School districts asking voters for more money

Two Fairfield County school districts are on the November ballot asking voters for more money, one for the fifth consecutive time.

Leaders of the AmandaClearcreek district hope for a better outcome this time as they ask voters for a 1.25 percent earned-income tax for five years. It would generate nearly $1.9 million annually to operate the district of about 1,500 students.

The Liberty UnionThurston district is asking voters for a new, five- year property tax, a 3.5- mill levy that would generate $648,000 annually to fund capital improvements in the district of about 1,400 students. It would cost homeowners $123 per $ 100,000 of valuation. Homeowners in unincorporated Liberty Township currently pay $ 1,640 per $100,000 of valuation in total annual property taxes, including county, local and school, according to the county auditor’s office.

The district also operates on a 1.75 percent income tax.

Voters in the rural Amanda-Clearcreek district have proved to be a tough sell, soundly rejecting the earnedincome tax four times since 2015.

“No wonder people are starting to run out of gas,” said Superintendent J. B. Dick, “from what I’ve heard and what I’m seeing.”

Homeowners in unincorporated Clearcreek Township currently pay $ 1,262 per $100,000 of valuation in total annual property taxes, including county, local and school, according to the county auditor’s office.

Some voters think the district has enough money and doesn’t need more, Dick said. Others are unhappy that the school board got rid of then- Superintendent David Gaul last year by buying out the remaining year on his three- year contract while also paying an interim superintendent to do the job.

“I think there’s a concern about trust,” Dick said. “We are trying to figure out what is causing people not to vote for this and we are trying to address those concerns.”

The district operates on an approximately $ 16 million general fund budget, and this school year has cut seven positions from the previous year’s 190 employees to help balance the budget, said Treasurer Jill Bradford. Administrators also are trying to reduce what they pay for diesel fuel for school buses, for grass mowing and snow removal and for other service contracts, she said.

“We will continue to figure out ways to save money whether the levy passes or doesn’t,” Dick said. “We don’t ever see the need for this levy going away.”

The Liberty UnionThurston district will embark on a capitalimprovements program to upgrade athletic facilities and security cameras both inside and outside its elementary building, middle school and high school if voters approve the additional property tax, Superintendent Todd Osborn said. The improvements fund would be separate from the district’s current approximately $ 14 million general fund.

Planned improvements include replacing the stadium’s grass field with artificial turf, rebuilding and expanding the track from six lanes to eight lanes and renovating the stadium’s restrooms, locker rooms and other areas.

“Our facilities are good but they are outdated,” Osborn said. “That is a concern in trying to attract new families to our district and to our community.”

Plans also include spending up to $ 135,000 on security cameras at the three school buildings, all to be linked to the local police department. Also planned is a fieldhouse including two gyms and a twolane walking track, to be used for community youth sports teams as well as by the public.

“Our schools, our facilities, we are the center of town,” Osborn said.