Riverside Community School District’s Instructional Support Levy

Area School Districts To the left is a map of 31 school districts in our area. School districts use different levies to operate their schools: Operating Levy Management Levy Voted PPEL (Physical Plant and Equipment) Regular PPEL Playground Debt Service Instructional Support Levy

Riverside Schools  Which of these funds are used by Riverside?  Operating Levy  Management Levy  Voted PPEL (Physical Plant and Equipment)  Regular PPEL  Playground  Debt Service  Instructional Support Levy

What is the Instructional Support Levy? It is a tax that school districts add to support educational programs. Almost all districts across the state of Iowa need this tax to operate their schools successfully. A district can use a combination of an income surtax and property tax to create this revenue.

Instructional Support Levies, who has them? 26 of the 31 school districts in AEA 13 have Instructional Support Levies. (Those in pink have ISLs.) The amounts of Instructional Support Levies depend upon the amount of the districts’ operating funds and enrollments.

How long has Riverside had an Instructional Support Levy? Riverside has always had the Instructional Support Levy. The Oakland and Carson/Macedonia School Districts each had an Instructional Support Levy before they merged. This is not a new levy This is not a new levy; it is the continuation of a levy that has become an important part of the district’s budget.

Where does the money go? This year the Instructional Support Levy at Riverside equals $298,392. It becomes part of the operating fund and is used for salaries, services, or anything else that supports our instructional program. For instance: This equals the average salaries of 8 teachers. This is about the combined cost of our technology, art, and music programs (equipment, supplies and personnel). This is about the cost of district transportation for the year.

Where does Riverside’s Instructional Support Levy come from? $21,912 comes from the state. $265,923 comes from the income surtax. $10,557 comes from property tax. State Aid Property Tax Income Surtax

Instructional Support Levy: Riverside’s Funding Philosophy Property taxes are already used to fund about 30% of our operating fund. Property taxes are used to fund the management and PPEL funds. By using the income surtax for most of the Instructional Support Levy, all taxpayers with and without property help to support the school.

What does the income surtax cost my household? Adjusted Gross Income Income tax paid Income surtax per year Cost per month Family of 4$50,000$2345$328$27 Family of 4$40,000$1710$239$20 Family of 4$30,000$1115$156$13

Total Tax Levies Riverside’s total tax levy is lower than any other district in AEA 13. Riverside’s instructional program produces academic results above federal goals and state averages. (See last month’s newsletter for details.) Every dollar is watched carefully and used wisely.

How important is the Instructional Support Levy? It is very important! Cutting almost $300,000 from a budget that has become tighter than ever over the last several years would be extremely difficult. Programs would have to be cut, staff reduced, and the instructional quality compromised.

When does the vote occur? The vote on the Instructional Support Levy will take place on Tuesday, December 6 th. We encourage everyone to vote.