School Taxes Pass Easily

In a light voter tufnout, Ann Arbor school district voters approved two milIage issues by large margins Monday - an action interpreted by some as a vote of confidence for the district's new superintendent. The unofficial vote tally shows the 6.67 mili renewal passed 7,195 to 2,699. A separate one mili levy for refurbishing and repairing buildings, sites and equipment passed by a smaller margin of 6, 014 to 3,925. Administrators had predicted about 15 per cent of the district's 80,000 registered voters would vote Monday. Following the election, LeRoy Cappaert, assistant to the superintendent, said about 12.5 per cent of the registered voters went to the polls In a regular school election, with the added interest generated by campaigns for school board seats, voter turnout is about 18 to 20 per cent. Board of. Education President Duane Renken called the election resulte "a tremendous vote of confidence" for Supt. Harry Howard, who took the administrative post in July. Howard said Monday night passage of the two millage issues "means we can go ahead and plan for next year. Our income is essentially known barring unforeseen circumstances." Citizen approval of the 6.67 mili renew- al and additional one mili does not mean the school district can restore many of the programs discontinued in the last few years, Howard said. "We still face serious financial problems, but this early approval at the polls will provide time to plan for maximum dollar use. Program dollars formerly re-directed for emergency repairs may not be put back into the classroóms and our physical plant and equipment will be Drotected from further deterioration." The 6.67 mili renewal passed in all of the school district' s 70 precincts except Ward I, Precinct 6 and Ward III, Precinct i 4. The additional one mili was defeated in the following precincts: Ward I, Precincts 6 and 7; Ward III, Precinct 4; Ward IV, Precinct 3; Ward V, Precincts 4 and 8; and Township Precinct III. After the results were known last night, Howard expressed appreciation to the Citizens School Millage Committee chaired by Dr. Ronald Bishop and Henry Landau, and to parents, students and staff for their help in passage of the two issues. The Citizens School Millage Committee raised some $1,700 to finance the campaign. Howard, other administrators and Board of Education members also spoke to almost all school Parent Teacher Organization groups and service clubs in the community prior to the election. The 6.67 milis raise about $5 million annually or about 20 per cent of the school district's $26.2 million budget. Voter approval of the five-year renewal will not increase the tax levy now used for supporting the schools. Taxpayers will continue to pay 32.55 milis for operating expenses. " Passage of the additional one mili will mean an increase in the tax rate beginning in July. The owner of a house with a market value of $20,000, with an equalized valuation of $10,000, can expect to pay $10 more in taxes per year. Revenue from the one mili levy is expected to bring approximately $800,000 per year for five years. The administration has identified some $4,752,537 of requests for renovations and improvements to be paid for with the additional one mili.