DOVER (Tusco TV) - Dover school district officials are pointing to the latest financial forecast to illustrate the need for additional property tax dollars.

Treasurer Andrew Bache says he’s projecting snowballing deficit spending will wipe out their cash reserve and put the district in the red in three years if voters fail to approve their 6.9-mill emergency tax levy come November.

"The main issue here is as expenses continue to climb, and when revenues remain relatively flat, you’re either forced to increase revenue or decrease expenditures, and so that’s why we’re looking to generate more money by going back on the ballot this November, and if not the district will be forced to make some hard decisions here," he says.

Bache says the district is already running as lean as it possibly can, ranking among the top 20 percent of public school districts statewide with the lowest per-pupil spending. He says recent cost-saving measures including the reconfiguration of the elementary schools to a grade-level system and the elimination of free athletic passes for seniors have cushioned the blow somewhat, but he says there remains a longterm need for additional funding. 

"We feel that some of the changes that we made last year will help sustain us into the future. It’s not just a one-time cost-savings. It’s savings that’ll benefit us each and every year going forward but we are still certainly challenged. It’s not enough to sustain us long term," he says.

The levy already rejected by voters in two previous elections would generate about $2.6-million annually for the district while increasing taxes on a $100,000 home by about $20 per month. Bache says another levy defeat in November would have the district in the red by more than $100,000, while approval would translate to a positive cash balance of more than $6.5-million. 

TUSCO TV