WACO School property tax levy continues its descent

By BROOKS TAYLOR

Mt. Pleasant News

CRAWFORDSVILLE ? Property taxes keep dropping in the WACO Community School District.

A couple of years ago, the district had one of the state?s highest property tax levies at $20.60 per $1,000 taxable valuation. Now, the levy will have dropped to at least $16.42 for fiscal 2015-16 and could drop even further. The current levy is $17.20 per $1,000 valuation, meaning the tax asking will fall by at least 78 cents for the next fiscal year.

The drop means a house with a taxable valuation of $50,000 will be taxed $39 less in the next fiscal year.

?For a while, we had the fourth highest (property tax levy) in the state,? reflected Tim Graber, board president said during Monday night?s regular board meeting at the elementary school. ?We are sticking to our plan and it?s working.?

?I think the future looks even brighter,? added Supt. Dr. Darrell Smith.

School officials are not sure of the final property tax rate because the Iowa Legislature has not set the allowable growth rate.

If allowable growth is set at 4 percent, the levy will be $16.42. The other allowable growth/property tax rate scenarios are as follows: 3-percent allowable growth, $16.37; 2 percent, $16.32; 1.25 percent, $16.28; 0 percent, $16.34.

Thus far, the Iowa Senate is proposing 4-percent allowable growth while the House and Gov. Terry Branstad are at 1.25 percent. ?I think the Legislature is receptive to change but the governor is not,? Smith said. ?I think they will settle somewhere over 2 percent. We will do the best we can with what we have, we always have done it that way.?

WACO?s $11,110,941 fiscal 2016 budget includes an ending fund balance of $3.6 million as of June 30, 2015, and a projected ending balance of $2.87 million on June 30, 2016.

Smith presented to the board his list of budgetary reductions for next school year. The reductions include 1.95 full-time equivalency positions and $69,500 in savings.

Following are Smith?s recommendations, which were approved by the board:

Art education K-12, currently 1.5 instructors, reduction of .5 FTE positions, savings of $25,000;

Music, currently 2.7 instructors, reduction of .2 FTE positions, savings of $10,000;

Physical education K-12, currently 2.25 instructors, reduction of .25 FTE positions, savings of $17,000;

Teacher associations, currently 11 positions, reduction of one position, savings of $17,500.

Smith said that other cuts will be made through retirements and attrition and said with retirements, ?we are looking at $150,000 (in reductions). Really, the reductions aren?t that many and we?re trying to do it through attrition.?

Smith said those impacted have 10 days to request a hearing and staff also has recall rights for two years under terms of the master contract.

Directors also approved the 2015-16 master contract with the WACO Education Association. The contract calls for a total package increase of 4 percent next year and 3 percent the following year. The parties also agreed to a two-year contract or salary and insurance and a one-year agreement on language. The WEA ratified the contract earlier in the day.

WACO will add junior high assistant softball and baseball coaches (two positions) to the employee roster this summer. The positions pay 5 percent of the base teaching salary.

Smith and Athletic Director Chad Edeker recommended adding assistant coaches due to growth in the programs.

?It is a minor expense and probably will help the program grow,? Smith noted. He said 17-18 junior high boys have indicated a desire to play baseball and 13 or 14 girls plan to play softball.

Para-educator Kristin Trinidad?s resignation was accepted and a contract was approved for high-school instructor Renea Reichenbach to become cheerleading sponsor. Reichenbach, who was cheerleading sponsor from 2005-2010, will be paid $1,302.

Rheinschmidt?s Flooring of Burlington received the bid for tiling the secondary building locker rooms. The firm submitted a bid of $39,405.55. Swift Enterprises of Washington also bid on the project with a cost of $41,691.60.

WACO will also apply for a $40,000 grant from the Washington County Riverboat Foundation for security systems at both the secondary and elementary schools.

The project, expected to cost $80,000, will also be funded by the WACO School Foundation, Smith said.

?I feel good about this one,? Smith said, referring to the grant application. ?I talked to the president (of the riverboat foundation) and he said he wants WACO to receive a grant.?

WACO School Board members meet again Monday, April 20, at 6:30 p.m. in the high-school media center.