Kings Local board advances 1% earned‑income tax proposal while weighing property‑tax rollback

The Kings Local School Board on Thursday advanced a proposal to seek state certification for a 1% earned‑income tax, along with a framework for reducing property taxes if voters approve the measure, after a presentation outlining the district's financial outlook.

Superintendent Sears told the board the district has identified about $7.2 million in revenue generation and cost savings so far and expects that figure to approach $8 million by the end of the summer. He said state and federal funding appear effectively flat and that the district faces continuing cost pressures: “We spend 70,000,000 plus annually, and we're looking at less than, $350,000 in additional revenue over the next 2 years from the state,” Superintendent Sears said.

The presentation laid out two principal options to address recurring funding shortfalls. Option 1 would place a traditional property‑tax operating levy on the ballot (an example illustration in the presentation showed a 6.9‑mill operating levy). Option 2 would place a 1% earned‑income tax on the ballot while simultaneously reducing property tax millage for local homeowners. Under the second option the district would commit in board policy to “give back” some property‑tax relief if revenues from the income tax…