Springfield

OKs levy

for school

State will pay

for much of the

additional levy

By FRITZ BUSCH

Journal Staff Writer

SPRINGFIELD -- School district voters approved Springfield's first-ever operating levy referendum by a 639 to 388 vote on Tuesday.

The referendum will provide $458,764 of additional revenue for general education in 2004 and continue for a decade. According to the new revenue formula, the state will pay about $3 for every dollar raised locally, or 71.88 percent ($431.28 per pupil unit). Springfield taxpayers will pick up the rest of the tab.

The Springfield School Board approved a resolution canvassing the voting returns, motion by Dan Olson, second by Kathy Pederson on Tuesday night.

"Congratulations! good job!" board chairman Dennis Potter told the board after the brief board meeting.

Superintendent Scott Heller said he was impressed with the high voter turnout. Some 1,027 of 1,708 registered voters went to the polls to vote only on the Springfield School District excess levy referendum.

Springfield voters approved the referendum, 195 to 84 in Ward 1 and 237 to 130 in Ward 2.

The rural vote was much closer. "No" votes outnumbered "yes" votes, 19 to 17 in Bashaw Township, 46 to 45 in Burnstown Township, nine to three in Leavenworth Township, three to two in Stately Township and seven to five in Cobden.

"Yes" votes outnumbered "no" votes, 57 to 28 in North Star Township and eight to one in Prairieville Township.

In Redwood County, "yes" votes outnumbered "no" votes 28 to 22 in Sundown Township and 24-14 in Clements. "No" votes outnumbered "yes" votes 21-14 in Brookville Township. Four voters approved the referendum and four disapproved of it in Three Lake Township.

The board felt the referendum was needed to sustain the school and its programs. The board felt further budget cuts would eliminate important parts of the core educational program.

Springfield is one of fewer than 30 school districts in the state that does not currently have an operating levy in place. Eighty-six state schools have operating levy referendums this fall.

Declining enrollment and declining state aid forced the Springfield school board to cut several hundred thousand dollars from its budget in each of the past few years. The cuts means larger class sizes, fewer teachers and increased activity fees.

With the loss of each pupil unit, the school district loses about $5,000 in state aid.

The new tax money will help maintain class sizes, reduce them in some cases, return some school programs that were earlier reduced or cut. The new revenue cannot be used to sell bonds and build buildings.

Farmers benefit from tax reform from the 2001 legislative session. They are no longer taxed for all their acreage, only the value of their home, garage and one acre of land.

In order to make the change fair, the state compensated school districts for agriculture land it removed from the tax rolls for referendums with tax base replacement aid.