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Editorial: ISL earns voter support
Op-Ed · March 19, 2015


We find three reasons voters should again approve the Instructional Support Levy for West Branch Community Schools: Responsible spending, conservative use and voter trust.


The April 7 ballot question asks voters to approve a levy which this year is expected to bring in about $400,000 for things like textbooks, enrichment programs, software, materials, training and programs and student programs.

ISL is supplemental to state aid and property taxes, it’s “extra” money to make ends meet when a school district feels it must provide a little bit more to give pupils a quality education that prepares them to become well-rounded citizens in a global economy.

That’s pretty vague, and school leaders could certainly be tempted to misuse the money. But unlike some of the inane courses that exist out there, like “UFOs in American Society” and “Daytime Serials: Family and Social Roles,” West Branch expanded its offerings in much more concrete ways.

Since emerging from the recession, the local school district expanded its preschool, added fifth-grade band and middle school show choir, expanded its Spanish courses, added dual-credit/college-level courses and ramped up its science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) courses.

Next, the school district is allowed to levy up to 10 percent of its regular program budget. After being in place for 19 years, the money the school levies is only about 4 to 5 percent of the budget. That’s about half. West Branch is not “maxing out” the levy. That’s a sign of good, conservative fiscal management that taxpayers want out of its elected officials.

Lastly, the Board of Education is asking voters to renew the ISL for 10 years. They don’t have to. They could approve it themselves for five years, again and again and again. The law allows this. Instead, school board members decided, again, to trust the voters to see that they have been using the money carefully and wisely.

We believe the school district has earned another 10 years of the Instructional Support Levy through a history of spending money responsibly, using only the money school leaders felt necessary, and believing that voters would see and agree this use of funding should continue.