County board backing technologies millage renewal
3 min read
Just one Monroe County commissioner cited the region’s training engineering millage as the purpose nearly 21,000 college students didn’t eliminate a full year of learning in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
That, in component, inspired the commission’s current backing of the proposed renewal of a a person-mill levy to fund training technologies at all faculty districts in Monroe County.
Renewal of the millage is staying sought for one more five decades in a distinctive election May possibly 4.
Donald Spencer, chairman of the Citizens for Academic Technologies Committee, gave a energy level presentation on the millage request that was very first passed by voters in 1997. It has been renewed 4 moments given that, Spencer explained throughout the county board’s meeting held through Zoom.
The proposal would enable the county intermediate faculty district (ISD) to carry on to levy a regional improvement millage that will expire with the 2021 levy.
Beneath condition regulation, the profits raised by the millage would be gathered by the ISD and dispersed to the community school districts based on for each-pupil membership enrollment.
If effective, the owner of a home with a taxable value of $100,000 would spend about $98.66 annually with the improvement tax.
The income collected in the to start with calendar year of the time period would be about $6,151,499, which would be disbursed to Airport, Bedford, Dundee, Ida, Jefferson, Mason, Monroe, Summerfield and Whiteford faculties, alongside with New Bedford Academy, Triumph Academy and the ISD.
At one time, “our districts have been between the least expensive funded in the state,” Spencer informed the eight commissioners present.
Monroe County was the 1st to pass a technology millage in 1997.
“Today, our university districts are the product for the rest of the point out,” he said.
He cited several positive aspects from the millage, which include fairness funding that presents $312 for each scholar for each district.
“The 1 mill generates far more via a (countywide) millage than if they were levying for just one district,” he stated.
He stated the millage also supplies:
- Significant-velocity Net connectivity for each individual district.
- A valuable tool to draw in new industries and firms to the county. The Monroe County Small business Improvement Company employs the improved technology in its recruitment efforts.
- A organized workforce.
- A handy backup system for responding to changes brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. It enabled pupils who had been geared up with iPads and Chromebooks to just take portion in virtual studying from their houses when in-individual classes have been not attainable.
“This has been a terrific asset in the course of the pandemic,” Spencer reported about the increased technology in classrooms. “We had 21,000 learners advantage for the reason that they could attend college each day.”
Also becoming a member of in the presentation ended up Supt. Dr. Carl Shultz of Bedford Community Educational institutions Supt. Kelli Tuller of Mason Consolidated Colleges and Supt. Julie Everly of Monroe Public Schools.
Spencer also performed a video recorded by Emily Marshall, a sixth-quality teacher at Dundee Community Educational institutions who said she arrived to the district due to the fact of the technological know-how currently in position.
“Students were capable to master due to the fact they experienced their units,” Marshall explained in the online video.
Commissioner David Swartout explained without having owning the technological know-how in position, “we may possibly have had to have students consider the whole calendar year over again” because of to the pandemic.
In addition to interactive reside instruction and sophisticated placement courses, other advantages college students derive from the technology millage are alternative schooling possibilities, vocation technological education and learning programs and extra robotics groups, Spencer extra.
“There are more than 15 Robotics teams in the county,” Spencer noted. “That’s a whole lot. That speaks to the culture in this county.”
