By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Voters easily passed a 0.5 percent income tax renewal for Bowling Green City School current expenses for five years on Tuesday. The unofficial vote was 1,937 to 647 – giving the district a victory with 75 percent.
“I’m very humbled and appreciative of the community support,” Superintendent Francis Scruci said after the votes were tallied. “I think it speaks volumes about how our community looks at our schools and what we do. This will allow us to do what we do in the classroom.”
But Scruci said Tuesday’s solid support should not be taken for granted. It cannot be translated as support for the school district’s next venture at the polls for new or renovated buildings, he said.
The income tax for the district began in January of 1993 and has been renewed every five years since. It makes up 11 percent of the district’s general fund revenue, generating $3.34 million annually.
The issue was the first on the ballot since Scruci became Bowling Green’s superintendent nearly two years ago. Though any election victory is a good victory, Scruci said he was very pleased with the margin of the votes.
“I think it really does speak to the amount of support we have in the community,” he said. “And at the day’s end, the winners are the kids.”
However, Scruci cautioned that Tuesday’s victory does not mean the district can count on voters passing a levy for new or renovated school buildings.
“I don’t think you can compare the two,” he said of the renewal levy and a new tax issue. “I don’t think you can draw a parallel. They are two different things.”
The board will be meeting for a couple workshops later this month to discuss the district’s building options. “We will talk about what direction we’re going to go,” Scruci said.
For more than a year now, school officials have been gathering input from the community on which building options they support. The board will soon have to decide whether to put a levy on the ballot in November or next May. And they will have to decide whether to seek funding to build new buildings, renovate existing buildings, or some combination of both.
Scruci is hoping voters will be supportive at the polls for the building issue as well.
“As long as you keep open lines of communication and are transparent,” the public is likely to understand the need, said Scruci, who has held many public meetings on the building options. “I think we’ve developed a culture here. We’ve put everything out on the table.”
Ultimately, he wants to see the district to do what’s best for the kids. “Our parents give us their most valued assets.”
