Dear Editor,
On May 30, voters will be asked to go to the polls for the fourth time to approve the 2024-2025 Slate Valley Unified Union School District (SVUUSD) budget of $30,810,135. This budget is unchanged since the last budget vote. We are maintaining the same spending figure because we believe that this is the absolute minimum amount of money needed to run our educational programs, keep our facilities from falling into further disrepair, and maintain safe learning.
This budget will result in a per pupil education spending of $11,294.83. The state average as of March 22 is $13,396. We are asking to spend $2101.17 less per equalized pupil to provide each student with the same education, an equal education. How can we do this by continuing to reduce our budget?
The 2024-2025 homestead tax rates range from Fair Haven at $1.3299 (a 5.55% increase), to Benson at $1.5709 (an 18.48% increase).
