When Does the District Get Paid?

A few weeks back I talked about the WPU (weighted pupil unit) and other state funds, but that is not enough to run our schools.  So where else does our revenue come from?  During November of each year, local citizens pay their property taxes, which provide a large portion of revenue to the district.  This money that is paid by the taxpayers is broken into several different levies for different taxing entities.  One levy may be to pay for general school expenses, while another may be directed towards paying off facilities only.

When you get your property tax notice from the county, depending on where you live, there are different taxing entities that have levied a tax to pay for the services they provide.  If you live in a city, you may be charged a city tax.  County residents pay a county tax.  Some or all pay service district taxes such as water or for the landfill.  As you pay the county, they account for all the funds and then forward them to the entity to be spent to run their program or project.  Those who own real property, such as equipment, inventory, supplies, or materials related to a commercial venture, have to declare these materials yearly.  Then they pay a tax to the county on those items.

In the end, most of our funds are paid to us as they are processed monthly by the county.  The state pays us in monthly increments, and any federal money and most grants come in after the money has been spent.  So while our budget says we will spend $10 million this year, our last dollar spent will not be received until next June.

Tracy Davis, Superintendent