School Officials Urge Tax Ok

Monday will be a critical time between the Ann Arbor public school system and the community, according to the comments from Supt. W. Scott Westerman last night at the Board of Education meeting. Voting on that day will include a 3-mill school tax renewal proposition. "This is the most straight-forward request made by the schools since I have been superintendent," he said. Stressing that the proposal does not increase the millage, Supt. Westerman said the tax proposal and one on paying off the district's bonds warrant widerange support from all citizens and that both propositions are non-controversial. "We look forward to a positive response from the community," Westerman told the board. The special school election will consist of two proposals. Proposition One asks for a renewal of the 3-mill operating levy and Proposition Two would require three areas annexed in 1966 to assist in paying building debts. The renewal is termed necessary because in 1961 the electors voted to levy 3 milis in property taxes for 10 years to help opérate the schools. The 10-year tax period ended last December. Proposal One gives voters the chance to authorize that same tax rate for five more years. "Renewing the three milis will only keep the tax rate where it is now," Westerman said. "And it will help us keep the program we have now, in its curtailed form. It will not replace reductions in elementary art, music, physical education, and the number of secondary school class periods which had to be cut when the millage was defeated last June." If the renewal does not pass next Monday, it would result in the reduction of the school's anticipated operating income by almost $2 million next year. Westerman said that this would mean further major reductions in the school programs and serious changes in the schedule for the school day and other cutbacks. . Proposition Two concerns three portions of the school district (the former Frains Lake, Braun and Superior Township School districts) in which property owners are only paying taxes for school building that were approved since 1966, the year these areas joined the district. Although they are enjoying all of the benefits of the district, these three areas are presently paying only for the construction of the new Clague Junior High School approved in 1969, school officials said. Approval of the second proposal, the officials said, would mean these three areas would pay their "fair share of es for bonded indebtedness from now on. The second proposal will provide a slight decrease in the tax rate in most of the district, according to school officials, because bonded indebtedness will be spread over the entire school district. The special school election was scheduled by the Board of Education because members feit "people should have a chance to vote first on keeping the present program, and then have another chance in June to vote separately on any improvements in the educational program."