Letters to The Editor 4/26/2021

Superintendent responds
To the editor: A letter regarding Woodmore’s substitute levy published in The Press last week contained inaccuracies.
To provide the facts regarding this levy, I respectfully offer the following:
1. Currently, the district has a $600,000 levy and an $829,000 operational levy. This proposed substitute levy combines these two levies into one, $1.429 million levy. This will not increase the
amount that taxpayers contributed previously.
2. Historically, the district approaches voters four times every 10 years to renew these general fund levies. Combining the two levies mentioned into one enables the district to reduce that to one time every 10 years for this type of levy, which frees resources and funding for other valuable uses.
3. This proposed substitute levy allows funding to grow as future real estate (residential and new business) development occurs in the district while freezing the level of funding assessed to current property owners.
A few items to note:
1.This levy will not be used for large building projects, nor a performing arts center. This levy is used for operational necessities such as staff salaries, health benefits/insurance, Medicare, retirement, workers compensation; technology to support 1:1 initiative; textbooks, supplies, software; special education services, school resource officers; utility bills, parts and labor for repair, bus fuel and tires, property/fleet insurance; and other items such as liability insurance, audit costs
bank fees and auditor fees.
2. This levy will not increase the amount of taxes for current property owners. The district is not asking our community for additional funding; we are asking our community to provide the same
support it has in the past.
3. Without the passage of this substitution levy, taxpayers could lose the 12.5 percent rollback on their taxes. This rollback would then become the burden of the taxpayer on future new levies to try to replace this revenue.
We believe combining these levies into one substitute levy is the best path forward for Woodmore as a response to the community’s concern over the number of times they are asked to renew a levy, as well as the associated costs each time we place a levy on the ballot.
We are committed to engage in proactive, two-way communications with the community. We want to answer your questions and be transparent with our plans and actions. We have scheduled two levy informational meetings, April 26 at noon and April 27 at 6 p.m. in the board of education office at 349 Rice St, Elmore.
These meetings are open to the public. If you cannot make these meetings or have questions, please call me at 419-862-1060 x 1010.
Tim Rettig
Superintendent,
Woodmore Local Schools