Who would have thought 10 cents could cause such a commotion?
After a lengthy discussion at its meeting Tuesday, the Warren Township High School District 121 Board of Education voted to approve adding a question on next year’s ballot that would have voters decide on implementing a 60-cent limiting rate increase.
During the two-hour meeting, the board wavered between placing a proposed 60-cent increase or 50-cent increase on the ballot.
According to Board President Paul Schulz, the difference between the two options would have amounted to $100 a year for taxpayers with a $300,000 home. The 60-cent limiting rate increase would cost another $600 a year for that same homeowner.
Voters rejected a 35-cent limiting rate increase earlier this year, with approximately 55% of votes rejecting the proposal. Board members agreed Tuesday that the 35-cent increase that they had asked for in the April election would not help much long-term.
Schulz was initially adamant about a proposed 50-cent increase, saying that would get the district “14 years down the road,” versus a 60-cent increase which would get them “18 years down the road.”
“We owe it to taxpayers to minimize the tax impact,” he said. “A lot of my job is in developing budgets. There’s no way you can do an accurate budget 14, 15, 16 or 18 years down the road. That’s why I’m in favor of the 50 cents. It’s a little bit less, but I think we can get by on it for a long time.”
He added that the district’s focus should be on maintaining what it currently has, as opposed to trying to expand and create new programs in the district.
Board member Natalia Alvarez Martinez, who argued for the 60-cent proposal, said that the higher amount is in the best interest of the community.
“We owe it to our students, really, to be able to continue to provide a good school,” she said. “Fifty cents to me is a cop-out.”
After a long back-and-forth discussion about the two proposals, the evenly split board eventually decided on putting a 60-cent limiting rate increase proposal as a question on the 2022 ballot.
If the referendum passes next year, the district will be able to alleviate some of its financial woes, and put off some of the drastic cuts that it will have to make otherwise, including having the school day go down to seven periods instead of eight, and the cutting of many extracurricular activities, including freshman sports.
District 121 will also be able to reduce the costs of its registration, parking and athletics fees. Currently, the district’s registration fee is $600 per student. If the referendum passes, the board said it would like to see that amount lowered to $200 per student.
Similarly, the district’s parking passes cost $340, and the board said it would also like to see that amount dropped to $200 if the referendum passes. The district’s athletic fee, which is currently $260, would be dropped to $200.
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To additionally address the district’s financial difficulties, the board discussed selling off the property that the district owns on Stearns School Road — a 100-acre parcel it purchased in 2010.
At the time, district enrollment was expanding, and to meet future needs the district purchased the property to potentially build a third campus. Half of the acreage is currently leased for $10,500 annually, according to the district’s website.
“I would love to see us keep it, just for if it’s ever needed,” board member Tony DeMonte said. “Sometimes it looks like a lot of money, but it solves a very short-term solution.”
Board member John Anderson agreed with DeMonte, and added that he was against selling it.
The board said it will look into information from a demographer to assess whether the land is still a worthy investment, and if officials still believe the district will need an additional campus in the future.