Referendum Renewal
It’s Working!
Thanks to the support of the referendum by our community in 2015, referendum dollars have made a positive impact on the lives of our students, teachers, and community. Academics are improving. Teachers and instructional staff are providing the necessary services to our students. Since 2015, Perry Township Schools has been recognized as a National and State leader in high-quality instruction in a K-12 school system.
On May 3, 2022, residents in Perry Township will decide to replace an expiring referendum and approve a new operating referendum in order to continue funding Perry Township Schools.
This is a RENEWAL of the current Operating Referendum.
Your tax rate will NOT increase.
An Operating Referendum is when the school district asks its voters to approve a tax to support the operating costs of educating the students in the school district. In 2015 voters in Perry Township approved a .4212 tax for the Operational Fund of the school district. The Operational Fund allows the district to fulfill the shortfalls in properly funding the schools to meet the needs of all of our students.
Funding provided by the referendum directly affects:
- 193 teaching positions across the district in Elementary, Middle, and High Schools, including business, art, music, and Project Lead The Way classrooms.
- 20 Assistant Principals in all levels of buildings
- 17 Technology positions
- 14 Instructional and Special Education Assistants
- $1.5 million dollars in transportation costs including $500,000 in fuel supplies.
Letter from Superintendent Pat Mapes
Dear Friends in the Perry Township Community,
I want to start this message by expressing my gratitude for your commitment and passion for Perry Township Schools. In 2015, many of you voted yes, in favor of an operating referendum and it passed. Since then, we have added 193 new teachers, allocated $1.5 million toward busing, and much more. As a result, Perry Township Schools has grown to the fifth-largest school district in the state. We are also a nationally recognized school district for educator effectiveness.
You may know that Perry Township Schools will have a renewal operating referendum on the ballot in May. Again, this is a renewal referendum and NOT a new tax and your tax rate will NOT increase.
If the renewal referendum does not pass, we will be forced to eliminate those 193 teachers, which make up nearly 20% of our teachers. Class sizes will increase significantly. Busing will be reduced and many students will have to walk to school as a result. Those are just some of the cuts the district will have to make.
I ask that you continue to support Perry Township Schools. By doing so, you are not just supporting the school district, you are also supporting Perry Township the community because a strong school means a strong community. Thank you for your continued support!
Sincerely,
Pat Mapes
Superintendent
Perry Township Schools
Perry Township Schools Funding Information
Working for Our Community by Putting Your Tax Dollars to Work
Perry Township Schools works to provide effective and efficient stewardship of tax dollars entrusted to us by our local community. Our monthly School Board meetings are open to the public and comment is welcome and encouraged. We wanted to highlight some innovative strategies and steps PTS has taken to “do more with less” in the administration of the hard-earned resources that support our more than 16,000 Students, more than 1,000 Teachers, and all of our Support Staff.
Perry Township Schools Tax Rate History
Perry Township Schools is committed to providing solid stewardship over the funds entrusted by the local taxpayers within the borders of our school district. We continue to look for cost-saving measures and opportunities to lower the tax rate on our families as seen by the six-year trend in the chart above. We will stay diligent as we balance cost savings measures with services that our
students require and deserve.
#WEGROWKIDS
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