Westfield residents will be asked to pay an additional 23 cents per $100 of assessed value for the next seven years on November's general election ballot. The Westfield Washington School Board unanimously approved the operating fund resolution, which totals a maximum of $32.2 million, during its monthly meeting Tuesday night.
Westfield Washington Schools Superintendent Mark Keen said the district will request $4.6 million a year - an amount lower than recent operating fund referendums approved by the neighboring Hamilton County school districts of Noblesville, Hamilton Southeastern and Carmel Clay.
Prior to the resolution voting, the board approved the reduction of 15 support staff members and 1-½ administrative positions within the district. Keen said the central office staff has looked to trim as much from the current budget as possible without laying off teachers before deciding on an amount to ask residents to pay.
"We have waited as long as possible," said Keen. "We're at a point now - barring some humongous change in the economy - that we're not going to get through the 2011-2012 school year without a referendum passing or making teacher cuts. . . All we're asking for is to keep what we have."
"We've cut to the bone, from here on we're going to be cutting bone," added School Board member Tom Mullins.
If approved by voters in the fall, the district would not begin to receive the additional funds until May 2011 - in time for the 2011-2012 school year. Keen and the school board members were quick to point out that the 23 cents per $100 of assessed value is the maximum amount they can ask for on an annual basis for seven years. Like the tax rate, the district can ask for less if the budget calls for a smaller amount.
"In the past seven years, this school board has never levied the maximum (tax rate) amount allowed by the state," Keen said.
Westfield Washington Schools Director of Business Nick Verhoff said he expects the entire 23 cents to be levied the first year - 2011-2012 school year - but the city's growth in assessed value could contribute to lessen amounts levied in the following years.
"From then on (after the first year), we'll take a look at the AV and see how much we want to collect," he said.
"We want to wean off of this," added Mullins. "We don't want to go back to the community with referendum after referendum, but they (state legislators) keep changing the rules."
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