Monday, August 23, 2021

Assessed Valuation Goes Up for Worth County

Assessed valuation for Worth County went up for the upcoming school year to $29,872,940, Superintendent Chris Healy reported to the school board at their meeting Thursday. This was a 4.45% increase from last year. Much of the increase was due to new construction; local contractors say they are backlogged in filling orders. In order to figure out whether the local tax rate must be lowered, the school subtracted growth from new construction and personal property. Since the difference was below the Consumer Price Index (1.4%), the school did not have to reduce its operating levy. The difference was 0.71%.

Healy reported that the school districts that are in the Tri-County Health Department’s area met with the Health Department on August 7th. They presented guidelines for quarantines and suggestions for mitigation procedures. They said that hand washing, sanitizing, and limiting face touching will be key in mitigating the spread of the Coronavirus. 

The Health Department will notify individuals of the need to quarantine. Students who were in close contact, or within six feet, of an individual who tested positive for the Coronavirus for more than 15 minutes will be quarantined unless they have been fully vaccinated. Individuals who were vaccinated will self-monitor for symptoms and not be required to quarantine as long as they remain symptom free. If both individuals were wearing a mask, then close contacts will not have to quarantine. DESE and DHSS will release updated guidelines within the next week.

The school submitted the compliance plan and initial budget for the ESSER III funding. The school must spend $121,140 to address learning loss and will be focused on tutoring, social and emotional learning, and educational intervention materials. The remaining money will be used to employ existing staff. The school will look for opportunities to use the funds for capital improvement projects, but those projects must receive prior approval from DESE. All funds must be spent by September 30th, 2024.


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