Harrisburg School District will have to return to the drawing board after the rejection of its proposed tax levy increase.
Voters from Boone and Howard counties defeated the 67-cent increase with a vote of 299 to 260. The levy serves as the district’s local source of funding for district operations. Revenue from the tax increase would have funded a variety of programs throughout the district.
Harrisburg Board of Education President Sean Cochran said the school board is extremely disappointed by the voters’ decision. The tax increase would’ve been very helpful, as the district is seeing the cost of daily operations rise.
“I thought we’d gotten all the information we needed to out to the voters and told them how important this was to the kids of this district, being that the last time we passed one was over 20 years ago,” Cochran said.
The school district has been operating on the same tax rate since the last increase in 1991. Superintendent Lynn Proctor said the district has proposed a tax increase a few times over the past 10 years, but it’s been rejected by voters every time.
“At some point we’re going to have to figure out how we will continue to run the school district and offer strong programs for our students without increased support or revenue from our local taxpayers,” Proctor said.
District officials will meet with the school board Monday to develop a plan of action. Proctor says the school district may propose another tax increase to voters in the future. But for now, the district must work to refine its budget in order to ensure the continued operation of a strong school system.
