By Amber Cox
SPRINGFIELD Residents would face a school tax decrease of $35 under the tentative school budget, or a $17 increase if an accompanying ballot question for full-day kindergarten is approved.
The Board of Education on March 3 approved its preliminary budget and sent it to the executive county superintendent for review.
The $4.7 million tally has a tax levy of almost $3.3 million.
The proposed budget would have a decreased tax rate from 72.2 to 71.1 cents per $100 of assessed property value.
Residents owning homes at the average assessed $321,400 would pay $2,285, a reduction of $35.
The school board is also asking voters to say yes to a special ballot question to fund $100,000 for a full-day kindergarten program.
The board began discussing the possibility of a full-day program back in January.
Interim Superintendent Joseph Miller has explained that the implementation of a full-day program would involve hiring a new teacher, switching a classroom and buying some new furniture. He said if the question were approved he believes a plan has been prepared to implement the program.
The question must pass by at least 50 percent. If the question is approved the tax rate would increase by 1.6 cents to 72.7 cents causing the average homeowner to pay $2,337 in taxes, an increase of $17.
Business Administrator Edward Kent explained that the district’s debt service will be fully paid in April.
”There is no money in the proposed budget for debt service,” he said. “However, it is a part of the taxes for the current year.”
The board is also looking at a big savings in the health benefits area.
”We were originally working with numbers of 18 percent for a health benefits increase, a 12 percent increase on dental and a 15 percent increase on prescription costs,” Mr. Kent said. “The new numbers come in at, I believe, 9.8 percent for medical, 0 percent for dental and 6 percent for prescription.”
Mr. Miller said he wanted to clarify the district won’t be paying less for benefits next year than it is now, but “it is less than we were anticipating paying.”
The district is getting an increase of 4 percent from last year’s state aid. The school will receive $1,161,242.
The district is currently undergoing a feasibility study to determine the future of the school.
Mr. Miller said the study would include very detailed recommendations broken down into specific areas like tax impact, cost savings, services changes and things of that nature.
The board is investigating the formation of a sending-receiving relationship or increasing shared services with other districts.
The budget public hearing is set for March 29 at 7 p.m.
School board elections are April 27 and four of the board seats are up for election.

