Superintendent outlines permanent improvement levy proposal to replace a decades-old funding level
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Summary
Delaware City Schools leaders told the board the district has operated on the same permanent improvement levy since 1989 and is proposing a continuing levy that would generate roughly $2 million annually to cover deferred maintenance, buses, technology and other capital needs; the board heard cost estimates for homeowners and the levy’s uses.
Superintendent Pomeroy told the Delaware City Schools Board of Education on Sept. 8 that the district has been operating on the same permanent improvement levy level since 1989 and presented a proposal to continue or update that levy to fund long-term facility and capital needs.
Pomeroy said the levy would bring in approximately $2,000,000 annually and outlined likely uses: roof repairs and replacements; asphalt and concrete repairs; window and door replacement; classroom furniture; athletic facility repairs and upgrades; technology and curriculum materials; and, if needed, land acquisition.
"When we look at the permanent improvement levy, I just like this background because it makes me feel at home, because our operating — we've been operating on the same permanent improvement levy since 1989," Pomeroy said. He placed the levy in historical context, noting that costs for buses and technology have risen sharply ("you'll be looking at buses that are about a $132,000") and that the district has added buildings and roughly 2,000 students since 1989.
Pomeroy provided an estimate of homeowner impact: "This levy will cost approximately $100 per $100,000 worth of a value evaluation annually," and said the levy would be set as a continuing levy to allow multiyear planning.
Board members asked no substantive follow-up questions about the levy at the time; Pomeroy moved on to other items in the superintendent’s report. District staff later noted that some planned purchases (including buses) were timed to take advantage of current pricing and that carryover permanent-improvement funds would be reallocated if the board approved purchases.
The presentation framed the levy as a way to address deferred maintenance and to move the district’s capital program beyond the purchasing power of the 1989 levy mark. No formal levy resolution or ballot placement action was taken at the Sept. 8 meeting; the board received the informational presentation as part of the superintendent report.