Creston board considers instructional levy
By LARRY PETERSON - CNA assistant managing editor lpeterson@crestonnews.com
For years, the Creston School District has been one of the few in the state not supplementing its budget with an Instructional Support Levy.
That could be changing.
In light of a $680,000 cut in state spending and enrollment drop of 35 students, which will lead to another drop in state funding, the Creston School Board heard options on such a levy this week from Don Krings, district business manager.
The board can pass a resolution to adopt such a levy — which can generate funds through property taxes, income surtax or a combination of both — but it cannot exceed five years. And, a petition could be filed within 28 days of the adoption date to challenge it.
If the board wishes to institute a 10-year ISL, up to 10 percent of the district’s regular program costs, an election would be required.
At 10 percent, $604,242 could be generated for a variety of classroom-related purposes. It cannot be used for salaries or physical-plant projects.
Currently, Creston is one of just 23 districts among Iowa’s 361 school districts that do not already participate in an ISL. A package of early retirements was approved this week for 17 staff members including 11 with salaries of $45,000 or above, but school officials said the savings from that staff turnover won’t cover the entire budget shortfall.
If Creston’s board decided to adopt a levy of 8 percent of the district’s budget funded entirely by property tax, it would gain $52,592 in state aid besides the $551,650 from property tax dollars. That would increase taxes by $1.93 per $1,000 valuation, or $88.23 on a $100,000 home.
If the levy generated $568,358 in a 10 percent income surtax with no property-tax increase, the effect would be $100 per income tax return in the district, on average.
A mix of the two taxes could generate $267,471 in property taxes and $284,179 in income taxes along with the $52,592 in state aid available in all the scenarios. That would have an effect of 94 cents per $1,000 valuation, or $42.78 per $100,000 home on property taxes; and a 5 percent income surtax would average out to $50 per tax return.
However, Krings cautioned the board to consider the possibility that the state’s budget restructuring could mean that ISL state aid wouldn’t be guaranteed.
Superintendent Tim Hood said in a previous district he worked, the levy helped fund purchases of textbooks, technology equipment and transportation costs.
A one-cent sales tax fund is used exclusively for capital projects.
Rich Flynn, board president, indicated a preference for a five-year resolution to use on educational supplies, but a budget committee will discuss the matter further before the December board meeting.
In other board business:
• Marcia Riley presented a curriculum report on mathematics for elementary grades, and Vicky Wood reported on sixth grade through high school.
Riley talked about allowing students to use real-life examples to solve problems. The Yearly Progress Report for grades three through five for No Child Left Behind legislation resulted in 83 percent of students showing proficiency, which exceeds the requirement, and 93 percent in grades kindergarten through fifth met district benchmarks.
Wood said an increased focus on geometry, especially at the middle school level, has improved standardized test scores. She said the Success Room has helped at the middle school in that fewer students are failing math classes this year.
At the high school level, Wood said there is a concern as a result of early retirements and possible reduced staff for budgetary reasons.
“We have increased our graduation requirements and now students must have three years of math to graduate,” Wood said. “So, our class sizes increased. Dick Bergstrom (health instructor) returned to help in algebra and Adam Triggs added one section of algebra. Our concern is, will we have enough qualified math teachers to deal with that?”
• Brad Baker, elementary principal, reported on teacher mentoring in relation to the merger between Green Valley Area Education Agency 14 and Loess Hills Area Education Agency 13.
“We’re using their Journey to Excellence program and it aligns well with what we were already doing in Creston,” Baker said.
Baker said beginning teachers and their mentors get a half day each semester to get together in the classroom and collaborate on teaching methods.
• Sharon Snodgrass, Early Childhood Center principal, reported on the formation of a parent advisory committee to work with staff on school-improvement issues.
• Jay Slight, high-school principal, talked about professional development sessions that have dealt with a freshman focus group, helping the transition to high school; and a student-support group involved in providing extra help to struggling learners before and after school.
• The board approved resignations of Marsha Underwood, second-grade teacher; and Laura Guhse, paraprofessional. Underwood has been a teacher in the district 21 years.
Contracts were approved for Kenneth King, paraprofessional; and Bryant McCabe, middle school assistant boys basketball coach.
• Approved a mid-year graduation for Kayla Angelo from High Lakes Academy.
