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Levy pays for youth activities Photo by Jim Craven Violinist Tori Landell's fifth-grade strings class at Lincoln Elementary and other elementary music programs in Ashland will be added to the youth activities levy recipient list for next year. Ashland voters will decide on the levy in the May 16 election. Ashland considers education support By WENDY SIPOREN ASHLAND -- For the fourth time in seven years, voters are being asked to cushion the school district's budget with an extra $300 per student by supporting an approximate $1.7 million, three-year city property tax levy to pay for youth activities. "I hope people understand that the education of our children has to be our number one priority," said levy organizer Amy Amrhein. "This levy keeps the Ashland School District one of the best in the state." But for the first time in seven years, public opposition to the levy has emerged, focusing on how the funds have been distributed in the past. After an initial defeat in 1993, Ashland voters have twice approved the levy, which is restricted by state law to funding only nongraded activities. It pays for grounds and facility maintenance and a variety of extra- and co-curricular activities, including music, foreign language, newspaper, yearbook, debate, drama and sports. The largest portion, $452,000, goes to sports programs at the high school. About $100,000 of the levy annually goes to programs run by the Parks and Recreation Department, including summer programs at Garfield Park and the teen activity center. If approved and turnout exceeds 50 percent of registered voters, property owners will pay a set rate of $1.38 per $1,000 of assessed property value, an increase over the current average tax rate of $1 per $1,000 for the current activities levy. Committee member Chuck Keil estimates that the levy will bring in $119,000 annually to the Parks and Recreation Department and about $1.6 million annually to the school district. This year's increase includes $460,000 in funding for elementary physical education and music, previously funded through the school district. This will allow the school district to spend that money on other academic programs. It also includes a $25,000 increase for club sports at the high school including water polo, snow boarding, crew, bowling and skiing, up from $5,000. While support has been strong for the levy in past years, the 2000 campaign has introduced a debate over the distribution of the levy funds that overwhelmingly support athletic programs at the high school. High school football received $71,063 last year, compared to $80,132 for music, drama and co-curricular activities combined. "I think too much of it is spent on athletics and not enough on the arts and others that are just as important," said soccer coach Gregg Howe, who also would like the school to better support some of the newer sports such as water polo and soccer. Howe also argues that there hasn't been a public process to prioritize spending of levy funds. "It's become a matter of lobbying ... in order to change the budget," he said. "Some groups think that if they ask for money it's a negative thing because it's going to come from someone else." To address some of these concerns, the City Council voted to appoint a seven-member committee consisting of three community members, a parks commissioner, school board member, the athletic director and one non-high-school administrator. But Howe says the committee won't have any real influence if it meets after the levy is passed. "I think it's just so much window dressing," he said. Others believe the advisory committee will be taken seriously by the school board. "I would be very surprised if the school board didn't take the recommendation of the committee," said Mayor Cathy Shaw. "My hope is that the committee will come up with very basic criteria that will let the community ... understand how money is being allocated -- per student, per program. Just so it doesn't appear to be arbitrary." Supporters argue that the distribution of the levy matters less than getting the levy passed and that the levy is a means to free up district resources for traditional academic programs. "It think it's really good that our community is having this discussion," said Amrhein. "(But) if the levy doesn't pass there's no money to argue about. The school district will have to cut $1.7 million out of its budget. That's going to affect not only athletics, but the quality and number of academic offerings." Today's Edition : News | Sports | Business | Weather | Tempo | Classifieds Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA