A budget certification from the Highland School District shows a $1 drop in the property tax asking.

The school board adopted the 2018-2019 budget at their recent meeting, which shows a total tax asking of $4,063,552 and a tax rate of $13.19 per $1,000 of assessed valuation, which is $1 less than the current rate of $14.19. Superintendent Dr. Mike Jorgensen shares the cause for the decrease, “The primary reason that we were able to do that is that the casino has now come on the tax rolls for this district. It’s no longer a part of TIF (tax increment financing) which certainly raises the valuation in the district considerably, and so that results in a pretty good reduction in terms of property tax for patrons in our district.”

The board also approved the $.33 Physical Plant and Equipment Levy. Highland’s 2018-2019 budget amounts to $6,160,500 for instructional services, $3,070,000 for support services, $440,000 for non-instructional programs, and $1,120,068 for other expenditures including facilities acquisition and construction, debt service, and Grant Wood Area Education Agency support.