SYCAMORE - Mohawk Local School District is seeking taxpayer support to pay for capital improvements with a lifespan of five years or more.
A five-year, 1.5-mill levy to provide funds for permanent improvements is to be on the Nov. 6 ballot, according to Seneca County Board of Elections.
"This is a new levy. ... We need this to pass because what we're not doing right now ... is saving money for big-ticket repairs that are inevitable," Mohawk Superintendent Ken Ratliff said.
The levy would cost the owner of a $100,000 home $45.94 per year, he said.
It would generate $176,392 annually, with $125,000 being set aside for heating, ventilation and air conditioning maintenance and roof repairs and the remaining being put toward instructional technology.Ratliff said he believes the district's compressors, which run year-round, are in their seventh year. The district has four compressors, and the estimated replacement cost for each unit is $100,000, he said.
They potentially are getting to the end of their life, he said.
Ratliff said he thinks officials have demonstrated to taxpayers they are operating within the budget and have been diligent. The district cut nearly $400,000 in the 2011 fiscal year and nearly $300,000 in the 2012 fiscal year, he said.
"In that time, we've added programs and services to students," he said.
Also, teachers made insurance concessions and did not take a pay increase, he said.
