School board raises taxes as three members look for cuts – Coastal Observer

School board raises taxes as three members look for cuts – Coastal Observer

Georgetown County School Board approved a $128 million operating budget with a 3.1-mill tax increase for the fiscal year that began last week. It passed in a 6-3 vote. The district increased spending by 3.2 percent from the previous fiscal year. Annual inflation rate in the U.S. was 4.2 percent in May, noted Lisa Johnson, the district’s chief financial officer. Projected revenues decreased by $1.4 million because of state tax changes for boats and motors and reduction in state funding due to lower enrollment. The district cut 19 positions across teacher and administration staff to offset the changes which was a $2.2 million cut. The 3.1-mill tax increase changes the tax rate from 120 to 123.1 mills. The additional tenth of a mill is worth $50,000, and in total balances the budget with $1.55 million. “I just don’t think that we needed to do that to get where we needed to go,” said Board Member Scott DuBose, who voted against the budget because of the tax increase. He was joined by Board Members Eileen Johnson and Robert Cox in the dissenting vote. A tax increase kicks the can down the road, DuBose later added, and bypasses a thorough examination of district’s inefficiencies, poor spending practices and habits. “Without that, we will be here next year raising taxes again,” he said. “You can find that money if you try and not sacrifice hurting the kids,” Cox said, who had spent more than 30 years working with Georgetown County budgets as a building official. “It will work, and that’s not a Robert theory. That is downright government budgeting.” A 3.1-mill increase adds $18.60 to the tax bill for every $100,000 in value of commercial property and second homes. There is no property tax on owner-occupied homes for school operations. Board Member Randy Walker, who owns a second home in Georgetown, said the 3.1-mill increase will affect him. “But you know what? I’m all for the children of this county,” Walker said. The district used $2 million from its reserves to balance the previous budget. Last year the board approved a 1-mill tax increase that equaled $428,000. It then cut the tax rate in October to avoid a windfall from county property reassessment. The operating mills were rolled back from 127 mills to 120 mills. Board Member Jarrod Ownbey said in a statement he read at last week’s special board meeting that the board’s main goal is to provide the best education it can for its students. The board must ask themselves before every decision if it improves the educational experience for students and if the proposed action is furthering that goal, he said. “This budget proposal does not do that. It reflects preserving status quo,” Ownbey said. The state’s cap on the district’s tax rate was 3.2 mills this year. The district also had “look back millage” available from years when it raised taxes by less than the state limit. There were approximately 13.4 mills available. “Everyone has their opinion,” Chairman Keith Moore said. “When you’re negotiating, you have to be willing to give and take,” adding that he compromised after wanting to see a 6-mill increase. Ownbey said last month the board had previously failed to increase taxes incrementally. He’d like to see more funding for new programs, improve equity provided to each school and a longterm plan, he said. Asking staff to “do more with less” is counterproductive, he added.  “That does not happen while cutting those resources to bare bones,” he said. Increases in salaries account for $4.3 million of the approved expenditures. Teacher salaries increased by $2,000 in the approved budget. That raises the starting teacher base salary to $52,103.  The proposed budget increased pay by 3 percent for bus drivers, classified staff and administrators. It also included a 3 percent raise for Kelly Services, which the district uses to contract temporary staff. Walker said he has seen first-hand how hard district employees work within the schools. “I also see the money they make. Let’s be honest, some of you guys would never work for it,” he said. A handful of board members also addressed community members who weren’t convinced a tax increase would translate to better academic outcomes on state standardized tests. No one spoke during the public hearing on the district budget. “For the keyboard warriors that are out there, you had a forum tonight. You could come speak to us,” Board Member Patti Hammel said. “But I don’t see a lot of people coming to speak to us. They evidently are pretty happy with the job we’re doing as a district.” Schools are rated based on results from those tests, graduation rates and school environment, which is translated into a score on a 100-point scale for an overall rating. State report cards released in November show there were four schools rated “excellent,” none were rated “good,” 10 were “average,” four were “below average” and one was “unsatisfactory.” Hammel said that everything can’t be measured on a “one-time-in-a-year test.” It’s no question for Ownbey that there are many areas needing improvement, he said, adding that fair criticism can be helpful toward those ends. “What is unhelpful are people in this community that seek to deride the efforts of those who have devoted themselves to educating our children, or to divide our community,” Ownbey said. “It is unfair to reduce our students down to a number.” Board Member Fallon Bordner said the discourse is a gross injustice to the district and unjust to employees, from the cafeteria workers to administrators, who dedicate their lives to students. “I’m absolutely sick and tired of hearing perceptions that misrepresent the entire goal of our district,” she said. “I am offended, and I am ready to move forward.”