District elaborates on levy story from last edition

Last Tuesday (12-24-13) an article was printed in the Royal Register regarding the upcoming levy election. Unfortunately, some of the words printed were misinterpreted and taken out of context.

I would like to clarify and elaborate on some of the material printed in this article.

The headline of the article read, "Royal school board to ask voters for larger levy." While this statement is true, it does not tell the whole story.

The district has continued to see increased enrollment. Higher enrollment means more students participating in extra-curricular activities and more students to serve in the classroom.

The article implies that the upcoming levy is going toward the construction of the new intermediate school. In actuality the bond that was passed last April provided the funding for the new construction.

The upcoming proposed levy fund is not to be confused with the construction bond fund. The upcoming levy election is a continuation of the current levy the community supported and voted on two years ago; better known as a maintenance and operations levy.

Upon passing a local levy, the state has historically given us levy equalization dollars. Levy equalization funds are given to us to make up for lower property values in the area compared to other districts around the state. This fund has decreased in recent years and is expected to decrease even more in the next two years.

The last few levies our district ran have attempted to maintain the estimated tax rate at $2.30 per 1,000. The upcoming levy in February would have an expected tax rate of $2.20 per 1,000, which is still one of the lowest in the area.

The combined local levy dollars and levy equalization dollars are expected to be only slightly higher than the district has currently been operating under, which is just enough to support the increased enrollment and the projected enrollment in the coming two years.

Lastly, the article stated that "According to Superintendent Rose Search, several factors were putting pressure on the board to raise the levy amount." The word "pressure" does not accurately describe the feelings associated with the need to raise the levy amount.

In fact, the board was given several considerations to determine the levy amount they would ask the community to approve. This was in collaboration with community members during board meetings and a special work session.

I felt it necessary to respond immediately as your educational leader. The board and I look forward to working with the community in serving our students and families to increase student learning.