Warren County schools to address tax increase to help fund school safety

BOWLING GREEN Ky.-School is meant to be a place to learn but without safety that’s hard to do.

In a board meeting, the Warren County Public School District  discussed a property tax increase to help fund school safety measures. The Warren County schools face the hurdle of being the third lowest funded district in the state, and the fourth biggest district. Warren County Superintendent Rob Clayton said this is an obstacle that requires outside help.

“It does require us to be very efficient with our resources and it’s very difficult to maintain the high quality that we have in our schools without considering additional revenue to offset the additional expenses each year,” Clayton said.

The increase would jump from 45.6 cents to 46.1 cents per $100  of assessed value. The proposal will be given by Warren County Chief Financial Officer Chris McIntyre, who said a property tax is a small price to pay for the safety of the students and staff.

“Safety is our primary focus. Safety, opportunities, and achievement for our students. Those are the three pillars that we go back to,” Mcintyre said.

Those who own homes in the Warren County district say the tax jump is a good thing, even if it may not sound appealing at first.

“If we can prove that what this increase is going to do is increase their safety and ability to learn, then I’m all for it,” business owner and Warren County homeowner Clint Young said.

Despite the financial challenges in the district, McIntyre said the schools have done well to mitigate this, and it’s all worth it for the kids.

The most valuable investment you can make is an investment in kids. We have a 97% graduation rate, and a 95.7 % acceptance rate. Those are leaders throughout the state,” Mcintyre said.

“The increase in tax rate means we’ll have a little but more money at our discretion to be able to fund additional security enhancements and district needs based on our growing clientele of students,” Mcintyre said.