EXS – During the successful campaign to replace Westview Elementary School and make improvements at other schools, suggestions arose that the district would raise the tax rate.

The school board proved those suggestions had no merit last week by setting the same tax rate as last year.

The overall tax rate remains $5.27 and the debt service levy stayed $1.1453, district Deputy Superintendent Jaret Tomlinson said.

“Taxes stayed the same,” he said. “There were some conspiracy theorists thinking there were going to be all these things happening. No,” he said. “We told you that we’d keep things the same and we actually did it.”

In addition to setting the annual tax rate, the district is set to start a new school year Sept. 8. Tomlinson said the doors would open and stay open as long as doing so remains safe.

“We’re doing in-person, K-5; we’re doing a hybrid model, 6-12; and all of our activities are going now,” Tomlinson said, “so we’re having fall football and all those types of (activities) and just seeing how it’s going to go. ...

“We’re just kind of waiting to see if we can all stay healthy, do we stay in school, do we go virtual? It all depends on how healthy we stay, I guess.”