Jackson school officials must regroup after proposal failure

Jackson Schools superintendent Scott Smith is seeking clarity.

The district's April 4 dual tax proposition failed. The first proposal, Proposition I, which would have infused millions of dollars into the operations budget primarily for raising teacher compensation, failed by 3% -- 333 votes to be specific.

The sibling measure, Proposition N, fell 14% short of the 4/7 majority needed to pass. That measure would have expanded the high school classrooms and added a performing arts facility, added security to the buildings throughout the district and added a new gymnasium and classrooms at North Elementary in Fruitland.

The majority of the upgrades were needed, Smith and other district officials have said, to address the rapidly growing student population in the district. More than 1,000 additional students have entered the school district in the last decade, requiring an additional 103 teachers.

Smith spoke candidly about how he misread the pulse of the voting public. He said he was surprised and "heartbroken" that voters declined both measures.

"I feel for the students and the staff," Smith said. "But at the end of the day, the voters have spoken. So now we just have to take a step back and get more input and develop plans."

Weeks after the vote, Smith has begun preliminary internal discussions about where to make cuts in the budget, while also reactivating strategic planning groups to assess the desires of the community.

Smith would not rule out going back to voters with another plan, but said it was much too early to talk about future tax issues. He said the district would not go to voters again in August, the next available local election.

"We have to regroup and analyze things," Smith said in a recent interview.

The April 4 tax proposals were developed after a thorough strategic planning process that included some 200 individuals throughout the community on various subcommittees. About 50 served on the finance and facilities groups. The strategic planning groups included community and business leaders, parents and staff members.

The tax proposals were presented against the backdrop of the district's declining financial position, which has consistently worsened over the last several years.

District officials have said the slipping financials are due primarily to costs associated with the growing student population, but also rising utility costs and other inflationary issues.

The district was also hit with millions of dollars in legal expenditures. The district engaged in litigation fights against contractors involving previous building project disputes. The lawsuits dragged on for a number of years.

Smith acknowledged those circumstances may have played a role in the public's mood and hurt the district's chances of passing the tax measures in April.

Smith said he understands the disapproving sentiment, but added the case "is from 2006. Nobody is still around that made those decisions back then. We have to move forward. As a community, we have to move forward to offer the quality of education we're known for."

"I think the people in Jackson truly care about the needs of the district. People will support the district. I think people will see that we are taking proactive approaches to financial responsibility. We're going to do everything we can to be transparent."

The past legal issues are but one factor that could have affected votes against the propositions. Others include broader economic pressures, including inflation that has affected voters' wallets.

Smith said it's also possible the district's message didn't get to enough people or perhaps wasn't presented in the right ways. The double-tax measure was complicated and difficult from a messaging standpoint. The plan's PowerPoint presentation could take an hour or more to explain. Part of the message was also that Jackson's property tax rate for the school district was lower than many area school districts and all but four of the state's largest 50 districts.

Part of the process of moving forward, Smith said, is understanding why voters rejected the proposal, and what the community wants for its students. Smith said he wants to conduct community surveys. He hopes the surveys will be able to shed light on the gap between what the district needs and what the public is willing to support.

"We have to get more input from the community, listen some more, and develop plans," Smith said. "We said there is a need, and there is still a need."

Jackson School District remains a selling point for the community. The city population has grown, and many parents in the region seek to buy homes and raise families in the district.

Part of Smith's surprise at the election defeat stems from the community's support he has seen firsthand. He said even though the vote didn't pass, 47% approved of increasing taxes to improve the pay for teachers -- far from an overwhelming defeat.

As part of its communications to the public in pitching the tax proposals, the district outlined some possible outcomes in the next three years if the vote did not pass -- larger class sizes (through teacher attrition), salary freezes, elimination of bus routes within 2 miles of the school, sale of an 80-acre farm the district purchased for future growth, closure of Millersville and Gordonville elementary schools and delays in laptop rotations.

Smith wasn't yet ready to discuss specifics as to where the district would seek to cut costs first. He said those discussions will begin soon, but he acknowledged class sizes will likely increase as a result of the election.

School board president Brian Thompson did not return messages seeking comment.