BCSC considers tax hike to raise teacher, staff pay

Bartholomew Consolidated Schools are considering a plan to ask the taxpayers to help increase the pay for teachers and support staff. If approved by the school board, the voters would be deciding in May whether or not to add 19 cents to their property tax rate.

School Superintendent Dr. Jim Roberts made the case to the school board this week, pointing out that even with the increase BCSC would still be below the state average tax rate and the rates of surrounding school districts.

For the owner of the average priced home in the school district, with standard deductions, that would mean an increase of about $120 a year in their tax bills. That was estimated on a home with an assessed value of almost $142,000 and including homestead, supplemental and mortgage deductions .

The overall percentage increase in tax bills will depend on the location of the property and its value, but it would be a 22 percent increase in the school districts’ share of the tax rate, which has hovered around 85 cents per $100 of assessed value for more than a decade.

The district expects the tax increase to raise about $9.3 million dollars per year. The proposal would put 81 percent of the new money into teacher and support staff salaries. The could mean $5 to $15 thousand dollars a year more for an individual teacher depending on experience and education.

The school board would consider the tax increase in January and if approved, it would go to the voters on primary election day next year.