DARLINGTON - Darlington taxpayers are being asked to fund an additional $700,000 each year to help the school district pay its bills.
A school referendum, scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 19, is seeking an additional $700,000 over the amount the state allows the district to levy each year for the next four years.
The money is needed for general day-to-day operational expenses, such as heating fuel, electricity and paying salary and benefits for staff, District Administrator Joseph Galle said.
For taxpayers, the additional $700,000 will increase the school portion of taxes by 52 cents per $1,000 of property value per year.
The tax rate would increase from $9.94 per $1,000 of valuation for this school year to $10.46 for the 2008-2009 school year.
The referendum is needed, because while the state revenue cap allows the district to increase its spending between 1.5 and 1.9 percent each year, operating expenses are going up between 3 and 4 percent per year, Galle said. These expenses, such as a 15-percent increase in the cost of bus fuel, are beyond the control of the district, he said.
Declining enrollment, and the subsequent declining amount of state aid coming to the district, are other reasons for a referendum.
"We're losing about 20 kids per year," Galle said. "It's just across the board. We have 50 some kids coming in for kindergarten and 70 to 80 leaving as seniors."
The Darlington school district has a total budget of about $9 million and 790 students.
The district last passed a referendum four years ago. That referendum increased spending $385,000 each year for four years, the last year being this school year. The vote to approve that referendum was about 2 to 1, Galle said.
Galle said the district expects enrollment to decline for another three years, at which time enrollments should level out or even begin to increase.
If the referendum fails, staff will likely have to be cut.
"As we go through this, we're looking at making cuts without diminishing programs," he said. But if the referendum fails, "the board would have to sit down and look at it," Galle said. "We'd have to lay off six people somewhere."
Galle said the school board hasn't heard of any organized efforts against the referendum.
But "during a primary election, it's hard to say who is going to get out and vote," Galle said.
A school referendum, scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 19, is seeking an additional $700,000 over the amount the state allows the district to levy each year for the next four years.
The money is needed for general day-to-day operational expenses, such as heating fuel, electricity and paying salary and benefits for staff, District Administrator Joseph Galle said.
For taxpayers, the additional $700,000 will increase the school portion of taxes by 52 cents per $1,000 of property value per year.
The tax rate would increase from $9.94 per $1,000 of valuation for this school year to $10.46 for the 2008-2009 school year.
The referendum is needed, because while the state revenue cap allows the district to increase its spending between 1.5 and 1.9 percent each year, operating expenses are going up between 3 and 4 percent per year, Galle said. These expenses, such as a 15-percent increase in the cost of bus fuel, are beyond the control of the district, he said.
Declining enrollment, and the subsequent declining amount of state aid coming to the district, are other reasons for a referendum.
"We're losing about 20 kids per year," Galle said. "It's just across the board. We have 50 some kids coming in for kindergarten and 70 to 80 leaving as seniors."
The Darlington school district has a total budget of about $9 million and 790 students.
The district last passed a referendum four years ago. That referendum increased spending $385,000 each year for four years, the last year being this school year. The vote to approve that referendum was about 2 to 1, Galle said.
Galle said the district expects enrollment to decline for another three years, at which time enrollments should level out or even begin to increase.
If the referendum fails, staff will likely have to be cut.
"As we go through this, we're looking at making cuts without diminishing programs," he said. But if the referendum fails, "the board would have to sit down and look at it," Galle said. "We'd have to lay off six people somewhere."
Galle said the school board hasn't heard of any organized efforts against the referendum.
But "during a primary election, it's hard to say who is going to get out and vote," Galle said.