Voters in Klamath Falls will be facing a levy this may aimed at boosting the number of teachers in city schools.
Klamath Falls City Schools Superintendent Dr. Paul Hillyer says the owner of a 100 thousand dollar home would pay about 50 dollars more a year in taxes. The three year levy would generate about 890 thousand dollars a year… “And then we would also get an extra 140 thousand dollar from the state in matching funds.”
The district needs to fix aging buildings, but the school board says a levy to hire teachers and reduce class sizes is a bigger priority.
Dr. Hillyer says “It would allow us to hire about six to seven elementary teachers, and then would also allow us to add two teachers to the junior high, and two to the senior high.”
The board knows it won’t be easy to pass a levy in tough economic times. But Hillyer believes a healthy school system will help attract new businesses, and boost the economy… “And so, these dollars are very critical not only for the health of our schools, but really for the health of our community.”
Paperwork to put the measure on the May ballot was filed with the county clerk Tuesday afternoon. Klamath County Clerk Linda Smith will now review the ballot measure, publish it to see if there are any public challenges, and then assign it a number before placing it on the ballot.
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