The Jackson R-2 School Board voted to keep the School District’s property tax rate the same during its annual tax rate hearing on Aug. 25. The tax rate will remain at 3.8 cents per $100 valuation for the 2020-2021 school year.
The District will receive an estimated $21,585,000 in local tax revenue this year, which is $417,000 more than last year. Most of the increase is due to new construction in the District, but some is also from reassessments.
Terry Gibson, the District’s finance director, said local property tax revenue accounts for about 35 percent of the District’s annual budget.
Superintendent Dr. John Link said the start of school on Aug. 24 was the “best first day ever.” He added that the District seems to be “going down the right road” in regard to the COVID-19 precautions set in place and that the students had great attitudes in following the new rules.
“I really thought we’d have a battle with some people not wearing masks, but we’ve not had that battle,” Link said. “Not that everyone is happy with it, but at least everyone is ‘playing the game’ – which is all we can ask right now.”
The District will have more than 500 new students this fall. Families who moved out of the District this summer offset some of the new students, but the total enrollment for the District is still expected to rise by at least 130 students, according to Link.
Link stated that the increased enrollment will result in the District receiving an extra $500,000 in state funding, which will help offset the cuts in state funding the District received earlier this year.
