Big Hollow Referendum Meeting
- on 07.09.06
- General
- Comments Off
- Digg
- Del.icio.us
Big Hollow is heading for a referendum. The question is whether it will be on the ballot this November or in April.
|
Rates being talked about for an increase include 50 cents, $1, $1.25 or $1.35 per $100 of assessed value. The last district education fund increase was in 1975. Voters rejected two bids in 2002. The board’s session will be July 17 at Big Hollow’s Taveirne Middle School at 7 p.m., at Route 12 and 134. The $1.35 increase is seen as the district’s best chance to bring a balanced budget. The district issued $1.8 million in tax anticipation warrants, or money to be paid off in future tax revenues, last year. “It would cost a lot of money, but it may come to the point where your property values would go down and you could not sell your property,” parent Natalie Cluts said. “I think asking for three years would make people sick of it. You should state in simple terms what your options are.” |
The article says the meeting is July 17th, but there is a special meeting listed on the Big Hollow website.
|
BIG HOLLOW SCHOOL BOARD MEETING 1. CALL TO ORDER |
Big Hollow is also using PMA Financials to do their projections. PMA has a history of recommending refernda and then funding the campaign to get it passed.
I would like to discuss this quote in more detail, “The last district education fund increase was in 1975″.
First, The PTELL was didn’t take affect until 1991 so there was no need to go to referendum until after that year. Second, the district has been getting increases in their revenue every year even with the PTELL law. This law just limits that increase to the lesser of 5% or CPI. In fact take a look at the increase:
| School Year | Total Revenue |
ADA | Revenue Per Pupil |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990/91 | $1.851 Million | 340 | $5,441 |
| 2004/05 | $9.506 Million | 1,000 | $9,585 |
| Percent Increase |
414% | 194% | 76% |
* Source: Lake County Regional Office of Education — Annual Financial Data Report
The district is trying to claim they haven’t had an increase yet revenues have gone up by almost $8 million dollars. They receive now just over $4,000 dollars more per student, yet they are crying poor. They have a spending problem like all the other school district here in Illinois. Please attend the upcoming meetings and let your voice be heard.
