Lee Pulaski, lpulaski@wolfrivermedia.com
The two schools in the tiny Tigerton School District will not have to close their doors anytime soon after a referendum passed Tuesday by a vote of 484-169, an almost 3-to-1 margin.
The district asked voters for permission to override the state-imposed revenue cap so it could collect $1.5 million to $1.6 million in local taxes over the next five years.
The referendum will keep the property tax rate at the current level, $12.76 per $1,000 of equalized valuation, which means the owner of a $100,000 home would continue to pay $1,276 in school taxes in 2016 and 2017. The tax rate would drop to $12.63 in 2018 and $12.31 in 2020.
If the referendum had failed, Tigerton schools could have been forced to close their doors in about three years as a worst-case scenario. Other options to keep the doors open longer could have included ending art, music, agriculture and technical education classes, combining grades and eliminating sports programs.
“The community appreciates and very much wants to keep their schools,” said Wayne Johnson, superintendent. “We worked very hard on this, and it’s more than just the school. It’s about maintaining the community.”
Johnson noted that Tigerton School District is the largest employer in Tigerton, and he believes the voters felt losing the schools would not bode well for the village and surrounding towns.
Existing programs will be maintained now that the referendum has passed, and Johnson said it is possible programs that were cut back or eliminated in recent years could be restored if money is available.
“Right now, we’re just happy to keep our schools,” Johnson said.