Despite state funding cuts and continued spending on the long-range facilities plan, individual tax bills in the Duluth school district are going down this year.
That bit of good news was part of a Red Plan update that Superintendent Keith Dixon presented Thursday to the School Board. He said someone who pays taxes on a home worth $150,000 in Duluth should see a small decrease in school taxes this year: $415.29 compared to $419.46 last year.
Dixon said taxes are going down, albeit slightly, because the overall tax capacity of property in the school district has grown more than expected. He also said the district hasn't had to assess as much as it expected to pay for Red Plan construction so far.
The board also learned:
Work on four schools -- Stowe, Lakewood, Homecroft and Lowell -- is complete. Seven schools -- Denfeld, East, the eastern middle school, Lincoln Park Middle School, Laura MacArthur, Lester Park and Piedmont/ Lincoln -- are in various stages of construction. Grant and Congdon Park plans are still in the design process and yet to be bid.
Because of a "competitive bid climate" in the construction industry, several projects were bid for lower amounts than estimated. About $25 million in the past three years has been put back into the plan, for additions or needs that have arisen through public input or necessity, and were voted on by the board, Dixon said. Some of that includes $500,000 in increased costs to work around the eagle's nest at the Ordean site, $1 million for asbestos abatement and nearly $11 million for expanded construction at six schools.
The district is $803,000 over budget, but has $9 million in contingency funds. The board voted 5-2 to approve a Red Plan amendment that allows the district to move money around for several project changes totaling $11.6 million. The plan has been approved by the state. Gary Glass and Art Johnston voted against the measure.
