District outlines need for passage of levy

Leaders dispel rumored plans to build new high school

Leaders answered questions regarding a levy the district has placed on the May 4primary/ special election ballot.

Madison Schools leaders answered an assortment of questions during an event this week regarding an operating levy that the district has placed on the May 4 primary/special election ballot.

Residents made those inquiries through text messages or emails during a virtual town hall meeting that lasted about 1 hour and 45 minutes.

The forum also featured presentations by district Treasurer Michael Vaccariello and Superintendent Angela Smith during which they discussed financial challenges faced by Madison Schools and why funding from a new levy is needed.

District leaders are hoping to secure voter approval of a 6.99-mill levy that would generate about $2.78 million each year, and annually cost taxpayers $244.65 per $100,000 in property valuation, according to the Lake County Auditor’s Office.

The May 4 issue is a continuing levy, which means it has no expiration date.

If the levy is approved, the additional monies will be used to fund the day-to-day operations of the district and help to maintain the programming that currently exists.

Madison Schools’ financial strength has been weakened by significant annual decreases in state funding, Vaccariello explained during the gathering.

Another difficulty, he said, is that other voted levies on the district’s books can’t produce more yearly revenue than the amounts that voters originally approved.

“As property values are increased, the millage is decreased,” Vaccariello said. “The school district does not receive any additional revenue.”

This has created a predicament for the district because revenue provided by levies initially approved in 1989, 2000 and 2017 has not kept pace with inflation.

Vaccariello also shared various facts and figures to demonstrate that Madison Schools has shown a strong commitment to balancing its budget over the years even as revenue continues to dwindle.

For example, the district’s revenue and expenses at the end 2020 both were lower than at the conclusion of 2008.

He also said the district has eliminated a total of 89 staff positions over the past 11 years.

In addition, there have been no base salary increases for Madison Schools staff in five of the last 11 years, Vaccariello said. When there were raises, they averaged about 0.89 percent, while inflation for the same period was almost 1.7 percent.

“So on the base (salaries), we’re not keeping up with inflation,” he said.

Employee contributions for health insurance have increased over that same 11-year period, Vaccariello said. However, the district also has gained better control over health care costs by becoming part of a health-care consortium.

The consortium helps to secure savings for individual members through the buying power it has as a larger group.

The question-and-answer portion of the town hall was moderated by School Board President Shawn Douglas.

One resident asked why the board chose to hold a virtual town hall meeting instead of an in-person gathering.

Douglas noted that the board has seen “significantly improved attendance” since it began conducting its meetings remotely through video conferences during the COVID-19 pandemic. While the panel decided to sponsor a virtual town hall on March 30, he said plans are in the works to hold a second assembly to discuss the levy in a traditional in-person setting.

“We’ve had an offer to have that at a specific location, and as long as we don’t have backward progression on the pandemic, we do plan to do that in person,” Douglas said.

Another person asked what cuts would be made if the levy doesn’t pass.

Douglas said the school board has not yet made those decisions.

“That’s why we’re offering the community the opportunity to vote on this levy,” he said.

Douglas added that if the levy on May 4 is defeated, the board would have the option of putting it back on the ballot in the November election. Without additional revenue from a new levy, the board’s alternative would be to balance the budget by making the necessary cuts.

By law, school districts are not permitted to operate with a negative financial balance.

Douglas also took time during the forum to dispel a rumor that Madison Schools leaders were planning to build a new high school.

“There’s been absolutely no discussion among the board, superintendent or treasurer on building a new high school,” he said. “That would be nice, but that’s not something that we’ve been even talking about.

“And this is an operating levy that we have on the ballot, and an operating levy cannot be used to build buildings.”