Board of Education plans to raise mills

The Aiken County Board of Education will need to increase its debt service by 3.5 mills to a total of 29 mills in 2006-2007, Comptroller Brock Heron told the board members Tuesday.

The increase - the first on debt service in five years - will add a few dollars to the taxes on a $100,000 home.

For the past four years, said Heron, the district has used its debt service fund balance to pay off a portion of its debt, saving taxpayers 10.5 mills during that time period. That won't be possible in the new fiscal year. The fund balance will be used to pay office interest of about $600,000 next October. By the final payments are due, said Heron, the school district will have the tax money to pay them.

Board Chairman Dr. John Bradley said the school district and the board won't be credited with saving taxpayer money over the previous four years.

"We'll just be criticized for raising taxes next year," he said.

Heron's comments came in conjunction with the board's approval of an update in the district's five-year building plan. The district can sell $12 million in bonds for building purposes this year and remain under its state-mandated eight percent debt limit.

Deputy Superintendent Dr. Bill Gallman revised the plan to reflect the School Board's decision to build a new Byrd Elementary School in Graniteville. Part of its estimated $12.7 million price tag is included in the current fiscal year; the remainder is allocated over the next two years.

In other business -

Vicki Simons of the Aiken County Taxpayers Association asked the board to write a letter to the State Department of Education, asking State Superintendent Inez Tenenbaum to stop "inaccurate" reporting of state report card data.

Simons said SDE reported that 90 percent of third-grades met or exceeded state standards. But only 60.1 percent scored proficient or advanced, and that's the federally-required standard in which all students must attain "proficient" or better in all content areas, Simons said.

"The SDE is misleading the public," she said. "Perhaps you were unaware of this, so we're bringing it to your attention."