As a current school board member who also co-chaired the 2005 operating levy referendum campaign, I wanted to respond to concerns in the community about the current operating levy campaign. There seem to be two main questions popping up in the community when talking about the Kimball Schools operating levy referendum that will be voted on Nov. 3; why does the district need a higher operating levy right now and why didn’t the district ask for more in 2005?
First, I want to address the issue of why the district didn’t ask for a higher operating levy amount than $275 per pupil back in 2005. Especially since the $275 per pupil gave us the dubious distinction of having the lowest operating levy in our area. The main reason the district asked for an operating levy amount of $275 in 2005 and not more, was because the community voted down an operating levy referendum of $450 per pupil the year before in 2004.
I remember at the time, some wondering if the $275 was going to be enough, but the district was concerned that the community would reject a higher amount. This was a legitimate concern. Despite the fact that every district around us was in the same boat and going for even higher operating levies, there was a misperception that this was a Kimball alone problem.
This brings us to the second question, why does the district need a higher operating levy now? In the years since 2005, state funding remained stagnant, what we keep referring to as flat funding, while operating costs have continued to rise. Could it really be as simple as insufficient revenue plus rising operating costs equaling budget shortfalls? Keep in mind, that the school is required to spend over $400,000 in state and federal special education mandates that are NOT funded by anyone. The district isn’t trying to find an extra $400 to pay for paper clips, it’s trying to find an extra $400,000 because the state and federal governments are trying to make sure every child has a chance at an equal education. A noble cause if only they were willing to pay for it.
Did anyone know in 2005 that the state, the entire country even, was going to experience a financial downturn resulting in continued inadequate education funding? I didn’t. My company was having an all-right year. My property value was still holding. Hindsight being what it is, $275 per pupil was not going to be enough to protect us from making continued cuts to the budget. Many districts around us have had operating levies at more than $400 per pupil and many of them have continued to make budget cuts just as we have. Why is it that Kimball is expected to provide the same quality education on often less than half of the operating levy revenue of other districts?
I don’t think the issue is what has Kimball done wrong. I think the issue is what has Kimball done right in the last four years that we have been able to hold on despite having a lot less money than our neighbors to work with. I’ve been on the district budget committee for the last two years and I would have loved to have the operating levy revenue our neighbors have had to work with.
The simple fact is that we can no longer provide a comparable, quality education on substantially less money. It’s not 2005 anymore and we have to deal with the ongoing financial issues facing our district, every other district, the state and the federal government. We hoped to fix a serious wound to education funding in 2005 with a band-aid because we thought no one would want to pay for a tourniquet. It was a heck of a band-aid because it held for longer than many of the tourniquets our neighbors were using.
However, now the time has come to choose what education means in our community. We have the opportunity to learn from the last decade, to really understand what has happened to education funding. The information is out there. I, among many others, have done quite a bit of research into the history of education funding both in our district and statewide. It is the only way I feel right talking about education funding to the extent that I do. It is interesting stuff and available to anyone.
If community members have questions and want answers, I would highly recommend attending the Oct. 19, 2009, district-sponsored operating levy informational meeting at 7 p.m. in the high school cafetorium. It is a great way for everyone to take ownership of education in our community and to be a part of moving forward in a positive, productive way.
Kimball Schools operating levy referendum
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