Sixth Ward Councilwoman Rose Mary Christian spoke up Monday at the city schools board of trustees meeting on behalf, she said, of her constituents, decrying the high cost of education in an age of tighter household budgets.
"I really don't have any solution," Christian said near the end of her remarks. "I'm asking you to seriously think about the people who live in this community and are having a hard time right now."
She noted that assessments have gone up throughout the city and that is putting more of a squeeze on some households.
She asked if the board considered reducing salaries for teachers and other staff members.
"Everything is escalating and it's hurting everyone, even you," she said.
She also asked that Sacred Heart once again be used as a polling station in school district elections.
On May 8, voters will chose among four candidates for three positions on the school board and whether to approve a $661 spending plan for the district for 2021-22, an increase of $625,935 from the current year.
The proposed tax levy (the aggregated of all property taxes collected in the school tax) is $19,493,958, exactly as it is in the current year.
State and federal aid covers most of the rest of the district's spending.
Photo: Still from video of Monday's meeting.
