giving Sisters schools the best teacher-to-student ratio in Central Oregon and one of the best ratios in the state. He sees a direct correlation between the teacher-student ratio and test performance, attendance numbers and graduation rates for Sisters students.

Local option has traditionally infused about $1.2 million per year into the district's budget, funding 14 teaching positions. Due to Measure 5 limits - which the district is bumping against due to recession-associated reductions in value - the figures have been compressed to under $1 million, funding about 12 positions.

The additional funds from local option also allow the Sisters School District to offer a full complement of school days, in contrast to the reduced instructional days forced upon other Central Oregon school districts by budget cuts.

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EXPLANATORY STATEMENT FOR COUNTY VOTERS' PAMPHLET (2013)

Ballot Title Caption: Renew Local Option Levy for School Operations, Five-Year Term

Measure Number: 9-88

The Sisters Local Option Levy has been in place since 2000 and renewed by Sisters School District voters in 2004 and 2009. If renewed in 2013, the proposed levy would provide the Sisters School District (SSD) with a continuation of these local taxes at the rate of $.75 per $1,000.00 of a property's assessed value for the next five years. A home with an assessed value of $172,024 (average assessed value of residential property in the District) would pay $10.75 monthly or $129.02 annually. This year, the Local Option provided the District with $991,351.35 to supplement its $10,501,384.00 budget or 9.4% of the District's annual budget.

If not renewed, the District will have to cut an average of $1,269,023.72 annually from the budget for the next five years. This loss equates to the reduction of 26 school days or 14 teachers or the elimination of all day kindergarten, art, music, sports, and other extra-curricular opportunities.

In the face of significant and unpredictable funding from the State of Oregon, the Sisters Local Option has allowed the District to preserve school days, retain highly qualified staff, maintain small class sizes, and offer a well-rounded academic program including honors and remedial offerings in core subjects: mathematics, reading, and writing. The Local Option finances enriched program offerings including all day Kindergarten, inter-disciplinary environmental education, one of three luthier programs in the nation, music, art, foreign languages, plus co-curricular activities and sports.

Sisters Schools are focused on excellence. During 2011-12:

- The Oregon State Department of Education rated all of Sisters schools as outstanding.

- Test scores ranked among the highest in Central Oregon.

- Sisters Elementary was designated a model school (top 5% of Title 1 Schools in Oregon).

- The graduation rate at Sisters High School was 94% compared with the state average of 66.4%.

- Sisters High School Outlaws earned the Oregonian Cup, awarded to the top 4A high school for its student athletes' GPAs, their sportsmanship, and extracurricular involvement outside athletics.

The citizens of Sisters have repeatedly affirmed the value of education to their community by supporting the Local Option for the past twelve years. As a result, Sisters students have been provided a comprehensive and personalized education.

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