Board urges public to contact state lawmakers over House Bill 96 provisions it says would hit district finances

Board members used the July 15 meeting to ask residents to contact state lawmakers about three provisions in House Bill 96 that they said would undermine the district's ability to respond to inflation and maintain local funding.

"There is a bill going forward to override the vetoes that the governor, three of the vetoes specifically that the governor vetoed in the, provisions that the governor vetoed in the house bill of 96. Those are items 55, 65, and 66. Those will substantially hurt our financial stability in the district if though if that detail is overridden," a board member said, urging people to contact "Senator Manning and Representative Manning." The speaker said the provisions could prohibit renewing existing substitute levies and would leave districts without a mechanism to respond to inflationary costs.

A second board member characterized the potential override as an immediate financial threat. "If they override these 3 things, we're gonna lose tens of millions of dollars almost literally overnight," the board member said, and said cuts to electives and extracurriculars could follow if funding were lost.

District communications staff prepared materials for residents to share with lawmakers. Dr. Susan Bauchner, speaking at the meeting, thanked the district communications supervisor and assistant superintendent for assembling talking points and directed that the materials be posted and shared; the board indicated the materials would be put on the district website and emailed to parents. The board did not take a formal vote on the matter at the July 15 meeting.

No specific legislative language beyond the transcript references (House Bill 96, items 55, 65 and 66) was provided in the meeting. The board's message was a request for constituent outreach; the district said it would make informational materials available to help residents contact their state representatives.