The Appoquinimink School District’s Board of Education discussed the possibility of increased local taxes and other financial cuts at their Feb. 9 meeting that could arise from Gov. Jack Markell’s most recent budget plan.
Dr. Chuck Longfellow, director of finance for the district, presented the final budget for fiscal year 2010 during the meeting, and stated what could be to come in 2011 due to changes in the state’s budget.
Longfellow said all of the district’s capital projects were included in the state’s bond and capital improvements budget bill, however the district could see more than $3 million in potential state cuts.
He said included in the cuts is a 25 percent reduction of state transportation funds, which would result in $1.2 million for the district.
During the Jan. 28 presentation of his recommended budget plan, Markell said school transportation cost the state $85.8 million last year, a 30 percent increase from fiscal year 2006.
Markell plans to shift some of the cost to the local school districts.
The governor’s recommended operating budget bill states, “School districts are hereby permitted to match the state’s allocation on a 75/25 state/local basis for the purposes of funding pupil transportation.”
Longfellow said districts would have to raise local taxes to make up for the match.
“The governor balanced the budget without increasing taxes, yet he’s pushing it on you, the local board, to increase taxes to balance the budget,” he said. “That’s not right, and I know we’re going to be fighting that.”
According to Delaware code regarding local school taxes, in any instance except major capital improvement and new funds for educational advancement where the state makes appropriations to school districts for any purpose and the applicable statute requires a local district contribution to the appropriation or expenditure, the local school board may levy such tax as is necessary to support the local district contribution without the necessity of a referendum in the local school district.
Superintendent Dr. Tony Marchio said he and other superintendents plan to coordinate resistance to this portion of the plan, and he hopes the school boards do the same.
“We are in a spot where we had pledged to the public when we went out for this referendum not to increase taxes,” he said. “So I don’t feel the option is there for us to do what they’re asking us to do.”
Longfellow said other state cuts include a 40 percent reduction in stimulus funds, which were utilized last year to fund mathematics specialists, substitutes, and technology and student success grants, as well as other programs.
“What you can see, and I’m going to say this straight up, is an effort to try and deplete our reserves in order to balance the state budget,” he said. “Whatever we can do through any means we have to reduce the hurt, let’s do it.”
