• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Some Xenia Teachers' Jobs Depend on Tax

Posted on: Monday, 10 April 2006, 21:00 CDT

By Ismail Turay Jr., Dayton Daily News, Ohio

Apr. 10--XENIA -- More than 13 Xenia teachers could lose their jobs if the district's 0.5 percent income-tax proposal fails in the May 2 election, Superintendent Jeff Lewis said Friday.

Although officials will shave $500,000 off the budget even if voters approve the tax, its failure will lead to more than $1.7 million in reductions, affecting programs and services district-wide, Lewis said.

He plans to outline the cuts and illustrate their impact on the district during tonight's school board meeting, which is open to the public.

Aside from personnel, other possible cuts include exploratory courses and transportation. The district could also raise extracurricular fees, officials said.

The income tax, which first passed in 1997, generates $2.6 million annually and will be the district's final tax renewal until 2011, Lewis said. The funds are used for textbooks, technology, transportation, teacher salaries, building maintenance and the like.

Voters in November approved a permanent-improvement levy and an emergency-operating levy. But funds generated from those levies are earmarked for other uses and have kept the financially strapped district afloat, officials said.

Despite cutting nearly $4 million in three years, Xenia students continue to excel academically, and the staff has received statewide awards, Lewis said, noting that recent state test scores are the best in a decade.

"We just want to maintain that energy in the face of these financial difficulties," he said.

HOW TO GO:

What: Xenia school board meeting.

Where: Board of Education, 578 E. Market St., Xenia.

When: 7:30 p.m. today,

Agenda: Superintendent Jeff Lewis plans to outline possible impact income tax failure could have on the school district

-----

To see more of the Dayton Daily News, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.daytondailynews.com.

Copyright (c) 2006, Dayton Daily News, Ohio

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

For information on republishing this content, contact us at (800) 661-2511 (U.S.), (213) 237-4914 (worldwide), fax (213) 237-6515, or e-mail reprints@krtinfo.com.

Source: Dayton Daily News

More News in this Category