The Garden City Telegram
Email this story | Add Your Comment
| Read (0) Comments
Headlines from 1974: 9-Mill Boost in USD's Estimated Budget
Published 6/20/2009 in History Page : Historical Page
An estimated increase of 9.06 mills is being anticipated in planning next year's budget for Unified School District 457.
This figure does not include the mill levy to pay for bonds on the second junior high school.
Assistant Superintendent of Schools John Dickerson presented the anticipated revenue budget last night to the Board of Education.
A mill is a monetary unit equal to 1-1,000 of a dollar. There is one mill per $1,000 valuation. Valuation is based on 30 per cent of the assessed value of the property.
Current mill levy for taxpayers in USD 457 is $24.23 per $1,000 valuation, said County Clerk Jane Collins. An increase of 9 mills would bring this to $33.23 per $1,000. This is just the school levy.
A Garden City taxpayer is presently paying $72.32 per $1,000 valuation. This includes school, city and county taxes. Adding 9 mills to this would make it $81.32 per $1,000.
Dickerson cites three primary reasons for the anticipated jump in the school mill levy. These are inflation, loss of funds through the Unapportioned County Foundation Fund, and an increase in school district wealth.
Last year's general operation budget was $3,230,636. A 15 per cent increase is planned for next year. That would bring the budget to $3,715,220.
These figures are estimates and based upon the same student population this year as last. The budget is figured on a cost per pupil basis.
Cost per pupil expenditure this year was $695.95, Dickerson said. There were 4,642 full time students. This figure counts kindergarten students, for example, as one half.
The proposed 15 per cent increase would bring per pupil expenditure to $799.
"The budget per pupil of USD 457 has been significantly lower than other schools in the same enrollment category," said Dickerson. "This has given the Board of Education the necessary budgetary authority to raise the budget by 15 per cent during both the 1973-74 and 1974-75 school years.
"This increase has been necessary in order to keep pace with the spiraling cost of salaries, supplies, materials, equipment, fuel, insurance and all the other essential ingredients which are vitally necessary in order to operate and maintain a school system," he said.
Found 0 comment(s)!
Twitter Updates
