The New High School Provides the Best Value for Taxpayers
Everyone agrees something must be done about the high school. Some people are suggesting to save money, we should try to renovate the existing building yet again. The claim is a new school will require large tax increases. But in reality, both will require significant community investments. So the question becomes...
Which option is the best long term investment and what will be the REAL difference in taxes over the next 5 years?
The real difference between a new modern high school built and equipped for 21st Century learning vs. the fixer upper option that will not fully fix the current issues and limitations of the existing building:
50% of all QV homes would see between $5.51-$8.55 per month difference in taxes phased in over 5 years.
90% of QV homes would see less than $30 per month difference.
How are these numbers calculated?
Property taxes are set based on "millage rates". Let's look at how QV's millage rate compares to other local school disticts:
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A mill is one thousandth of a dollar, or one tenth of one cent. The "rate" is the number of dollars of tax assessed for each $1,000 of property value.
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Millage rates are routinuely set based on anticipated revenue and expenditure needs.
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QVSD currently has one of the lowest millage rates in the county.
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The new building portion of the overall school district funding projections would add a very modest millage rate increase between 0.9 and 1.35 cumulative over a 5 year period.
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In each of the proposed scenarios including likely increases in other districts, QV’s overall millage rate, even when factoring in the new high school will remain one of the lowest rates in the county.
CONCLUSION: After understanding the real numbers, and considering the "finished product" of both options, we believe the conclusion is obvious. The new building will be a major asset for the entire community. It will become a cornerstone of Quaker Valley and absolutely help maintain and grow property values for years to come. For the vast majority of QV residents, the difference in tax scenarios is minimal given the value of what a new, modern high school building and facility will bring to our children and community.
Learn More!
Learn more about the value proposition for a new high school vs. a costly renovation/addition project that falls short of educational objectives.
Read an overview of the community engagement study, based on input from hundreds of QVSD residents, teachers and students, that helped kick off the planning process for a new high school.
Review a presentation summarizing the engineering, geotechnical and environmental due diligence completed on the new high school site, as well as an overview of the new high school configuration options and cost estimates.
Additional reports, research, and detailed engineering, geotechnical and environmental due diligence studies on the new high school site