(CORRECTION: On air, the story below stated that three school board members are in opposition to Proposition 4. That is incorrect. Two board members (Dave Chivers and Scoot Wilkins) and one former board member (Mark Caldwell) have jointly stated their opposition. The story posted below reflects the needed corrections. My apologies for this factual mistake and I appreciate USD Business Administrator Scott Ruppe for the quick correction. Hopefully, I’m back in the present year of 2019! – Kristin Forbis, News Director for Evans Family Media)
The Uintah School District has done a thorough job in recent weeks of sharing information and answering questions while asking Uintah County residents for a vote in favor of Proposition 4 in the upcoming November election. While there has been growing support for the Proposition, two Uintah School District Board of Education members and one former board member are asking voters to vote against Proposition 4. In a document which will be included in the Uintah County voter packet and bearing the names of board members Dave Chivers, Scoot Wilkins, and former board member Mark Caldwell, voters are asked to vote NO on Proposition 4. Their first point of opposition is that the tax decrease is temporary but Proposition 4 creates a new permanent Property Tax for the District. “In summary,” they share, “Taxpayers get a $1 million dollar property tax reduction for three years and then a potential annual property tax increase of up to $8 million dollars every year.” Their second point of opposition is that there is currently taxpayer money in the General Fund not being used that could cover the expenses of the proposed needs. According to their letter, the school district has surplus funds added to the General Fund each year, stating that for 2018 and 2019 the surplus funds added equalled over $3 million and $5 million dollars, bringing the total General Fund to over $24 million dollars. In their words: “The School District should show they can effectively use the money they are already receiving from Taxpayers before asking Taxpayers to give them more money.” Finally, they state that due to changes made last year to the teacher salary schedule, further evaluation is needed and increases should be targeted to make all salary steps competitive with other districts. Questions on these points can be directed to Dave Chivers, Scoot Wilkins, or Mark Caldwell. For information on Proposition 4 provided by the school district, visit www.uintah.net.
