Board of Education Focused on Passing Emergency Tax Levy

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By JOHN BADEN
Record Herald Writer
Courtesy of the Record Herald; Printed 8.5.12
TIPP CITY – With voting for the emergency tax levy just a week away, the Tipp City Board of Education made plans to counteract the chances of the levy not passing at a work session on Wednesday night.
The biggest question of the night for the board was if the levy fails, should it be put back on the ballot for another vote in November, and will voters be motivated to vote yes?
Superintendent Dr. John Kronour said that the motivation would be there because if the levy is not passed this year, then the school will go a year without collections, resulting in doubling the amount of cuts the school has already made.
While the board members were confident that the levy will pass, they agreed to have their treasurer, Joseph Smith, ask the county auditor to look at certifying the same 7.95-mil levy and a 3-year, 6.5-mil levy – one of which could appear on the ballot in November if the levy does not pass on Tuesday. More details will be discussed at a special board meeting the morning after the election if the levy does not pass.
Kronour said that having the levy up for another vote in November would bring up the possibility of presenting another projected cut list for the following school year, which some argue is a “scare tactic,” he said.
“I would rather run a positive campaign,” Kronour said.
On the positive side, the levy has had a lot of support from the community. When many volunteers signed up to hand out fliers in previous weeks, half of the volunteers weren’t needed due to the large amount of help.
For those on the other side of the fence or in between, the board made it clear that voting against the levy will have its consequences.
“We can get by with never passing it, but we will not have the quality of education that we have had in Tipp City historically,” Kate Johnsen said.

 

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