ORANGE TOWNSHIP — A divided Mapleton Local Schools Board of Education discussed what their next steps should be after an earned income tax levy for the district was rejected by voters on May 2.
On one side of the debate were board president Shawn Grundy and board member Shana Benner, who said the district should not try to pass the levy for a second time in November.
“We didn’t run a perfect campaign but it was the best one I’ve seen since I’ve been here. And the voters have spoken, I think it would be a waste of money, waste of time to do it so soon afterwards,” Grundy said.
Benner said she was probably closer to the same opinion as Grundy.
“I think that we’ve been failing with relatively the same rate over and over again,” she said.
On the other side were board vice president Tim McKean and board member Mindy Scurlock, who said they want to keep trying the levy.
“To me, keep (the levy) right in front of (voters’) faces. We still need money,” McKean said.
Scurlock said she was not ready to give up on trying to pass the levy.
“I just feel like we’re not in a financial position to just walk away and give up,” she said.
According to district treasurer Kathleen Wiley, treasurers at other school districts managed to pass their levies by repeatedly putting it on ballots.
Mapleton’s currently inconsistent levy attempts lead voters to question why they even need the money if the district manages to “make do” between attempts, Wiley said.
To alleviate some of the district’s financial concerns, the board discussed raising athletic and extracurricular fees, a measure that they appeared to agree on.
The board did not decide on specific changes to the fees yet, but will do so at a June 6 special meeting, Wiley said.
In other business, the board approved new insurance rates for staff starting July 1. Classified staff will see a 4.15 percent increase in premiums while certified staff will see a 2.29 percent increase under the new rates, Wiley said.
