House of Representatives passed amended versions of property tax levy bills for the general and special education funds back to the Senate.

 

Amendments to the bills inflated their land valuation, but left levy rates the same as passed by House Appropriations committee members.

 

Senate Bill 28 adjusts property tax levies for the general fund of a school district with the commercial levy at $9.163, up $0.535, decreases the agricultural levy by $0.24, to $2.082, and increases the owner-occupied levy by $0.25, up to $4.279.

 

Senate Bill 15 calls for an increase of $.05 for the SPED levy. In the current version, levies would be set at $1.25 per thousand dollars of taxable valuation for the qualifying level and $1.45 for the maximum level.

 

SB 15 also allows school districts to use up to 15 percent of their special education fund dollars to identify K-12 students who need additional academic and behavioral interventions and caps the Extraordinary Cost Fund at $5.5 million.

 

Administration representatives have noted in committee hearings that each bill is needed for school districts to receive the proposed three percent increase in state aid.

 

Each bill is expected to be referred to conference committee. ASBSD is monitoring the bills.

 

For updates on SB 15 and 28, check the ASBSD blog and bill tracker.