The Indian River School District could open the door to additional tax rates at its meeting next month.
The district has until July 1 to submit its tax rates to the state. Next month, the district’s Finance Director, Christopher Parker, will be in front of board members with recommendations. At a school board meeting this week, Parker reminded board members that there are a number of specific state matching programs that the district could leverage, with an accompanying increase in tax rates.
If the district opts to take advantage of those programs, it could raise tax rates without going back to the voters for a referendum.
Last year, the board voted to authorize tax collections for two of those match programs in order to receive state funding - one for technology improvements and another to provide reading interventionists in grades K-4.
But, there are other opportunities available if the district wants to utilize them. That includes more teachers for reading and math.
“So one of them is a reading resource teacher used to cover costs associated with one reading position per K-5 school. It will provide direct reading instruction to the students,” he said. “A mathematics resource teacher - the same thing, it would be used to cover costs associated with one position for each school providing a grade configuration retaining 7th and 8th grade, so that's our middle schools.”
There are also programs available to help support for English learners and help pay for minor capital improvements, Parker noted.
“If we were to enact this based on what we're allowed to do, it would be an additional $8.59 to the taxpayer and it would bring in $750,000 to the district to help with all of our aging building repairs and maintenance issues,” Parker said.
In addition to a look at possible tax changes, Parker also gave board members sobering news about rising energy costs. One of the district’s energy suppliers recently informed the district that energy costs in the region have exploded in the last six weeks, a result of war and instability in the Middle East.
“I had to read it several times to make sure it wasn't a misprint, that it wasn't 4.5, 45%,” he said. “These are some of the costs that we're dealing with that we have to manage and be ready for. Regardless of test scores, regardless of how many students, regardless of how many units we have, the price of energy is skyrocketing.”
While that represented just one of several energy vendors the district uses for things like fuel oil and propane, he warned that fluctuations in the energy market will affect all types of energy.
Parker is set to provide board members with a detailed look at possible tax increases for the state matching programs next month, and board members are expected to vote on tax rates on July 1.
