Budget would hike taxes by 1.5 mills
CALIFORNIA – An $11.4 million tentative budget calling for a 1.5-mill tax increase was adopted Wednesday by the California Area School Board. Only Director John Bayer voted against the tentative spending plan, though Director George Safin had questioned the need for the tax increase since state funding is expected to increase by at least one percent and the budget shows a decrease in state funding.
“I don’t want to vote for a tentative tax increase when it appears we really won’t need it,” Safin said.
The 1.5 mill increase would generate about $45,000 for the district. District superintendent, Dr. Marian Stephens, said the district has not yet received notification of the state funding level. The millage would go from 91.07 mills to 92.57 mills if the tentative budget is adopted as it stands next month.
“This budget will give new text books in language arts, math, science and social studies kindergarten through twelfth grade,” Stephens said. “We also hope to include a hands-on program along with the text books for science. We are reviewing those this summer for grades kindergarten through third grade.”
The board failed to vote for a tentative teaching schedule. Wednesday was the deadline for adopting that schedule under the teachers’ contract that calls for a tentative schedule to be adopted at least three weeks prior to the end of school. California students will graduate in three weeks.
Directors voting against the proposal said they wanted to see enrollment figures, and those weren’t presented. In addition, teaching positions furloughed at last month’s meeting were included on the tentative schedule. Safin said he wants more information before approving a tentative schedule, saying the tentative schedule is almost always the same as the final schedule, except for minor changes. George said that if the board had received the necessary information at the April meeting, it would not have been put into the situation of potentially violating the contract.
“We didn’t intend to violate anything, but we have to look out for the best interest of the children,” Safin said.
The board also learned some of the hazards of live broadcasting Wednesday when the audio portion of a brief executive session for personnel matters was sent out over the district’s channel on Armstrong Cable. The audio apparently was not on the videotape made for future broadcasts of the meeting. The ramifications of the broadcast are not yet known.