• About
    • About Us
    • What We Cover
  • Advertise
    • Advertise
    • Our Advertisers
  • Contact
  • Donate
  • Send News
  • Subscribe

Oak Ridge Today

  • Home
  • Sign in
  • News
    • Business
    • Community
    • Education
    • Government
    • Health
    • Police and Fire
    • U.S. Department of Energy
    • Weather
  • Sports
    • High School
    • Middle School
    • Recreation
    • Rowing
    • Youth
  • Entertainment
    • Arts
    • Dancing
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Television
    • Theater
  • Premium Content
  • Obituaries
  • Classifieds

Schools scale back tech initiative, could ask for 37-cent tax increase

Posted at 9:39 pm May 28, 2014
By Sara Wise Leave a Comment

Doug Cofer and Oak Ridge Board of Education

Doug Cofer, left, director of the Oak Ridge Schools Technology Department, shows the Board of Education a Powerpoint presentation on Wednesday that outlines changes in the budget proposal that were made at the request of the board. (Photo by Sara Wise)

 

School officials scaled back the rollout of a digital technology initiative that would provide every student with an electronic device before approving a budget that could require a 37-cent tax increase to avoid cuts in staff or programs.

It could be one of the largest requests for a property tax rate increase in recent years. But it’s not clear if city officials, who have been working toward a no-tax-increase budget, will agree to any rate hikes.

The Oak Ridge Board of Education passed the budget for Fiscal Year 2015, which starts July 1, in a 5-1 vote on first reading on Wednesday. The vote came after amendments were made based on discussions by the school board on Tuesday night.

Board member Dan DiGregorio cast the lone vote against the proposal on Wednesday. DiGregorio said he couldn’t support a reduction in staff or more programs to make up for the tax increase, should the city not approve it. The board will ask the city for a tax increase of $0.37, down from the original proposed increase of $0.42.

Mike Mahathy, a member of the audience who addressed the board, agreed with DiGregorio, but insisted that he will still support the decision to pass the proposal.

“I’m a supporter and I will help you, but just make sure you know what you’re getting into,” Mahathy said.

Board member Bob Eby said he hopes the city will listen to the board and understand why the money is needed for the school system to remain competitive, as neighboring districts in Lenoir City and Maryville have already implemented 1:1 device integration in their school systems.

The 1:1 initiative would mean that every Oak Ridge student would have a electronic device to use both at home and at school.

The budget’s required revenue was reduced overnight by about $500,000, to $3.3 million. The reduction comes after the proposed device integration was scaled back. It is now planned for a middle school rollout instead of full K-12 integration throughout the district. An additional $1.1 million would be necessary for full integration.

The board agreed that successful rollout is necessary to ensure that full integration of the 1:1 initiative will be possible in the future.

“We need to do this as well as we can at the middle school level so that we can tell the community we’ve done this and that we’d like to expand,” Superintendent Bruce Borchers said

The second and final reading of the proposed budget is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Thursday at the School Administration Building. Then, the board will present its proposal to the Oak Ridge City Council during a June 2 meeting.

Sara Wise is a freelance contributor to Oak Ridge Today.

Filed Under: Education, Education, K-12, Slider, Top Stories Tagged With: 1:1, 1:1 device integration, Bruce Borchers, budget, Dan DiGregorio, digital technology, electronic device, Fiscal Year 2015, K-12, Mike Mahathy, Oak Ridge Board of Education, Oak Ridge City Council, property tax rate increase, Richard Eby, School Administration Building, school budget, staff, tax increase

Advertisements


 

Join the club!

If you appreciate our work, please consider subscribing. Besides helping us, your subscription will give you access to our premium content.

Most of our stories are free, brought to you by Oak Ridge Today with help from our members—advertisers, subscribers, and sponsors.

But some are premium content, available only to members. Those are in-depth, investigative, or exclusive stories that are available only on Oak Ridge Today. They generally require at least four hours to report, write, and publish.

You can subscribe for as little as $5 per month.

You can read more about your options here.

We currently offer five primary subscription options to readers, and they include benefits.

Basic

  • Basic monthly subscription ($5 per month)—access premium content
  • Basic annual subscription ($60 per year)—access premium content

Pro

  • Pro monthly subscription ($10 per month)—access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month
  • Pro annual subscription ($100 per year)—save $20 per year, access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month

Temporary

  • Temporary access ($3 per week for two weeks)

We also have advanced subscription options. You can see them here.

We also accept donations. You can donate here.

If you prefer to send a check for a subscription or donation, you may do so by mailing one to:

Oak Ridge Today
P.O. Box 6064
Oak Ridge, TN 37831

Thank you for your consideration and for reading Oak Ridge Today. We appreciate your support.

Commenting Guidelines

We welcome comments, but we ask you to follow a few guidelines:

1) Please use your real name, including last name. Please also use a valid e-mail address.
2) Be civil. Don't insult others, attack their character, or get personal.
3) Stick to the issues.
4) No profanity.
5) Keep your comments to a reasonable length and to a reasonable number per article.

We reserve the right to remove any comments that violate these guidelines. Comments held for review, usually from those posting for the first time, may not post if they violate these guidelines. Thank you for your patience and understanding. Thank you also for reading Oak Ridge Today and for participating in the discussion.

More information is available here.

More Education News

Learn why bugs are good

Submitted Every bug has a purpose. Did you know that very few caterpillars reach their mature size because birds gobble them down? It is estimated that one pair of chickadees must find 6,000 caterpillars to feed one … [Read More...]

Secret City Academy student charged with terrorism after alleged shooting, bomb threats

A Secret City Academy student was charged with terrorism and other crimes after allegedly threatening to shoot people and use a bomb at the school on Friday, Anderson County's district attorney general said. This is the … [Read More...]

ORHS Masquers presents ‘Into the Woods’

Oak Ridge High School Masquers, the school’s extracurricular drama program, is presenting "Into the Woods," the Stephen Sondheim musical based on the classic Brothers Grimm fairy tales, in four performances this … [Read More...]

Roane State employees receive excellence awards

Four Roane State Community College employees have been recognized as winners of the prestigious Excellence Award bestowed by the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development. NISOD has been named the … [Read More...]

Tennessee Holocaust Commission accepting student entries for 2022 contest

“The Holocaust is a lesson in human (and inhuman) history that took place because of hate, bigotry, indifference—all characteristics that know no bounds. These traits spread like wildfire. If we remain indifferent to … [Read More...]

More Education

Recent Posts

  • ORAU launches new app with a variety of resources available, including hundreds of STEM internships, fellowships and research opportunities
  • Disposing of uranium waste could cost at least $7.2 billion
  • Y-12 now getting power from Pine Ridge substation
  • Man sentenced to 8 years after fleeing, crashing, attempting carjackings
  • Three Ohio residents die in two-vehicle crash
  • DOE picks Idaho for nuclear test reactor
  • TBI investigating man’s death
  • Luminarias to feature peace messages
  • Oak Ridge tennis court dance is Thursday
  • DOE bus tours restart in Oak Ridge

Search Oak Ridge Today

About Us

About Oak Ridge Today
What We Cover

How To

Advertise
Subscribe

Contact Us

Contact Oak Ridge Today

Copyright © 2022 Oak Ridge Today