Arlington Hts. schools host levy hearings tonight
When residents complained about the Arlington Heights village tax levy a few weeks ago, officials passed out a pie chart.
It showed a typical 2007 tax bill with Arlington Heights Elementary District 25 getting the largest chunk - about 40 percent of a resident's entire tax bill. District 214 comes in second, receiving about 23 percent of the tax bill.
Don't blame school districts, blame the system, said Stacey Mallek, District 25's assistant superintendent of business.
"All we have is property taxes," she said. "Almost 80 percent of our entire budget comes from property taxes. Villages have other sources of revenue."
In comparison, only about 27 percent of a village's general fund comes from property taxes. Municipalities' general funds also get money from such items as sales tax, income tax and telecommunications tax.
District 25 is looking to increase its tax levy for next year by 5 percent, bringing the total levy from $56 million to $61 million, Mallek said. The school board will host a public hearing before approving their tax levy at 7:15 p.m. tonight at Ivy Hill Elementary School, 2211 N. Burke Drive.
Mallek is expecting a crowd.
About 150 residents attended an Arlington Height village board meeting when a 3.75 percent tax levy increase was discussed. On Monday, the board instead backed a much smaller 0.32 percent increase.
The school district needs its full levy increase, Mallek said, adding she will be ready to defend it.
"No matter what, the kids will still come, and we can't not service them," she said. "Plus we have state mandates we have to fund. Any changes we would have to make would affect class size and service."
District 25 has about 680 full-time employees.
Like most school districts, District 25 plans on spending more than it takes in next year, with expenditures estimated at $76 million and revenues estimated at $71.5 million, according to Mallek.
The district also has a reserve account that varies during the year from $35 million to about $62 million, Mallek said.
District 214 will also host a public hearing on its levy tonight at the Forest View Educational Center, 2121 S. Goebbert Road in Arlington Heights. The high school district is looking to levy $186.5 million, an increase of about 6 percent.
Every December school boards approve their tax levies, which is the amount of money districts can raise through the property tax. The fiscal year for schools starts on July 1, 2009, and ends June 30, 2010.