Partly Cloudy 50° F

Home > Archive > Nov 9, 2006

By Ed Rogers
Public Relations Director, WCSD

The Board of Education of the Washington County School District passed a resolution regarding a Voted Leeway election to be held in conjunction with this November’s General Election. The Board will ask voters to approve a .0005 increase in the voted leeway tax levy.
The 2006 Voted Leeway does not result in a tax levy rate increase from 2005. Washington County residents will actually pay a lower rate than 2005.

With budget cuts in the Basic State Levy and in the general obligation debt, the overall tax liability decreased .001031, from .006131 in 2005 to 0.0051 in 2006. With the approval of the Truth in Taxation and the proposed increase in the Voted Leeway, the total tax rate liability will be .0061, lower than the previous level of .006131 in 2005.

Because of an increase in mandates for education, both from the national and state levels (No Child Left Behind/NCLB, Utah Performance Assessment System for Students/UPASS, Gifted & Talented Program), there has not been enough budget to meet even basic program needs. It is difficult to provide all of the necessary services for student success.

A larger percentage of the state income tax dollars is being distributed to other entities within the state system, namely higher education. Thus a smaller percentage of tax dollars are being given to public education. Utah remains 51st in the nation in per-pupil funding, at $5,008, compared to the national average of $8,280 and a high of $12,981 in New Jersey. The next lowest state in the ranking is Idaho at $6,028 per pupil.

According to a report from the Utah Foundation, Report Number 674, April 2006: “In the early and mid-1990s … Utah’s funding effort was very high, even the fifth highest in the nation in 1995. … From 1992 to 1995, Utah’s funding effort for education held steady at about $60 per $1,000 of personal income. This means that Utah individuals and businesses paid taxes specifically for public education that equaled about six percent of all income earned in the state.”

The article goes on to explain changes to the state constitution and other legislative action led to a decline in financial support from taxes for public education.

“In terms of current spending per $1,000 of personal income, Utah’s rank is … 36th in 2004.”
The decrease in spending has not dramatically affected high school graduation rates. Utah is used as a “model” for other states in low per-pupil funding because of the high quality of education provided in our state. The freshman graduation rate for Utah is the eighth highest in the nation at 83%.

The District recognizes a great need to receive the funding necessary to maintain this high level of educational success in Washington County.

Cost of living increases in Washington County are making it difficult to entice new teachers to move to the area because they can’t afford housing. The District was able to meet its hiring needs this year by employing 220 new teachers. Nearly 90% of all available applicants were hired by the District. A high number of applicants declined selection for teaching vacancies because of the high cost of living and housing. Additionally, due to a change in the retirement benefit package for WCSD teachers, district officials have great concern about whether the district will be able to meet all its staffing needs next year.

Under the direction of the Board of Education for the Washington County School District, revenue from the voted leeway will be used to improve programs within the District and to provide for a more competitive salary to attract and retain quality teachers.

Some of the programs the voted leeway funds will be used for include:

1.) Decrease the average class size within the District and restore it to last year’s level. Because of enrollment growth and funding shortfalls, the average class size on the elementary level increased from 23.5 to 24 students.

2.) Provide reading intervention at all levels within the District. The Title I schools within the District all have a Reading Recovery program. This is a program designed to help all first graders within that school read at grade level. The District desires to have a Reading Recovery program in all elementary schools and wants to develop a reading intervention program that will provide additional assistance to students who are unable to read at grade level and make it available in all schools.

3.) Establish a Comprehensive and Formal Gifted & Talented Program. The District recognizes a segment of the student population that is being under-served. A formal program will allow the District to continue to challenge these students to perform at a high level.
The District recognizes a need to attract and retain quality teachers. Efforts have already been made to improve the entry-level salary for new teachers by collapsing the first three tiers of the salary schedule. The District desires to have the same impact on the entire salary schedule for those teachers already in the system by creating incentives for participation in District-designed programs intended to improve the quality of instruction and thereby student achievement. These programs would be designed to maximize participation while minimizing time out of the classroom.

With the state budget cuts for education in 2001, two days of preparation time was cut from the teachers’ salary schedule. With the passage of the voted leeway, the two days would be restored.

The District appreciates the continued support of the residents of Washington County and recognizes the tremendous amount of time and effort families in our area freely donate to ensure their students receive the best education possible. Countless hours of volunteerism are spent on a daily basis within the District through Parent/Teacher organizations, reading assistance, and many other programs.

If the voted leeway passes, the actual cost to homeowners will be $55 a year for a home with an assessed value of $200,000. The District and School Board would appreciate your support in the November 7 General Election by voting YES on Proposition I.

---