DOVER (WJER) - Dover school representatives are working to get their supporters to show up at the polls next Tuesday.  

Parents Mike Lauber and Ann Bruno recently appeared on a special WJER election report to explain the need for the district’s 6.9 mills, 5-year emergency operating levy on the May 7th ballot. There are no immediate cuts expected if it doesn’t pass this time, but after the previous attempt failed in November, Lauber says he is concerned what another defeat could signal for the teaching staff.

“We have a very real risk of losing some of our best educators who, appropriately so, have their own lives, their own families to care for and be concerned about their income in saying, ‘My job could be gone a year from now. As much as I may love teaching here and love living here, I may have to take a walk,’” he says.

Bruno says the district can’t afford to wait to see if the state legislature approves the proposed Cupp-Patterson school funding plan, which sounds encouraging but faces further delays.

“Promises come and go from government agencies. It doesn’t always work out, and it doesn’t always help you. It could actually take away money in the end from us, which has happened before,” she says. “There have been bills that have come through and the proposal looked good for Dover, and in the end, we ended up losing money. That’s happened many times.”

The levy would cost district owners of a $100,000 home about $20 a month and generate approximately $2.6-million a year for the district.     

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