January 12, 200719 yr In the P & P thread, the mantra is always that the public schools are full of money and resources. Boone County administrators went to NKU to meet with Gov Fletcher to point out that is not true of Boone County. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070112/NEWS0102/701120403/1058/NEWS01 Boone County Schools has 4,500 students in temporary classrooms, is growing by an average of 800 students a year and needs at least five new elementary schools over the next five years. "We're asking for consideration, we're asking people to recognize the fact that we grow by 800 students every year, for the last 10 years," he said. "There's been no change in (state) funding, there's been no modification, and we've hit the wall." Goodness, that is 8,000 new students in the past 10 years. That is a huge, huge number. No way they can build classrooms to keep up with that pace. WOW!!!!! The school district is concerned about a proposed 1,380-home subdivision near the new school site on Longbranch Road. Mike Ford, director of pupil personnel, estimated that the development could add more than 650 students to Boone County schools. 650 in one school district would represent filling one whole elementary school itself.
January 12, 200719 yr Another startling number concerns the use of "trailers" used as auxilary classrooms. Apparently, if every Campbell County student was removed from their school, they would not fill up the "trailer" classrooms in Boone County. Besides funding, I can't help but think that the planning of the schools and add-ons has been done poorly. I'm not sure if it is Boone County policy, or a statewide policy, but they do not begin to work on new schools or extensions to old ones until a need is present. They can't plan ahead, build a new school to accomadate the amount of kids they are going to see, they have to wait until they are already overcrowded. Then, when the new school or extension is finished, it is already too small.
January 12, 200719 yr Author Another startling number concerns the use of "trailers" used as auxilary classrooms. Apparently, if every Campbell County student was removed from their school, they would not fill up the "trailer" classrooms in Boone County. Besides funding, I can't help but think that the planning of the schools and add-ons has been done poorly. I'm not sure if it is Boone County policy, or a statewide policy, but they do not begin to work on new schools or extensions to old ones until a need is present. They can't plan ahead, build a new school to accomadate the amount of kids they are going to see, they have to wait until they are already overcrowded. Then, when the new school or extension is finished, it is already too small. How can the Boone County schools guesstimate and build schools on a rate of 800 new students per year. That is needing a new school every 18 months.
January 12, 200719 yr Maybe they should consider raising the school tax rates. The three columns are the real estate, personal property and motor vehicle rates. School District Beechwood Independent Schools $0.7040 $0.7040 $0.5740 Bellevue Independent Schools $0.6700 $0.7260 $1.0140 Boone County Schools $0.5150 $0.5150 $0.4970 Campbell County Schools $0.5040 $0.5250 $0.5220 Covington Independent Schools $0.9420 $0.9420 $0.8590 Dayton Independent Schools $0.8420 $0.8420 $0.8590 Erlanger-Elsmere Independent Schools $0.6520 $0.6520 $0.6710 Ft. Thomas Independent Schools $0.8560 $0.8560 $0.9250 Kenton County Schools $0.5560 $0.5580 $0.6350 Ludlow Independent Schools $0.6590 $0.6740 $0.7460 Newport Independent Schools $0.8800 $0.8830 $0.9930 Silver Grove Independent Schools $0.8280 $0.8280 $0.8960 Southgate Independent Schools $0.7660 $0.7660 $0.5040 Walton-Verona Independent Schools $1.0060 $1.0060 $0.9070
January 12, 200719 yr Author Maybe they should consider raising the school tax rates. The three columns are the real estate, personal property and motor vehicle rates. School District Beechwood Independent Schools $0.7040 $0.7040 $0.5740 Bellevue Independent Schools $0.6700 $0.7260 $1.0140 Boone County Schools $0.5150 $0.5150 $0.4970 Campbell County Schools $0.5040 $0.5250 $0.5220 Covington Independent Schools $0.9420 $0.9420 $0.8590 Dayton Independent Schools $0.8420 $0.8420 $0.8590 Erlanger-Elsmere Independent Schools $0.6520 $0.6520 $0.6710 Ft. Thomas Independent Schools $0.8560 $0.8560 $0.9250 Kenton County Schools $0.5560 $0.5580 $0.6350 Ludlow Independent Schools $0.6590 $0.6740 $0.7460 Newport Independent Schools $0.8800 $0.8830 $0.9930 Silver Grove Independent Schools $0.8280 $0.8280 $0.8960 Southgate Independent Schools $0.7660 $0.7660 $0.5040 Walton-Verona Independent Schools $1.0060 $1.0060 $0.9070 Let me preface my post by saying I don't know Boone's exact financial position but let me point something out about SEEK formula. If you are a top tier school in funding, if you raise your local tax rate and funds, then you will see a decrease in the funds you receive from the state. I know that Beechwood and Highlands has had this problem. THey need funds and if they raise their local tax rate, their state funding drops the same. I think, emphasize, think Boone is in a similar situation. Also, their are financial limitations on what the local schools can do financially to get money to build new schools. Plus, any building has to be approved by the state.
January 12, 200719 yr Is it just a coincidence that the tax rates for the three county school systems are WAY lower than the others?
January 12, 200719 yr Is it just a coincidence that the tax rates for the three county school systems are WAY lower than the others? I wondered about that also. It may be tied to the fact that they have a much larger tax base.
January 12, 200719 yr Is it just a coincidence that the tax rates for the three county school systems are WAY lower than the others? I think every politician holding office in Boone is a Republican, except for one. Which might have something to do with lower taxes. Let me preface my post by saying I don't know Boone's exact financial position but let me point something out about SEEK formula. If you are a top tier school in funding, if you raise your local tax rate and funds, then you will see a decrease in the funds you receive from the state. Boone residents can certainly afford the tax increase, it is a tremendously wealthy area. However, it is also diverse in having very poor areas as well. Combine that with continual voting for lower taxes and you get those levels. As far as the state funding goes, from what I have heard, the school system is getting very little funding as it is now, and that may factor into the tax equation as well.
January 12, 200719 yr I wondered about that also. It may be tied to the fact that they have a much larger tax base.Exactly. Covington and Newport real estate is valued much lower than that of the suburbs. They also have a denser population which tends to mean more students per square mile. So the tax rates in cities and independent school districts tend to be higher.
January 23, 200719 yr Most of these posts are all wet. Need to check your facts. First off, every county school district since the advent of SEEK funding has taken its allowed 4% local growth tax rate. Given the tax base increases past 4%, the net impact is a net lower tax rate. The significant number missing from the charts is the amount received from state aid. It would probably surprise no one that the lowest districts in not exact particular order is Fayette, Jefferson, Boone, Campbell and Kenton. Beechwood and Ft. Thomas may seem lower and actually are but that is the result of no transportation service being fully or not at all provided. This group represents the lowest ten funded districts in the state! Add insult to injury is the less than intellegent statements of Sen. Dick Roeding who does not want the school districts to even be allowed to get 4%. Boone would be in worse shape had it not been for several schools being developed on donated land. The problem, sadly will get worse.
January 23, 200719 yr Exactly. Covington and Newport real estate is valued much lower than that of the suburbs. They also have a denser population which tends to mean more students per square mile. So the tax rates in cities and independent school districts tend to be higher. Do you think the tax abatements of Covington and Newport may have played a part in the lower total valuation. Newport on the Levy tax bill = ZERO.
January 23, 200719 yr I'm still not clear as to why the county schools rates are so much lower than the others. My gosh, Campbell's rate is half of Walton Verona's.
January 23, 200719 yr Most, if not all independents are significantly higher than the county counterpart. Most due to economies of scale in operation. There are a fair number of communities that feel the independent district is worth the price. There are those that merge or contemplating, such as Mercer and Harrodsburg. There are some that face significant financial issues in the coming year or two. The initial tax rates predate the funding formula law, so its beginning number was typically already in place. The issue facing the independent districts are those homes that grow in strong value. Using your example, a $500,000 home is taxed at $2,520 in Campbell and close to same in Kenton and Boone. That same value is at $5,030 per year. Part of the reason the expensive Newport hillside homes valued at 1.5 to 2 million are not selling. Imagine having 17,000 tax bill per year for just the school tax. Even the most wealthy have a hard time parting with that kind of money. The issue will become larger and larger over time.
January 23, 200719 yr Do you think the tax abatements of Covington and Newport may have played a part in the lower total valuation. Newport on the Levy tax bill = ZERO. Covington has a similar problem with the Fidelity Campus. From what I've seen in the past in Ohio, if a company gets a real estate tax abatement, they are usually required to make an annual "donation" the the school district that is equal to the amount of taxes the school district would have received. I don't know if that's the case in Northern Kentucky.
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