By Jacob Schmedeke
Lamp Writer
TAYLORVILLE — China Levy, a former Taylorville High School graduate, was in many extracurricular activities: the spring musical, art club, Future Business Leaders of America, scholastic bowl and journalism.
She joined to explore her skills and challenge herself. She continued her extracurriculars throughout high school because of the sense of community she got from them. The extracurriculars taught her discipline, how to lead, how to work with others on common goals and much more.
“My involvement in extracurricular activities at THS also made me a competitive applicant for my foreign exchange program and was undeniably a factor in my admittance to Northwestern University,” Levy said.
Levy is the community engagement specialist for The Seattle Times. She attributes her professional success to her THS journalism class. She also said that she couldn’t imagine high school without extracurricular involvement, believing she wouldn’t have been able to study abroad or attend a prestigious university without it.
Where kids once ran and played joyously, cornfields now lay. West Elementary School was closed in 2010. Later sold, its land, which included dozens of trees planted by students 20 years ago, has been turned into a cornfield.
South Elementary School also closed in 2013.
Taylorville residents have slowly watched their elementary schools fall behind. Now, it looks like it could hit the Taylorville Junior High School and Taylorville High School.
With the state yet to pass a budget, putting them millions behind in educational payments, Taylorville residents are having to take matters into their own hands. Proposing a property tax referendum to save their teachers and schools on this upcoming ballot on April 4. The proposal will increase property taxes 85 cents for every $100. The current property tax rate is 3.4233 percent, with the increase it would be 4.2733 percent.
There’s also, Citizens for Education, a group of parents, community and business leaders who are trying to get information out about the referendum and help it pass. They have a Facebook page with an enormous amount of information and just recently added a call center until the April, 4 election. Anyone is welcome to volunteer for Citizens for Education.
The last property tax increase in the district was in 1978. For perspective, “Grease” and “Animal House” had just come out in theaters. Jimmy Carter was president of the United States. “M*A*S*H,” “Happy Days,” and “The Jeffersons” were a few of the popular TV shows that year.
If the referendum does not pass, there will be massive cuts. In the 2017-18 school year alone, they will save a little over $1 million, which includes the dismissal of 22 staff and personnel. Extracurricular activities being cut in 2017-18 include: Madrigals, scholastic bowl, FFA, student council, journalism, the spring musical, National Honor Society and the literary contest. Athletics, couldn’t run, jump or power their way out either. All junior high, freshman and junior varsity athletics will be eliminated, including cheerleading and the pom poms.
The cuts don’t end there, the Board prepared additional cuts for 2018-19. 11 more staff members including the THS art, business and foreign language teachers, who will be cut and their programs dissolved. The board also voted to eliminate the varsity athletics in 2018-19. Officially ending all Taylorville school athletics.
The THS student council isn’t taking these cuts lightly. They’ve organized Project #voteyes as a way for the student council to get involved with the community and help inform them on the upcoming April 4 ballot. They also help Citizens for Education with calling residents to ask them to vote yes for the referendum, as well as going door to door to talk to people.
Jacob Schmedeke can be reached at [email protected].
