The Plymouth Community School Corporation will soon be asking residents for permission to raise property taxes to help fund school operations. The school board voted unanimously Tuesday to place a referendum on the May ballot.
It asks voters for permission to raise property taxes by up to 19 cents per $100 of assessed valuation for an eight-year period. That money would be earmarked specifically for “student safety initiatives, mental health support and programs, and attracting and retaining teachers.”
Superintendent Andy Hartley recommended moving ahead with the referendum. He said a lot has changed over his 10 years with Plymouth Community Schools, especially when it comes to the way schools approach the safety and security of students and staff. He noted that the school corporation has been working to increase the security presence in its schools, while also boosting mental health, social, and emotional supports for students. One particular goal has been to have at least one full-time social worker in every school.
At the same time, Hartley said declining revenues have forced Plymouth Schools to reduce the number of teachers and staff members, with many employees not being replaced when they retired or quit. Hartley added that the corporation hasn’t been able to offer teachers raises that keep up with the cost of living and that Plymouth has fallen behind neighboring school districts, when it comes to pay levels.
School Board President Todd Samuelson said that many of the safety and security issues schools now faces couldn’t have been predicted years ago, and school buildings were not designed to today’s security standards. Board member Larry Pinkerton and Plymouth Education Association President Laura Kruyer also spoke in support of the referendum.
Similar measures passed last year in the neighboring Culver and Oregon-Davis school districts but failed at Argos Community Schools in 2016. The Plymouth School Board’s referendum resolution was a late addition to Tuesday’s meeting agenda, having been added at the start of the meeting.
