Litchfield board votes to place M&O override continuation election on November ballot

Michael Vaughn presented a resolution asking the Litchfield Elementary School District Governing Board to place a maintenance and operations (M&O) override continuation election on the November ballot, listing spending priorities that include coordination of school safety efforts, recruitment and retention of teachers and staff, a nurse at each school, teacher and staff pay, special area programs such as physical education, music, band and art, athletics, and focused intervention programs including reading specialists and instructional coaches.

"This is investing in our children," Mr. Owens said in support, urging voters to remember that “when you look at M&O tax dollars, you know exactly where they're going.” He framed the override as a local funding tool that keeps tax dollars in neighborhood schools rather than shifting them to other levels of government.

Michael Vaughn told the board he had revised the resolution since the last meeting to replace language about "maintain" with broader categories and to explicitly incorporate school safety after receiving advisory feedback. Superintendent Davidson and other board members voiced support for the language as presented.

Board members conducted a roll call vote. Ms. Wallace voted yes; Mr. Mikes voted yes; Mr. Owens voted yes; President Zaydum voted yes. The motion passed unanimously, authorizing district staff to proceed with the legal and administrative steps needed to call the override continuation election for November.

The board did not set a dollar amount in open discussion at the meeting; Vaughn described the resolution in categorical terms and recommended the categories above. The board also discussed outreach and the rationale for presenting the measure to voters, but did not adopt a final outreach plan during the session.