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What’s next for Rock Island County schools after sales tax fails

Rock Island County schools are jumping to plan B after voters defeated the one-percent sales tax that would have generated extra revenue for the county’s ...

Rock Island County schools are jumping to plan B after voters defeated the one-percent sales tax that would have generated extra revenue for the county's schools.

The Rock Island-Milan School District's superintendent Mike Oberhaus said the results were "obviously disappointing" after the sales tax was defeated with 50.35% (8,531) of voters choosing against it and 49.65% (8,413) voting for it.

The sales tax, which was voted down three times in the past six years, would have generated millions of dollars a year for the Rock Island-Milan School District and aided in about $15 million worth of projects, according to Oberhaus.

“The money would have been used to construct safe and secure entrances to our building so that when visitors enter our building, they are immediately put into the office area before they have access to the rest of the building,” Oberhaus told News 8.

Oberhaus referred to Ridgewood and Jefferson Elementary, where guests can walk inside the building before approaching the school’s office. Guests are required to check in at the school’s office before they can walk through the building.

In addition to security upgrades, the district had planned to enhance its cafeteria, which was constructed in 1937. The district spends thousands of dollars a year to maintain the school’s “vintage buildings,” Oberhaus said.

“We are currently spending approximately $250,000 a year to maintain 1.2 million square-feet of space,” Oberhaus added.

Oberhaus said the school district will review the results of Tuesday’s votes, but hinted towards the possibility of taking out bonds to complete the projects.

“That’s our only real avenue for us today is to go into long-range debt to maintain our facilities,” Oberhaus said.

Rock Island County resident Jan Johnson said while she doesn’t currently have any children in the county’s schools, she was upset the sales tax didn’t pass.

“I think we need to invest in our kids and invest in our future,” Johnson said as she sat inside Dewey’s Copper Café in Moline.

Johnson said she believes increasing the property tax would be a better route for the school districts to go.

“I actually think a property tax is a little bit more fair,” Johnson explained. “If you do a sales tax, people are likely to go to another city where the sales tax is cheaper and support another school system.”

Rock Island County schools now have to go back to the drawing board and decide what’s next for their schools.

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