By Patricia Bogumil
Editor
In a newly adopted 2012-13 budget, residents living in the Washington-Caldwell School District should again pay a $7.50 mil rate per $1,000 property valuation. The $7.50 tax rate has been in place for the last two years.
“Our board likes to keep that mil rate flat if they can, and this year we were able to keep the mil rate at $7.50 even though taxes went up,” commented Kay Borgwardt, the district’s assistant business manager.
If the district’s projected enrollment, equalized property values and equalized aid all hold as expected, the tax rate will stay at $7.50 for this year, Borgwardt explained.
For the owner of a $200,000 home in the school district, the $7.50 rate equates to $1,500 to be paid in Washington-Caldwell district taxes.
The $3,038,953 school district budget approved Aug. 27 carries a tax levy for 2012-13 of $1,442,905, which is a near-flat 0.21 percent increase from last year’s $1,439,906 tax levy.
For 2012-13, an additional $3,000 is being added to the $25,000 projected for the budget’s Capital Expansion Fund. The money in this fund can only be used for capital expansions such as the parking lot and roof, Borgwardt explained.
The school board did its best to make sound budget decisions during these difficult economic times, commented Superintendent Mark Pienkos.
“Our school board has made a concerted effort to wisely manage the district’s budget,” he said.
He offered his insight into several background factors to the 2012-13 budget.
• One factor that has helped the Washington-Caldwell board has been the establishing of school-wide goals that everyone is required to work towards achieving, said Pienkos. The goals can be found on the district’s website: www.washcald.com.
• Another factor is the excellent working relationship the board has with teachers and support staff members, Pienkos said. “Mutual trust and respect have been and remain a hallmark at Washington-Caldwell. ”
• And finally, the school board, as well as all staff members, welcomes suggestions and ideas from the public, said Pienkos.
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