2008 Year in Review

School District Determining What To Do With Sales Tax

by Ben Wolf - The Morrison Post

The Morrison school district’s finance committee met before the regular board meeting Tuesday night to discuss what the district should do with the extra revenue if the sales tax referendum does pass. This referendum would impose countywide sales tax on many items, and would be good for an extra $500,000 annually for the Morrison District if passed. The district thought that it was only fair to make these decisions before voters take to the polls so that they could make an informed decision based on the district’s plans.

Kevin Schluter, senior finance committee member gave the committee’s recommendation: A minimum of 80% of the revenue (roughly $400,000) would be used against the district’s debt service, with a clear goal of reducing property taxes. No more than 20% would be used for fixing things that come up during the year, so that the Education Fund would not have to be depleted. This would represent a clear effort to shift the financial burden from property taxes to sales tax. The board was very much in agreement with the proposal from the committee.

The committee also estimated that this would represent approximately a $0.40 to $0.50 reduction on the levy. The board also passed a motion to set a goal for the district to have a six month combined fund balance for Education, Operations and Maintenance, Transportation and Working Cash funds. Superintendent, Dr. Suellen Girard stressed that this is not a requirement, but a goal for the district financially.

The board also heard an update about the Northside School playground. Lights and the signs should have been installed as of last week, and the district is seeking quotes for video surveillance. The administrative team will be meeting with the interim police chief and the city administrator on October 1st to discuss some security concerns.

During the financial report, the board learned that the Building Fund revenue was behind expenses due to the pool project. The budget is balanced through June, but the district will not make it through the school year without amending the budget. The transportation fund is very close, and will depend on the price of diesel and when revenue comes in.

High school principal, Janet Ward reported that PSAE scores climbed 13 points from last year’s scores. As a result, a picnic was held at Morrison Rockwood Park, and everyone had fun.

Jr. High principal, Darryl Hogue also had improved scores to report. On their ISAT tests, the lowest score on the report was 85% meets or exceeds.

by  Editor, theCity1.com
October 1, 2008