Northwoods Reporter

The Iron County Republican Party has expressed strong opposition to repeated property tax increases proposed by the Iron County School District (ICSD). The party's executive committee has provided several reasons for this stance.

The ICSD has a history of voting to increase taxes approximately every two years. Despite these efforts, the majority of voters—Republicans, Democrats, and Independents alike—opposed the construction of a new elementary school in both 2018 and 2022. The party argues that these concerns should be given more attention rather than being dismissed as “sharp criticisms from a few.”

For the 2024 fiscal year, the ICSD approved a budget of $200 million to serve 10,000 students. This translates to $20,000 per student or $500,000 per classroom annually. Given these figures, the party believes it is reasonable and necessary to scrutinize the district’s spending and fiscal discipline. However, they contend that such information is not readily available or openly discussed by the school board, leaving many citizens unaware of how their tax dollars are being utilized.

Additionally, one charter school is opening this year at no additional cost to Iron County taxpayers, with another charter school set to open within the next two to three years—also at no additional cost. These schools are expected to result in a decline of over 500 elementary school students within the ICSD.

According to ICSD data, over 95% of the district’s growth is attributed to online enrollment due to legislative changes requiring online school providers to enroll their students in their local district. Growth in elementary school enrollment within the district has flatlined. The party calls for greater transparency on these issues when considering new schools and associated tax increases.

The Iron County GOP emphasizes electing conservative leaders who understand that increasing government spending, taxes, and debt can harm communities. They warn that unchecked trends could lead toward greater government control and socialist indoctrination in educational systems—an outcome they argue is inconsistent with conservative values held by Iron County residents.

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