By Jamie Ausk Crisafulli
Ranger-Review Staff Writer
The Glendive Unified School Board on Monday approved three voted levies to be placed on the ballot for the May School Election.
If all the voted levies are approved, the impact to taxpayers would be minimal, with a homeowner of a $200,000 home paying just $1.45 more per month.
The board is requesting a general fund mill levy for the elementary district in the amount of $105,422.51, a total of 6.48 mills. There will not be a general fund mill levy request for the high school district.
As part of the vote to place the mill levies on the ballot, the GUSB set the elmentary budget at $6,527,281.17. The board also voted to set the high school budget at $3,379,266.29.
Also on the ballot will be two building reserve levies, one for each of the school districts. The levies would essentially be a replacement for the five-year building reserve levy that expired last year.
The $200,000 per year for five years building reserve levy for the elementary district and the $100,000 per year for five year building reserve levy for the high school will be on the ballot. If approved, there is no anticipated increase in taxes for local taxpayers because a similar levy has been assessed the past five years.
The building reserve levy funds are used to address maintenance and renovation projects at the schools.
Permissive Levies
The school budgets approved Monday night included permissive levies for both school district. Permissive means that the levy can be passed on to taxpayers without a vote.
The estimated increases for the transportation fund for the elementary school district is 1.95 mills and 1.77 for the high school district.
The state has made significant cuts to transportation funding for school districts, according to Schreibeis. A portion of the money to replace what was lost from the state has been moved from the district’s flex fund, but it was also necessary to increase the levy to cover the losses.
“We couldn’t pass everything on to the taxpayers, basically we had to shift some funds,” Schreibeis said.
The bus reserve pays for bus repairs and replacement. The permissive levy increase for that fund is .49 mills in the elementary and .34 in the high school.
The tuition fund went up 3.35 mills at the elementary level and 1.96 mill for the high school.
The increase in funding will help the districts address special education needs.
“The state allows you to permissively levy for special education if you have high needs situations, and we have quite a bit,” Schreibeis said. He noted that the district “didn’t even come close” to the amount they could implement for a permissive levy in this category based on the special education needs of the district, but instead chose a conservative approach.
The district’s needs in special education continue to increase at a rapid pace. One of every five students in the Glendive School District receives some level of special education services, according to discussion at Monday’s meeting.
Trustee Chad Maher pointed out that the total of all levies, voted and permissive, would have a small impact on voters.
Taxpayers who own a home with a property tax appraisal value of $200,000 would see an increase of $3.67 per month if the voted levies passed. This amount includes the tax impact of the permissive levies as well.
Schreibeis noted there is now a Political Action Committee leader is place to help promote the current levies and to work on future levies for the school district.
In 2017, voters approved both mill levies the Glendive Unified School Board had placed on the ballot. Voters approved a mill levy of $124,197 for the elementary district and a levy of $71,735 for the high school district.
The school election will be held by mail ballot.
Ballots are expected to be sent out on Thursday, April 19. The School Election date is May 8
Reach Jamie Ausk Crisafulli at rreditor@rangerreview.com.