Renewal of 5-mil taxes benefits city schools; voting set March 22
Two property tax renewals to benefit Demopolis schools come before city voters in March.
Supt. Tony Willis, anticipating questions about the use of the money raised from the taxes, used graphs and figures at the Demopolis Rotary Club meeting Wednesday to explain why keeping the millage is so important for Demopolis City Schools.
The two 5-mil property taxes have been renewed regularly ever since they were passed generations ago, said Willis. Because of the differences in duration for each one, however, “It just so happens they converged, and they both came up for renewal at the same time.”
Two separate votes will be needed since one of the taxes is levied by the city and the other by Marengo County. With an arrangement between Demopolis and the county, both votes will take place in the Civic Center on March 22, preventing voters from having to travel to two sites.
By state law, each public school district in the state must have a minimum of 10 mils property tax to benefit its schools. Demopolis has 18 mils, said Willis, so the passage of both taxes is a must. Legally the city cannot lose all 10 mils, should the taxes be voted down.
“I have not met anyone in this town who feels Demopolis wants to be the least-funded school in the state of Alabama.”
The two taxes together bring in about $1.5 million annually, he said. Demopolis City Schools run on a $31 million budget, which translates to about $9,000 per student. The Alabama average is closer to $10,000. School system averages per student across the state range from $5,000 to $14,000. The Demopolis system receives slightly above the state average on allocations from Alabama, but local funding is slightly lower that the average.
Out of the 137 school systems in the state, Demopolis ranks 107 in the amount of money is spends per student.
The state pays for one teaching unit for every 17 students which, at first, seems very good. However, explained Willis, the state doesn’t pay for teachers in special education, physical education, art or music or for an assistant principal for elementary schools unless they have more than 600 students. The state pays for only a half unit per school for an elementary school counselor, a half unit for a state-required elementary school reading coach and only 80 percent of transportation costs.
“That’s where we have to come up with the money.”
Almost all the money coming from the state Department of Education goes toward salaries and benefits, he said. Local funds are used for non-personnel expenditures such as utilities, equipment and technology. Money raised locally also must pay for coaches and technicians. Federal monies support English as a second language, professional development, school lunches and other services.
Willis also gave a brief update on the current COVID situation in Demopolis schools.
“We’re doing well,” he said, although staffing shortages have been of concern. At one point a local campus had 11 of its 30 teachers in quarantine.
“We can handle one or two teachers being out, but with that many, it’s problematic,” especially since only one substitute teacher was available.
Schools closed for two days prior to the long Martin Luther King holiday which has helped. Willis said the schools have been “very diligent about not making the school year about COVID.”