A town hall meeting was held Monday night at the Taylorville VFW hall by the local Citizens for Education group, asking for the communities support for a tax referendum that will appear on the April 4th ballot. The tax referendum will increase local funding for Taylorville schools, helping to offset uncertain state funding. Several speakers spoke at the meeting, including Taylorville School District Superintendent Dr. Gregg Fuerstenau, who said throughout the difficult decisions the district has had to make over the years, they’ve always put the students first.
Another speaker during the meeting was Dave Hixenbaugh, who was with the Taylorville School District for 44 years. Hixenbaugh urged those in attendance to vote yes on the referendum to help ensure the future of the community.
The crowd at Monday night’s meeting also heard from several of the students currently involved in the various extracurricular activities that may have to be cut should the referendum fail. Jack Curtin, a Taylorville student involved in the FFA program at THS said he supports the referendum, not only to help ensure the future of the FFA program for his fellow students, but also to ensure a bright future for Taylorville Schools for his future children.
The tax referendum is asking for an increase in local property taxes of 85 cents per $100, with the money raised going towards the Taylorville School District’s General Education fund.
