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Saco Public Schools asks voters to approve $200,000 mill levy

Saco School’s Superintendent Wade Sundby hosted a meeting with Saco taxpayers recently to explain why the School District is asking voters to approve a $200,000 mill levy to help support the schools following at least 18-months of declining gas tax revenue.

“Our current problem is simple,” Supt. Sundby said. “Everybody can look around the community and see the decline in our gas tax. It not only affects you, with your families, but also affects the operation of our school.”

Supt. Sundby said in 2010-11, the gas tax revenue in Saco was approximately $720,000 which was followed by a drop in 2012-13 in which Saco’s taxpayers were asked for help. In 2013-14 and then again in 2014-15, the gas tax revenue was back up (though not at the 2010-11 range) before dropping again in 2015-16.

“Our first payment was about $28,000,” Supt. Sundby said. “Our second payment was about $8,000 and our third payment was

$77,000. On average, we need about $125,000 to $150,000

quarterly to make ends meet.”

Supt. Sundby said that during good years, the school district puts extra money into reserves to make those ends meets when the gas tax revenue is down. He said that though the school has also cut costs in recent years they’re already having to go to the reserves this year to make ends meet.

“In 2010-11, we were able to put about $371,000 in (to the reserve) and in 2011-12 we put in $61,000,” he said. “In 2012-13, we went into our reserves for $224,000 and the next year, we didn’t have to dig so deep, but we still had to go into our reserves for $11,000.”

Supt. Sundby said money was put back into the reserves in 2014-15 ($73,000) but in 2016, $208,000 had to be taken out.

“We are taking a significant amount of money out right now and that is why we are here asking you for assistance going forward,” Supt. Sundby said.

Supt. Sundby said the school district has been trimming costs since 2009. Those saving measures include cutting bus drivers, getting rid of transportation director costs, cutting back on replacing technology with a plan in place for upgrades when needed (each student has a laptop computer in grades 4 through 12, in the lower grades, each student uses an Ipad in class.) The IT personnel has seen a reduction in hours to save money, operating costs have been lowered, substitute teachers have been used less frequently (instead, staff fills the need) and co-opting with other schools in sports have all

been implemented to save money. Lastly, in money-saving actions, the teaching staff at Saco has been cut from 13.5 teachers in 2008 to currently a staff of 10 teachers.

"We are not careless in our spending," Supt. Sundby said. "We are spending less money now despite an increase in salary, benefits, and costs."

Supt. Sundby said he estimates around $67,000 for the next quarter gas tax revenue check, leaving us a total for this year of $180,000 and said the school needs $500,000, leaving a shortfall of

$320,000. Supt. Sundby said that besides the $400,000 in aid given to the school district by the State of Montana, the other school budgets are funded by gas tax revenue. Supt. Sundby said that up until 2012-13, Saco School was run strictly on the gas tax revenue before a mill levy of $200,000 in that school year. Saco School is currently running 37.51 mills (neighboring school are much higher including Malta at 291.32 mills, Dodson at 201.83 mills and Whitewater at 165.56 mills.) To raise $200,000 in a mill levy, Supt. Sundby said that for a homeowner with a taxable value of $100,000, the cost would be around $48.86 per year (or $4.07 per month) to homeowners; for commercial land with taxable value of $100,000, the cost would be around $68.40 per year (or $5.70 per month); and for agriculture land, with a taxable value of $100,000, the cost would be around $78.17 per year (or $6.52 per month.) Supt. Sundby added that if approved on May 2, the school would be running 72 mills (doubling the current 37.51 mills) or $116,265.30 for the elementary and $83,734.70 for the high school.

Supt. Sundby concluded by saying that if gas tax revenues should begin to rise again, the school would not collect the entirety of the mill levies if passed.

“We will be fiscally responsible to you, our taxpayers,” Supt. Sundby said. “In a situation where we are able to get the gas tax revenue that we have had in the past, and we don’t need to collect the full amount, we won’t. If things turn around, we wouldn’t collect the full amount of the money levied.”

 

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