Athens voters face stark Nov. 8 choice
Athens School District administrator Andrea Sheridan underscored in a press release this past week the difficult choice facing voters as they consider two referendum questions on the Nov. 8 ballot. The school official said district residents will either vote for a phased-in $1.67 million recurring operational referendum and a $5.5 million building project or force the Athens Board of Education to delay needed maintenance and cut a $9.1 million 2022-23 school budget by approximately 10 percent.
“If the operating and capital improvement referendums are successful, the School District of Athens will be able to meet its ongoing financial obligations, and begin to address deferred maintenance projects,” she wrote in the release. “If the questions are not successful, and the district is unable to balance the budget, the board of education will be forced to cut $900,000 in operating expenses.”
Sheridan did not list the contemplated cuts if the Nov. 8 referendum is not approved.
She said, however, that Athens voters will make a crucial decision when they vote on the school referendum questions.
“The district is at a crossroads,” she said. “If we do not receive additional funding, we will not be able to provide the quality of educational programs and services our students deserve, and our residents expect.”
Sheridan clarified in an e-mail how much the two referendum questions will cost taxpayers.
With an approved operations question, the school district property tax rate will increase from the current tax rate of $7.70 to $8.66 in 2022-23 and to $12.03 in 2023-24. An approved debt question will add another $1.18 to the school tax rate. If both referendum questions are approved, the school tax mil rate will be $13.21 in 2023-24.
There are two ways of analyzing this proposed tax increase. If the projected higher mil rate is compared to the current year tax rate, school taxes for Athens residents in 2023-24 will increase an average of 71 percent. If the projected higher mil rate is compared to what the mil rate will be with a defeated referendum, the percentage increase is bigger: 132 percent. This is because, as a result of state revenue caps and declining enrollment, the district’s mil rate in 2022-23 will be $5.70, a full two dollars less than the current school tax rate.
The tax impact of approving both questions on a $150,000 home would be $826 more per year compared to current school taxes and $1,156 compared to what school taxes will be if both referendum questions are defeated.
Sheridan said the Athens Board of Education has put forth the referendum questions because district residents are nearly unanimous in their desire to keep Athens Public Schools afloat.
“In a recent community-wide survey open to all district residents, 95 percent of respondents indicated they want the district to remain in operation for local students and families, rather than closing or consolidating with another district,” she wrote.
Sheridan said an approved school referendum operations question would retain teachers and support staff, maintain student services, keep extra-curricular programs and purchase necessary technology.
The approved maintenance referendum would upgrade HVAC equipment, expand the career and technical education classrooms, rebuild the high school track and retaining wall, install a new Athens Elementary School playground and replace the roof and purchase a generator for Maple Grove Charter School.
Sheridan said the school district will announce information sessions for voters as Nov. 8 approaches.
