A new line will be added to tax bills in the City of Two Rivers.
The city council voted 5-4 to allow the amount of money Two Rivers Public Schools is sending to the voucher school program to be listed as its own line item.
Superintendent Diane Johnson, Finance Director Mary Kay Slattery, and school board members Gary Shavlik, Jennifer Hendrickson, and Lori Zimney all spoke during public comment, encouraging the change, saying it will provide transparency.
“Let people see in dollars and cents what they are being asked to fund,” she demanded. “Because this is not about public schools versus private schools. It’ s about making sure taxpayers know where their education dollars are going. Shavlik told the council, “This is a simple formatting change, but it sends an important message. Taxpayers are game for it. Taxpayers deserve to see it.”
Some residents criticized adding the new line to tax bills, including Corey Thuss, who claimed they haven’t been transparent about their losses.
“Never once have they discussed why students are leaving, why families are leaving, what are we doing wrong, what can we do better,” she explained. “Are we running our programs correctly? Do we have too much overhead in staff? Are we running our special education programs correctly? What other things can we cut instead of just acting like we are their blank check?”
While some council members felt the transparency was important, adding the extra line to tax bills fell on deaf ears.
Councilmember Adam Wachowski says Two Rivers Public Schools has their own budget, and adding the line on city tax bills would be confusing and open the door for other groups to add their own.
Councilmember Katherine Dahlke agreed, saying, “If the school board wants to do a general presentation to the constituents and be very transparent to all their constituents about all the monies in and out, go for it. Hold some opens meetings, put some statements out to the public, and handle it that way. But I don’t believe it belongs on this tax statement.”
Councilmember Doug Brandt voted in favor of adding the voucher money line to the tax bill, saying that to have a stronger city, you need a stronger school system.
“We can do this for them,” he remarked. “This is (a) very small gesture. It is not confusing. This much of your tax levy goes to schools that aren’t in Two Rivers or not the public schools. It’s not complicated.”
The Two Rivers City Council received a presentation from Superintendent Johnson and other educators during a previous city council meeting about why they want the line item added.
