Uintah School District is eager to educate the public about a Resolution that will be on the November 5th ballot that supporters are calling a win-win proposal. If approved by voters, the Uintah School Board “will lower its capital levy by more than what the voted local levy generates for the school district for at least the next three years.” The District shared Monday that the tax impact would actually mean an approximate $24 dollar decrease in taxes in Uintah County annually on a home valued at approximately $192,000 dollars and a decrease of approximately $44 dollars annually on commercial and secondary homes. “This means Uintah County residents would see an overall DECREASE of $1 million dollars in taxes generated for the district for at least the next three years,” shared the District. District Business Administrator Scott Ruppe was a guest on the Monday Radio Forum on Newstalk KVEL on Monday and explained why the levy is needed. One reason is a need for elementary school counselors. Currently, the only elementary grades served by a school counselor is at Eagle View and that counselor is only part time. They also hope to contract for more services through local law enforcement to increase school safety. Ruppe also explained the need to eliminate fees in the schools including a reduction or elimination of extra curricular fees. For those wondering if there is currently enough money in the general fund to implement these changes the answer is no and certainly with no staying power into the future. Finally, is raising teacher salaries to become competitive. Ruppe emphasized that not raising salaries to bring in more and better teachers leaves the district only one option and that is larger class sizes, which no one wants. For more information, visit www.uintah.net and click on the ‘Voted Local Levy Presentation’ link.
