MAY 2019: Valley View seeks tax levy paired with cuts
Richards said despite $1.5 million in cuts over the past two years, the district projects a deficit of $1.1 million for next year. He said the district’s teacher salary scale is already one of the lowest in Montgomery County.
The tax levy on the March 17 ballot has two parts, but residents will vote yes or no on the whole package rather than voting separately. The property tax piece is a 5.5-mill, 37-year bond to pay for construction of a new school. The income tax piece is a 0.5% increase of Valley View’s existing school income tax, to avoid a deficit.
2017 STORY: Valley View has tense fight over bond issue
The list of budget adjustments if the levy were to be rejected also says grades K-6 would have a shorter school day, and preschool tuition would double from $800 per year to $1,600.
“There’s not a thing on that list that I think is good,” Richards said. “But this is the fiscal situation that we’re in right now, and if we aren’t successful (on the levy) it’s unfortunately going to be reductions that significantly affect the educational climate and culture we have at Valley View.”
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