Some parents say they've lost confidence in the leadership of the Richland-Bean Blossom School District.
Nearly 100 residents attended a school board meeting Monday night, and a small group protested on the street leading into Edgewood High School's Auditorium.
Residents are upset about an error that led to a property tax increase. The increase caused the district to have a $1.1 million surplus.
According to a letter sent to parents from School Board President Dana Kerr, the 2018 property tax rate for Debt Service is just under 73 cents per $100 of assessed value. The 2017 property tax rate was just over 61 cents.
He says, "The reason for the increase in the tax rate was that the Debt Worksheet submitted to the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance contained an error."
The school board placed blame on Superintendent Mike Wilcox's preparation of the document.
The district decided to keep the money to pay down its bonds, rather than return it to taxpayers. According to the letter sent to parents, the district will collect $1.1 million in extra funds that "must be used for debt service only--they cannot be used for other purposes."
The same board voted last year to close Stinesville Elementary at the end of this school year, citing the high costs to keep the school running. That paradox didn't sit well with some residents.
Katelynn Owens is one of the parents who organized the protest. She says she's frustrated that the system of checks and balances failed tax payers. Owens and others in attendance say they feel like no one is fighting for the rights of the individuals.
She wishes the school board would be more receptive to public opinion surrounding the district's finances.
"They're proving that they're voting ignorantly on matters that have to do with finance and that's the problem," Owens says. "That's what we tried to discuss and that's what we try to fix they don't hear us. They listen, but they don't [take] action."
Many in attendance Monday night questioned how the mistake could happen and many at the meeting called for superintendent Mike Wilcox to be fired. Protestors carried their signs into the auditorium, which prompted a quick response from School Board President Dana Kerr, who asked people to put the signs away.
Johnathan Farmer grew up in the Richland-Bean Blossom School District and his kids also attended there. When Farmer indirectly suggested that Wilcox resign, Kerr abruptly ended the meeting's public comment portion.
"They do not want to hear what this community thinks of them," Farmer said after leaving the auditorium.
He says he didn't mean to shut down public comment and he wishes the board would hear from constituents. "They have no concern for this community whatsoever," he says.
Kerr said in an email Tuesday that the presiding officer may terminate a person's statement under certain conditions: "when the statement is too lengthy, personally directed, abusive, obscene, or irrelevant."
Kerr described Farmer's statement as "very belligerent."
Just before the public school board meeting, board members met in an executive session to evaluate Wilcox's performance as superintendent. That meeting was not open to the public.
The board voted 5-0 to approve a contract with banking firm George Baum and Associates. They say the firm will help the district prepare its budgets and review its finances, in part to help prevent future errors.
Kerr says the banking firm had nothing to do with the mistake, and insists the property tax rate will return to 2017 rates in 2019.
"People had the understanding I guess, or at least the thought that they [George Baum and Associates] had overseen the process filing the debt service worksheet with the Department of Local Government Finance, and these folks didn't do that," he says.
Owens says she plans to organize future protests and galvanize support from other parents.
Wilcox declined an interview, referring comments to Kerr.
This post has been updated.
