Indian River asks voters for tax increase

Indian River School District officials say with about 300 new students enrolling in the district each year, a tax increase is needed to offset mounting costs.

Officials are asking voters to approve a tax increase Tuesday, Nov. 22, to help pay for new teachers, security personnel at the schools and more resources for students.

“We appreciate the support the public has given us in the past and ask for their support for the upcoming referendum,” said Susan Bunting, superintendent of the Indian River School District.

The current expense referendum would raise about $7.35 million through an increase of 49 cents per $100 of assessed property. The average property in the district is assessed at about $19,000, which would mean a yearly $95 property tax increase.

Bunting said about 300 new students a year enroll in Indian River, and there are more than 10,000 students enrolled for 2016-17. “The district is in an era of unprecedented enrollment growth; revenues simply cannot keep up with the needs of our students,” she said.

To help shave costs this year, Bunting said, the district filled only a few of the 35 available teaching and paraprofessional positions. “We just hired a few for special needs students and other necessary positions,” she said.

The school board also cut discretionary, personnel and district office budgets for about $5.8 million in savings, said Jeannette Steele, director of business.

The referendum would raise about $5 million to help pay for more teachers, Bunting said. Another $1.5 million would be used to pay for security personnel and equipment at district schools. In addition to five school resource officers, the district provides 15 armed school security monitors and two district investigators. Money would also pay for security equipment and improvements.

The remaining funds would be used for technology, textbooks and student organizations.

“Meeting these needs has put a strain on the district's budget. Growth is expected to continue into the future, with district enrollment projected to be at or near 12,000 by 2022,” Bunting said. “The Indian River School District always strives to be a good steward of its taxpayers' dollars. Hopefully, residents will be supportive of this important initiative Nov. 22 that will strongly influence our schools' future.”

Bunting said if voters defeat the referendum, the district could face a significant reduction in staff, larger class sizes, security cuts and inadequate instructional supplies and materials.

The Indian River School District currently has the lowest school property tax rate in Sussex County with a tax rate of $2.57 per $100 of assessed value. The proposed increase to raise Indian River's tax rate to $3.06 – still the lowest in the county, Bunting said. Over the past three years, she said, tuition, debt service and minor capital tax rates have decreased for annual savings of about $32.

Voting will be from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. at East Millsboro Elementary School, Georgetown Elementary School, Indian River High School, Long Neck Elementary School, Lord Baltimore Elementary School and Selbyville Middle School.

Residents of the Indian River School District who are U.S. citizens and at least 18 years of age are eligible to vote at any one of the polling places. Voters must reside within the boundaries of the Indian River School District and provide identification. Acceptable proofs of identity with name and address include: Delaware driver's license; Delaware automobile registration card; Delaware ID card; work ID with photo and address; credit card with photograph and signature; document identifying person by photograph or signature; recent utility bill, rent receipt, business letter setting forth the person's address or telephone directory listing in the current issue of the phone book; or any other reasonable document that identifies the person's address.

For more information on the referendum, call the district's referendum hotline at 436-1079.

Absentee voting is handled by the Sussex County Department of Elections at 119 North Race St. in Georgetown. Absentee ballots are available by mail until noon Friday, Nov. 18, and in person until noon Monday, Nov. 21. Affidavits are available at all district schools. For more information on absentee voting, call the Department of Elections at 856-5367.