NO NEW TAX LEVY YET

By DAVID HULSE

ELDRED - A second year of a planned three-year baseline grades study submitted to the district Board of Education last week, showed some fluctuations in results, but Eldred secondary principal Ivan Katz concluded that "we're doing well, generally."

The figures included grade-by-grade numbers in class, numbers passing all courses, numbers and percentages failing one or more subjects and a percentage of those failing two or more subjects.

The only number Katz referenced before the board was those failing two or more subjects. That number went from 27 percent in the last school year to 30 percent in the recently completed school year.

Board members did not question the figures.

Katz said some of the results were statistical, rather than practical, citing three seniors who were included in the failing statistics because of failures in classes unneeded for graduation.

Still, Katz, who was granted tenure by the Board August 10, was concerned. "I want all the kids to perform at 100 percent... mastery levels.

In unrelated business Superintendent Candace Mazur reported that no state equalization rate had been set for the Town of Lumberland and thus no apportionment of the district's new tax levy could be approved by the board. Lumberland's rate is in question because state and local tax officials radically disagree on the value of recently sold hydroelectric properties that comprise about 20 percent of the town's tax base.

A levy must be approved before the end of the month, as school tax bills must be mailed on September 1.

District Business Manager Lisa Failla said if no rate is set by the end of the month, she would ask state permission to re-use last year's rate.

The Board scheduled another special meeting date at 7:00 p.m. on August 24 to approve a proportioning, if an equalization rate is available.