Riverside board weighs 1% earned-income tax and $120M school plan as deficit warning looms

Summary

District leaders recommended placing a 1% earned-income tax on the November ballot to stabilize operations and fund a proposed $120 million 7–12 campus; trustees debated timing, whether to combine operating and facilities funding in one question, and community impacts before unanimously moving to executive session.

At a work session, Riverside Local school leaders urged trustees to put a revenue measure before voters this year as a forecast showed ongoing deficits that could trigger state fiscal oversight.

The district’s fiscal officer told the board the February forecast projects sustained deficit spending and that, absent new revenue, the district could enter fiscal watch and, by 2029, fiscal emergency under state thresholds. “You can see we’re in deficit spending at $8.96,” the fiscal officer said, and later summarized modeling that a 1% earned-income tax would generate an estimated $13.7 million annually while the district needs roughly $8.5 million to meet board targets for operating reserves.

School leaders also presented a facilities vision: renderings for a 7–12 Riverside campus that would preserve the high school’s signature appearance while adding a new wing and modern program spaces. Presenters said teardown-and-rebuild and renovation-hybrid…

Riverside board weighs 1% earned-income tax and $120M school plan as deficit warning looms

Summary

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