School district seeks support

By GREGG ELCHERT

Superintendent

Clyde-Green Springs Schools

There are many questions surrounding the issues of school funding, the economy, and what kind of services and programs the school currently provides and can continue to provide the citizens and students of the Clyde-Green Springs School District.

On Nov. 3, the school district will be asking voters to approve a 5.4-mill renewal levy.

I would like to take the opportunity to share with you the basic facts and figures of this levy request. First and foremost, this is not a new or additional tax.

This issue was first passed in 2005 for 5.9 mills and raises $1,265,000.00 annually. The millage is adjusted every year so that this tax will not collect more than this amount. The renewal of this levy will not increase your taxes. At 5.45 mills, the current cost to the owner of an $80,000.00 home is $133.53 annually.

Many people have asked whether or not the district has received federal stimulus money. The answer to this question is a qualified yes.

The amount of money we expected to receive from the State of Ohio for this school year was $9.67 million. The state received stimulus money from the federal government and substituted $618,298.00 of federal funds for state funds.

Therefore, the district did not receive any additional funds; the expected money just came from a different source.

The district did receive additional funding from the federal government in two specific areas; IDEA Part B and Title I. IDEA Part B is a special education grant and any funds received as part of this grant must be spent on special education.

Title I funds must be spent in the area of Reading/Language Arts and must target economically disadvantaged students. The district will receive $546,777 for IDEA Part B and $157,244 in Title I with half of the funds applying to the current school year and the other half of the funds for the 2010-11 school year.

The District appreciates the support that we have received in the past and pledges to continue our efforts to manage funds wisely and provide a quality education for your students. I am hopeful that everyone will understand the need to retain the funds generated by this renewal levy.