By Greg Denecker, Bluffton school superintendent
On May 7, The Bluffton Exempted Village School District will ask for your continued support of the renewal ½ % income tax for permanent improvements.
• This is not a new tax; it is a renewal of an existing tax for three years.
• The tax generates around $600,000 per year.
• This tax will be on the ballot on May 7, to be renewed at the same amount: 1/2% income tax for three years.
• First collection of the renewal would begin in calendar year 2014.
Accountability - We have published the revenue and expenditures of our permanent improvement projects, including projects and costs, each summer in the Bluffton News, Bluffton Icon, and in the Summer District Newsletter. We thank you, the members of our school district, for the financial support which has allowed us to complete many different projects over the last several years.
What is a permanent improvement tax?
A permanent improvement tax can be used for anything that will last 5 years or more. For example, we have used this money to replace roofs, buy new busses, remodel classrooms, etc.
What can the money not be used for?
The money can not be used for salaries or fringe benefits; these must be paid out of general operating dollars.
Major Permanent Improvements that have been completed in the district include the following:
• Replacement and repair of roofs at the elementary and high school
• Installation of Air Conditioning in all Kindergarten-4th grade classrooms which makes A/C districtwide in all classrooms
• Purchase of new busses
• Updating of high school classrooms and elementary classrooms
• Repair of high school and elementary restrooms along with plumbing
• Repairs and updates to Harmon Field and Steinmetz Field
• Tuckpointing and mortar repair in many areas of the high school and elementary
• Replacement of outside windows and doors as needed at high school and elementary
Upcoming Projects to be completed over the next three years include the following:
• Refurbishment of classrooms/media centers as needed in the high school and elementary
• Completion of tuckpointing and mortar repair where needed in the district
• Updating of security measures and outdoor facilities as needed
• Replacement of outside doors, ceilings, and roofs where needed
• Replacement of busses- maintain/update electricity, plumbing, and hvac as needed
• Updating of technology and textbooks as needed
• Painting and paving where needed
Our expenditure per pupil for fiscal year 2012 was $8,308, which is one dollar more than our expenditure per pupil in Fiscal Year 2007, which was $8,307.
At the same time, our district has been cut by over $700,000 in funds that we were due to receive from the state over the past 3 years. As you can see from these numbers, we have made fiscally responsible decisions to stay off the ballot for new money for as long as possible. That is why the Renewal of this levy is critical to our district.
We rank 7th lowest out of the 21 most similar districts in the state in the amount of money we spend per pupil, yet we are first in this group in state ranking academically. T
wo districts that are near us in this FY 2012 expenditure per pupil ranking are Liberty-Benton, which spends $9,017 per student and Ottawa-Glandorf, which spends $9,109. The state average expenditure per pupil is $10,597.
We have maintained our low per pupil expenditure by trying to be as efficient as possible with our personnel while still giving our students an excellent education. As the numbers demonstrate, we spend $2,289 less per pupil than state average, and our district still consistently ranks in the top 5% of the state academically with our performance index of 107.4.
Obviously, these permanent improvement dollars are critical for us to continue to maintain and improve our schools’ infrastructure. We pledge to use these monies wisely as we have in the past, and we will continue to publish the revenue and expenses in the Bluffton News, Bluffton Icon, and the Summer District Newsletter.
The long anticipated release of our state report card is over. If you would like to look at the report card more in depth, please go to www.ode.state.oh.us/reportcardfiles/2011-2012/DIST/045211.pdf.
Thank you for your continued support of Bluffton Exempted Village Schools. Through the combined efforts of the community as well as our dedicated staff and fantastic students, we will continue the tradition of excellence in our district.
If you have any questions regarding this issue or would like a first-hand look at the improvements we have recently completed, please call (419-358-5901) or stop by the Superintendent’s Office.
