Sussex Review

Residents in the Seaford School District will have a higher property tax bill after voters recently passed a two-part referendum that included an increase to the operating expense tax.

The increase will go toward supporting the general operating expenses of the district. The referendum also authorized financing debt service expenses for capital improvement.

The referendum gives the district authority to levy an additional $0.72 per $100 of assessed property value in taxes. That authority goes into effect July 1.

Superintendent Corey Miklus said that the increase would fund projects including improving safety and security. It is also meant to allow for technology improvements at area schools and provide for the purchase of textbooks.

Miklus cited athletics as another area the increased revenue would go to support, and information from the district cited broader support of extracurricular activities through the additional monies.

Revenue from the $0.72 increase may also permit some increases to teacher salaries, and the district has stated that a portion of the tax increase will go toward instructional supplies and materials.

Along with facility improvements in the area of safety and security, the district needs funding for ongoing facilities maintenance. Those ongoing costs were cited among reasons the school board sought the increase in the referendum.

In campaigning for the increase, the district noted that they need to make up some areas that have had state funding decreased. The school district cited a need to sustain those existing operations with new local tax dollars.

The second portion of the referendum provided for a capital improvement project funded through financing rather than through tax dollars. The plan for the capital improvement project as approved by voters calls for selling bonds to generate the needed revenue.

According to statements from the district, the bond issue translates, ultimately, into a decrease for average taxpayers.