Last week, we told readers what has been cut from the Kimball school district budget, and what could be lost. This week, we take a look at what passing or not passing the levy could cost the homeowner/taxpayer. The resolution for the levy asked for a funding incease of $275 per pupil per year (or approximately $1.53/day per student). The state would pay, with equalization funds, $130.63, leaving $144.37 to be paid by local property taxes. This would be approximately 80 cents per day per student to be paid for by property taxpayers. To get the $116,000 from the state sources, the local taxpayer has to be willing to increase his taxes to fund $128,000. This levy would be in effect for six years. These monies can only be used to fund programs for students, maintain or decrease class sizes, provide elective choices, etc., but not as the last levy to renovate, build or update buildings. The state has, after three years of keeping funding the same, increased funding for schools by 4 percent – less than the yearly cost of living increase for the same three years. This increase will be passed along to all property owners, regardless of the levy vote. This increase has already been figured into the budget for next year, and will still put the budget $135,000 below last year’s budget. (Last year’s budget is the one that had to have cuts made in many programs and positions.) Please note that out of 343 districts in Minnesota, Kimball is one of 35 that does not have an operating levy in place. In the state, 99 percent of school districts have more income than does the Kimball district. If the levy passes, a taxpayer that owns a home worth $150,000 would be looking at an $87 per year increase in their taxes for school funding. That amounts to approximately $7.25 per month. There are, in other parts of this paper, tables for other market value amounts, and a formula to figure out your exact cost. Figuring out what not passing the levy will cost is much harder. Obviously, with an even smaller budget, more cuts will have to be made. The state of Minnesota does not allow school districts to budget or run in the red. School board members would, reluctantly, have to make those cuts. As they have done in the past, they would look at all areas – sports, activities, electives, administration, etc. A group of students have open-enrolled out of the district; a large van of them attending elsewhere this year. If the district can’t stay competitive in their offerings and choices of programs and activities, other districts become more attractive and open-enrollment enables students to go elsewhere. If lack of funding and budget cuts need to continue, if this levy (and subsequent levies) should fail, then more drastic solutions would need to be sought. Funding might be kept to elementary or middle school grades, while higher grades might be split into other districts. No one is contemplating that far down the road. School board members are hoping never to face that challenge.
