All communities value their local schools and must have equal access to affordable levy revenue so their students can have the same educational opportunities seen in high-property wealth school districts.  SEE’s top legislative priority is a comprehensive school levies tax relief and reform bill.  Over the summer, SEE worked with the House Research Department to craft the legislation.

• Increase state equalization funding to make all school levies—particularly the Local Option Revenue, Operating Referendum, and Debt Service Programs—more affordable in low-property wealth districts.
• Preserve the property tax relief by ensuring that the calculations used to determine equalization aid keep pace with growth in statewide property wealth.
• Increase the basic formula and index it to the rate of inflation to keep pace with rising costs.
• Increase the amount of Local Option Revenue a district can generate to the statewide average operating referendum revenue amount per pupil unit to provide support for districts without operating referenda.
• Give school boards the authority to renew existing referendums at their current amount.
• Aggressively address the special education cross-subsidy and make a long-term commitment by providing on-going revenue to help districts protect their general funds.
• Increase the amount of revenue districts can access through the Long-Term Facilities Maintenance Revenue categorical.