East Holmes schools expect emergency levy in November

  • By Dave Mast
  • March 4, 2010
  • 648
                        
Operating a school district has never been an easy task. Continuing a successful operation when state funding is decreasing at an alarming rate, and with an economy that is unstable at best, makes it all the more difficult to continue to meet the high standards the district has set over the years. For East Holmes School District, continuing on its path of being named a School of Excellence with Distinction comes as the highest priority. But as 2010 hits its stride, the district will be faced with a dilemma it does not cherish: creating a levy for the upcoming November election that will ask people of the district to invest in the schools financially through an emergency operating funds levy. Between the loss of state funding and the position the state is now in financially, Joe Wengerd, East Holmes superintendent, believes that the school district will have to rely more heavily on the people of East Holmes to continue to provide the strong educational services for which the district has become so well known. “We have been stretching our funds and holding on as long as we can to the financial situation we’ve been in since 1994,” said Wengerd. “We’ve pared back in programs, we’ve cut 10 positions in the past couple of years. We’ve been extremely responsible with our fiscal responsibilities to the community with their tax dollars. But the one thing that we absolutely cannot afford to lose is the student achievement standards we have here. Our young people are the strength of our future for Holmes County, and we cannot afford to sacrifice anything when it comes to education.” According to Marsha Clark, East Holmes school board treasurer, the state’s budget has reduced what the district will receive from the state by $45,000 (one percent) for the 2009-2010 school year. The 2010-2011 school year will receive a reduction of another two percent, which will come close to $100,000. In addition, the district will begin experiencing additional revenue reductions from personal tangible property tax reimbursements currently being received. Oddly, one of the reasons East Holmes is only about 30 percent funded from the state is because of how its land and properties continues to hold their value. “As our land values remain high, our state funding is driven even lower because the state perceives a greater need elsewhere,” said Clark. She said that even with what they hope to be the eventual passing of the emergency operating levy, the school district will not change its focus on being fiscally responsible with taxpayers’ money. “We will absolutely continue to be very good stewards with the people’s money,” assured Clark. “We will make those dollars go as far as possible without jeopardizing the future success of our students.” Cost-saving encounters over the past year have included the use of permanent improvement funds to purchase school buses, a close examination of school book replacement, careful monitoring of supply purchases and everyday operating expenses and reduction in technology purchases. “We have always been reliant on the people of our school district to take care of their youth,” said Wengerd. “We have great faith that they put the same high premium on education that we do. We would not ask for an emergency operating levy unless we absolutely needed it. Unfortunately, we do.” At this time, the amount of the levy is undetermined.


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