Over the past several weeks, district administration has enjoyed visiting with various groups in the Clinton community regarding the upcoming election. During these conversations, we have received many supportive comments from community members about the need to keep students safe, our buildings well-maintained, and the desire to support our teachers and staff with increased pay. The Clinton School District is fortunate to have the support of caring community members, who take great pride in our students, staff, and schools. Today the district would like to provide additional details about how Question 1 (Zero-Tax Levy Increase Bond) and Question 2 (Zero-Tax Increase Levy Transfer) work.
For school districts in Missouri, there is no dedicated funding source for the renovation or construction of school facilities. The primary route to gaining access to funding is through the issuance of bonds to generate funding for these needs, or by increasing the tax levy. Thanks to good financial management, the district has paid off a large portion of debt incurred from past construction projects and does not need to raise the tax levy. This effective management of funds has allowed us to seek approval of an additional $14 million in bonds to enhance safety and extend the life and functionality of district buildings and facilities. This bond issue will not increase the tax levy, only extend the current bond 20 years.
We believe Question 1, and other bond issues like it, are the most responsible way for the district to tackle large capital projects to ensure facilities are safe, maintained, and equipped properly for succeeding generations of students in our community. If not addressed now, many of the proposed bond projects (ie, building settlement issues at Clinton Middle School) could lead to bigger and more expensive projects down the road.
So, how does Question 2, the Zero-Tax Increase Levy Transfer, work? The district is seeking authorization from voters to make adjustments to the district’s debt services and operating tax levies with the purpose of providing a more competitive compensation structure for teachers and staff. The proposal is a transfer of 15 cents from the debt service levy to the operating levy. This transfer of funds would simply decrease the debt service levy from $.8168 to $.6668 while increasing the operating levy from $3.0511 to $3.2011. Regardless of how one votes, the existing levy of $3.8679 (debt service and operating levies combined) would remain unchanged.
One could compare this to transferring money between your personal checking and savings accounts. If you have $100 in each account for a total of $200, and transfer $50 from your savings account to your checking account, you still have the same $200, it is just structured differently.
Next week we will wrap up our 4-part informational series. As we approach the April 2nd election, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the district with any questions you might have. Feel free to stop by Central Office, send an email to bwishard@clintoncardinals.org, or call us at 660-885-2237.
