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On May 5, 2009, Liberty-Benton
Schools are asking for your vote in support of
our schools and children…..
The Liberty-Benton School Board
passed a resolution in the February 2009 meeting
to place two levy issues on the upcoming May 5th
ballot. The first levy is a renewal of the
existing emergency 4.4 mills, representing
$724,600, which originated in 1994.
This simple “yes” vote renews the
collection of the existing levy and associated
financial support. That is, there is no new
money or additional collection associated with
the renewal of this levy issue.
The second levy issue is a new 4.6
mill emergency levy to support operations. This
levy represents new money and will collect
approximately $700,000 annually. This levy
represents the first new money collected in the
district since 1994. To the individual district
resident, this equates to $141 of new collection
per $100,000 of home value….less
than $.38 per day.
The need for these levies is
straightforward. Simply stated, expenses have
grown and revenues have declined, and as a
result; we are deficit spending and rapidly
depleting the General Revenue Fund.
The school district is facing flat
funding from the State, reductions in real
estate tax collection, and a phasing out of the
business inventory tax. On the expense side, the
district has experienced rising health care
costs, contractual salary and wage increases and
general increases in operating expenses.
The Board and the Administration
have approved a multi-faceted plan to return to
break-even and financial stability in the year
2011. The levies mentioned above are an
essential part of this plan and imperative to
restore fiscal balance.
Other actions and considerations that are
in process are open enrollment, reduced budgets
for supplies and equipment, reducing payroll by
attrition, request for salary concessions and a
re-design of the health plan for all staff.
Ultimately, if the combination of these
actions is not successful, the district
will make substantial program and
staff reductions.
These planned reductions may include, but
are not limited to, general instruction,
language, fine arts, coaches, transportation,
all day kindergarten, vocational agriculture,
physical education, and extra-curriculars.
The Liberty-Benton School District
is well-known for its excellence in learning.
Whether you measure this excellence by the
State’s report card rating of “Excellent with
Distinction”, or being rated one of the Best
Schools in the Nation by US News and World
Report, or having some of the highest
achievement test scores in the State, or simply
by the smile that our children bring home with
them in the evening…it all speaks to the quality
of education that our children receive.
Please help the Liberty-Benton
School District keep this long-standing
tradition of excellence alive by voting YES on
May 5th!
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