PERRYVILLE PLANS APRIL LEVY VOTE

PERRYVILLE -- Voters in the Perry County School District will decide in April if they will pay more in school taxes to fund additions to school buildings.

The Perry County Board of Education Wednesday night unanimously decided to ask voters for a 19-cent increase in the current school operating levy and also to approve a $4.9 million bond issue.

The money will fund additional classroom space, expand cafeteria areas, and allow for relocation of several grade levels.

These improvements are included in the district's 10-year building plan, devised by board members and a long-range planning committee made up of county residents.

It includes relocating grades 1-4 to the high school building, with construction of an addition for the fourth grade and a multipurpose facility, said Superintendent Ron Fitch. It also includes relocation of grades 5-8 to the current elementary building with an addition constructed for grades 7-8.

Students in grades 9-12 would be relocated to the current junior high building, with additions built to the library and science laboratories.

The increase in the tax levy would pay for hiring two additional elementary teachers, one elementary counselor, and would assist with annual operating costs, the superintendent said.

One of the major goals of the plan is to decrease class size, he said.

The proposal was devised by the board and several committees made up of county residents. Specific recommendations included in the plan were made by a long-range planning committee appointed by the board last February. The long-range planning committee conducted a "needs study" of the district.

Fitch said the failure of Proposition B and cuts in state funding for schools led to the need to ask for a tax increase.

Enrollment in the district has increase steadily, causing larger classes and a need for more space, he said.

The increased tax levy will mean a family with a home valued at $50,000 will pay about $43.70 more per year in real estate taxes, Fitch said.