Referendum needed to maintain learning
In response to prior operational referendums not being approved, the Edgar school board solicited voter feedback and enacted a citizen focus group. An overwhelming opinion was to limit the time of any proposed plan –will do. The focus group made recommendations to maintain small class sizes and summer school while adding Business Ed and expanding the popular Ag Science classes. Maintaining and enhancing these educational opportunities is what keeps students in our district and attracts them from elsewhere. Edgar has always had more Open Enrollment transfers in than out, which is a testament to our desirable programs.
An operational expense referendum question on the April 5 ballot requests $950K each year for five years. This is about 11 percent of the operational budget, but the overall budget and taxes will remain relatively flat. Taxes will be the same or lower in years one to two and will decline in years three to five due to building debt being retired. Taxes collected for building debt may not be applied to operations because they were obtained through a dedicated building referendum.
In theory, fewer students means fewer expenses. We have reduced six and one-half full time positions over several years but ultimately, there are expenses that don’t drop proportional to enrollment. Facility costs are fixed and a class of 20 or 25 costs the same. We have now reached the point where further reductions would impact student learning opportunities. Major annual building maintenance has been deferred the past couple of years.
Edgar has received installments of ESSER (Covid) funding. ESSER I and II funds ($91K and $308K) have already been allocated to cover accrued Covid expenses. ESSER III ($692K) must be used over the next three years. All ESSER funds have restricted use for Covid related costs such as safety (cleaning, social distancing), mental health (counseling) and learning loss (staff training, remedial and enhanced classes). These are onetime funds, not annual. ESSER III rules require multiple learning groups to have input over the allocations that will be audited. Due to the restrictions, not all funding can be applied to existing expenses or programs. Some of the funds can be applied to summer school if necessary ($120K of ESSER II used for last summer), but this doesn’t come close to the total projected amount needed each year for five years. Every district may apply these funds somewhat differently within the guidelines depending on the group feedbacks and existing staffing/programs.
The Edgar school board feels it has been fiscally responsible and continues to do so with the proposed referendum. The Edgar community has been greatly supportive and we ask for your continued support.
More complete details on these topics can be found on the Edgar School website (Edgar School District FAQ & Edgar Referendum 2022) and Facebook page. If additional questions, please see administration and board contact info on the website.
Thank you for your time to make an informed decision!
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