By Michael Howell
On February 9, the Corvallis School Board voted unanimously to ask the community to approve a General Fund Operating Levy in the amount of $440,000 at the May 3 school board election. If approved the tax levy would support the fund which pays for most operating expenses, including salaries, maintenance needs, supplies and equipment, utilities, and insurance.
Discussions about the need for a levy have been going on since at least last summer, when the budget for the 2015-16 school year was finalized. The urgency increased this fall when, after school began, the anticipated increase in enrollment proved to be larger than expected and funds had to be found in an already over-stretched budget to hire an additional second grade teacher.
Based on this year’s school district taxable valuation, 34.28 mills would be required for a $440,000 levy. It is estimated that the tax increase per $100,000 of taxable value for a property would be $46.28. A formula to calculate the impact based on an individual tax bill is available on the district website.
The levy money would be used for the restoration of necessary teaching and instructional aide positions and the prevention of further staff cuts. It would pay for restoration and the prevention of losses to key programs, such as the after-school program to assist at-risk students and school nurse services. Money would also be set aside to address a backlog of major maintenance projects and for more competitive compensation for staff.
The school district conducted a survey concerning spending priorities and got about 200 responses.
Respondents were asked to rate their priorities for addressing the following district needs: preventing and restoring program and staffing cuts; addressing deferred maintenance; maintaining and upgrading technological infrastructure, relieving frozen supply budgets; and providing adequate compensation for district employees.
The top priority was restoring programs and staffing cuts, which was ranked first or second by more than 77% of respondents. Providing adequate compensation was second, receiving a first or second ranking from 69% of respondents.
Addressing deferred maintenance and maintaining and upgrading technological infrastructure had an equal number of first or second ratings (approximately 45%) and were also essentially tied in the number of third or fourth rankings.
Relieving frozen supply budgets was ranked first or second by fewer than 20% of respondents, but was far and away the favorite fourth or fifth priority.
According to information supplied by the school district, in the past 25 years this is only the fourth time Corvallis voters have been asked to vote on a general fund operating levy. The previous three requests (in 2003, 2007, and 2012) were all approved. In 1996, voters approved a construction bond, which was fully paid off in 2012.
In 2001, voters approved a 5-year building reserve levy for facility upgrades that has now expired. That same year, Corvallis voters were the first in the state to pass a dedicated technology depreciation levy in the amount of $50,000. For a number of years this annual amount enabled the district to update technological equipment on a rotation basis. After 15 years, $50,000 a year is no longer adequate to maintain the much larger technological infrastructure of the district and more and more of those costs must be paid for out of the general fund. The proposed levy will allow the district to increase its annual technology and curriculum general fund line items by approximately $50,000.
Corvallis’ general fund budget is at 86.65% of its maximum. To compare this with similarly sized schools: Hamilton is at 92.89%; Dillon at 102.95%; Lewistown at 103.07%; Columbia Falls at 99.81%; Whitefish at 107.99%; Belgrade at 98.69%; Havre at 104.50%; Polson at 93.74%; and Frenchtown at 93.94%.
The Corvallis general fund budget per student is the lowest of all K-12 school districts in the valley. Calculated on a per student basis, Corvallis has $591 less available in its general fund budget compared, for example, to Hamilton. Another way to look at it is that Corvallis taxpayers, through previously approved levies, have authorized spending $469 per student above the state minimum. For Hamilton that figure is $952 per student. If the proposed levy is approved, the Corvallis amount would rise to $819 per student.
In 2007, the Legislature created a one-time appropriation for maintenance, which schools could spend over a multi-year period. Corvallis received $152,000, which it cautiously used over the next seven years for maintenance projects. That single shot of dedicated money is now gone, but maintenance needs, of course, are ongoing. If the operating levy is approved, the district plans to dedicate approximately $90,000 annually to boosting maintenance line items in its general fund budget.
For a number of years the Corvallis school nurse, who serves 1,300 students, has been funded by a private grantor. The highly effective Corvallis Bridges After-School Program has provided support to students in need of extra academic help in grades 5 and up and has been funded through federal grant funds. Both of these sources of funding are being phased out and the after-school program only has funding for 7th and 8th grade students this year. According to school officials, the need to cover the costs of these two essential programs is one of the compelling reasons for this year’s levy request.
In recent years Corvallis wage and salary increases have been very small – in some cases non-existent. This raises concerns about the school district’s ability to retain valued employees and hire high quality staff when necessary. If approved, the levy would help the district fairly compensate the people who teach and work with the students, staff the buildings, and care for the infrastructure the community has invested in.
According to school officials, “What a $440,000 boost to the general fund budget will do is allow the district to take care of some of its needs right away and gradually work toward addressing others, instead of continuing on a steep path of reduction and deferral. Careful, thoughtful and difficult choices will still have to be made. The district will still need to work diligently to obtain outside grant funding for as many of its needs as possible. The levy will, however, prevent additional cuts to programs and personnel, help the district begin to catch up on the maintenance backlog, enable fairer compensation of employees, and ensure that the education of Corvallis students is supported by an adequate level of resources.”
An informational meeting hosted by the Corvallis Civic Club has been scheduled for Monday, March 21 at 7 p.m. in the Corvallis High School Library.
The school election is Tuesday, May 3. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the Corvallis High School Gym. Forms to request an absentee ballot are available at all school offices or at the Ravalli County Election Office. Voters have the option to vote absentee ballots in person at the county election office beginning April 13.
Mail-in voter registration cards are available at all school offices, but must be postmarked by April 4 for this election. You may also register in person at the Ravalli County Election Office during business hours up through May 3, although the office will be closed on the afternoon of May 2.
For more information go to the Levy Information link on the district website at www.corvallis.k12.mt.us.