Wauseon slates meeting series to pitch school levy

10/19/2010

WAUSEON - A series of three "informational" meetings about a school levy request on the Nov. 2 ballot here has been scheduled by a campaign committee promoting the proposal.

The discussions about the 10-year, $835,000 emergency levy proposal will be held Thursday at 7 p.m. in the Wauseon High School auditorium; Monday at 7 p.m. in the Wauseon Middle School cafetorium, and Oct. 27 at 2 p.m. in the high school auditorium.

The levy, Issue 4 on the local ballot, is the Wauseon district's first request for new operating funds since 1991. With a tax rate of 4.38 mills, it is estimated to cost the owner of a $100,000 house $134.14 in annual tax. One mill equals $1 of tax for every $1,000 of assessed property value.

Last month, the school board and district teachers' union announced a two-year freeze in base pay rates as part of a recently ratified contract. School superintendent Marc Robinson said that by accepting the freeze, the teachers' union had recognized the district's financial condition, which forced $935,000 in budget cuts last school year and resulted in the levy proposal.

"The Wauseon Education Association and Board of Education recognize the difficult economic times in our area that have affected many families and community members," he and union President Carol Wilson said in a statement after the vote. The two-year pact is retroactive to Sept. 1 and runs to Aug. 31, 2012.