Le Mars Daily Sentinel: Local News: LCS board sets July 25 hearing on ISL resolution (07/15/08)

The Le Mars Community School Board has set a public hearing on their intent to participate in the Instructional Support Program, a tax levy which would raise money for salaries, supplies and program costs for the school.

The hearing will be noon on Friday, July 25, at the Education Service Center located at 940 Lincoln St. S.W.

The public hearing was required because district residents submitted a petition requesting a vote on the issue. The board had previously passed a resolution to participate in an Instructional Support Levy (ISL) at their June 9 meeting.

That resolution called for a five-year term on the ISL. The resolution now under consideration seeks a 10-year term, and would begin with the fiscal year ending June 30, 2010.

The board will hear input from the public at the July 25 meeting and is expected pass a resolution to participate and to request an election date of Sept. 9 on the issue.

The Instructional Support Program is a school funding program in which a combination of property and income tax is used to raise funds for the general fund of the district.

Under the ISL program, the district is limited to raising funds totaling no more than 10 percent of the total regular program district costs for the budget year (general fund dollars).

For the LCS district, the maximum amount the board could raise from the ISL is $1.4 million.

The money raised by the ISL may be used for any general fund purpose. The general fund covers all salaries, expenditures for supplies and materials, heating and cooling expenses, transportation fuel, and other costs of school operations. It is the largest school fund.

This is the second time the board has pursued the ISL program. The issue was brought to a vote in March when it was defeated.

Board members have said the additional funding is needed following an enrollment decline of 81 students in the 2007-08 certified enrollment. That drop in student numbers has resulted in a decrease in state aid for the 2008-09 school year.

The board is asking that the district's ISL include a mix of property tax and income surtax. A small amount of state aid is also included in the ISL.

The income surtax is a tax on the income tax liability on the Iowa Individual Income Tax returns of taxpayers residing within the district on the last day of the tax year, according to the Iowa Department of Education website.

I wonder how many people with school age children will be able to attend a meeting at noon on a Friday.

I hope the school board outlines exactly what programs would be impacted if the ISL doesn't pass. That would help voters make an informed decision instead of listening to all of the propaganda.

-- Posted by Born and Raised on Wed, Jul 16, 2008, at 12:34 PM

I completely agree with 'born and raised'. Who is going to be able to attend a noon meeting? A lot of people will be working. Maybe if the board was more specific in their intentions, more people would vote 'yes', but this administration does as they please. If I knew the money wasn't going for more athletic crap, I would be more inclined to vote 'yes'. I am sick to death of their policies and attitude toward sports. I am sick of my tax dollars going toward show casing certain people...I am tired of the attitude in the school pertaining to their sports. Hire more teachers who are not coaches on the side and give our kids the education they deserve!!!

-- Posted by bigredbandfan on Wed, Jul 16, 2008, at 5:44 PM

-- Posted by bigredbandfan on Wed, Jul 16, 2008, at 5:45 PM