De Soto Schools
Proposition K.I.D.S. (Keep Improving De Soto’s Schools)
What it is: A 25-cent property tax increase and a shift of 25 cents from the district’s fund to pay off bond debt to the general operating fund.
Vote needed to pass: Simple majority.
What it will cost: The district’s current tax rate is $4.3853 per $100 of assessed valuation, and of that, 98.01 cents are used to pay bond debt. The remaining $3.4052 is used for operating expenses. If voters approve the proposition, the district’s tax rate would increase to $4.6353 per $100 of assessed valuation and the owner of a home valued at $200,000 would pay about $95 more per year in real estate taxes. The tax shift would not result in a tax increase. However, taxes used to pay off bond debt expire after the bonds are paid off, so transferring the 25 cents from the bond debt fund into the general operating fund would make that 25 cents permanent.
What it’s about: Superintendent Josh Isaacson said passage of the issue would generate about $569,000 a year and would allow the district to budget for capital improvements rather than continually go to voters for bond issues.
In addition, he said the pay of all employees would be boosted by $1,500 a year, which is needed to attract staff members – teachers as well as custodial staff, bus drivers and food service workers – in an increasingly competitive hiring environment.
Isaacson said the district’s budget is stressed because it has lost about 500 students over the past eight years, which means a reduction in state and federal funding.
The district has estimates that it needs about $4.6 million in roof repairs and about $2.4 million in heating and cooling system upgrades.